DATAMATH CALCULATOR MUSEUM

Texas Instruments Computer Fun

Date of introduction:	1988	Display technology:	LCD
New price:	$63.75 (1992)	Display size:	Graphics
Size:	9.5" x 12.5" x 2.5"
Weight:	2 pounds 3 ounces	Serial No:	5181571
Batteries:	4*AA cells	Date of manufacture:	wk 27 year 1990
AC-Adapter:		Origin of manufacture:	USA
Precision:		Integrated circuits:	TSP50C44 (CSM44012), TSP60C19 (CMM19006), HD44102, HD44105
Memories:
Program steps:		Courtesy of:	Joerg Woerner

Texas Instruments introduced with the Computer Fun a perfect combination of their superb speech synthesizer technology known from products like the Super Speak & Spell and the appearance of a small notebook.

The small graphics screen, the arrow keys and the function keys let you play one of 12 different preprogrammed games.

READING READINESS

• Letter Play: Letter recognition and keyboard layout familiarity.
• Make-A-Word: Spelling skills.
• Word Hunt: Word skills, scrolling screens and cursor keys.
• Sentence Maker: Basic sentence structure, logical thinking and
understanding cause and effects.
• Silly Stories: Sentence structure, story composition and keyboarding
skills.

EARLY MATH

• Number Play: Number recognition and counting skills.
• Robot Moves: Sequencing and memory skills.
• Spot Count: Counting and set recognition skills.
• Digging Up Bones: Addition and subtraction skills.
• Fetch That Number: Problem-solving skills, solving equations.

CREATIVE PLAY

• Creature Creation: Creativity and imagination.
• Aerobotics: Procedural thinking and simple programming skills.

The toy is intended for players ages 4 to 8.

Dismantling this Computer Fun manufactured in July 1990 by Texas Instruments in the United States reveals a rather complex printed circuit board (PCB). The design of the Computer Fun is centered around four different Integrated Circuits:

• TSP50C44/CSM44012: TSP50C50 VSP (Voice Synthesis Processor) with 8-bit microcontroller and 16k Bytes Mask ROM for both program and voice and 128 Bytes + 16 Nibbles RAM
• TSP60C19/CMM19006: VSM (Voice Synthesis Memory) with 256k Bits
• Hitachi HD44102: Column Driver for monochrome dot matrix liquid crystal display with 4-bit and 8-bit Interface for up to 50 columns
• Hitachi HD44105: Common (Row) Driver for monochrome dot matrix liquid crystal display with 4-bit and 8-bit Interface for up to 32 rows

The regional definition of the Computer Fun is accomplished with different Mask Versions for the ROMs of both the VSP and VSM:

• American Voice: TSP50C44/CSM44012 and TSP60C19/CMM19006
• British Voice: TSP50C44/CSM44017 and TSP60C19/CMM19040
• German Voice: TSP50C44/CSM44024 and TSP60C19/CMM19xxx

In other countries like United Kingdom the Computer Fun got not only other voices, even the keyboard layout changed. Don't miss the German Computer Fun.

Later a similar product was sold with the Mouse Computer.

The Computer Fun is featured in the Texas Instruments Incorporated leaflet Follow the Learning Path™ dated 1991.

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