markp@valid.UUCP (02/03/87)
> I am looking for a good Text to Speech peripheral (< $1000) for an ibm > pc compatible (att 6300 plus) running under either DOS or UNIX. It can > be either a board or even better a stand alone rs232 device. Quality is > important although my price limitation is < $1K. Any suggestions out there? > Thanks in advance !! > > Well, you sound like you want a commercial product, but here goes anyway... The last time I perused my local Radio Schlock, they carried a pair of chips designed for this purpose. One is a digital/analog allophone synthesizer, the other a microprocessor with a text-to-speech algorithm in ROM. Total price is about $30! Anyone know about the quality of the algorithm (i.e. coverage, inflection control, etc.) and if it is possible to extend the exception vocabulary, etc.? If somebody out there sells a kit using this set, then the total price would certainly be under $150, since all you seem to need in addition is a standalone UART chip and an audio amplifier. I would appreciate any information by e-mail, and will summarize. Then again, perhaps I should just give in to my baser hacking instinct and buy the chip set. :-) Mark Papamarcos Valid Logic hplabs!{ridge,pesnta}!valid!markp
cmcmanis@sun.UUCP (02/03/87)
A couple of people have mentioned that they are interested in using
the text to speech chips that Radio Shack sells. Well it turns out a
place called RFJ engineering in Florida sells a bare PC board that
does everything you need. They advertise in Computer Shopper. The
board has sockets for extra RAM (extended conversion buffer) and your
own rule exceptions EPROM. I built it and it worked right off. There
are level shifters for RS-232C operation but I have been using just
straight TTL serial on my robot. This board makes a great diagnostic
console on a mobile platform.
--
--Chuck McManis
uucp: {anywhere}!sun!cmcmanis BIX: cmcmanis ARPAnet: cmcmanis@sun.com
These opinions are my own and no one elses, but you knew that didn't you.shop@uwmcsd1.UUCP (02/04/87)
> > I am looking for a good Text to Speech peripheral (< $1000) for an ibm > > pc compatible (att 6300 plus) running under either DOS or UNIX. It can > > be either a board or even better a stand alone rs232 device. Quality is > > important although my price limitation is < $1K. Any suggestions out there? > > Thanks in advance !! > > Try Votrax. - tom -- Thomas Krueger ...ihnp4!uwmcsd1!uwmcsd4!tjk or University of Wisconsin Milwaukee tjk@csd4.milw.wisc.edu Computing Services, Electronics Shop 3200 N. Cramer St. (414) 963-5172 Milwaukee Wi 53211
oster@lapis.berkeley.edu.UUCP (02/05/87)
> I am looking for a good Text to Speech peripheral (< $1000) for an ibm > pc compatible (att 6300 plus) running under either DOS or UNIX. It can > be either a board or even better a stand alone rs232 device. Quality is > important although my price limitation is < $1K. Any suggestions out there? Both Amiga and Macintosh computers can do this at no extra cost. Both Amiga and Macintosh computers are available, second hand, for under $1k. The Macintosh MacInTalk software, available for free from users groups, (with which I am more familiar) comes with an Exceptions editor for extending its default text to speech algorithm. If it makes any difference, I will place in the public domain, within 3 working days after I recieve news that you've bought a Mac for speech synthesis, a program for speaking data recieved over the serial port. --- David Phillip Oster -- "The goal of Computer Science is to Arpa: oster@lapis.berkeley.edu -- build something that will last at Uucp: ucbvax!ucblapis!oster -- least until we've finished building it."
cmcmanis@sun.UUCP (02/05/87)
Ok, I mentioned earlier a board that does this, here are the particulars :
The company is called RFJ Engineering and their phone number is
(305) 323-9039, their address is P.O. Box 4166, Sanford, FL, 32772.
They sell a bare board for $24.95 that uses the radio shack (actually
General Instrument) Text-to-speech and speech synthesis chips. This
board has an RS-232C port on one side and an amplifier/speaker on the
other. What ever ascii text goes in one side, comes out the other as
spoken words. It also has a parallel port input which you could connect
to a centronics port (with appropriate connectors of course). After
collecting the parts it took me about an hour to assemble, your mileage
may vary. I suggest that anyone who builds this *not* use the on board
5V regulator, and instead buy a radio shack wall bug power supply that
supplies +5, +x and -y (where X and Y are greater then 3, these drive the
RS-232 chips) and hook it up directly.
Of course I have no financial interest in anyone mentioned, I built one
I use and it was fairly simple. It cost *a lot* less than $1000. More
like $50 including snacks and beverages.
--
--Chuck McManis
uucp: {anywhere}!sun!cmcmanis BIX: cmcmanis ARPAnet: cmcmanis@sun.com
These opinions are my own and no one elses, but you knew that didn't you.straka@ihlpf.UUCP (02/06/87)
+> > I am looking for a good Text to Speech peripheral (< $1000) for an ibm +> > pc compatible (att 6300 plus) running under either DOS or UNIX. It can +> > important although my price limitation is < $1K. Any suggestions out there? +> Both Amiga and Macintosh computers can do this at no extra cost. Both +> Amiga and Macintosh computers are available, second hand, for under $1k. +> The Macintosh MacInTalk software, available for free from users groups, +> (with which I am more familiar) comes with an Exceptions editor for +> extending its default text to speech algorithm. If it makes any That closed-box architecture system strikes again. And, gee, I did't even *have* to buy any hardware to do it! (Couldn't resist.) -- Rich Straka ihnp4!ihlpf!straka
jallen@netxcom.UUCP (02/06/87)
In article <968@valid.UUCP> markp@valid.UUCP (Mark P.) writes: >The last time I perused my local Radio Schlock, they carried a pair of chips >designed for this purpose. One is a digital/analog allophone synthesizer, >the other a microprocessor with a text-to-speech algorithm in ROM. Total >price is about $30! Anyone know about the quality of the algorithm (i.e. >coverage, inflection control, etc.) and if it is possible to extend the >exception vocabulary, etc.? If somebody out there sells a kit using this set, >then the total price would certainly be under $150, since all you seem to >need in addition is a standalone UART chip and an audio amplifier. I would >appreciate any information by e-mail, and will summarize. Then again, perhaps >I should just give in to my baser hacking instinct and buy the chip set. :-) G.B. Micro, in Texas, sells an Assembled and Tested PC Board for $89.00, which uses this pair of chips. I haven't gotten one (yet anyway), but I have dealt with G.B. Micro before, and was quite satisfied with their service and fast delivery. I built a board from scratch which used the allophone part before the Text to Speech CPU was available. I'd say I spent upwards of $150 on that project, and although the speech quality was good, the text to speech program I wrote was rather poor. I'd like to hear from anyone who's ordered the board from G.B. Micro. John Allen ========================================================================= NetExpress Communications, Inc. seismo!{sundc|hadron}!netxcom!jallen 1953 Gallows Road, Suite 300 (703) 749-2238 Vienna, Va., 22180 =========================================================================