STANDARD MICROSYSTEMS                                       PUBLICATION 900.007
CORPORATION                                                 NOVEMBER 1983


                               USER'S GUIDE

                                PC-TALKER

                          SPEECH SYNTHESIS MODULE


 The material furnished in this document is provided for customer reference
 only. The information has been carefully checked and is believed to be
 entirely reliable. However, no responsibility is assumed for innacuracies.
 Schematics and techniques shown are proprietary and are not for reproduction
 without the written consent of Standard Microsystems Corporation. Furthermore,
 such information does not convey to the purchaser any license under the patent
 rights of Standard Microsystems Corporation or others. Standard Microsystems
 Corporation reserves the right to make changes at any time in order to improve
 the design and supply the best possible product.

 Copyright 1983 by - STANDARD MICROSYSTEMS CORPORATION - All rights reserved
                            35 Marcus Boulevard
                         Hauppauge, New York 11788

 IBM is a registered trademark of the International Business Machines Corp.

 Votrax is a registered trademark of Votrax, Inc.



                             TABLE OF CONTENTS

        1.0   INTRODUCTION ........................................ 1

        2.0   SPECIFICATIONS ...................................... 2

              2.1  System Interface Characteristics ............... 2
              2.2  Physical Specifications ........................ 2

        3.0   GETTING STARTED WITH THE DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM ...... 3

              3.1  Installing your PC-TALKER ...................... 3
              3.2  Running the PCTALK Demonstration Program ....... 4
              3.3  PC-TALKER Adjustments .......................... 4

        4.0   PC-TALKER SWITCH DEFINITION ......................... 4

        5.0   PC-TALKER JUMPER DEFINITION ......................... 5

        6.0   PC-TALKER REGISTERS ................................. 5

              6.1  Phoneme Output Register ........................ 5
              6.2  Status Register ................................ 6

        7.0   PROGRAMMING CONSIDERATIONS .......................... 6

        8.0   WARRANTY INFORMATION ................................ 7


APPENDIX

A.0   PHONEME CHART

INTRODUCTION                                                             PAGE 1

Now your personal computer can speak to you! The Standard Microsystems'
PC-TALKER board provides simplified speech capability for the IBM Personal
Computer.

The on-board speech synthesiser LSI circuit provides the ability to create
an unlimited speaking vocabulary for the computer.  Speech is synthesised by
combining phonemes (the building blocks of speech) in the appropriate
sequences.

A User's Guide is provided with each board.  Included with the guide are a
chart listing the available phonemes and a phonetic speech dictionary. To get
started, the user plugs the PC-TALKER into a spare slot in his Personal
Computer and connects an external speaker.  Then, all the user need do to
create speech on his computer is to write a simple BASIC program that supplies
the PC-TALKER with the phoneme codes for the words to be spoken.  A sample
program and a sample disk are supplied with each board to help familiarize the
user with the PC-TALKER's capabilities.

Other features include a fine pitch adjustment, on-board audio amplifier with
adjustable volume control, and a phono connector for connecting the external
speaker.

When programming for the PC-TALKER, the board may be operated in the polled or
interrupt mode, with the interrupt from completion of phoneme jumpered to IRQ2,
IRQ3, IRQ4, IRQ5, or IRQ7.  The base I/O address of the board may be selected
in 16-byte segments.

Some of the key features of the PC-TALKER are:

.  Unlimited speaking vocabulary with the Votrax SC-01 LSI device

.  On-Board Audio Amplifier

.  Easy to program by combining phonemes in the appropriate sequences

.  Phoneme Dictionary Included

.  Volume Control

.  May be polled or interrupt driven

.  Sample speech program disk provided


PAGE 2                                                           SPECIFICATIONS

2.0  SPECIFICATIONS


2.1  System Interface Characteristics

     System Bus:                Compatible with IBM Personal Computer System
                                Bus.

2.2  Physical Specifications

     Speech Synthesiser:        Votrax SC-01

     Speaker Connector:         Phono Connector

     Speaker Requirements:      8 ohm, 0.2 watts min.

     Power Requirements:        +5 volts at 220 ma. max.
                                +12 volts at 50 ma. max.

     Environmental Operation:   0 to 70 Degrees Centigrade

GETTING STARTED                                                          PAGE 3

3.0  GETTING STARTED WITH THE DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM

     Probably at this point, you are most anxious to hear the PC-TALKER say
     something. For that purpose, and to assure that everything is operating
     properly, shipped with each PC-TALKER you will find one floppy diskette
     containing a demonstration program named PCTALK. The following will give
     complete instructions for installing the PC-TALKER board in your PC and
     running the PCTALK program.

3.1  Installing Your PC-TALKER

     As shipped from the factory, switch S1 should set the IO base address of
     your PC-TALKER at hex location 280. Switch S1 should be set as follows:

                            SWITCH 6        OFF
                            SWITCH 5        ON
                            SWITCH 4        OFF
                            SWITCH 3        ON
                            SWITCH 2        ON
                            SWITCH 1        ON

     Jumper connections JP-1 through JP-5 should have no jumpers installed.

     Perform the following three steps to remove the cover from your PC.

        CAUTION: BE SURE THE POWER SWITCH ON YOUR PC IS IN THE OFF POSITION
        AND THE AC PLUG IS REMOVED FROM THE SYSTEM UNIT. TURN OFF POWER TO
        YOUR PRINTER AND ANY OTHER EQUIPMENT CONNECTED TO THE PC. INSTALLING
        ANY COMPONENT WHILE THE POWER IS ON CAN PERMANENTLY DAMAGE YOUR PC
        AND THE COMPONENT.

                1. Looking at the system unit from the rear, locate and
                   remove the cover mounting screws. These may be located
                   in each of the four corners and the top centre.

                2. Slide the system unit cover towards the front.

                3. When the cover will go no further, carefully tilt the
                   front upwards and remove it from the system unit.

     Your PC-TALKER may be installed in any unused IO expansion slot in your
     PC. First remove the expansion slot cover on the rear panel of the system
     unit. Next install the PC-TALKER into the system board IO connector with
     the volume control shaft and phono connector protruding out the
     rectangular slot in the rear panel. Secure the PC-TALKER with one screw
     in the mounting bracket.

     Connect a speaker to the phono connector protruding through the rear
     panel. Carefully turn the volume control shaft, also protruding through
     the rear panel, counter-clockwise until it stops. Now turn the shaft
     clockwise one-eighth turn. This will set the volume to a comfortable
     level.

     Reinstall the system unit cover by reversing the removal procedure.

     Your PC-TALKER is now ready to speak.

PAGE 4                                                          GETTING STARTED

3.2  Running the PC-TALK Demonstration Program.

     PCTALK is a demonstration program, written in BASIC, which will enable
     the user to select a sentence for the PC-TALKER to speak.

     Start by supplyinh power to your PC and booting a DOS diskette containing
     a copy of Disk Basic or Advanced Basic. Enter the command BASIC
     (or BASICA) when DOS prompts you for a command. Put the PCTALK diskette
     into drive A, and type LOAD"PCTALK (Carriage Return), when BASIC prompts
     you for a command. The PC will load the PCTALK program from the diskette
     into memory. Type RUN (Carriage Return). The PC will run the PCTALK
     program.

     The PCTALK program will display a menu of sentence selections. Enter your
     selection and your PC-TALKER will speak.

3.3  PC-TALKER Adjustments

     The volume of the audio output of the PC-TALKER may be adjusted by turning
     the volume control shaft, protruding through the rear panel of the system
     unit, clockwise for increased volume, and counter clockwise for decreased
     volume.

     The audio pitch, and speed at which phonemes are processed, may be
     adjusted by potentiometer R2, located near the top edge of the PC-TALKER
     PC board. Use a screw driver to adjust this potentiometer clockwise for
     higher pitch and increased speed, and counter-clockwise for lower pitch
     and decreased speed.


4.0  PC-TALKER SWITCH DEFINITION


           ------------------------------------------------
                SWITCH                  FUNCTION
           ------------------------------------------------
                   6              Board IO Address A9
                   5              Board IO Address A8
                   4              Board IO Address A7
                   3              Board IO Address A6
                   2              Board IO Address A5
                   1              Board IO Address A4


     Dip siwtches S1-1 through S1-6 are used to select the base address of the
     SC-01 in the control systems IO address space. An open siwtch corresponds
     to a "one" in that bit position.

PC-TALKER JUMPER DEFINITIONS                                             PAGE 5

5.0  PC-TALKER JUMPER DEFINITION


           ------------------------------------------------
                JUMPER                  FUNCTION
           ------------------------------------------------
                  JP1           Phoneme Request = IRQ7
                  JP2           Phoneme Request = IRQ5
                  JP3           Phoneme Request = IRQ4
                  JP4           Phoneme Request = IRQ3
                  JP5           Phoneme Request = IRQ2


6.0  PC-TALKER REGISTERS

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                ADDRESS                            REGISTER
        A9 - A4  A3  A2  A1  A0           READ                    WRITE
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
           X      0   0   0   0      Status Register    Phoneme Output Register


     X = Address selection set by switches S1-1 through S1-6.


6.1  Phoneme Output Register

        =================================================================
        | BIT 7 | BIT 6 | BIT 5 | BIT 4 | BIT 3 | BIT 2 | BIT 1 | BIT 0 |
        |=======|=======|=======|=======|=======|=======|=======|=======|
        |  I2   |  I1   |  P5   |  P4   |  P3   |  P2   |  P1   |  P0   |
        =================================================================

        -----------------------------------------------------------------
        BIT     NAME         FUNCTION
        -----------------------------------------------------------------
         7       I2          MSB of pitch level for corresponding phoneme
                             written into phoneme output register.

         6       I1          LSB of pitch level for corresponding phoneme
                             written into phoneme output register.

         5       P5          Phoneme selection code bit 5 (MSB)

         4       P4          Phoneme selection code bit 4

         3       P3          Phoneme selection code bit 3

         2       P2          Phoneme selection code bit 2

         1       P1          Phoneme selection code bit 1

         0       P0          Phoneme selection code bit 0 (LSB)


PAGE 6                                                      PC-TALKER REGISTERS

6.2  Status Register

        =================================================================
        | BIT 7 | BIT 6 | BIT 5 | BIT 4 | BIT 3 | BIT 2 | BIT 1 | BIT 0 |
        |=======|=======|=======|=======|=======|=======|=======|=======|
        |   -   |   -   |   -   |   -   |   -   |   -   |   -   |  A*/R |
        =================================================================

        -----------------------------------------------------------------
        BIT     NAME         FUNCTION
        -----------------------------------------------------------------
         0      A*/R         Request for next phoneme. When high requests
                             next phoneme to be written to phoneme output
                             register.

7.0  PROGRAMMING CONSIDERATIONS

     For best speech synthesis characteristics, it is suggested the PC-TALKER
     be initialised by sending one STOP phoneme (hex value 3F) after power
     on. Also one STOP phoneme should be send at the conclusion of every
     phrase.

     Note that the PC-TALKER is addressed at one IO port location. Writing to
     this port, as defined in section 6.1, will make the PC-TALKER speak a
     phoneme. Reading from this port and looking at bit 0, as described in
     section 6.2, will tell you when the PC-TALKER is ready for the next
     phoneme.


WARRANTY                                                                 PAGE 7

8.0  WARRANTY

8.1  Warranty and Service

8.1.1 In-Warranty Service

PAGE 8                                                                 WARRANTY

8.1.2 Out-of-Warranty Service

8.1.3 Policy on Changes

8.1.4 Shipping Information


APPENDIX A                                                        PHONEME CHART

