General Instrument SP0256
GI SP0256 refers to a family of closely related
Architecture overview
The SP0256 (and its predecessor, the SP0250) implements a 12-pole,
The SP0256 combines the VTM with a simple controller that loads compressed coefficient data into the VTM, either from the on-chip ROM, external speech ROMs such as the SPR-128, or in the case of the Intellivoice, an SPB640 speech data FIFO.
SP0256 variants
General Instrument made several variants of the SP0256. These variants differed primarily in their mask ROM content. Listed below are some known variants. Others likely exist that aren't listed on this page.
SP0256-AL2
The SP0256-AL2 is perhaps the most commonly encountered variant. It contains 59
The SP0256-AL2 was available in home brew kits for
The SP0256-AL2 has been most recently used in Rare Waves' MIDI Narrator. This device allows you to address the allophones through MIDI note information and adjust pitch information through pitch bend messages.[7]
SP0256-012
Mattel's Intellivoice attachment for its Intellivision video game system uses the SP0256-012. This variant contains only Mattel-specific game phrases, including the energetic phrase "Mattel Electronics Presents," phrases for digits, and a couple of additional game phrases. It does not contain the allophones found in the SP0256-AL2 or SP0256-019. Mattel only released five games with support for this device.[8]
SP0256-017
The SP0256-017 comes from a talking clock and contains phrases specific to the talking clock. The SP0256-017 was sold by Radio Shack under the Archer brand as part number 276-1783. The part set also contained the SPR016-117, an external serial speech ROM. The vocabulary included the numbers (in combination) through 59, appropriate for a spoken clock. The onboard memory also provided for synthesizing the following phrases: A.M., P.M., It is, Hour, Minute, Hundred Hour, Good Morning, Attention Please, Please Hurry, and three Melodies named A, B, and C.
SP0256-019
The
SP0264-021
Used in a prototype Fuzzbuster radar detector,[citation needed] the SP0264-021 has relevant phrases and is pin compatible to the SP0256 series.
FPGA emulation
An FPGA implementation of a classic eighties speech synthesizer SP0256, done for the Retro Challenge in October 2017 by Niels Moseley, is available on his GitHub account.[9]github
References
- ^ Joe Zbiciak. "SP0256-AL2 ROM Image".
- ^ a b RadioShack. "SP0256 Narrator Speech Processor" (PDF). Retrieved 2020-04-23.
- ^ "VIC-20 Talk-Back (Maplin GB17T LK00A)". Retro Computers. Archived from the original on 2011-09-01. Retrieved 2011-07-30.
- ^ Lee Brilliant, M.D. (1985-04-01). "Cheep Talk: Build your own speech synthesizer". Analog Computing, issue 29. Retrieved 2012-03-13.
- ^ Bill Marquardt (1987-01-01). "Talking Typewriter: Atari spells it out". ANTIC, VOL 5 NO 9. Retrieved 2012-03-13.
- ^ "World of Spectrum - Software".
- ^ "MIDI Narrator | Rare Waves". Retrieved 2020-08-18.
- ^ Steven A. Orth (2004-10-04). "IntelliVoice Software". Retrieved 2011-07-30.
- ^ "TRCWM/Speech256". GitHub. October 2021.