| reactive micro v1a mockingboard and SSI-263 speech chip, how to test? [message #371620] |
Fri, 03 August 2018 23:24  |
Egan Ford
Messages: 304
Registered: October 2012
Karma: 0
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Hi,
I just got a few SSI-263 speech chips from ebay for my v1a mockingboard
(reactive micro clone). This is installed in slot 4 of my enhanced //e.
What I can use to test these chips?
I've tried the Mockingboard Sound-Speech Generator.dsk, however the
speech demo just hangs. I've tried both chips together and separate
without any luck. Actually it hangs with zero chips installed the same
way, leading me to believe it may be the wrong software for testing.
Thanks.
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| Re: reactive micro v1a mockingboard and SSI-263 speech chip, how to test? [message #371629 is a reply to message #371620] |
Sat, 04 August 2018 02:25  |
Michael J. Mahon
Messages: 1767
Registered: October 2012
Karma: 0
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Senior Member |
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Egan Ford <datajerk@gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi,
>
> I just got a few SSI-263 speech chips from ebay for my v1a mockingboard
> (reactive micro clone). This is installed in slot 4 of my enhanced //e.
>
> What I can use to test these chips?
>
> I've tried the Mockingboard Sound-Speech Generator.dsk, however the
> speech demo just hangs. I've tried both chips together and separate
> without any luck. Actually it hangs with zero chips installed the same
> way, leading me to believe it may be the wrong software for testing.
>
> Thanks.
>
One of the Mockingboard disks had a text-to-speech demo. That’s what I’d
use.
--
-michael - NadaNet 3.1 and AppleCrate II: http://michaeljmahon.com
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| Re: reactive micro v1a mockingboard and SSI-263 speech chip, how to test? [message #371670 is a reply to message #371620] |
Sat, 04 August 2018 16:59 |
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Originally posted by: James Davis
On Friday, August 3, 2018 at 8:25:00 PM UTC-7, Egan Ford wrote:
> Hi,
>
> I just got a few SSI-263 speech chips from ebay for my v1a mockingboard
> (reactive micro clone). This is installed in slot 4 of my enhanced //e.
>
> What I can use to test these chips?
>
> I've tried the Mockingboard Sound-Speech Generator.dsk, however the
> speech demo just hangs. I've tried both chips together and separate
> without any luck. Actually it hangs with zero chips installed the same
> way, leading me to believe it may be the wrong software for testing.
>
> Thanks.
The "LIS'NER 1000 Rev. 2.0 Speech Recognition for A2, ©1984 Circuit Cellar, Inc." Apple II peripheral card I have for sale has/uses an SSI-263 chip. See: "Apple II Stuff I have for Sale," < https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/comp.sys.apple2.mark etplace/sj2KiKimgOs>. The card comes with an all-in-one microphone/headphone set. And probably, a 5.25" floppy disk (which I'm sure I can find {it or a copy of it})]. I don't remember if I have an instruction manual for it or not. I'll have to look for that on my Apple II bookshelves.
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| Re: reactive micro v1a mockingboard and SSI-263 speech chip, how to test? [message #371671 is a reply to message #371639] |
Sat, 04 August 2018 18:21 |
Michael J. Mahon
Messages: 1767
Registered: October 2012
Karma: 0
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Senior Member |
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<frank_o_rama@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
> I think this is the disk image that Michael was referring to...
>
> https://mirrors.apple2.org.za/ftp.apple.asimov.net/images/ha rdware/sound/mockingboard/Mockingboard_Disk2_Snd-Speech_Dev. dsk
>
>
> That /mockingboard/ folder has tons of images to try out, some of which
> do not work (as you already know).
>
>
> I got partway into dissecting the speech playback code on that image
> before discovering it's fairly complicated and not phenome-based like the
> SP0256 chips. The SSI-263 chips are are also fairly rare. Here's my notes
> if you're interested. Still on my list of A2 to-dos.
>
>
> TEXT TO SPEECH PROGRAM (memory locations):
>
> $800 - BASIC program
>
> $4000 - STRING INPUT asm program
>
> $6000 - input buffer
> $6100 - converted speech data?
>
> $6600 - TEXT TO SPEECH asm program ($6D00 is playback routine)
>
> $6E00 - MKB:RULE.INDEX
> $6F00 - MKB:RULE.LENGTH
> $7000 - MKB:RULE.TABLE
>
>
>
> f
>
Actually, the SSI 263 is phoneme-based, just with a different phoneme basis
set. It is derived from a discrete implementation by Votrax.
Their original integrated synthesizer was the SC-01, and the second
iteration, the SC-02, was marketed by SSI as the SSI 263.
It still has a couple of bugs—like clicks in certain phoneme
combinations—but it’s quite acceptable, and, since formant frequencies can
be set, it’s capable of “singing”.
--
-michael - NadaNet 3.1 and AppleCrate II: http://michaeljmahon.com
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