TI99/4A Speech Synthesizer issue....

[repetto74]

Hi Guys,

 

I have a speech synthesizer with me, great piece of hardware but either I do not understand how to make it work either there is an hardware problem.

 

I tried to test its functionality with a TI Extended Basic module and keyed-in those lines

 

100 CALL SAY ("THIS IS A GOOD PROGRAM")

110 GOTO 100

 

The only speech sound I can get is a kind of continuous "OH OH". I have tried on two different TI99/4A and using different words to spell but always same result.

 

Anyone can point me to any thing I may check?

 

Thanks

Rick

 

 

[Count9929A]

mmmhhhh ....

I am not an expert, but I think the issue is that you are doing a continuous loop, instructing a new phrase before the earlier is finished.

Try with just the first line

[+OLD CS1]

Got me. All of the words are in the vocabulary and the program runs fine. As I recall, the only time you hear "UH-OH" is when CALL SAY cannot find the work in the Speech Synthesizer's vocabulary. Is it possible the speech ROMs have gone bad?

[+Lee Stewart]

mmmhhhh ....

I am not an expert, but I think the issue is that you are doing a continuous loop, instructing a new phrase before the earlier is finished.

Try with just the first line

 

SAY() waits until the speech synthesizer is idle before it sends the next word to be spoken, so your program should work.

 

...lee

[+Lee Stewart]

Got me. All of the words are in the vocabulary and the program runs fine. As I recall, the only time you hear "UH-OH" is when CALL SAY cannot find the work in the Speech Synthesizer's vocabulary. Is it possible the speech ROMs have gone bad?

 

Actually, when SAY() does not find a word, it audibly spells out the word.

 

...lee

[+arcadeshopper]

and this program works fine in classic99

[repetto74]

OK guys it has been sorted out thanks to Ciro from the Italian TI99 community

Actually I was NOT writing words in CAPITAL letters so the TI99/4A does not understand this ....I know I am dumb

 

All is working perfect now !

[ti99iuc]

You're Welcome repetto74, i am happy that it is not a real problem

Have funny now !

[+OLD CS1]

 

Actually, when SAY() does not find a word, it audibly spells out the word.

 

...lee

 

Ah, right. When does it growl "UH-OH" at you?

 

OK guys it has been sorted out thanks to Ciro from the Italian TI99 community

Actually I was NOT writing words in CAPITAL letters so the TI99/4A does not understand this ....I know I am dumb

 

All is working perfect now !

 

Interesting. Never ran into that.

[+Lee Stewart]

 

Ah, right. When does it growl "UH-OH" at you?

 

 

Interesting. Never ran into that.

 

As you probably proved for yourself, the speech synthesizer says “uh oh” for each character it cannot find in its vocabulary once it starts trying to say the characters of a word after not finding the word.

 

...lee

[+arcadeshopper]

OK guys it has been sorted out thanks to Ciro from the Italian TI99 community

Actually I was NOT writing words in CAPITAL letters so the TI99/4A does not understand this ....I know I am dumb

 

All is working perfect now !

Yet the example you posted did have them in capital letters.

 

Sent from my LG-H830 using Tapatalk

[mizapf]

Still funny to see that this lower-case (or small caps) issue persists, and in particular with new users. People obviously have a tendency for lower case, while upper case was the standard for the TI (not only the vocabulary but also programming language constants and commands, and especially device names). It's also for that reason that I actually avoid lower case, including programming.

[repetto74]

Yet the example you posted did have them in capital letters.

 

Yes indeed it was spelled with capital letters in this thread but not when keyed into the TI99/4A . Quiet confusing I know....

 

[repetto74]

Still funny to see that this lower-case (or small caps) issue persists, and in particular with new users. People obviously have a tendency for lower case, while upper case was the standard for the TI (not only the vocabulary but also programming language constants and commands, and especially device names). It's also for that reason that I actually avoid lower case, including programming.

 

From an old Commodorian I would say that capital letter was by default the configuration used to program the machine

 

[mizapf]

 

Still funny to see that this lower-case (or small caps) issue persists, and in particular with new users. People obviously have a tendency for lower case, while upper case was the standard for the TI (not only the vocabulary but also programming language constants and commands, and especially device names). It's also for that reason that I actually avoid lower case, including programming.

 

From an old Commodorian I would say that capital letter was by default the configuration used to program the machine

 

 

 

You're somewhat quoting wrong.

 

As for the upper/lower case, don't understand it as bashing, just as my observation that this issue keeps reappearing. One interesting point is that unlike ShiftLock of the C64, the AlphaLock key on the TI was always supposed to be pressed, and it only affected the letters.

Edited December 12, 2017 by mizapf

[repetto74]

Hi Mizapf,

 

No worries I do not consider your consideration as a bashing .I am glad to have the speech synth fully working. My knowledge of the TI99/4A is very poor and as I said the C64 has been my childhood companion 2 machines and 2 philosophy somehow different which makes a couple of things quiet confusing for a noob like me

[Casey]

Going from the TI first to a Commodore 128, it was a strange thing to learn there were 2 different character sets in the machine. Probably more confusing for new TI users is that the lowercase letters don't look at all like lowercase. Welcome to the TI!

[repetto74]

Hi Casey,

 

This is exactly my feeling :-). The TI lower case just look as Upper Case and did make the mistake again as I was convinced having typed words correctly

[+RXB]

I started with Computers in 1976 and honestly all the computers I used the Keyboards did not even have LOWER CASE.

 

But then I was using a 1970 computer called a Teletype 43K that had (after I added memory soldered in hanging rings) had 128 BITS of memory.

 

So ASCII was only created in 1963 thus by 1978 when the TI99 was created Lower Case was still just to expensive to use in programming.

 

http://www.theasciicode.com.ar/ascii-printable-characters/lowercase-letter-a-minuscule-ascii-code-97.html

 

 

From above:

 

"In 1981, IBM developed an extension of 8-bit ASCII code, called "code page 437", in this version were replaced some obsolete control characters for graphic characters. Also 128 characters were added , with new symbols, signs, graphics and latin letters, all punctuation signs and characters needed to write texts in other languages, ​​such as Spanish.

In this way was added the ASCII characters ranging from 128 to 255."

Edited December 13, 2017 by RXB

[AMenard]

I'm sorry, but I've have to ask since I'm a TI noob... What does the flap and compartment on the speech synth use for?

[+save2600]

I'm sorry, but I've have to ask since I'm a TI noob... What does the flap and compartment on the speech synth use for?

Nothing, but the space was originally intended so you could add enhanced modules to it.

 

You can use it today to store some money, jewelry or other small valuables. Burglars would never think to look there!

[Casey]

I'm sorry, but I've have to ask since I'm a TI noob... What does the flap and compartment on the speech synth use for?

No need to be sorry. This question comes up from time to time. Originally when the synthesizer was designed, it was programmed with about 300 words and phrases (the ones you can get from CALL SAY in Extended BASIC). TI's intention was to sell add-in modules that went into this compartment that would add additional words to the resident vocabulary. TI then figured out how to do unlimited text to speech through software, added that to Terminal Emulator II, and then there was no need for the add-in modules. So none were ever sold and very few of the speech synthesizers even have the connector inside the door for these to plug into.

[AMenard]

Thanks!

[+arcadeshopper]

i should add that to the faq

[+Ksarul]

Hey Rich, I used to work on Teletypes. If that was a Teletype Corporation Model 43 (K-Keyboard only, or KP-Keyboard/Printer) you were using, it did have lower case, as all of their ASCII machines from The Model 37 onward did. You could even get lower case Typeboxes for the earlier ASCII Model 35s. The lower case on the 37s really messed things up when people were using them to cut message tapes and accidentally shifted things to lower case (very easy to do). Talk about something that just totally messed up the messaging system. . .