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DATAMATH CALCULATOR MUSEUM |
Handy Tech Galixa Speech
Date of introduction: | 1985 | Display technology: | LCD |
New price: | Display size: | 8 (5 + 2) | |
Size: | 5.0" x 9.0" x 1.8" | ||
Weight: | 1 pounds 1 ounces | Serial No: | |
Batteries: | 4 AA-size NiCd | Date of manufacture: | mth 03 year 1992 |
AC-Adapter: | 9V 100mA DC | Origin of manufacture: | Germany |
Precision: | 11 | Integrated circuits: | HD64180, M272001, HY6264 TI-30 Galaxy: CD4808 |
Memories: | 1 | ||
Program steps: | Courtesy of: | Siegfried Kipke |
The first
generation of the Galixy Speech is based on the TI-30
Galaxy introduced in 1984.
This Galixa Speech is a scientific calculator with natural voice speech output. Numerical data on the display panel can be spoken digit by digit or as a complete number. It speaks all key functions: e.g. when the [SIN] key is pressed the calculator says "Sine"; these announcements can be repeated. It also has a built-in clock and alarm function. The volume can be adjusted using a knob.
The language of the Galixa Speech could be chosen between:
• German • English • French • Italian • Dutch • Spanish • Swedish |
From
the technical aspects the Galixa Speech is very similar to the TI-66 Calcu-Talk and the Orbit
TI-34 using a standard calculator of the Texas Instruments product range
fixed to a bottom housing with custom designed hardware. While the TI-66
Calcu-Talk uses the printer port as connection between the calculator and the
speech electronics the huge printed circuit board (PCB) of the Galixa Speech
uses the lines of the LCD-Display. Main component in the bottom shell is a Z-80
compatible microcontroller HD64180 surrounded by 8k Bytes Data memory and 256k Bytes combined Program- and Speech-Memory.
The
next step in development was the Galixa Speech
based on the Texas Instruments Galaxy
40x and the Galixa Braille with speech output and a 10-cell braille display.
The first calculator with a refreshable braille cell output was the Braillotron
TI-2550 II developed by Mr. Schoenherr.
A similar approach could be
found in talking calculators like the TI-66 Calcu-Talk
and the Orbit
TI-34.
If you have additions to the above article please email: joerg@datamath.org.
© Joerg Woerner, December 22, 2002. No reprints without written permission.