Text-To-Speech on Phones: Nuance Talks

[Doug Sutherland]

Hmm this same firmware and microcontroller could also
be made into a simple USB-serial adapter that could
solve the problem of connecting older RS232 synths to
newer PCs without serial ports. The microcontroller is
$12 and all that would be required beyond that would
be an RS232 level converter, crytal, regulator and a
few caps and resistors.

My intention is to build a simple and affordable USB
speech synth with onboard USB audio codec, it will be
sold on ebay in low volume, probably in the price range
of $150.

Since the same microcontroller and firmware would
solve the problem of supporting older RS232 synths
on PCs without serial ports, I could also make a
serial dongle with same firmware and R232 port for
connecting to synth, I could probably do that at a
price point of $40 for an adapter.

Both of these would appear as generic virtual USB
serial COM port due to proper implementation of the
USB CDC ACM in firmware. No special drivers will
be needed, only the driver code specific to the speech
hardware.

As mentioned several weeks ago, my longer term goal
is to make a audio based PDA with speech hardware
onboard, but I need to start with simpler ideas to get
the ball rolling. I am already working with  GSM/GPRS
hardware that provides both voice and data support,
this is intented to be an add-on to the audio PDA but
that is quite a ways into the future. It is actually very
easy to add phone capability these days. In fact it can
be done also entirely using standard USB drivers,
where the data connection is USB CDC (again just a
virtual COM port, looks like a modem), and the USB
audio drivers.

Short term, a USB adapter dongle that would work
with speakup connecting to older synths, and also a
doubletalk based USB synthesizer with audio codec
are in the works. I actually have all the hardware
working together, just not in a desireable form factor.

  -- Doug