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Texas Instruments Speak & Math (Type 2)

Date of introduction:  1986 Display technology:  Fluorescent
New price:   Display size:  9 alphanumeric
Size:  10" x 7" x 1.3"    
Weight:  17 ounces Serial No:  
Batteries:  4*C cells Date of manufacture:  wk 03 year 1986
AC-Adapter:  AC9199 Origin of manufacture:  USA
Precision:   Integrated circuits:  TMC0270/CD2708, CD2801, CD2381, CD2614
Memories:      
Program steps:   Courtesy of:  Joerg Woerner
    Download manuals:   (US: 3.0M Bytes)
  (US: 2.9M Bytes)

This Speak & Math model from the year 1986 sports a slightly changed keyboard design. View the original Speak & Math here.

Other products in the Speak & line cover spelling and reading words. Compare this Speak & Math with both Speak & Spell and Speak & Read. A compact version without display was sold in France (le Calcul magique) and Germany (Mathe-Fix). 

Don't miss the appearance of the Speak & Spell in the movie „E.T. - The Extra-Terrestrial“. Do you know Qubais Reed Ghazala? Get more tunes from your Speak & Math with circuit-bending.

Dismantling this Speak & Read manufactured in October 1980 by Texas Instruments in the United States reveals a design centered around four Integrated Circuits:

TMC0270/CD2708: 4-bit microcontroller with 2k*9 Bits ROM and 9*64 Bits RAM
TMC0280/CD2801: TMS5100 VSP (Voice Synthesis Processor)
TMC0350/CD2381, TMC0355/CD2614: TMS6100, TMS6125 VSM (Voice Synthesis Memory) with 128k Bits and 32k Bits

The Speech-ROMs of the Speak & Math vary depending on the production date. Starting in 1981 the overall capacity was significantly reduced, differences in the word list and voice tunes are not known:

1980: TMC0350/CD2392 + TMC0350/CD2393 for a combined 256k Bits
1981: TMC0350/CD2381 + TMC0355/CD2614 for a combined 160k Bits

An inside view of some dismantled Speak & Spell products could be found here.

Later the Super Speak & Math was introduced with a multiline LC-display.

The Speak & Math is featured in the Texas Instruments Incorporated leaflet Follow the Learning Path™ dated 1991.

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If you have additions to the above article please email: joerg@datamath.org.

© Joerg Woerner, December 25, 2001. No reprints without written permission.