TMPI speech synthesizer

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A speech synthesizer made by TechniMusique et Parole Informatique (TMPI).

Technimusique sythesiseur vocal

Technical Specs.

I/O ports (as used by the included disk software):

 FBFEh TMPI Speech MEA8000 Data Register
 FBFFh TMPI Speech MEA8000 Command/Status Register
  • Caution - As seen in the schematic, only A0..A7 seem to be decoded, but A8..A15 aren't. If that is true, then the device can conflict with almost all other existing hardware, including important internal components: Gate Array, CRTC, ROM Bank, Printer Port, PIO and PSG (for these devices A0..A7 are don't care, so it's perfectly possible that some programs access them with FEh or FFh in lower address bits).
  • Bugfix - Add some circuit that ensures A10=LOW (eg. ORing it with /IORQ should do it).
  • Clock - There seem to be two versions of the device: One using the 4MHz signal from the CPC's expansion port. The other using an external unknown frequency (?) oscillator. The internal 3.84MHz oscillator (in the MEA8000 chip) isn't used by either version.

For details on the speech chip, see :

Now, thanks to Jose Leandro, the hardware specialist of the spectrum, with his famous page :

http://trastero.speccy.org/cosas/JL/JL.htm

We can know more about this hardware.

Supported Games

  • 7 logiciels vocaux éducatifs & utilitaires (TMPI) (Box Cover)

Pictures (version without Oscillator)


Pictures (version with Oscillator)

This version uses an external unknown frequency oscillator. According to the schematic, speech is not injected to the SOUND pin on expansion port. /RD and /IORQ are decoded differently as in the other version. /WR is not used (instead the chips /W pin is wired to GND).

Manual

Other Speech Synthesizers

Downloads

Weblinks