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IBM 27F4943XM Speech talk Adapter

G

gerrydoire

Veteran Member
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Aug 25, 2008
Messages
1,145
Seeing any information on the
IBM 27F4943XM Speech talk Adapter.

The board uses a mouse like connector, information
on the web seems to be scarce.

People selling this card mistaken it for a Mouse Card.

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It's the IBM PS/2 Speech Adapter card, capable of LPC and CVSD-format playback via the TI TMS5220C and Motorola MC3418 chips, respectively. The card is basically unusable without the external speaker/headphone box that attaches to the mini-DIN port.

Here is an auction for the complete card/speaker pairing:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/IBM-PS-2-Speech-Adapter-Kit-P-N-1501216-New-Un-Used-Parts-/230728393606

There's been some recent discussion about the Speech Adapter (PS/2 and PCjr) on Mike Brutman's forum:
http://www.brutman.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=360


Here is a list of (mostly educational) software purportedly compatible with the Speech Adapter:

Access Software
Amazon: Guardians of Eden
Countdown
Links: The Challenge of Golf

Compton's
MultiMedia Encyclopedia

Hartley Courseware
Project STAR
Brick by Brick (series)
The Money Series

IBM
Bouncy Bee Learns Letters
Bouncy Bee Learns Words
Exploring Measurement, Time, and Money - Level I
LinkWay
Primary Editor Plus
Spelling - Level I
Storyboard Plus 2.0
Writing to Read

Public-Domain LinkWay folders:
Bullet Firing: Stroboscopic Photography
NewsLink: On-Line Newspaper
COB ON A COT: Primary Reader
Purdue University
Cliff's Notes: Huckleberry Finn & Oliver Twist
Elegy Written In A Country Churchyard


Other products providing Speech Adapter compatibility include IBM's ACPA and Audiovation cards, Digispeech's DS201A and DS301A (and possibly the DS311), and DoubleTalk's PC/LT products.
 
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The PS/2 Speech Adapter is derived from the PCjr. Speech Attachment and uses the same TI TMS5220C/TSP5220C chip. Since it uses the ISA bus, and the PCjr.'s bus is mostly the same, I wonder if the card would work with the older software without a TSR program. The Digispeech devices require a TSR loaded for IBM Speech compatibility, and it may not work with all programs.
 
It's not just Digispeech - all of the mentioned devices claiming Speech Adapter compatibility use a similar, BIOS-emulating TSR.

Here are a few additional titles that support the Speech Adapter:

First Byte / Zugware
Zug's Adventures on Eco Island
Zug's Dinosaur World
Zug's Race Through Space
Zug's Spelling Adventures
 
The design of the external module for the Speech Adapter appears to allow for sliding and snapping it into one of the front module bays of a Model 30 or similar, to then be plugged into the internal mini-DIN socket found only on the earlier SA cards. This "internal" configuration doesn't appear to be advertised or mentioned anywhere, inexplicably, but would be interesting to see.
 
So, with apologies to the original image owner and to Photoshop users the world over, here's an "artist's rendition" of what the Model 30 might look like with the Speech Adapter's module internally installed...

8530_SA.jpg
 
Cloudschatze said:
Other products providing Speech Adapter compatibility include IBM's ACPA and Audiovation cards, Digispeech's DS201A and DS301A (and possibly the DS311), and DoubleTalk's PC/LT products.
Click to expand...

Street Electronics' Echo PCII (not the "PC2") can be added to the list.

That's a ridiculous amount of hardware compatibility for a device with such limited software support. I think this puts the IBM Speech Adapter into computing "standards" territory.
 
I don't have a spare Model 30 to test Cloudschatze's idea, but here's the underside of the adapter -- you can see the plastic tracks. Presumably the rubber feet would have to be removed?

15789441141_6d7bb0b03c.jpg
 
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I never realized this. The model 25 has larger bays than the model 30...

But... the model 30 was the first to use the sled design I think...
 
Paralel said:
I actually found an image of what you were talking about:
Click to expand...
So, looking further, this is DSP Solutions' DS149, "Front Audio Bay," which was sold with, and connects to, a Sound Blaster ViBRA variant. Other than having somewhat similar aesthetics to the IBM Speech Adapter's I/O module, there's doesn't appear to be any relationship otherwise.
 
For anyone interested, this is what the speaker actually looks like in a Model 30:

Untitled.jpg

As you can see, it's smaller than the standard PS/2 face plate by quite a bit. Pretty weird - does anyone know if there is different PS/2 model with SMALLER bays this would fit into instead? I'm really not sure what the point of the underside rails and clip are, otherwise.
 
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