Date   : Mon, 12 Sep 2005 00:22:54 +0200
From   : "W.Scholten" <whs@...>
Subject: Re: 101 uses for a speech system (number 47)

Sprow wrote:

 > Hi,
 > The original speech system upgrade came supplied, in the UK at least, 
with a
 > dictionary of words spoken by newsreader Kenneth Kendall in an english
 > accent.


I'll have to check the US beeb for the speech ROM someday...

Btw, can the bank number be reprogrammed by software or a switch? Also, 
what I'd really like to see (and if this sentence gives a deja vu, see 
further), is the speech emulator you made but with a larger PCB with 
socket for the original speech PHROM. Would be cool to have both using 
the emulator with a different bank number.

As to PCB cost:

[ IDE card with 8K/32K RAM ]

 > > Obviously that's why I suggest it now that it's working.

 > I think Wouter you may have missed the design decision boat a little

I don't think so. The time at which a suggestion is made is relevant :)

 > - I
 > suggested on 9th Jan 2004 that a block of SRAM could come in handy:
 >  <4c6dfad266info@...>

Yep, seen it. But that was long before it was working at all and the 
priority was just to get the IDE interface working I suppose.

 > but due to space constraints on the IDE PCB conflicting with the 
desire to
 > use DIL parts there's no SRAM.

By space constraints you mean it'll cost a lot more for a somewhat
bigger PCB at the place you had them made? If so, how much more? I've
not seen this mentioned in any mailing-list message. I've had a look in
my email archive and I only saw a message in which Jonathan said he
preferred a separate RAM card, which seems overkill to me as with fast
HD or CF card+CF adapter storage, a RAM disc doesn't appear to be really
interesting or useful.

I've checked the cost increase for different sized PCBs for one firm (in
NL) that had all the prices on the web (incl. drilling holes etc.), and 
it wasn't much at all...

-- 
Wouter
---
BBC computer/magazine scans:
   http://8-bit.summerfield-technology.co.uk/