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Texas Instruments Super Speak & Spell (91)

Date of introduction:  1991 Display technology:  LCD
New price:   Display size:  9 alphanumeric
Size:  10.0" x 7.0" x  1.3" 
 254 x 177 x 34 mm3
   
Weight:  16.7 ounces, 474 grams Serial No:  
Batteries:  4*C cells Date of manufacture:  wk 13 year 1992
AC-Adapter:   Origin of manufacture:  USA
Precision:   Integrated circuits:  TSP50C42 (CSM42030),
 TSP60C19 (CMM19048),
 HD44780
Memories:      
Program steps:   Courtesy of:  Joerg Woerner

This wonderful hybrid uses the housing of the original Speak & Spell from 1980 with the modern electronics of the first Super Speak & Spell

Dismantling this Super Speak & Spell manufactured in March 1992 by Texas Instruments in the United States reveals a clean design centered around just three Integrated Circuits:

TSP50C42/CSM42030: TSP50C50 VSP (Voice Synthesis Processor) with 8-bit microcontroller and 8k Bytes Mask ROM for both program and voice and 128 Bytes + 16 Nibbles RAM
TSP60C19/CMM19048: VSM (Voice Synthesis Memory) with 256k Bits
Hitachi HD44780: LCD Controller for monochrome dot matrix liquid crystal display with 8-bit Interface

The main differences inside the first Super Speak & Spell and this product are the Speech-ROMs:

Super Speak & Spell: TSP50C42/CSM42020, CMM18004
Super Speak & Spell (91): TSP50C42/CSM42030, CMM19048

Don't miss the El Loro Profesor and El Loro Parlanchin with their wonderful Spanish language, the French speaking La Super Dictée Magique and finally the Italian speaking Grillo Parlante Piu.

Tired of the blue line? Believe it or not, customers in China enjoyed already in 1990 their own "Professor" in bright red colors.



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

© Joerg Woerner, December 5, 2001. No reprints without written permission.