About the Randall Reader Project

This text is taken from the Kickstarter page where we’re aiming to fund a minimum number of units before we’re viable. ~When it’s live I’ll put a link here.

The who and the what

I’m Sean, a middle-aged blind English geek. Throughout my teens I read books using a portable gadget powered by the Doubletalk speech synthesis chip from RC Systems. By the mid 2000’s, all the manufacturers of these book players had moved to using software speech synthesizers. I’d not heard the voice in 18 years when I discovered you could still buy the chips with that distinct, wonderful and now sadly all-too-rare sound. It’s simple enough for me to buy a chip and do a bit of programming to make it read things to me at the computer. But I can’t keep listening on the move, nor share the experience. That’s where you come in. Because to take the Doubletalk portable, I need to pay for some design and fabrication work. It’s not financially worth it for just a single unit. But I hope I am not alone!

What am I building?

Simply put, a new way to keep hearing that old voice for years to come. A portable, long-lasting digital text player, wrapping the classic and beloved speech engine in a modern, future-proof shell. I’m not selling a cutting-edge, AI-powered, cloud-based text-to-speech engine. The Doubletalk voice was the workhorse of screen reading for thousands of blind people before the turn of the century. It could well have been your first screen reader, indeed your first taste of digital independence. For me, it’s an incredibly powerful emotional connection that modern, generic voices cannot replicate. I had no idea you could still buy these things, and I want to leverage my time, energy and skills with a little of your financial backing to make this a reality for me and anyone else in the community who wants to join us. This is particularly important now, when The only supplier of these chips is retired. If we don’t grab the opportunity to keep these things alive, they may not be around much longer. If you “chip in” (see what I did there?) at the lowest tier here today, you’ll be buying a piece of history you can build yourself, if you so choose. You might opt to be an early bird backer, to get us over the line, or just place an order for a unit when we’re done with our initial design and testing phases. I’ve tried to cater for all options. Read things carefully. Get in touch with questions. If you’re flush with cash and don’t want one but do care, throw us a donation. Whatever your level of interest, you’ll end up with a reading machine that can serve you for years to come using a voice the community cherished for decades if you’d like one, or the warm, fuzzy feeling that you’ve played a part in keeping some remarkable technology afloat within the blind community otherwise.

How will “The Randall Reader” (yes, the name’s a work in progress) work? What’ll it do? How will it feel?

All very good questions. How it sounds, of course, is the first and easiest question to answer. It’ll sound like the Doubletalk synthesizers of old, used in the Road Runner and Book Courier from Springer Design (Circa 1998-2006), Book Port from APH, Doubletalk LT and TripleTalk USB Mini. The chip that produces this wonderful voice will be mounted inside an ergonomically designed, environmentally friendly and logically thought-out case hosting the rest of the reader’s components. • The reader will feature a 3.5mm headphone jack, a lock switch and USB-c power/data port. Sorry, no USB-C headphones for this baby yet. • the front face will host a 12-key telephone-style keypad to operate the reader, with a speaker grill beneath for when you don’t want to use headphones. Buttons. Speaker. That’s all. • The back of the case will have a pocket clip, or some other form of accessory for precise positioning. Other possibilities might include a desk stand, pop-socket attachment or suction cup. • And? That’s it: 12 buttons, 2 sockets, a switch, a memory card and a clip or similar mount. Couldn’t be simpler, right?

What won’t it do?

These are important points. I have a few 100% serious no-nos, which you need to be on-board with before committing.

First, no DRM content. we can’t read Kindle books, Apple books, Kobo books, etc. If it’s encrypted, it’s not an option. Initial software will handle text files only. Later versions might move to ePub, HTML, docx etc. RSS would be a particular preference of mine in the future, with the caveat that pulling content from the web is a more battery intensive task than reading offline. If you back here and now, you get text files in v1 of the thing.
Second, no audio. Not in the initial design at least. My primary use case for this thing is text reading. I’d like to add an FM radio and better sound handling for local Mp3 and maybe even Internet radio, but it’d mean a lot more work and my most significant want is the voice. So if we utterly smash the kickstarter, maybe later, guys. In this iteration of the hardware, nope.
Third, no choice of voice. You can adjust all the options you get with the Doubletalk, but no Samantha, noEloquence. This is a firm stop. This machine is built around the Doubletalk chipset.
Forth, (This comes into point 2 above, ) no podcasts. No Audible either, I don’t think they’ll support opensource anyway. There are already loads of high quality audiobook players on the market. If we do go audio in a future design, it’ll be Internet radio, file or network streaming, maybe FM out as well as in if you already use that, possibly Bluetooth depending on interest. For this version of the device, the only sounds you hear will come from Doubletalk.

So what exactly am I getting with your reader?

A no-frills text player, really, is the one-sentence summary. we’re taking the Doubletalk voice of old and ensuring it works for years to come. Updates may widen the spectrum of file types we support, but that’s the project in a nutshell. An easy to use, blind-designed device for listening to your digital text using a classic voice. Multi-file and folder support, bookmarking within files and basic in-file navigation will be in on day 1. there are some real benefits to the hardware we can bring into play in 2025, though: Instant power-on is one of them, no boot time. Seriously none. You can leave this thing paused for a couple of weeks and as soon as you hit that play button, you’re back in your book. The battery life itself is pretty reasonable too. We’re looking between 21 and 26 hours of play time, depending on the size of the battery. Backers will be surveyed about preferences on this before we commit to a final decision. By play time, I mean actively reading. Keep a book paused and it’ll sit for weeks. In terms of file transfer, there are also several options. • First there’s your typical old-school USB-cable, of course. Plug it in, make a folder, drop in a file. SO far, so normal. Worried about stress on the USB port? Stick a little magnetic adapter in the socket and forget about it if you like. • You can choose to remove the Micro SD card and use your own reader or port if you prefer as a second option. No proprietary file formats, no special encoding needed. Let the Reader go to sleep before you remove the card and there’s no risk to your files. • Then there’s a wifi option (of course there is, we’re in the 2020’s now, c’mon). Turning on the wireless receiver will dramatically reduce your battery, but will allow you to connect via a variety of protocols to drop new files onto your reader. From your phone, too, yes. And Yes, of course you can choose to have wifi automatically turn on whenever you’re charging the reader and off again when you’re on battery. • This is certainly a feature I’d have loved to have with my old Book Port, just drop it onto a wireless charging pad between books and have it networked so I can add books. Wireless charging, did you say? yes, I certainly did! It’ll mean a bit extra if you want it, but Qi is an open standard, so take a look at the wireless back option in the addons section if you want it too. The wireless charging coil will always be an option and not the standard, because there are medical technologies that don’t like magnetic fields. Killing off my backers is presumably strongly discouraged. If you do have a pacemaker or other medical device, please don’t by a Qi charging unit unless you’re not going to wear it.

So that’s it, that is the story. Alone, I can buy one of these beautiful speech chips and have it talking to me in a mess of spaghetti wires on my desk. With your backing and my baking, we can turn that into a streamlined, portable book reader, combining the elegance of the classic Doubletalk voice with some killer modern features (wireless charging. Awesome battery life. Cable-free library management.) I’ve been upfront about the limitations and expectations, but do keep the questions coming. If you want to board this crazy train and own a peace of vintage hardware given new life, I’d be delighted to have your support.

Some extra notes

It’s important to note that the reader you are funding is made up of a number of different parts. It is a firm design goal that all of these are modular, user-replaceable and, where possible, interchangeable. If you somehow break the keypad, get another one. If you want the software to work in a slightly different way? Tweak the code and run your own copy on the reader, or ask someone to modify it for you. Somehow broken your headphone jack? Just get a new board printed, no trouble. You’re backing a great idea, served by a solidly-put-together bit of kit that is still easily opened and serviced, rather than a specific product here. It’ll not be shipped to you until it meets the initial design goals, but you’re not at all restricted in what you do with the hardware after that. Also, no images yet because I haven’t bought anything and I have zero eyesight to take photos. As soon as I start working on this thing, we’ll get a feed going so you can follow my progress. There’ll be live coding. You can see me making a mess of the wiring. I’ll probably short out several speakers and things before we settle on the right amplifier, and of course we have to stress test a bunch of batteries with the Doubletalk at all sorts of speeds and volumes, to provide accurate measurement data. it’ll be BRILLIANT!

Risks and challenges

Bringing any new hardware product to life is a complex journey, and I believe in being completely transparent about the potential challenges we might face together. I have spent a significant amount of time planning for these risks and have built a robust plan to mitigate them, but it’s important that you, as a backer, understand them too. this project’s risks can be broken down into three main categories: Supply Chain, Manufacturing, and Software Development.

Supply Chain Risks The Challenge: The heart of this reader is the V-Stamp speech synthesizer, a specialized component from a single supplier (RC Systems). The global electronics market can be volatile, and delays in component availability or unexpected price increases are always a possibility. Our Mitigation Plan: Early Communication - I am already in contact with RC Systems to get lead-time estimates for a bulk order of these chips. Contingency Funding: A significant portion of our funding goal is a dedicated contingency buffer. This is specifically designed to absorb moderate, unexpected price increases without derailing the project. Transparent Updates: If a supply chain delay occurs, I pledge to inform all backers immediately with a clear explanation and a revised timeline. You will never be left in the dark. TO be fair, when the first v-stamps arrive, you’ll never be left in the quiet, either.
Manufacturing and Assembly Risks The Challenge: Turning a prototype into a set identical, high-quality units involves multiple partners. There is a risk of manufacturing defects in the custom PCBs or 3D printed cases, or issues with the final assembly. Our Mitigation Plan: Reputable Partners: I have identified established, well-regarded companies for both the PCB Assembly (PCBA) and the 3D printing of the cases. These are not untested, low-cost suppliers. The “Golden Sample”: The budget includes the cost of producing and testing a single, perfect “Golden Sample” unit from the manufacturers before starting the full production run. This allows us to catch any design flaws and make necessary corrections early. Modular Design: Our solder-free, modular assembly (using sockets and connectors) makes quality control easier. It allows for quick replacement of any single faulty component without having to discard an entire unit, minimizing waste and delays.
Software Development and Fulfillment Risks The Challenge: While the core software is already being developed, implementing stretch goals like EPUB support is a complex software engineering task. There is also the logistical challenge of assembling, testing, and shipping every unit by hand. Our Mitigation Plan: Realistic Timeline: The estimated delivery date has been calculated with a generous buffer to account for software development, debugging, and the time required for careful, individual assembly and testing of each unit. Prioritizing the Core Product: My primary commitment is to deliver a robust and reliable device that perfectly handles the core features promised in the main reward tiers. Stretch goals will only be pursued once this core functionality is 100% stable. Organized Fulfillment: I have a clear plan for fulfillment, including pre-sourcing all packaging materials and building a shipping schedule. By offering a “DIY Kit” tier, we also distribute the final assembly workload, which helps ensure the main batch of fully assembled units can be given the time and attention they deserve. My promise to you is simple: open, honest, and regular communication. This project is a passion born from my own experience, and I am fully dedicated to navigating these challenges to bring this unique device to our community. Thank you for your trust and support.” Learn about accountability on Kickstarter
Environmental commitments

Long-lasting design

“This reader is designed to be a durable, long-term companion, not a disposable gadget. I’ve rejected the modern trend of sealed, unrepairable devices. The design philosophy is built on three key principles:”

Repairability

“The device is assembled with standard screws, not glue. If a component like the keypad or battery ever wears out after years of use, it can be easily unplugged and replaced. This extends the readers lifespan far beyond that of a typical consumer electronic device.”

Software Longevity

“The reader is a completely self-contained, offline-first device. It does not depend on any corporate cloud servers that could be shut down. The firmware is designed to be robust and will work just as well in twenty years as it does today. New features are delivered via OTA updates or open-source downloads, not by forcing you to buy new hardware.”

Modular Accessory System

a unique screw-in mounting system allows the device to adapt to your needs over time. A new stand or grip can be added without replacing the core device, reducing waste and promoting long-term use.” “Because the core components (like the ESP32 board and V-Stamp module) are socketed, they can be easily removed and reused in other electronics projects by hobbyists, giving the hardware a second life beyond its function as a reader.”

Recyclability

“We have intentionally avoided a ‘glued-together’ design. The case, battery, and circuit boards can be easily separated with simple tools, allowing for proper sorting and recycling of the plastic and electronic components according to local e-waste guidelines.”

Reusability

Because the core components (like the ESP board and voice module) are socketed, they can be easily removed and reused in other electronics projects by hobbyists, giving the hardware a second life beyond its function as a reader. Indeed should a customer want to change the software or replace it themselves, it’s easy to do so. As to Recyclability, “We have intentionally avoided a ‘glued-together’ design. The case, battery, and circuit boards can be easily separated with simple tools, allowing for proper sorting and recycling of the plastic and electronic components according to local e-waste guidelines.” Sustainable materials “The primary case will be 3D printed using PETG, a durable and long-lasting thermoplastic that is also fully recyclable. I’ve opted against less durable plastics that would lead to a shorter product lifespan.” I’m committed to minimizing packaging waste. Readers will ship in simple, appropriately-sized and recyclable, plastic-free packaging, using recyclable paper for padding.” Component Sourcing: I am selecting high-quality, name-brand components known for their reliability, reducing the likelihood of premature failure and electronic waste.”