AtariVox rev2

[mos6507]

PM sent. Let's coordinate this further off-site on Skype.

[iesposta]

I'd vote for Al to make them.

Richard sent me a programmed PIC. I don't have a PIC programmer for that part.

I had just purchased everything on my own and donated by Richard to make one.

I then lost my Mom suddenly, and you had sent those finished ones out to be sold.

I bought two of those because I gave my word that I would. One for my Ataris and one for my Vectrexes.

Ax also sent me for free another AtariVox+ and a free AtariVox USB for development work.

I am using that to make speech for an enhanced 2600 Wizard Of Wor.

[Hyperboy]

I would buy several, Please do this!

[Andromeda Stardust]

So glad this thing looks like it will be supported again. I've bought nearly all the homebrews in the AA store that support voice synthesis, yet I feel that authors will be reluctant to release future 'brews that support this chip if there is not a distribution for them. I for one would like to be able to use mine more often rather than having it sit on a shelf as an orphaned piece of hardware.

[Richard H.]

 

 

I also still have a small cache of USB-based AtariVox boards that Richard gave me but I don't know how to build those.

 

Extremely easy to build.

 

FT232RL

2 x 100nF capacitors

DB9 socket

USB-B socket

 

The FT232RL is configured through the USB once it's soldered in. I can post the config file here if anyone wants it.

[Troy_Whelan]

This is awesome! I completely missed out last time (my own fault), but I would like to get 2 this time! One to use and one to have as a spare in case something happens to the other.

 

Troy

[Vectrexer]

 

Extremely easy to build.

 

FT232RL

2 x 100nF capacitors

DB9 socket

USB-B socket

 

The FT232RL is configured through the USB once it's soldered in. I can post the config file here if anyone wants it.

 

Config file always welcome.

[Richard H.]

Use it with the FT_Prog utility -

 

http://www.ftdichip.com/Support/Utilities/FT_Prog_v2.8.2.0.zip

Avox_USB.xml

Edited July 21, 2014 by Richard H.

[Richard H.]

Does anyone want to build the interfaces ?. I can send you the PCB file to get some boards made.

[woolfman]

The biggest problem holding back making more is the cost of the Speakjet chip per-unit. The final price is largely a function of the generous (potentially one-off) volume-pricing discount that I arranged years ago based on the combination of me willing to take a loss and thinking that there were enough people out there to sell every unit. So if I were confident enough that there were, let's say, 100 or more people who wanted AtariVox+ units then I could probably order 100 chips and get a decent discount. Otherwise if I bought in a low quantity the boards would be considerably more expensive. While some people might still pay if it were more money, it doesn't seem fair considering how affordable the last run was. While they would still need to be assembled, there's no shortage of extra PC Boards--and used Genesis extension cables can still be scoped out.

 

So it's kind of stuck in a no-man's land where there are a few people coming forward to express their dismay that they missed out, but not yet enough to make me feel motivated to wheel and deal for a batch discount.

 

If I get bored enough I might build some more boards with everything in them other than the speakjet, just to get them poised and ready to go. There's a part of me that's kind of nostalgic for when I did the soldering back in the day, and my life has calmed down recently so that I'm not quite so much in the animation tunnel-vision. That might ultimately be the only solution, to premake everything and then buy the chips in low quantities and sell them at a higher price-point.

 

Sorry for my late answer, I didn´t check for some time in this thread.

 

I am still interested and wouldn´t mind paying 50 $ for that too. But I do get your point. I wish I could do that myself. Personally I really like the sleek solution that I saw with the black housing and a sticker on top...really cool.

 

If there is any chance to get one, please let me know. I definitely buy one.

[Bodyshots]

Posting 'Yes' for Vectrex support… put me on the list!

[mos6507]

So far I can't get the price of the speakjet down below $20 per chip and I've gotten no reply back from Magnevation (the root source).

[woolfman]

Does anyone want to build the interfaces ?. I can send you the PCB file to get some boards made.

 

Richard, btw, your site doesn´t exist anymore (www.vectrex.biz). I come by it on many sites referring to you, and it is always your .biz domain. Do you have a new site?

[Richard H.]

 

 

Do you have a new site?

 

Not yet. Been having trouble with TalkTalk. They took over my last internet provider and it's been crap ever since.

 

 

 

[woolfman]

 

Not yet. Been having trouble with TalkTalk. They took over my last internet provider and it's been crap ever since.

 

 

 

 

Oh my.

[woolfman]

Does anyone want to build the interfaces ?. I can send you the PCB file to get some boards made.

 

Well stupid question, I know. But what kind of help do you need? Maybe I can do something...

[Richard H.]

 

 

But what kind of help do you need? Maybe I can do something...

 

Taking on the project.

 

This will require -

 

1) Getting PCB's made

2) Soldering components

3) Configuring chips

4) Casing the boards

5) Making and applying labels

6) Selling / distributing finished units

[woolfman]

 

Taking on the project.

 

This will require -

 

1) Getting PCB's made

2) Soldering components

3) Configuring chips

4) Casing the boards

5) Making and applying labels

6) Selling / distributing finished units

 

Ok, send me a pm. Maybe we can work smthg out.

[mos6507]

If someone else wanted to take a crack at this, I can save them the trouble of making PCBs and just send you a couple hundred gratis. I've got more on hand than we'll ever need. But the bottleneck will remain the SpeakJets.

 

Since emailing support at magnevation didn't work, my next step is to use the fax number he's got printed on their website to see if I can get his attention, and if that fails, then send him a snail-mail letter. The difference in pricing between what I got last time and what we could achieve even with the bulk discounts through Sparkfun is huge.

 

The reason I would personally prefer to have one entity at a time making and selling these things (besides economy of scale) is simply to make it appear more professional. While I'm sure, demographically, a large percentage of classic gaming die-hards know their way around a soldering iron and don't shy away from homebrewing their own gear, I prefer the aesthetics of a standardized plug-and-play product with decent packaging.

 

If people would prefer to treat this as a DIY kit, that's fine, but remember that the Speakjet and the PIC both need to be programmed before everything can go together. So it's more than just soldering you have to do. You need a chip programmer for these.

Edited July 23, 2014 by mos6507

[Albert]

So, I feel like I'm not being heard here...

[Trebor]

I'm listening.

[Richard H.]

 

 

If someone else wanted to take a crack at this, I can save them the trouble of making PCBs and just send you a couple hundred gratis.

 

Glenn, I'm talking about the USB interface for the AVox. Did you have boards made for those too ?

[mos6507]

 

Glenn, I'm talking about the USB interface for the AVox. Did you have boards made for those too ?

 

No, I just have the batch you sent me. Sorry for the confusion.

[Andromeda Stardust]

If people would prefer to treat this as a DIY kit, that's fine, but remember that the Speakjet and the PIC both need to be programmed before everything can go together. So it's more than just soldering you have to do. You need a chip programmer for these.

If these guys would just release the source for the SpeakJet, in a perfect world we could program them ourselves at a cost of $2-$4 a piece instead of paying $20+ to get them preprogrammed. Of course it would not be fair to the designers earning a living off their Speakjet parts, but they are borderline pricing themselves out of the market. If they charged half as much, I get the impression they would sell more than 2x as many parts.

[Albert]

If these guys would just release the source for the SpeakJet, in a perfect world we could program them ourselves at a cost of $2-$4 a piece instead of paying $20+ to get them preprogrammed. Of course it would not be fair to the designers earning a living off their Speakjet parts, but they are borderline pricing themselves out of the market. If they charged half as much, I get the impression they would sell more than 2x as many parts.

I would not expect this to happen. Given the price of these parts has changed very little, I have to assume they are happy with the current pricing and are selling enough units that they don't feel a price decrease is warranted.

 

..Al