Chips designed by Votrax ended up in products such as the Braille 'n Speak,
Speaqualizer, Accent synthesizers (I think), and speech boards including
VoTalker, Artic and Sounding Board.  Speech was quite clear, once you got
used to it, but close to a monotone.  Votrax started in adaptive technology
with the VSB series of boards, some of which were in the very first Kurzweil
Reading Machines, talking terminals from Maryland Computer Services and
Triformation, and then the standalone Type 'n Talk and Personal Speech
System serial synthesizers.  They weren't the only game in town, but they
were a major player.  

The Smithsonian has a series of web pages on the history of speech
synthesis.  I wish they had more audio recordings online; apparently they
have some tapes in their possession.  Still, you can learn a lot about the
people and organizations who contributed to   our access before 2002.

Lloyd Rasmussen, W3IUU, Wheaton, Maryland
Home:  http://lras.home.sprynet.com
Work:  http://www.loc.gov/nls
 

> -----Original Message-----
> From: For blind ham radio operators [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
> On Behalf Of Russ Kiehne
> Sent: Saturday, July 21, 2012 1:07 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: For Sale item
> 
> Votrax International, Inc. (originally the Vocal division of Federal Screw
> Works),
> or just Votrax, was a speech synthesis company located in the Detroit,
> Michigan
> area from 1971 to about 1996[
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Anthony Vece
> Sent: Saturday, July 21, 2012 9:57 AM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: For Sale item
> 
> What's a Votrax?
> 
> Sent from my Verizon iPhone!
> 
> On Jul 21, 2012, at 10:38 AM, Russ Kiehne <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> 
> > Going through my closet of stuff, guess what, I found a doubletalk pc
> and
> > a
> > votrax.
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Scott Howell
> > Sent: Friday, July 20, 2012 1:05 PM
> > To: [log in to unmask]
> > Subject: Re: For Sale item
> >
> > THe TrippleTalk was a PCI card as I recall. Not made as far as I know by
> =
> > the gent who developed the DoubleTalk.
> >
> > On Jul 20, 2012, at 12:14 PM, Richard Wells <[log in to unmask]> =
> > wrote:
> >
> >> All of the DoubleTalk PC internal cards are ISA. Only DECtalk made
> a=20=
> >
> >> PCI version.
> >> Original message:
> >>> Hi, is it the ISA, or PCI, slot card?
> >> =20
> >> =20
> >>> At 09:37 AM 7/19/2012, you wrote:
> >>>> Hi All,
> >>>> In cleaning out the shack I found something that might be useful to =
> > someone
> >>>> on this list, it is a DoubleTalk PC internal speech card. I don't =
> > know where
> >>>> I got it or how much it is worth so make me an offer.
> >>>> Best 73's
> >>>> Albert Sanchez, WA7FXB
> >>>> 252-757-3023