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Speech syn for beige TI-99/4a


hloberg

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went out in the shop and discovered I had a spray can of beige satin paint, unused. So I thought, what the heck. I painted the speech beige. it looks OK. I still want to see what @wierd_w comes up with though. I sure it'll look much more uniform.

Note: if I was to stay with this i would print a decal with 'TI speech synthesizer' and the TI logo to the front where the old one was.

20200709_150709.thumb.jpg.c5b685a5a1c46bae208019fffa0befe8.jpg20200709_150658.thumb.jpg.847e1d56c0e81a4cfb97290694434a11.jpg

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I am making further revisions before I print the rev A model. 

 

I had a misprint with the rev --, (not enough pva, part let loose during printing, warped all over.)  Gonna forego the tabs, and just go with screwdown fasteners on the bottom (using brass standoffs). I see enough realestate for 3 screws at least. 

 

To prevent this "let loose from plate and warp all over" problem, I am thinking I will have to use a raft.

 

I ordered a speech synth from ebay for ~30$.  The board will allow me to test fitting.  If this works out, I will either chuck it at arcadeshopper as a potentially printable product, (in choice of colors; his printers are undoubtedly much better than my chinese i3 clone), or order some beige filament.

 

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I printed the bottom of the rev A enclosure last night, and received the speech synth in the mail today.

 

Initial test fitting shows I need to give another hole location at the top left corner of the speech card (with it oriented top up, and in line with the TI, with user seated at keyboard) and that I need to give relief for the legs of the thru-hole soldered components on the card.  I installed a stand-off "The hard way" like I did with my initial experiment at that location.  I will use calipers to measure the location of that hole on the side of the speech board, and implement the location in the models with an M3 standoff hole.

 

The M3 style stand-off locations I implemented could stand to be .5mm larger; It required a considerable amount of beating to seat the stand-offs into the holes.  (I modeled hexagonal holes and everything.) I modeled these holes based on dimensional drawings of an M3 stand-off, but apparently my printer likes to make holes a teensy but undersized.

 

The thru-screw locations (that will hold the clamshell together) need to likewise be widened about 1mm in total diameter, as the head of a normal computer screw cannot be admitted. (While I guessed blindly on the diameter of the screw head, the thru-hole size is perfect. I used a normal M3 diameter size.)

 

Test fitting with the speech card screwed down (with the RF shield removed; Initial design is not compatible with the RF shield. Since I am probably gonna roll a Rev B, and I now have the RF shield to measure in my own little hands, I will try to make it compatible with the RF shield) shows that it inserts into the TI just fine.  There is a small air-gap at the bottom, as anticipated (Rubber feet yo.) It lines up just fine with the back of the unit, meaning my measurements with the calipers so many days ago worked out fine.

 

An interesting consequence of targeting the speech synth like this, is that the enclosure could potentially be modified to fit the "Pi-Zero+Tipi in a speech shell" type project. 

 

I am thinking that once I have this thing the way I like it, I will order some appropriately colored PLA, and print it. (The nylon is good and tough, and good for prototyping, but it wont be as pretty in the end product, and it has a nasty tendency to warp. PLA is super easy to print, and will look real nice.)

 

Pictures of the current iteration of the prototype coming soon.

 

Here we go.  The top part of the RF shield totally works. I believe I can make a deep recess in the bottom that can accept the bottom half of the RF shield as well. Then the RF shield can be retained. (The M3 standoffs would replace the heavy nuts and retention bolts used in the initial design, would hold the board down in the clamshell, and should work just peachy I think.)

 

Pictures of the bottom half of the rev A design without the speech, and with the speech fitted, and with it inserted into the TI to test fitting location.

 

20200713_154251.thumb.jpg.a4626c0f2faec31292700cacf8133348.jpg20200713_154133.thumb.jpg.efd61953d112638842f09d53d9853fb8.jpg20200713_154057.thumb.jpg.3014a5f416feb61c06cbbea2606fecd5.jpg

Edited by wierd_w
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On 7/5/2020 at 11:39 AM, hloberg said:

here's my beige TI-99 with an odd twist. the original keyboard was crap. And I had a spare black one. I think it looks rather snazzy. later came with purple switches which might be a nice touch later.

20200705_122802.thumb.jpg.2ceb6ba7ff48a847ed67372174c27ff3.jpg

I think I have a spare keyboard and MoBo around .... might just mock one of these up. It does look rather snazzy actually.

 

although it does remind me of a color scheme of some .... * lightning crashes ... organ notes in minor key * Other ... computer.

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6 hours ago, Mehridian Sanders said:

I think I have a spare keyboard and MoBo around .... might just mock one of these up. It does look rather snazzy actually.

 

although it does remind me of a color scheme of some .... * lightning crashes ... organ notes in minor key * Other ... computer.

I kinda butchered my last sentence but later QI had a purple on/off switch which I thought about painting, if I ever find that color. the color was a pale violet which, so far, I haven't found short going to specialty paint site and that runs into too much money for such as small paint job. 

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On 7/13/2020 at 3:33 PM, wierd_w said:

I printed the bottom of the rev A enclosure last night, and received the speech synth in the mail today.

 

Initial test fitting shows I need to give another hole location at the top left corner of the speech card (with it oriented top up, and in line with the TI, with user seated at keyboard) and that I need to give relief for the legs of the thru-hole soldered components on the card.  I installed a stand-off "The hard way" like I did with my initial experiment at that location.  I will use calipers to measure the location of that hole on the side of the speech board, and implement the location in the models with an M3 standoff hole.

 

The M3 style stand-off locations I implemented could stand to be .5mm larger; It required a considerable amount of beating to seat the stand-offs into the holes.  (I modeled hexagonal holes and everything.) I modeled these holes based on dimensional drawings of an M3 stand-off, but apparently my printer likes to make holes a teensy but undersized.

 

The thru-screw locations (that will hold the clamshell together) need to likewise be widened about 1mm in total diameter, as the head of a normal computer screw cannot be admitted. (While I guessed blindly on the diameter of the screw head, the thru-hole size is perfect. I used a normal M3 diameter size.)

 

Test fitting with the speech card screwed down (with the RF shield removed; Initial design is not compatible with the RF shield. Since I am probably gonna roll a Rev B, and I now have the RF shield to measure in my own little hands, I will try to make it compatible with the RF shield) shows that it inserts into the TI just fine.  There is a small air-gap at the bottom, as anticipated (Rubber feet yo.) It lines up just fine with the back of the unit, meaning my measurements with the calipers so many days ago worked out fine.

 

An interesting consequence of targeting the speech synth like this, is that the enclosure could potentially be modified to fit the "Pi-Zero+Tipi in a speech shell" type project. 

 

I am thinking that once I have this thing the way I like it, I will order some appropriately colored PLA, and print it. (The nylon is good and tough, and good for prototyping, but it wont be as pretty in the end product, and it has a nasty tendency to warp. PLA is super easy to print, and will look real nice.)

 

Pictures of the current iteration of the prototype coming soon.

 

Here we go.  The top part of the RF shield totally works. I believe I can make a deep recess in the bottom that can accept the bottom half of the RF shield as well. Then the RF shield can be retained. (The M3 standoffs would replace the heavy nuts and retention bolts used in the initial design, would hold the board down in the clamshell, and should work just peachy I think.)

 

Pictures of the bottom half of the rev A design without the speech, and with the speech fitted, and with it inserted into the TI to test fitting location.

 

20200713_154251.thumb.jpg.a4626c0f2faec31292700cacf8133348.jpg20200713_154133.thumb.jpg.efd61953d112638842f09d53d9853fb8.jpg20200713_154057.thumb.jpg.3014a5f416feb61c06cbbea2606fecd5.jpg

coming right along. looks good.

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I am sitting here chillin' at work, with little to do at the moment... So I am taking the time to work toward a potential rev B set of models.

 

To that effect, I have used some guestimates (since I don't have either the speech or the calipers in hand, only my existing model set and the CAD software) to make the following not-comitted-to-printing-yet mods for the bottom (and the top to match).

 

Added a large recess in the bottom to hopefully accept the RF shield, along with a small "notch" in the right wall, so that the lobe of the shield will not collide with the wall. (hopefully.)

 

Increased the size of the hexagonal holes by .5mm all around.

 

Proximal location of 3rd hole added.

 

Holes for case screw (through the bottom) widened by 1mm all around, to accept standard CDROM M3 style screws.

 

Legacy tab completely removed. (the well was way too deep, and the tab wanted to break off after putting screws into the well in the prior printed prototype. Tab is just not a good solution overall. Screw-down with M3 Stand-off looks like the winner.)

 

 

Top portion interior had the bottom portion of the alignment notch (since it sits on top of the installed board, flushly, and does not go inside the board's notch anyway) expanded slightly to provide more meat, since otherwise the thru-hole for the case screw's head makes the wall flimsy thin in that area.  Also completely removed the recess that previously accepted the tab. Now just straight up standoff holes (with increased size) at that location.

 

I will doublecheck measurements later today after work, make last minute corrections, then post images of the virtual model.  Then I will test print.

 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Took the time tonight (since I took a week off work for my sanity, and since it was my b-day yesterday) to fully measure with caliper today.

 

Made a set of models.

 

They will take 3 days to print.  I modeled in the support materials, so I told the slicer not to generate any. that should ease cleanup considerably.

Both top and bottom will print simultaneously in the same run on this go-around.

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I interrupted the print, because one of my darling kitties knocked the print spool down, and it jacked everything up.  Apparently seeing filament jiggle was too much of a temptation for her to pass up. (My filament spool is top mounted on top of the unit, so it made a loud crash.)

 

Enough printed though to get a feel for assembly.

 

The good:

The stand-off based screwdown fastening works great on holding the clamshell together.

Proof-of-concept confirmed for using the standoffs to hold the RF shield together inside the enclosure.

The modeled-in support structures were quite good at supporting the long bridging needed for the cartridge port hole on the top half of the clamshell, and did not adhere to the bridge. Very nice.

 

The OK-ish:

I need to give a teensy bit more clearance for the bottom RF shield (lengthwise and widthwise) as it just BARELY fits in there, with lots of wrangling. I am thinking an added .25mm clearance each way will fix it.

There is just barely enough threads exposed in the clamshell screws to catch the M3 standoffs. Longer screw threads are advised.

 

The bad:

The third hole needs to be moved to the left by a good half millimeter. Does not align with installed board. Not sure how I bunged that up so bad, but apparently I did. It's an easy fix though.

 

The can-be-ignored:

As expected, the nylon has distorted while printing. This only seems to happen with nylon.  I am at the point now where I think I could get away with a PLA run on the printing, after these final adjustments.

 

I have a whole spool of black ABS.  I am thinking I can get it to stick if I mix a tiny amount of acetone and black toner powder to the PVA glue I usually use. That will dissolve the toner in the pva glue (while still allowing it to easily be peeled off), and give a compatible material for the ABS to stick to.  Worth an experimental run. However, I understand that ABS warps just as bad as nylon does. :(  I may have to order up some PLA.

 

Phone battery is dead; will take pictures after it charges.

Edited by wierd_w
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On 7/12/2020 at 4:04 PM, hloberg said:

like this:

20200705_122802.thumb.jpg.2ceb6ba7ff48a847ed67372174c27ff3.jpg.e412b742b9911f88667d809cfea1808a.jpg

 

I have new beige keyboards, but no black ones. (in Texas)

I have a beige one in a black/silver console (in Milwaukee storage). I got some heat for showing it in public.

 

Maybe we can swap? (when we can travel and meet up again.)

 

(Old Radio Shack stock I got from a Milwaukee User Group member.)

 

 

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6 hours ago, wierd_w said:

I interrupted the print, because one of my darling kitties knocked the print spool down, and it jacked everything up.  Apparently seeing filament jiggle was too much of a temptation for her to pass up. (My filament spool is top mounted on top of the unit, so it made a loud crash.)

 

Enough printed though to get a feel for assembly.

 

 

It looks like this is coming along nicely! 

 

Do you have an enclosure for the printer?

 

 

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No, I do not have a plexiglass enclosure.  This is most likely what is contributing most to the deformation/warping of the nylon when it comes to tall prints.  This printer is a very early offering from JGAurora, and is not enclosed, nor designed to be enclosed.  It's really made for PLA. Its hot-end gets hot enough to do other stuff, but it suffers from the lack of a controlled temperature enclosure.

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a thought came to me the other day; the old standalone disk drive side boxes for the 99/4, I bet one could fit a speech board, a TiPI memory board and a RasPi all in the box with room left over. wouldn't be hard to find a project box that sizes and mod the innerards to hold the equipment. just how would one emulate that alum silver top trim?

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7 hours ago, FarmerPotato said:

 

I have new beige keyboards, but no black ones. (in Texas)

I have a beige one in a black/silver console (in Milwaukee storage). I got some heat for showing it in public.

 

Maybe we can swap? (when we can travel and meet up again.)

 

(Old Radio Shack stock I got from a Milwaukee User Group member.)

 

 

thank for the offer but I have grown fond of the black keyboard in the beige cabinet look. I guess it's the rebellious streak in me. :)  

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1 hour ago, hloberg said:

a thought came to me the other day; the old standalone disk drive side boxes for the 99/4, I bet one could fit a speech board, a TiPI memory board and a RasPi all in the box with room left over. wouldn't be hard to find a project box that sizes and mod the innerards to hold the equipment. just how would one emulate that alum silver top trim?

sidecar_memory.jpg.3a48cac656b64e12333d53742093731c.jpg

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