LocalDot open-hardware board replaces Echo Dot internals with ESP32-S3/P4 for Home Assistant

AAElectronics has launched a Crowd Supply campaign for LocalDot, an 83 × 37mm open-hardware replacement PCB that converts third-generation Amazon Echo Dots into locally-controlled Home Assistant voice assistants. The board pairs an ESP32-S3 for Wi-Fi connectivity and device control with an ESP32-P4 for audio processing, reusing the original Echo Dot's four-microphone array, speaker, buttons, and LEDs without case modification or soldering.

Wake-word detection runs on-device, with recognized commands forwarded over the local network to a Home Assistant server for processing. The design targets the Echo Dot Donut and Crumpet variants; Clock variant compatibility remains untested. AAElectronics plans to release hardware schematics, PCB layouts, BOM, ESPHome configuration, and ESP-IDF firmware under the CERN-OHL-S-2.0 license and respective open-source software licenses through GitHub.

Hardware architecture and open-source release plan

• Dual-ESP32 architecture: The ESP32-S3 manages Wi-Fi connectivity and overall device control, while the ESP32-P4 handles microphone input and signal processing including beamforming for the four-microphone array.
• Audio subsystem: A TAS5805 amplifier drives the original Echo Dot speaker, preserving the factory audio output hardware without modification.
• Physical integration: The 83 × 37mm PCB replaces one of two original Echo Dot boards, retaining all original microphones, buttons, and LED indicators through direct hardware interfaces.
• Software stack: The ESP32-S3 runs ESPHome configuration for Home Assistant integration, while the ESP32-P4 runs ESP-IDF firmware for audio pipeline and wake-word processing.
• Open-source release commitment: Hardware files will use CERN-OHL-S-2.0; software components will carry their respective open-source licenses, with all materials published to a public GitHub repository post-campaign.

Why it matters

LocalDot addresses a persistent gap in the open smart-home ecosystem by providing a drop-in hardware path to liberate widely deployed Amazon voice hardware from cloud dependency, directly supporting the Home Assistant project's local-first philosophy. The dual-ESP32 design with dedicated audio processing on the RISC-V-based ESP32-P4 demonstrates a practical architecture for voice-assistant hardware that other open-hardware projects may reference. For Linux and Home Assistant users, this eliminates the need to maintain parallel proprietary infrastructure for voice control while reusing existing consumer electronics rather than manufacturing entirely new devices.