How to sew a robot vacuum cleaner Xiaomi in Russian with a mat

Many smart tech owners are confronted with the annoying fact that when they buy the cutting-edge Xiaomi Vacuum, they find that the device speaks Chinese or English and that Russification is not available, and the situation gets even more spicy when you request a voice packet with obscene language to have a robot cleaner comment on the cleaning in the style of “cool guy”, which is understandable, because standard phrases like “begin cleaning” quickly get bored, and you want something more lively and emotional.

Changing the language and installing custom voice packets, including those that contain profanity, requires technical training and an understanding of the risks. The firmware of a device is an interference with its code, and any careless action can turn a smart gadget into a useless piece of plastic. However, if you are willing to take risks for a unique experience, this article will be your guide to the world of modified software for Roborock and Xiaomi.

It should be noted that there are no official ways to make a vacuum cleaner swear with a mat. Xiaomi’s Chinese engineers adhere to strict corporate standards. So the whole procedure will be based on the use of third-party utilities, patches and possibly replacing system audio files through ADB or special scripts, you will have to show savvy and patience, because this is not the way for the faint of heart.

Equipment preparation and risk assessment

Before you start manipulating software, you need to be clear about what you are doing. The warranty on the device will be canceled when you connect to the debugging interface or install unofficial software. Manufacturers are not responsible for the "bricks" obtained from users' experiments with system files.

You will need a stable connection to the 2.4GHz Wi-Fi network, as many older models of vacuum cleaners do not support 5GHz. It is also critical to have a fully charged battery of the device. If the power goes off during the recording of a new firmware or voice packets, the memory chip may be damaged, and it will be extremely difficult or impossible to restore the device.

⚠️ Warning: Installing modified voice packets may disrupt the integrity of system files. In the event of an error, the device may stop responding to commands or reboot cyclically.

You will need a computer (Windows, macOS or Linux), a smartphone with Mi Home or Roborock installed, and access to the command line or terminal. It is advisable to have basic skills with network protocols and the Linux file system, since the internal vacuum cleaner OS is based on this platform.

Choosing a firmware and voice method

There are several basic ways to change the voice experience of your Xiaomi Vacuum. The easiest but limited method is to change the region in the app. By switching to China, you can access the Chinese voice, which can sometimes be switched to English, but Russian and even more so "obscene" voice in this way do not install.

A more advanced method involves using valetudo or similar open-source projects, which allow you to completely replace the firmware of the device with custom, opening access to the file system. This is where you can download any audio files, including the recorded or downloaded mat. However, support for various models in such projects is limited.

The third option is to use specialized scripts to patch system files without completely flashing them, which is less risky, but requires a precise hit on the software version, and if the versions don't match, the patch won't stick or it will cause an error.

• 🔊 Official packages: available only within selected regions and do not contain obscene language.
• 🛠️ Valetudo: Full OS Replacement, Gives Full Control, but Hard to Install.
• 📜 Script patchers: modify the existing system, require an accurate version of the software.
• 🎙️ Manual file replacement: requires root rights and folder structure knowledge Android/Linux.

It's important to understand that "firmware with a mat" is often not a finished file from the Internet, but the result of your own work on replacing audio tracks, you have to find or write down the desired phrases, convert them to the desired format and implement them into the system.

Getting Root Rights and Access to File System

To make changes to system files, you need superuser rights (Root) without which you can not overwrite protected audio recordings in the folders of the system. The process of obtaining rights depends on the model of your vacuum cleaner (S5, S50, S6, S7, etc.) and the version of its firmware.

The method is often used using ADB (Android Debug Bridge via Android USB-cable connected to contacts on the bottom of the device, or via the network if debugging over Wi-Fi is already activated.

Once connected via ADB, you need to execute a command to enable root access, which usually looks like a sequence of commands in a terminal, for example, for some models, the command that runs a script for installing miro or a similar bootloader is relevant.

adb shell


cd /data/local




./install_root.sh

Once you've done the procedures, you'll have full access to the file system. Now you can see hidden directories where the audio files are stored. And that's where, deep in the system folders, usually located along the /usr/share/sounds path or similar, are the voice files.

Search and installation of voice packets

The most interesting part is finding or building the mat itself, and there are almost no obscene builds available in the public domain, because of the legal restrictions of many countries and the rules for distributing content, and you have to act on your own.

You can find voice packets on enthusiast forums (like 4PDA or GitHub) where the standard phrases are replaced with jokey or aggressive ones. If there is no ready-made package, you can record your voice or use a speech synthesizer to voice phrases like "gather up the trash, lazy ass" or "again crumbs, this is a mess."

The installation process is as follows: you copy prepared files to the device via ADB or FTP-server (if running on a vacuum cleaner), then replace the original files with your modified versions. It is imperative to save the originals on the computer, in which case you can roll everything back.

⚠️ Note: Audio file format must strictly match the original. ADPCM 8kHz, And you'll load. MP3, The robot will either be silent or make a terrible crackle.

Replacement of system files

Once files are uploaded to a device, you need to rename or copy. In Linux-like systems, this is done by the mv or cp command. Remember to change the permissions to access the files so that the system can read them.

Use the chmod 644 command for sound files so that they can be read by the system but cannot be changed by normal processes.

Once you have all the files you need, you need to restart the device, and the reboot command will start the reboot process, at which point the vacuum cleaner can make sounds longer than usual or keep silent — that's normal, new files are initialized.

If the robot started talking with your new voice after turning on, congratulations, you did it! If there was a squeak of an error or the device went into a reboot loop, you will have to connect again and restore the original files from the backup.

Set up scripts and triggers

It's not enough to just replace files, it's about letting the robot know when to say what phrase to say. In custom firmware, you can often customize scripts, and you can tie a swear word to get stuck, to turn on maximum power, or to finish cleaning.

Configuration files are used, often in format. YAML or JSON. They prescribe conditions (triggers) and actions (reactions). error_code equal 4 (Stuck, then play the file curse_stuck.wav.

• 🤖 Start trigger: Launches a greeting file when you start working.
• 🚧 "Error" trigger: activates the mat when the wheel is stuck or jammed.
• 🔋 Battery trigger: comments on low charge in rough form.
• 🏁 Finish Trigger: Shows off the job done or scolds you for messing up.

Customizing these parameters requires care. One extra comma in the configuration can cause the robot to stop executing commands or remain silent. Always check the syntax of the configuration files before saving.

💡

Use syntax-enhanced text editors (Notepad++, VS Code) to edit configs. A regular notebook can imperceptibly spoil the encoding or add extra characters.

Possible problems and solutions

You may encounter a number of challenges in the process of modification. The most common problem is version incompatibility. A firmware running on the Roborock S5 can kill the Xiaomi S50 despite the appearance of similarities. Always check the exact model on the sticker on the bottom of the device.

The other problem is the brick, and if it doesn't turn on, you'll have to take it apart and refashion the memory chip with the programmer, which requires a soldering iron and skill, or use Recovery Mode if it's available.

⚠️ Note: If after the firmware vacuum cleaner stopped connecting to Wi-Fi, it may have been damaged partition with MAC-Recovery is only possible through an engineering menu or chip soldering.

It is also important to remember the legal aspect: using obscene language in public or in the presence of children may not be appropriate.

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The main risk of customization is the loss of warranty and the ability to turn the device into a non-working one.

FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions