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Texas Instruments Touch & Discover School Edition

Date of introduction:  1992 Display technology:  n.a.
New price:   Display size:  
Size:  11.5" x 10.5" x 2.6"    
Weight:  1 pound 14 ounces Serial No:  
Batteries:  4*AA cells Date of manufacture:  wk 47 year 1992
AC-Adapter:   Origin of manufacture:  USA
Precision:   Integrated circuits:  TSP50C42/CSM42042 Module:TSP60C80/CM80008
Memories:      
Program steps:   Courtesy of:  Joerg Woerner

We know the extension "School Edition™" from different calculators like the:

The TI-30Xa SE introduced in 1995 with its tamper proofed molded 
keys instead of the rubber keys and an extra window above the 
display and solar cells.
The TI-30Xa SE introduced in 1999 and sporting the robust housing
of the TI-32 Explorer Plus with the electronics of the TI-30Xa Solar.
The failed TI-30Xa Solar School Edition introduced in 2005 and 
recalled immediately.

These calculator all received some changes to the standard calculators like a more robust housing or disabled functionality. 

But what are the modifications of this toy compared to the original Touch & Discover introduced almost 5 years earlier ?

Just take your time and watch the next six pictures carefully.

First of all we notice immediately a blue housing instead the original orange design and the mentioned School Edition™ logo. TouchnDiscoverSE_Label.jpg (69199 Byte)
The two slots on the left of the educational toy are occupied, one holds a module with two connectors for an external power supply and a headphone.
The other slot of the toy reads "ENGLISH MODULE", obviously the Speech-ROM.
Dismantling the first module reveals a simple printed circuit board (PCB) with just the two connectors. We assume that this module could be assembled with Speech-ROM's, too.
The second module indeed holds the english voices of the toy, its TSP60C80/CMM80008 Speech-ROM stores 1024kBit of information. Remember, this is 8 times of the original Speak & Spell modules.
The main printed circuit board (PCB) of the Touch & Discover School Edition™ is different from the standard PCB. It makes use of the TSP50C42 standard voice synthesizer chip but lacks an external Speech-ROM.

 

 

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

© Joerg Woerner, June 27, 2005. No reprints without written permission.