DATAMATH CALCULATOR MUSEUM |
Texas Instruments Discovery Depot
Date of introduction: | 1994 | Display technology: | |
New price: | Display size: | n.a. | |
Size: | 13.0" x 12.0" x 4.7" | ||
Weight: | 2 pounds 6 ounces | Serial No: | |
Batteries: | 4*C cells | Date of manufacture: | year 1994 |
AC-Adapter: | Origin of manufacture: | Singapore | |
Precision: | Integrated circuits: | TSP50C14 | |
Memories: | |||
Program steps: | Courtesy of: | Joerg Woerner | |
Download manual: | (US: 1.2M Bytes) |
The Discovery Depot is another wonderful toy with lots of activities for the youngsters.
Main
attraction is the moving train in the center of the game. Pushing the yellow
throttle makes the train moving. The other activities include (clockwise from
the handle):
• Shatterproof mirror - "Peek-A-Boo. I see you." • Friendly conductor - "I'm the conductor. Tickets, please." • Yellow whistle - Sounds like a train whistle. • Shapes - "Circle, Square, Triangle." • Red note - Plays 6 different songs. • Blue bell - "Ring-a-ling!" |
Dismantling
this Discovery Depot manufactured in 1994 by Texas Instruments in Singapore
reveals a unique design within Texas Instrument's Educational Toys product line.
In addition to the TSP50C14 speech synthesizer - tracing back to the legendary
Speak
& Spell introduced more than 15 years earlier - did we locate a
small electric motor to move the
train.
The rather small printed circuit board (PCB) of the
Discovery Depot is centered around a TSP50C14 Voice Synthesis Processor (VSP)
known from the various Touch & Talkies:
• TSP50C14/CSM14xxx: TSP50C50 VSP (Voice Synthesis Processor) with 8-bit microcontroller and 16k Bytes Mask ROM for both program and voice and 64 Bytes + 16 Nibbles RAM |
The toy is intended for toddlers ages 9 to 36 month. Other toys for toddlers are the Listen
& Learn, Magic Clown, Magic Sorter,
My Own Playphone, Peek-A-Boo
Zoo and the Talking Storytime Sorter.
If you have additions to the above article please email: joerg@datamath.org.
© Joerg Woerner, November 14, 2003. No reprints without written permission.