chatman-controller 0.1.0

A reverse-engineered controller for the Chatman toy

🟡 Chatman Controller

A reverse-engineered controller for the Chatman toy, allowing you to bring it back to life! Originally designed as a USB-connected talking assistant for kids, Chatman is no longer supported by its manufacturer — but that doesn't mean it's useless. This project lets you control its LED matrix, eye, hand, and antenna movements using Python.

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🎉 Features

• ✅ Control Chatman's LED matrix (3x8) in real time
• 👁️ Move eyes, hands, and antenna
• 🖥️ GUI (chatman_gui.py) for easy control
• 🧑‍💻 CLI (chatman_cli.py) for scripting or automation
• 🔌 USB HID communication with the Chatman device

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🧠 Why This Exists

The official Chatman software and website are now discontinued, leaving the hardware unsupported. This project reverse-engineers the USB commands sent to the toy, allowing anyone to repurpose it — whether for fun, education, or building a retro-styled virtual assistant.

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🚀 Getting Started

1. Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/your-username/chatman-controller.git
cd chatman-controller

2. Install Dependencies

Install required packages using:

pip install -r requirements.txt

This includes:

• hidapi for USB HID communication

3. Connect Your Chatman Toy

Make sure your Chatman device is plugged into a USB port before launching the app.

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🖥️ Running the GUI

python chatman_gui.py

This will launch a control panel where you can:

• Toggle the LED matrix (3x8 grid)
• Choose eye, hand, and antenna movement
• See the resulting hex code for your LED configuration

If the device fails to connect, an error will be shown.

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🔧 Running the CLI

You can control Chatman directly from the terminal using the CLI tool chatman_cli.py.

▶ Interactive Mode

Run without arguments or use --interactive to enter an interactive session:

python chatman_cli.py

In this mode, you'll be prompted to choose eye, hand, and antenna movements, as well as LED values for Chatman's face.

▶ One-Time Command Mode

Provide movement and LED values directly via command-line arguments:

python chatman_cli.py --eyes EYES_OPEN --hands HANDS_UP --antenna ANTENNAS_OUT --leds FF 00 AA

• --eyes: Choose from:

  • EYES_CLOSED, EYES_ONE_THIRD_OPEN, EYES_TWO_THIRDS_OPEN, EYES_OPEN, NO_MOVEMENT

• --hands: Choose from:

  • HANDS_DOWN, HANDS_ONE_THIRD_UP, HANDS_TWO_THIRDS_UP, HANDS_UP, NO_MOVEMENT

• --antenna: Choose from:

  • ANTENNAS_IN, ANTENNAS_CENTER, ANTENNAS_OUT, NO_MOVEMENT

• --leds: Provide 3 hexadecimal values for the face LEDs:

  • e.g., --leds FF 00 AA

▶ No Reset Option

If you don’t want to reset Chatman on startup, use the --no-reset flag:

python chatman_cli.py --no-reset --eyes EYES_OPEN --hands HANDS_UP --antenna ANTENNAS_CENTER --leds 00 FF 00

💡 You typically only need to reset Chatman once — usually on the first command after plugging it in. After that, you should use --no-reset.

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🛠️ Extend This Project

Here are a few fun ideas:

• 🎙️ Add voice control
• 🤖 Use a local LLM or OpenAI API to turn it into a chat-based assistant
• 🎵 Make it dance to music by analyzing sound

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🙌 Credits

Created by Mohammed N. Almadhoun Email: [e-mail] Feel free to fork, improve, or reach out if you’ve built something cool with it!