Post by thread:[PIC] Really old pic chips

I knew microchip had been a maker of chips for a long time but I didn't realize how long until today. I once owned a tandy color computer in the 80's and bought the speech and sound pack for it. Today I was thinking about the system and the sound pack and decided to dig around for info about that pack . The pack expanded the system to do text to speech and also extra audio using the ay series of sound chips. To my surprise I found that the micro in that pack and the sound allophone chip were made by microchip. The part numbers were : SP0256B - Narrator speech processor - text to speech algorithm included, 3.12Mhz PIC7040 - 4kb rom, 2k ram, 1.78Mhz The site here has the datasheets: ftp://maltedmedia.com/coco/MANUALS/TANDY/HARDWARE/TANDY_HW/PAK/SPEECHSOUND/ Anyone know why microchip didn't continue to support text to speech as I don't really see any of their current products supporting that area. I just found it interesting that all the time growing up I was using a pic chip and never knew it . I would really love it if microchip produced a newer version of the chip, I could see lots of potential for such a chip. That or just a general sound chip like the AY-3 series yamaha did would be useful for function generators and sound effects. Mark

The SPO256-AL2 was a wonderful chip at the time. The sound of that chip now sounds very "Retro-robotic". I have one stashed away in my parts stock, just in case I ever want to add it to a home automation system one day. Regarding the future of text-to-speech, I think the demand for more natural sounding results and the availability of more addressing space will probably favor sample playback for most apps. On 2/3/12, Mark Hanchey <spam_OUTmarkTakeThisOuTpixeltrickery.com> wrote: {Quote hidden}> I knew microchip had been a maker of chips for a long time but I didn't > realize how long until today. I once owned a tandy color computer in > the 80's and bought the speech and sound pack for it. Today I was > thinking about the system and the sound pack and decided to dig around > for info about that pack . The pack expanded the system to do text to > speech and also extra audio using the ay series of sound chips. To my > surprise I found that the micro in that pack and the sound allophone > chip were made by microchip. The part numbers were : > SP0256B - Narrator speech processor - text to speech algorithm > included, 3.12Mhz > PIC7040 - 4kb rom, 2k ram, 1.78Mhz > > The site here has the datasheets: > ftp://maltedmedia.com/coco/MANUALS/TANDY/HARDWARE/TANDY_HW/PAK/SPEECHSOUND/ > > > Anyone know why microchip didn't continue to support text to speech as I > don't really see any of their current products supporting that area. I > just found it interesting that all the time growing up I was using a pic > chip and never knew it . I would really love it if microchip produced a > newer version of the chip, I could see lots of potential for such a > chip. That or just a general sound chip like the AY-3 series yamaha did > would be useful for function generators and sound effects. > > Mark > >

Back in the early 80s I built a small board using the SPO256A-AL2 made by General Instruments and the companion CTS256A-AL2, also by General Instruments. Feed the CTS256A-AL2 ASCII text and it fed allophones to the SPO256A-AL2, which output a speech signal that could be amplified. The pair was true text-to-speech. Don't have a working circuit anymore - sold it years ago - just have one more set of the two major chips and crystals needed to build another one. The circuit hooked directly to a parallel printer port. The spec sheets show the schematic needed to do this with full flow control. And an optional 2k input buffer using a 2kx8 memory chip. Serial interface too if you like. It was a lot of fun at the time. As I recall (thru 40 years of dim memory), a mechanical sound to the voice like Robby the Robot with a hint of a Russian accent. Put "COPY WARGAMES.TXT LPT2:" in the autoexec.bat file (board plugged into LPT2) and the machine came up with "Hello, Jim, would you like to play a game?" Jim H Received from Mark Hanchey at 02/03/12 03:39 UTC: {Quote hidden}>I knew microchip had been a maker of chips for a long time but I didn't >realize how long until today. I once owned a tandy color computer in the >80's and bought the speech and sound pack for it. Today I was thinking about >the system and the sound pack and decided to dig around for info about that >pack . The pack expanded the system to do text to speech and also extra >audio using the ay series of sound chips. To my surprise I found that the >micro in that pack and the sound allophone chip were made by microchip. The >part numbers were : SP0256B - Narrator speech processor - text to speech >algorithm included, 3.12Mhz PIC7040 - 4kb rom, 2k ram, 1.78Mhz > >The site here has the datasheets: >ftp://maltedmedia.com/coco/MANUALS/TANDY/HARDWARE/TANDY_HW/PAK/SPEECHSOUND/ > > >Anyone know why microchip didn't continue to support text to speech as I >don't really see any of their current products supporting that area. I just >found it interesting that all the time growing up I was using a pic chip and >never knew it . I would really love it if microchip produced a newer version >of the chip, I could see lots of potential for such a chip. That or just a >general sound chip like the AY-3 series yamaha did would be useful for >function generators and sound effects. > >Mark

On Thu, February 2, 2012 9:39 pm, Mark Hanchey wrote: > Anyone know why microchip didn't continue to support text to speech as I > don't really see any of their current products supporting that area. I > just found it interesting that all the time growing up I was using a pic > chip and never knew it . I would really love it if microchip produced a > newer version of the chip, I could see lots of potential for such a > chip. That or just a general sound chip like the AY-3 series yamaha did > would be useful for function generators and sound effects. I suspect that Microchip stopped making these chips because there was little demand and no money to be made. Microchip's CEO wrote a book on turning around Microchip in the late 80's, early 90's: <www.amazon.com/Driving-Excellence-Aggregate-Microchip-Technology/dp/0471784842>. There was a lot of cutting of unprofitable products in that era. Since then, Microchip has been a conservatively run company that is consistently profitable and one of the minority of tech companies that pays a dividend on their stock. I also suspect that now, if you wanted to devote the time to it, most of these functions could be handled by a general purpose PIC. Microchip still makes (and sells) 20 year old microcontroller designs (PIC16C54, for example). Matt Bennett Just outside of Austin, TX 30.51,-97.91 The views I express are my own, not that of my employer, a large multinational corporation that you are familiar with

Ah, the good old days, when smart programming could make your hardware do stuff it was not supposed to do. I remember using the SpeakJet chip (http://www.speakjet.com/) for speech generation when I really wanted the tinny robot sound. I believe it is actually a pre-programmed PIC. -Andries ___________ -----Oorspronkelijk bericht----- Van: .....piclist-bouncesKILLspam.....mit.edu [EraseMEpiclist-bouncesspam_OUTTakeThisOuTmit.edu] Namens Mark Hanchey Verzonden: 03 February 2012 04:40 Aan: 'Microcontroller discussion list - Public.' Onderwerp: [PIC] Really old pic chips I knew microchip had been a maker of chips for a long time but I didn't realize how long until today. I once owned a tandy color computer in the 80's and bought the speech and sound pack for it. Today I was thinking about the system and the sound pack and decided to dig around for info about that pack . The pack expanded the system to do text to speech and also extra audio using the ay series of sound chips. To my surprise I found that the micro in that pack and the sound allophone chip were made by microchip. The part numbers were : SP0256B - Narrator speech processor - text to speech algorithm included, 3.12Mhz PIC7040 - 4kb rom, 2k ram, 1.78Mhz The site here has the datasheets: ftp://maltedmedia.com/coco/MANUALS/TANDY/HARDWARE/TANDY_HW/PAK/SPEECHSOU ND/ Anyone know why microchip didn't continue to support text to speech as I don't really see any of their current products supporting that area. I just found it interesting that all the time growing up I was using a pic chip and never knew it . I would really love it if microchip produced a newer version of the chip, I could see lots of potential for such a chip. That or just a general sound chip like the AY-3 series yamaha did would be useful for function generators and sound effects. Mark

PICdude wrote: {Quote hidden}> Wow, I certainly remember that chip from waaaayyyy back. Awesome > device. That also reminds me of the Votrax SC-01. > > I just found this... http://spatula-city.org/~im14u2c/sp0256-al2/ > > Cheers, > -Neil. > > Quoting John Gardner <goflo3spam_OUTgmail.com>: > > > Was'nt the SPO256 originally a General Instruments chip? > > > > Getting to be a long time ago... Part of General Instruments was bought by an investment group that became Microchip. I have some GI parts that were NMOS versions of 1654. I used one in the design of a bathroom scales we did about 30 years ago The Votrax core was potted in a some form of ceramic complete with wires buried in the potting. It was remarkably good for its time. w..

I have a NOS SPO256 in my parts bins. I think I'll use it as an annunciator for some future home control application. I do wish I could copy the sample data from it, it would be nice to find a way to duplicate it using more modern means. I remember the first SPO256AL2 that I got.. and wired up to the parallell port of a TRS-80 Model 1 Level 2. Yes, it was a homemade parallell port as well. Suddenly I'm feeling really old.. On 6/27/12, Walter Banks <@spam@walterKILLspambytecraft.com> wrote: {Quote hidden}> > > PICdude wrote: > >> Wow, I certainly remember that chip from waaaayyyy back. Awesome >> device. That also reminds me of the Votrax SC-01. >> >> I just found this... http://spatula-city.org/~im14u2c/sp0256-al2/ >> >> Cheers, >> -Neil. >> >> Quoting John Gardner <KILLspamgoflo3KILLspamgmail.com>: >> >> > Was'nt the SPO256 originally a General Instruments chip? >> > >> > Getting to be a long time ago... > > Part of General Instruments was bought by an investment group > that became Microchip. > > I have some GI parts that were NMOS versions of 1654. I used > one in the design of a bathroom scales we did about 30 years ago > > The Votrax core was potted in a some form of ceramic complete > with wires buried in the potting. It was remarkably good for its time. > > w.. > > > >

On 06/26/2012 08:27 PM, Lyle Hazelwood wrote: > I have a NOS SPO256 in my parts bins. > I think I'll use it as an annunciator for some future home control application. > > I do wish I could copy the sample data from it, it would be nice to > find a way to duplicate it using more modern means. > > I remember the first SPO256AL2 that I got.. and wired up to the > parallell port of a TRS-80 Model 1 Level 2. Yes, it was a homemade > parallell port as well. Boy did that bring back memories! I used that chip in my 1 credit project course (on an Apple II+ board). Got an A in that course but never worked so hard for a single credit. -- Linux Home Automation Neil Cherry RemoveMEncherryTakeThisOuTlinuxha.com http://www.linuxha.com/ Main site http://linuxha.blogspot.com/ My HA Blog Author of: Linux Smart Homes For Dummie