@akipponn tested a slightly larger speaker with the MAX98306 amplifier, but the volume still felt a bit too low for grandparents to hear clearly — a little disappointing. Then we tried the mono speaker we had ordered together, connected to the L channel, and finally succeeded in getting a solid, clear volume 🙌
Tomorrow’s plan is to solder a pin header onto the MAX98357A and test the GPIO (I²S) connection. Then it will be less complicated. If it's enough to run my program on Raspberry Pi Zero, I can be slimmer ☺️
Some parts didn’t work out as expected, but that’s all part of the trial and error. Every day we move forward a little bit, and I want to keep recording this progress on Hive Blog.