# Safety > [!WARNING] > - Button Box is experimental open-source hardware and software. > - An adult with the skills to check low-voltage electronics must assemble, > inspect, configure, and maintain each build. > - Keep loose parts, unfinished assemblies, tools, wiring, and NFC tokens away > from children. > - The repository does not document a conformity assessment or certification > for a complete Button Box build. > - A child should use an alpha build only in a test controlled and supervised > by a parent or guardian after the adult completes the checks below. This document describes minimum precautions for the public reference build. It does not establish that a build is safe for a particular child, certify a finished device, or replace a product-safety assessment by a qualified person. ## Before you build - Use the reference parts and supported Raspberry Pi model in [README.md](README.md). Treat substitutions as untested. - Read the component manufacturers' instructions, including the Raspberry Pi power and operating guidance. - Use a reputable power supply whose voltage and current ratings match your Raspberry Pi. Do not build or modify mains-voltage power equipment for this project. - Confirm the arcade-button LED voltage, current limiting, connector sizes, GPIO pin numbering, and PN532 mode before you connect power. - Do not treat the GPIO list in the README as a complete wiring diagram. The project does not yet provide a verified public wiring diagram. - Back up any storage device before writing an operating-system image. Confirm the physical identity of the microSD card before erasing it. Keep the Raspberry Pi unplugged while you assemble or change wiring. Remove power before you open the enclosure. ## Inspect the finished assembly An adult should check each item before first power-on and after any repair or change: - The enclosure stays closed during normal handling and does not expose the electronics, wiring, connectors, or fasteners. - The enclosure has no sharp edges, pinch points, broken plastic, or loose pieces. - The Pi, NFC board, button, speaker, microphone, and cables cannot move enough to pull a wire loose or create a short circuit. - Wiring has insulation, strain relief, correct polarity, and clearance from sharp or hot surfaces. - No loose metal, unused fastener, clipped wire, or conductive debris remains inside the enclosure. - Ventilation openings remain clear. Place the box on a stable, hard surface, away from bedding, soft furnishings, liquids, and heat sources. - A child cannot reach any loose NFC token or other small component. This project has no validated age grade. Children under three face added choking risk from small parts. The printable enclosure files are prototypes. The project does not document impact, drop, flammability, small-parts, or enclosure-access testing for those files or for home-printed parts. ## First power-on An adult should perform the first power-on with the enclosure closed and the device within reach of the power connection. 1. Start with the speaker at its lowest useful volume. 2. Check the button, LED, microphone, speaker, NFC reader, and software one at a time. 3. Let the device run under observation and check for excess heat, odor, discoloration, unstable power, unexpected restarts, audio distortion, or loose connections. 4. Check the loudest output at the position where the child will sit. Keep the level comfortable and stop if the child reports pain, ringing, or discomfort. 5. Test shutdown and power removal before a child uses the device. Unplug the box and stop using it if you notice damage, liquid ingress, excess heat, smoke, odor, exposed conductors, a loose part, unreliable controls, or unexpected behavior. Do not return it to use until a competent adult finds and fixes the cause and repeats the inspection. ## Testing with a child The parent or guardian controls the test. They should: - inspect the box before each session; - keep the power connection accessible; - supervise the child for the whole session; - prevent the child from opening, carrying, repairing, or modifying the box; - stop the session if the box becomes damaged or the child uses it in an unexpected way; and - unplug and store the box where young children cannot reach it after the session. Do not leave an alpha build powered in a child's bedroom or use it without an adult present. ## Privacy and account safety Button Box records and sends voice messages through a linked WhatsApp account. The adult who operates the box must decide who can send and receive messages and must comply with the privacy, consent, recording, and child-protection laws that apply where they live. - Use a dedicated account and phone number for the box. - Approve each recipient before enabling messaging. - Tell everyone involved that the device records and transmits audio. - Give the parent or guardian clear information about the data the box stores, where it sends that data, how long it remains available, and how to delete it. - Protect the Raspberry Pi, local network, dashboard, SSH access, WhatsApp session, and backups from unauthorized access. - Do not publish phone numbers, account identifiers, NFC identifiers, recordings, authentication files, Wi-Fi details, or other private data in a GitHub issue or support conversation. Button Box uses an unofficial WhatsApp Web client. The project is not affiliated with or endorsed by WhatsApp or Meta. Account operators must review the applicable service terms and accept the risk of account interruption or loss. ## Supplying a build to someone else Local law may treat selling, lending, or giving away a build as supplying a product. Free prototypes used for business testing can fall within product rules. Before another household receives or uses a build, the person or organization supplying it should determine the applicable requirements for product safety, toys, radio equipment, electrical compatibility, substances, cybersecurity, privacy, labeling, instructions, incident handling, and insurance. For the EU and EEA, that review may include the [General Product Safety Regulation](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2023/988/oj), the [Radio Equipment Directive](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2014/53/oj), and, where the design or intended use makes the product a toy, the [Toy Safety Directive](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2009/48/oj). A complete radio or toy product may require a risk assessment, technical documentation, conformity assessment, an EU Declaration of Conformity, and CE marking before supply. A CE mark on an individual component does not establish conformity of the finished assembly. For Portugal, give users the required safety information and instructions in Portuguese. A supplier should obtain Portuguese product-safety and data- protection advice before placing a child-facing build with a household. Do not place a CE mark or other conformity claim on a completed build unless the responsible person has completed the process required for that build and its intended use. ## Open-source responsibility The repository license includes warranty and liability terms for the material it covers. Those terms do not certify a physical build or replace rights and obligations that local law does not allow a party to waive. Responsibility depends on the facts and the law. A builder can be responsible for their assembly, substitutions, modifications, operation, and any unit they supply. A designer, component supplier, software developer, branded producer, or distributor may also have responsibilities. Assembly by another person does not transfer every possible responsibility away from other participants. Anyone who plans to supply a completed Button Box, test it with children, or use the project in a business should obtain advice for their role and country. ## Report a safety problem Disconnect power and stop using the affected build. Report a non-sensitive safety problem through the project's [GitHub issues](https://github.com/button-box/button-box/issues) with the board model, parts, software revision, and observed behavior. Remove personal data, recordings, account details, network information, and authentication material before posting. Contact local emergency services or a qualified medical professional after an injury, electric shock, fire, smoke exposure, or suspected ingestion of a small part.