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Adding text-to-speech chip to a robot/basic stamp — Parallax Forums

Adding text-to-speech chip to a robot/basic stamp

Jim the HermitJim the Hermit Posts: 79
edited 2012-07-08 11:30 in General Discussion
Speakjet is cheap, but it sounds like total Smile. I was thinking about buying the

V-Stamp ($75-82)
http://www.rcsys.com/modules.htm

or the

TTS-EM-HD2 or TTS-06 ($300)
http://www.textspeak.com/oemtts.htm

(The latter being of amazing quality.) But, I don't want to spend a lot of money for something I would have to experiment with.

Has anybody worked with these before?

Comments

  • Mike GreenMike Green Posts: 23,101
    edited 2012-06-28 08:28
    The EMic2 should be available next week according to this thread. You might wait to decide so you can consider the EMic2 for your robot.
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,259
    edited 2012-06-28 08:35
    New old-school chip just went on intro sale for $16. http://www.speechchips.com/shop/item.aspx?itemid=22

    Along the lines of Speakjet, but it has text to speech built in (doesn't require a second TTS IC). If you don't like the text to speech quality you can also code the phonemes in yourself. Likely worth experimenting at that price.
  • GordonMcCombGordonMcComb Posts: 3,366
    edited 2012-06-28 10:49
    If you want the robotic sound, the Speakjet and Soundgin (now called Babblebot) are okay. Using short phrases (1-2 words) improves things. As Erco points out, Ken's new chip at Speech Chips looks good as it contains the text-to-speech functionality built in. You will likely still need to tweak the phonemes to make the words more understandable.

    Parallax's Emic2 is the new go-to product for quality voice synthesis. I don't know the price, but I imagine it'll be closer to the VStamp and no doubt less than the TTS line. We'll probably know the details end of this week, or sometime next. Can't wait!

    -- Gordon
  • Jim the HermitJim the Hermit Posts: 79
    edited 2012-06-28 12:17
    Excellent! I've always wanted a Emic, but it got discountinued. Nobody ever had a v-stamp?
  • GordonMcCombGordonMcComb Posts: 3,366
    edited 2012-06-28 13:49
    Jim the Hermit wrote: »
    Nobody ever had a v-stamp?

    I've had a V-8. Does that count!

    Actually I have used what might be the precursor to the V-Stamp. This was some time ago - 7 or 8 years maybe. It's more mechanical than the Emic, but much more understandable than the Speakjet and its ilk.

    I found this vid sample right off the bat on YouTube. I'm sure there are others:

    (Careful, it wil shot you with laser.)

    -- Gordon
  • RobotWorkshopRobotWorkshop Posts: 2,307
    edited 2012-06-28 13:57
    Jim the Hermit wrote: »
    Excellent! I've always wanted a Emic, but it got discountinued. Nobody ever had a v-stamp?

    Hello,

    I have used the RC Systems V8600A modules in a few projects and it works great. It is one of the best modules that I have run across. A nice feature is that while many other speech chips have come and gone this one has been around for years. I haven't used their V-Stamp yet.

    The SpeakJet does work well for projects that you want a robotic sounding voice. I just received one of the new SPO-512 chips and will be testing that on the weekend to hear how that works. It should work well in some robot projects. The only downside I see with that chip is that it should have a bit more handshaking signals available for status back to the host controlling it.

    Robert
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,259
    edited 2012-06-28 14:53
    Robert: The race is on! I also got a 512 chip and will be playing around this weekend. First guy to Youtube a recognizable rendition of "Daisy" wins... :)
  • Duane DegnDuane Degn Posts: 10,588
    edited 2012-06-28 19:44
    Here's a video of my SpeakJet chip with a TTS256 chip assisting.

    [video=youtube_share;8915Vs0mzck]

    Here's the DAT section of the code used in the above demo. I just noticed I left off one of the "T"s of "TTS256".
    '         1         2
DAT                '123456789012345678901234567
ReadyStr1     byte "This is the Speak Jet chip",13, 0          
ReadyStr2     byte "assisted by the ts256 chip",13,0          
ReadyStr3     byte "Duane Daane hoped to compare me with an ee mic one module",13,0         
ReadyStr4     byte "but the ee mic one modules diied",13,0        
ReadyStr6     byte "Robots of the world uniite.",13, 0

    I had planned to compare the SpeakJet with one of my Emic V1 modules, but I some how managed to destroy both of my Emic boards. I'm pretty sure one of ruined by being used with a Propeller Protoboard without an enclosure on my lab table for a couple of years. I think it had been splashed with some corrosive chemical that slowly eat away some of the leads of the main chip. I don't know what I did to my other Emic board. It will echo the text sent to it, but it doesn't produce sound.
  • Jim the HermitJim the Hermit Posts: 79
    edited 2012-06-28 20:29
    GordonMcComb wrote: »
    I found this vid sample right off the bat on YouTube. I'm sure there are others:
    -- Gordon

    Actually, that's the only one I found on yt. I can't tell if it's plugged into his computer. Can it work with a stamp or propeller? Who knows?

    Anyway the Emic 2 Text-to-Speech Module is in Accessories-Sound/Audio (!) But there's no button to add it to the cart yet.
  • Joe GrandJoe Grand Posts: 70
    edited 2012-07-03 10:00
    Done (though it's using the new Emic 2 TTS Module) :)

    http://www.parallax.com/Portals/0/Downloads/docs/prod/sens/30016-Singing-emic2_demo1.wav

    and

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDElgpRNjeY

    Joe

    erco wrote: »
    Robert: The race is on! I also got a 512 chip and will be playing around this weekend. First guy to Youtube a recognizable rendition of "Daisy" wins... :)
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,259
    edited 2012-07-03 10:28
    Joe: Amazing clarity and pitch control, with vibrato, too! Now you're just showing off! :)
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,259
    edited 2012-07-08 11:30
    @Joe: You inspired me. I monkeyed around with spelling and got a bit of vibrato with the 512 chip in the "all for the love of you" line...
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