Text to Speech WTS701

Cau2DaNang

· Hi

·I'm a newbie. I'm designing a navigator for blind person. I wanna create speech module to inform user about the obstacle's distance. I have Basic Stamp 2 and I intend to use the Text to Speech WTS701 from Winbond. Does anyone have experiences about it? Is it possible to interface WTS701 to BS2? Is there any soft documentation about it ?·Please help me. Thanks a lot.···

T&E Engineer

You may want to look at the EMIC Text to Speech module by Parallax. The voice quality and ease of use is very good for a BS2 or SX IC.

You also may want to consider an ISD25120 (2 min voice speech). I designed a Talking Video Clock a few weeks ago. www.sxvm.com (half way down).

Even though the EMIC is more money, the quality and adaptation for the BS2 is done and it is so much better than the ISD 25120 (which also is from Winbond).

Thanks,

Timothy Gilmore

Cau2DaNang

Hi. Thanks for your help. I also know about EMIC. However, I wanna create the circuit by myself. I'm doing my Final Year project now and it would be better for me if I can create everything from scratch. Last time I intended to use SP0256-AL2 but it's gonna take quite a long time for shipping.

Do you have any schematic about TTS?

Bean

Cau2DaNang,
Are you in the USA ? I have one of the SP0256-AL2 chips as well as one of the companion CTS256A-AL2 "Text to speech" IC.
I can mail them to you (I'll never use them).
If you want them send me a private message with your mailing address.
Bean.

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"SX-Video·Module" Now available from Parallax for only $28.95

http://www.parallax.com/detail.asp?product_id=30012

"SX-Video OSD module" Now available from Parallax for only·$49.95
http://www.parallax.com/detail.asp?product_id=30015

Product web site: www.sxvm.com

Those that would give up freedom for security will have neither.
·

T&E Engineer

Look at this website. It has some of the chips talked about.

http://www.speechchips.com/shop/

Thanks,

Timothy Gilmore

Cau2DaNang

· Thanks for your help, mates. U're so kind to send me the chips, Bean. As you request,·I'm gonna·post my project's progress·here.

·· I've·used BS2 and Sensors from Parallax.·I've done successfully my first task.·It·is to measure the distance from·blind person·to obstacle. My second task is to use the Text to Speech Chip to inform blind person.

·· I also intend to use pyroelectric to help blind person distinguish between human and stable obstacle.·Does anyone have exprience in pyroelectric. I've tried to create a circuit but I still could not get the correct ouput from pyroelectric.

·· One more idea ... Maybe I will use the vibrator to inform·blind person about the obstacle ahead in case blind person doesn't want to use the Text to Speech (Keep informing by voice all the time may cause uncomfortable). However, until now I still could not purchase the vibrator in Singapore, my place. Can anyone let me know where I can purchase it ? Thanks a lot.

Bruce Bates

Cau2DaNang,

If you stop by any place that sells or services pagers, they usually have defective units which they'll sell for just a few dollars. They're headed for the trash can any way. Remove the pager's vibrator, and you're all set.

Usually the vibrator is nothing more than a small DC motor with an offset weight attached to the shaft. Use the Stamp to drive an appropriate transistor, and have the transistor drive the motor.

Regards,

Bruce Bates

Cau2DaNang

Thx for ur help, Bruce. However, I wanna find a vibrator that can change the intensity of vibration. If the blind person comes closer to the obstacle, the vibrator will vibrate faster. Can the intensity of vibrator in HP be changed ?

SPENCE

Instead of using a physical vibrator, how about a sound device.. Research how a thermin works. A simple musical instrument which varies volume and pitch by moving hands near the 2 metal sensor antennae.

Apply to sensor moving in front of blind person with a cane, the single antenna in the cane. The speaker sounds off like a metal detector as cane moves toward or away from a object.

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73
spence
k4kep

Bruce Bates

Cau2DaNang,

Sure, the faster you drive the motor, the more it vibrates. It couldn't be much simpler. Drive it with a PWM signal from the Stamp, if you wish for complete variability.

Regards,

Brcue Bates

Cau2DaNang

Oh ... Ok. I'm gonna try to find it. Thx a lot

Bean

Cau2DaNang,
I mailed the chips yesterday. You should see them in about a week.
Bean.

▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔
"SX-Video·Module" Now available from Parallax for only $28.95

http://www.parallax.com/detail.asp?product_id=30012

"SX-Video OSD module" Now available from Parallax for only·$49.95
http://www.parallax.com/detail.asp?product_id=30015

Product web site: www.sxvm.com

Those that would give up freedom for security will have neither.
·

Cau2DaNang

· Thanks for your help, Bean.

Cau2DaNang

Does anyone have experience in using Pyroelectric to the detect human ? Pls help ...

deno

Maybe...which pyro-electric device are you refering to?· The one I installed on ROBO CHILD pictured at the left will detect me at 30 feet and smaller animals at a closer range.·

The one I used can be found at this web site..

www.acroname.com/robotics/parts/R3-PYRO1.html

Deno

Cau2DaNang

Hi Deno ... Pyro-electric device that I wanna use is the same as urs. However, I wanna create the whole circuit for pyro-electric. Do you have any schematic about it ? Anyway, thx for ur help, mate.

Cau2DaNang

I have one more question to ask. I think it would be simple for BS user. I wanna output a variable analog signal from BS2. The output of BS2 is digital signal. How can I do it ? Please help me. Thx a lot

Bruce Bates

Cau2DaNang,

To output an analog signal from a digital source, you need to use a DAC, a digital to analog converter, the opposite of an ADC, analog to digital converter.

Regards,

Bruce Bates

joe from NY

Bean,

I have a CTS256-AL2 chip. Do i need a SPO256 in addition to the CTS256 chip to get speech voice. I would like to add text to speech to a robot that i am building. I have had these CTS256 chips for years and i have finally gotten around to buiding my unit. I was wondering if these chips were the way to go for voice with a basic stamp.





Joe

Forrest

The CTS256 is a text to allophone converter and it works in conjuction with a SPO256. The SPO256 converts allophones into speech. The input buffer on the CTS256 is fairly small and the data sheet recommends limiting words to no more than 13 characters. You can add an external RAM buffer to the input of the CTS256 to alleviate this condition.

Jon Williams wrote Nuts and Volts column #40 a long time ago, which used the SPO256 and a BS1. He revised the program 2 years ago for the BS2 and you'll find it posted here - groups.yahoo.com/group/basicstamps/files/ The program is TALKER.BS2. You'll also find another version of TALKER that uses the 74HC164 to drive the SPO256 to use less I/O pins.

Forrest

If you need to buy a SPO256 chip or a PCB for the whole speech circuit, go here www.speechchips.com/shop/

While you're there, check out Chiptalk - free software that converts text to SPO256 allophones and you can listen to the speech on your PC

joe from NY

yeah, i tried the chiptalk s/w..pretty cool.

question on the different chips-

EMIC , SPO256 and SPEAKJET

How is the audio on the 3 of these?

Which is the simplest to use?

Thanks

Forrest

I've only used the SPO256 so here's my one-sided view. The SPO256 is good speech technology when it was invented back in the mid 70's. If you want a retro sounding computer computer voice - you can't go wrong with the SPO256 and Chiptalk does a very good job of emulating the speech. It's easy to interface to a Basic Stamp but there are a couple of gotcha's. First - there's NO input buffer - so your program will continually need to check the busy line and feed it allophones one at a time. Secondly - it's a power hog that can use up to 90 mA. By comparison the Speakjet has a 64 byte input buffer and only consumes 5 mA. Once you add in the power requirements of a LM386 based audio amplifier to drive a small speaker and you're up around 150 mA. That's my view.

Fe2o3Fish

Of the three EMIC, SP0256, and SpeakJet, I like the SpeakJet the best because it doesn't sound as
mechanical as the venerable SP0256 and you can tweak the pronounciation more than the EMIC.
Still the SJ is not TTS although there is a companion PIC chip that does TTS to connect with the
SJ. See the Speechchips.com site as others have mentioned. I like the SJ -- it's fun.

But, the best I've played with recent is from RC Systems -- the VStamp. I've been using the evaluation
board for the 8660 chipset and have been quite impressed. It does do TTS out of the box via RS-232.
It also has memory so you can store sound effects, some music, and whatnot and play them on command.
Not as flexible at the SJ but understandability is a bit better, in my umpteen years playing with Voice
Synth. technology.

Still, the SJ is quite a value for what it does at that price point... but it doesn't do TTS without some
software or hardware support.

And then there's the idea of an amplifier. The RC Systems chip/module has one built in as does the EMIC
module.

Just my humble opinion... FWIW.

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-Rusty-
--
Rusty Haddock = KD4WLZ = rusty@fe2o3.lonestar.org
**Out yonder in the Van Alstyne (TX) Metropolitan Area**
Microsoft is to software what McDonalds is to gourmet cooking

PJAllen

Cau2DaNang,

You can get an "analog" output from a STAMP -- by using the PWM command.· Read all about that in PBASIC Help.· If you want to use·it to run a motor or something, then you'll need to amplify it (an op-amp·for more·voltage if necessary and·definitely·an emitter-follower circuit·for increased current/drive capability.)

I'm surprised that nobody remembers the PWM command or picked up on this before now.

KenLem

I have a companion text to speech IC for the SpeakJet on my site: http://www.speechchips.com/shop/item.asp?itemid=19

Regarding speech quality, the Emic has the most human sounding of the 3. Not sure how the vstamp sounds as I couldn't find any samples on their website. Fe2o3Fish, could you post some if you get the chance?

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www.speechchips.com

Speech & Video IC's for BasicStamps

Fe2o3Fish

I'll try to do something in the next day or so, Ken.

Ah... RC Systems' demos are off the Downloads/Demos "menu" on their home page.

Let me know what you think. These demos are from the 8650 chip; I think the
earlier version of the 8660.

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-Rusty-
--
Rusty Haddock = KD4WLZ = rusty@fe2o3.lonestar.org
**Out yonder in the Van Alstyne (TX) Metropolitan Area**
Microsoft is to software what McDonalds is to gourmet cooking

Post Edited (Fe2o3Fish) : 1/5/2006 4:40:08 AM GMT

KenLem

Hi Rusty,

I really like the RC Systems sound quality PLUS it has the ability to record your own audio prompts. That's a huge bonus. I see that the phonemes are not blended together ala the SP0256 and the SpeakJet but it sounds much more human.

They are a little expensive but I can't see being able to provide that functionality at a lower cost.

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www.speechchips.com

Speech & Video IC's for BasicStamps

Fe2o3Fish

Ken,
I don't notice that lack of blending you mention but maybe it's something they tweaked with the
slightly newer chipset that I've been using. Dunno. And while it is a bit more expensive, the
capabilities, if you need 'em, really make it stand out. Certainly good if you need some quality
computer speech as well as the ability to play back sound bits or generate pure sine wave tones.
The TTS appears to be a notch above as well -- try getting the EMIC board to say "Fahrenheit".
That's the only example that comes to mind but I know there are others.

The RCSys module/chipset would be my recommendation for a good speech and general sound
effects subsystem. The SpeakJet is still great if I want to spend less money but can still wire up
an amplifier and don't need the multiple voices (I like RCsys's Vader voice myself) and other goodies
from RCsys. If you want easy and fairly straight-forward TTS then there is the EMIC board which
carries with it the excellant support from Parallax. All sorts of choices out there!

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-Rusty-
--
Rusty Haddock = KD4WLZ = rusty@fe2o3.lonestar.org
**Out yonder in the Van Alstyne (TX) Metropolitan Area**
Microsoft is to software what McDonalds is to gourmet cooking

Tony Smith

I have also considered an idea like this. I wanted to use GPS and maybe some form of pedometer while inside. The idea is to build maps using the GPS for outdoors where it would work coupled with a dead reckoning type of navigation similar to military land nav techniques. I was thinking of using a propeller chip for this tho. I also wanted to use an sd card to store the maps. The maps would have to be text based to pass info to the blind person. The idea I have is more a navigation based more subtle. maybe IR sensors on glasses to keep from running into things. There are also the sonar sensors they are not very discreet tho. Power is also a concern. Anyone have any ideas? I would like to make this an open source project we could give to the people who need it. I do not want to make a profit on this just to help. I am glad to here others have a similar idea. I am interested to see how others are working on this.