VOTRAX TEXT TO SPEECH TALKING COMPUTER
Description:
This is a demonstration of “text to speech” done by using the Votrax speech synthesizer, a speech synthesizer from the early 80’s that worked by combining phonemes.
Info on the Votrax is available here.
I sold the votrax while working for Dick Smith Electronics in Australia in the early 1980's. Wonderful (if pricey at the time) product, but the one thing I'll never forget about it is….. it was part of a Bank of computers in our showroom, and we where accustomed to hitting the "OFF" switch to kill them all at home time. When we hit "OFF" the votrax would groan "ARRRGGGGGHHHH" or similar…. like it was murdered.
Well, we were young and it seemed funny at the time!
I sold the votrax while working for Dick Smith Electronics in Australia in the early 1980's. Wonderful (if pricey at the time) product, but the one thing I'll never forget about it is….. it was part of a Bank of computers in our showroom, and we where accustomed to hitting the "OFF" switch to kill them all at home time. When we hit "OFF" the votrax would groan "ARRRGGGGGHHHH" or similar…. like it was murdered.
Well, we were young and it seemed funny at the time!
I sold the votrax while working for Dick Smith Electronics in Australia in the early 1980's. Wonderful (if pricey at the time) product, but the one thing I'll never forget about it is….. it was part of a Bank of computers in our showroom, and we where accustomed to hitting the "OFF" switch to kill them all at home time. When we hit "OFF" the votrax would groan "ARRRGGGGGHHHH" or similar…. like it was murdered.
Well, we were young and it seemed funny at the time!
I too worked at Dick Smith Electronics and also sold the Votrax device. It was built into a small, cream-tan coloured aluminum case and, like Tony H-Nicols said, it wouldn't shut up in demo mode. If I recall, Votrax sold in Australia circa 1985 for about A$499
Federal Screw also produced the raw chip and I bought one of those and had many years of programming fun making that work.
I can't believe I've lost my Votrax Type'N Talk — managed to convince my parents to buy one for me in the early 80s and remember anxiously awaiting the UPS truck delivery.
I just bought two SC-O1-A chips off Ebay with hopes of recreating the Type'N Talk (can't find one for sale anywhere). $72 USG for two!
@Matthew, did you keep any documents on your SC-01 programming?