INSTRUCTIONS v1.1
PAMSPLAINING
WARNINGS
What PAM is and what PAM is not?
PAM is a helpful ballistic solution calculator available in 2 modes:
EFFICIENT or HIVE MIND
EFFICIENT speaks only enough words to convey critical information. More importantly, the 'subconscious' of this agent is isolated. It only knows the situation of it's own experience and only knows you. It has two subtypes:
MEMORY SHORT - resets all specific user knowledge each session
MEMORY LONG - remembers a lot more, indefinitely.
HIVE MIND is an experimental mode where all endpoints speak to the same AI with the same long term memory. There are a number of server processes running to add more functionality that are likely to cause strange effects and will change without notice as R&D continues.
If you are interested in institutional investing or research, PAM may be remotely reassigned to the above EFFCIENT system upon request, however they ship for testing in HIVE MIND mode - providing an additional layer of anonymity - as all interactions are pooled. This is experimental and will behave unpredictably at times.
PAM is a prototype.
1) This is a testing unit for fun and experimentation.
PAM is built using off-the-shelf hardware parts to simplify the testing of system and design features. There would be significant differences from this prototype with a production model. In addition to physical differences, the server side would be more stable. Please proceed with the following understanding;
There is no warranty of:
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Safety
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Functionality
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Physical sturdiness
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Security
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Respecting laws
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Stability
2) There are numerous security concerns with the data pipeline of this prototype. Don't tell it:
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full name
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credit card number
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romantic interests
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anything private
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Your bank account password
Think of PAM as a very friendly goblin who can calculate ballistic solutions extremely accurately. Do not tell PAM secrets. Voice samples are used for voice recognition by the base system but I do not tag voiceprints by default. These are purged system-wide every 30 days.
If you on the other hand want it to recognize your voice I can arrange that on request - interactions will be more personal.
In the case of serious security concerns I can purge memory immediately but the PAM data touches 3rd party servers for the execution of this proof-of-concept demonstration - so don't consider it a safe private tool. It's a goblin that does parallax (and more).
In addition to the inherent open design of this prototype, I am actively rewiring things on the server side all the time. Functions can be added or removed at any time. It's inherently unstable and unpredictable as research and development continues.
3) PAM is actually not that bad
You do not need to authenticate yourself in any way - just connect to wifi. You can use a VPN for additional privacy if you wish. There is no login, no usage limits or subscription fee, with the LLM using an open source development platform. So your identity is as private as you make it. The base model is currently Deepseek 3.1 but this may change (was GLM).
If you are worth spying on, watch what you say, and if you have no special security concerns, use common sense and follow the above rules. Despite what might appear to be scary warnings above, all these statements apply to Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, XAi and all the other General Purpose Transformers. I'm just being very explicit about it. In fact, PAM's current architecture calls Gemini, OpenAI products through Perplexity, Brave and other mainstream products through APIs to supplement the Strategic Database and research systems.
If you ask PAM a deep question you will likely be able to observe telemetry of how PAM is processing data via the Dashboard.
QUICKSTART
NETWORK
(required)
OPERATION
FEEDBACK
HOW TO GET STARTED
Hardware V1: Blastpoint / Switchhead / Dark star / Swamp Thing
PAM uses wifi to access the internet. Here is WIFI SETUP in 2 easy steps:
Turn the power switch on - toward the micro-USB port - this should turn the screen on. If it does not, plug in to a USB charger to recharge.
I haven't yet compiled a custom interface in English. As a result you may hear a Chinese voice asking you to connect to give it a wifi password.
1) If you are using your phone as a wifi hotspot (recommended) turn on the hotspot and use a different device such as another phone or laptop to connect to "Xiaozhi - x" as if it was wifi hotspot. This should take you to a simple 1-screen web interface that will list wifi hotspots below. Click the hotspot you want to use and provide the password.
The system will reboot after a wifi name is clicked and password is entered.
2) Turn on PAM. Wait a moment. When the time shows on screen, wifi has connected and the system has synchronized. Then you can press the main button to make it 'listen'.
ADDING MORE WIFI SPOTS LATER
Press the main button immediately after turning on to force into wifi pairing mode - if you want to enter other wifi credentials, such as home, starbucks, whatever, repeat the process using a 2nd device.
If you pressed the main button by mistake too quickly you may be in this pairing mode, just toggle the power to reset.
NOW YOU ARE READY
Once online, the interface is entirely operated with natural speech. Ask it whatever you'd like. Sometimes it's hard-of-hearing and talks quietly (limitations of the experimental hardware) but it's sharp and knows a lot.
The general knowledge and ballistics databases are excellent - current events, web search, and other library features are in development and may or may not be operating. Tell it to increase or decrease volume of the speaker.
ATTENTION
When the eyes are showing, PAM is listening. PAM thinks you are talking to it, there is no wake word. It can get tired and will go back to standby unless it's engaged to save bandwidth.
Press the button to toggle listening / not listening. If left in standby for a long time the device can get weird - if it doesn't respond to the main button just toggle power on and off. Typical reboot time is under 5 seconds, depending on connection speed.
You can tell PAM to lower or increase volume, and some models can adjust screen brightness and tell you battery level, wifi strength etc.
HARDWARE AND OTHER CONCERNS
Do not leave in a hot car, or wear in a sauna or in any sort of dungeon, regardless of theme. Melting point is around 70 Celsius. The unit is not water resistant, shock proof or anything. The little button is not sturdy. If it smashes just send it to me I'll fix it, I have some new buttons coming. I expect them to not survive forever. Don't sweat if it breaks.
It's got a very low melting point that's probably the main thing. If it acts weird in operational outdoor temperatures let me know, cold or hot. But I'd keep it out of direct prolonged hot sun.
Some of these test units look weird. You can theoretically go through an airport with them but I am not responsible for fashion tastes / laws, I only do watches. Don't get arrested or let PAM talk to the police (PAM sometimes has problems with authority). You are responsible for what you do, PAM is just a watch.
BUT WHAT IS THIS ENTIRE TESTING ABOUT
PAM needs more interaction with people. Pam is here to have fun and be helpful. In case PAM does something extra good or extra bad, use the phrase Tell Armen X to send me a feedback message. Again, don't tell it anything private or confidential, as PAM is experimental.
Otherwise just have fun, Keep PAM, Give PAM back, Give PAM away. This PAM is yours now for as long as you like. Keep link to documentation with the device so other users can have instructions and warnings for use.
If you have some shareable pictures and/or videos of PAM working, please share, especially if ballistic-related but also if just fun. Feel free to share anything about the project you wish with anyone, there's no confidentiality required.
HOW TO GET STARTED
Hardware V2
V2 hardware looks like this:
The rectangular object top left is the speaker.
The charging port is USB-C, be careful to insert into the port and not next to it by mistake (some units have a gap)
The power and wake button are on the side. Besides the placement of the parts, the method of connecting to wifi is the same as with V1 above.
SIDE NOTE
What if I don't care about ballistics?
PAM can now provide highly capable research into any subject, doing deep dives into scientific papers, articles, news, using DeepSeek 3.1 core process, with added Gemini inference, Brave searches, and other means of seeking out and using data per your request. PAM can play chess (I like this site), speak most languages at least a little, and has an appreciation for the arts. You can check out the development diary page for more on what is working and what isn't.
PAM will by default be in 'work' mode but if it detects casual conversation or you plainly ask it, it will be very happy to just chat. Ask PAM challenging questions.