DATAMATH CALCULATOR MUSEUM |
Texas Instruments Speak & Spell
Date of introduction: | June 11, 1978 | Display technology: | Fluorescent |
New price: | $50 | Display size: | 8 alphanumeric |
Size: | 10.0" x 7.0" x 1.3" 254 x 177 x 34 mm3 |
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Weight: | 18.5 ounces, 526 grams | Serial No: | 2161433 |
Batteries: | 4*C cells | Date of manufacture: | wk 08 year 1979 (MTA) |
AC-Adapter: | AC9199 | Origin of manufacture: | USA |
Precision: | Integrated circuits: | TMC0271, TMC0281, TMC0351, TMC0352 | |
Memories: | |||
Program steps: | Courtesy of: | Joerg Woerner | |
Download manual: (Word List 1978-1981) | (US: 2.6M Bytes) |
Shortly after the invention of the synthesizer technology to reproduce human speech with tuned voices stored in ROMs (Read-only Memories - Integrated Circuits) this novel product named Speak & Spell was introduced. If you compare this educational toy with the Spelling B you understand the differences: The Spelling B created a random number and the child looked up in an additional booklet the numbered pictures. The idea was to spell the name of that picture correct. The Speak & Spell used a different approach: The spoken word was generated by the built in loudspeaker and you had to type it correct.
An alphanumeric display was used as feedback during typing words.
The same technology of this Speak & Spell was used in other toys like Speak & Read or Speak & Math and three rare professional products:
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Language Teacher • Language Translator • Language Tutor |
If you stay in the toy-section, don't miss the rare Magic Wand Speaking Reader. This product came out shortly before Texas Instruments discontinued its Consumer Products Division in 1983.
This first version of the Speak & Spell could easily be recognized at the 40 button keys, it was available in United Kingdom and Japan, too. Don't miss the Speak & Spell (British Voice) and the rare Japanese Edition of the Speak & Spell.
This original Speak & Spell was later replaced by Version 2 which adopted the membrane keyboard used in the other Speak & Products.
Developed for children, the Speak & Spell found – like the
later Speak & Music – its way into the Detroit area electronic music. Artist
MAS 2008 (René Kirchner & Ive Müller) provided a sample of their music -
Thank you!
Learn more about “Circuit Bending”.
Press the
Play button and
listen Speak & Spell tunes. Find more sound samples in the DOWNLOAD section. Powered by Yahoo Media Player. |
The Speak & Spell project was started in the year 1976 and
created with the TMC0280 the first one-chip LPC speech synthesizer. Later refinements to the
Speak & Spell chips resulted in the TMS5100, 5200 and 5220 Voice Synthesis Processors
(VSP) for use in
commercial products needing synthetic speech voice output from digitally-stored words and
phrases. Speech data was stored in in up to sixteen 128K ROM based Voice
Synthesis Memory (VSM) chips named TMS6100. Plug-in modules increased vocabulary and
provided for versions in French, German, Spanish and British English.
In 1984 we knew a total of 10 different plug-in modules for the Speak & Spell, a comprehensive overview including the wordlists could be found here.
Dismantling a
Speak & Spell manufactured in July 1980 by Texas Instruments in the United
States reveals a printed circuit board (PCB) with an interesting technology mix. The Integrated Circuits (ICs) of this Speak & Spell
use 0.4” wide 28-pin SPDIP (Shrink Plastic Dual In-line Package with a 0.07” /
1.778 mm lead pitch) and a 0.6” wide 40-pin SPDIP encapsulations for two ICs and
0.6" wide 28-pin DIP 0.1” / 2.54 mm lead pitch. Please notice the option to
install a TMC0271 with a 0.6" wide 40-pin DIP, too.
The clean design of the Speak & Spell Version 3 is centered around four Integrated Circuits:
•
TMC0271: 4-bit microcontroller with 2k*9 Bits ROM and 9*64 Bits RAM • TMC0281: TMS5100 VSP (Voice Synthesis Processor) • TMC0351, TMC0352: TMS6100 VSM (Voice Synthesis Memory) with 128k Bits, each |
Production of the Speak & Spell started 1978 in Midland, Texas but later in 1980 even "Made in Philippines" products appeared to fulfill the tremendous demand for the Holiday Season business.
An inside view of some dismantled Speak & Spell products could be found here.
TI Talking Learning Aid Sets Pace for Innovative CES Introductions DALLAS, June 11, 1978
Innovative learning aids for children, including one that
talks, compact powerful calculators for home and office, and multi-function digital timepieces with long life batteries for men and women were among a dozen products introduced by Texas
Instruments Incorporated at the Summer Consumer Electronics Show, June 11-14. Speak & Spell |
The complete press release could be found here.
Speak & Spell Tunes |
I'm A Rhythm Machine |
Composer: | MAS 2008 |
Contact info: | Twilight 76 Records |
Permission by: | Rick Sadlowski |
If you have additions to the above article please email: joerg@datamath.org.
© Joerg Woerner, December 5, 2001. No reprints without written permission.