DATAMATH CALCULATOR MUSEUM |
Texas Instruments Super Speak & Spell
Date of introduction: | 1989 | Display technology: | LCD |
New price: | $38.25 (1992) Libraries: $19.95 |
Display size: | 2*8 alphanumeric |
Size: | 10.7" x 8.0" x
2.1" 271 x 203 x 53 mm3 |
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Weight: | 18.9 ounces, 535 grams | Serial No: | |
Batteries: | 4*AA cells | Date of manufacture: | wk 43 year 1989 |
AC-Adapter: | Origin of manufacture: | USA | |
Precision: | Integrated circuits: | TSP50C42 (CSM42019) TSP60C18 (CMM18004) --- OR --- TSP50C10 (CSM10087) HD44780 |
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Memories: | |||
Program steps: | Courtesy of: | Joerg Woerner | |
Download manual: | (US: 8.4M Bytes) |
With the Super Speak & line Texas Instruments introduced educational toys similar to the well known kids-computers with there small LCD-screens and ASCII-keyboards. From the technical aspect this Super Speak & Spell uses a standard voice synthesizer chip (TSP50C42) with an external Speech-ROM (TSP60C18) and some external components. Starting in 1991 the Super Speak & Spell used the TSP50C10 chip. A similar product was sold for math education, view the Super Speak & Math.
The Super Speak & Spell is the successor of the original Speak & Spell. Two years later with the Super Speak & Spell (91) a mixture of the original design and the modern electronics was born while customers in China enjoyed already in 1990 the "Professor".
Dismantling
this Super Speak & Spell manufactured in October 1989 by Texas Instruments
in the United States reveals a clean design centered around just three
Integrated Circuits:
• TSP50C42/CSM42019: 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 • TSP60C18/CMM18004: VSM (Voice Synthesis Memory) with 256k Bits • Hitachi HD44780: LCD Controller for monochrome dot matrix liquid crystal display with 8-bit Interface |
Later designs of the Super Speak & Spell replaced the TSP50C42/TSP60C18 combination with a TSP50C10 and reduced the chip count to two:
• TSP50C10/CSM10087: 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 • Hitachi HD44780: LCD Controller for monochrome dot matrix liquid crystal display with 8-bit Interface |
Very similar technology can be found in the Computer Fun, Mouse Computer and the Touch & Discover.
Super Speak & Spell will do:
• Spell It - Helps you learn basic spelling skills, just as you do in school
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Four different Super Speak & Spell Cartridge Libraries are known:
If you have additions to the above article please email: joerg@datamath.org.
© Joerg Woerner, December 5, 2001. No reprints without written permission.