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Circuitbenders Forum => Circuitbending discussion => Toys => Topic started by: ne7 on February 19, 2007, 07:03:07 AM

Title: Super Speak & Spell (the blue one)
Post by: ne7 on February 19, 2007, 07:03:07 AM: Hiya all,
I just found a super speak&spell in a skip! no kidding! and i bunged some batteries in and it worked fine (a few missing lines on the lcd but thats all!) haha...

Anyway - i heard these are quite different to bend than the other S&S - can anyone give me any pointers on what to avoid and/or whats groovy? -

Twould' be a shame to blow it up :)

ne7
Title: Re: Super Speak & Spell (the blue one)
Post by: andy_wheels on February 19, 2007, 08:07:43 AM: i have no experience of one myself but i think it might be a nonstarter for bending :
http://www.circuitbenders.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,180.0.html

"Super Speak&Spell 1991 and Super Speak&Math 1991: both are nearly unbendable. (catweazle)"

still, good skip find! why do people chuck stuff like this out?
Title: Re: Super Speak & Spell (the blue one)
Post by: Circuitbenders on February 19, 2007, 02:08:35 PM: hmmm, i've seen bent versions of the blue one, i tried one once but got sick of it as most of the bends were just glitches and weren't very reliable so never finished it.

I think that post on the unbendable machines refers to the other 'Super' models that come in a different kind of case. I've heard they are a waste of time. On the other hand i could be completely wrong.
Title: Re: Super Speak & Spell (the blue one)
Post by: ne7 on February 19, 2007, 08:54:23 PM: yea i know its crazy someone would chuck this out :)
it sounds bloody fab even unbended :)

gonna have a poke around - if i find anything will post it here
i've seen like loads of pics of the blue one bent - the usa super speak and spell is a bastard apparently and quite a different beastie by all accounts.
Title: Re: Super Speak & Spell (the blue one)
Post by: ne7 on March 20, 2007, 07:22:55 AM: i had a poke around inside it - i reckon part of the problem might be that it needs the voltage reduced to stop it crashing all the time (so i'm trying a battery drain pot on it :) = this stopped one of my other toy bits (a Vtech Alphabet Desk) from crashing and opened up the bending possibilities... also i read somewhere theres an evil resistor (like the Vtech one) lurking on the board heh

will report back once i had more of a poke - work is so busy at the mo' i hardly have any time to get the soldering iron out hehe
Title: Re: Super Speak & Spell (the blue one)
Post by: ne7 on June 26, 2007, 06:25:05 PM: saw another two Super Speak and Spells on Ebay both with 3 switches... seems odd theres no volt pot on any of em - prob just makes it quieter rather than loopy odd sounds eh? :)

Just got a big delivery of crocodile clip leads :) so am going to probe the supers guts and let you guys know what i find :)
Title: Re: Super Speak & Spell (the blue one)
Post by: ne7 on June 26, 2007, 08:27:11 PM: right i tried a volt drop - gonna need some super fine tuning :) at low volts it starts spitting out demented crap ;)

i am hoping that the low voltage will allow some other bends to work better...

theres a HUGE - i mean HUGE resistor on the board
took some board pics too :)
Title: Re: Super Speak & Spell (the blue one)
Post by: ne7 on June 27, 2007, 06:05:53 PM: (http://ne7.untergrund.net/board_scan/SUPER_SPEAK_AND_SPELL_NE7.jpg)
board scan :)
Title: Re: Super Speak & Spell (the blue one)
Post by: iqoruvuc on June 29, 2007, 02:38:39 PM: Nice work - never even bohered looking at these becuase I didn't think they were in any way bendable!
Title: Re: Super Speak & Spell (the blue one)
Post by: catweazle on July 05, 2007, 04:08:18 PM: Oh I gave up to quickly ;)
I've tried to bend it a while ago, but every second bend-connection I've done resulted in a total crash, reset wait for startup was horrible for the nervous system... so I gave up after a few minutes.

THANK you for the voltage drain pot tip! I'll try again...

Did you got some cool stuff like loops or other usable bends?
Title: Re: Super Speak & Spell (the blue one)
Post by: ne7 on July 05, 2007, 10:47:54 PM: not any loops - actually it sometimes gets stuck and you can hold the button down for a glitch loop - which is fab coz each button does a diff loop :) - i need some help investigating... i'm sure its actually quite hard to fry these as i really abused it :)
Title: Re: Super Speak & Spell (the blue one)
Post by: catweazle on July 05, 2007, 11:10:09 PM: Hi

To be shure we are talking about the same thing, I have a red Super Speak&Spell (1989)
I thought it was blue :D But after I searched it in my mess I saw it was red :o

The RED one:
http://www.datamath.org/Speech/SuperSpeaknSpell.htm
(http://www.datamath.org/Speech/Images/SuperSpeaknSpell.jpg)

The BLUE one is from 1991 (the newer one):
http://www.datamath.org/Speech/SuperSpeaknSpell91.htm
(http://www.datamath.org/Speech/Images/SuperSpeaknSpell91.jpg)

Chips inside:
Super Speak & Spell: TSP50C42/CSM42020, CMM18004
Super Speak & Spell (91): TSP50C42/CSM42030, CMM19048

but the main DSP/Microcontroller is the same (TSP50C42) only the SpeechROM is different. So the bends should be the same.

Here is the "Design Manual" for the TSP50xxx from TexasInstruments, maybe help a bit
http://focus.ti.com/lit/ml/spss011d/spss011d.pdf
Title: Re: Super Speak & Spell (the blue one)
Post by: catweazle on July 05, 2007, 11:52:45 PM: Me again,
I took some pics of the RED Speak&Spell

(sorry the quality)

The Chips inside mine:
DSP: CSM10087 (big label with 1991 on it)
ROM: CMM18004 (big label with 1989 on it)
Ohter: 74HC138 3-to-8 line decoder/demultiplexer, inverting (keyboard matrix scan I think)
74HC165 8-bit parallel-in/serial-out shift register (for keyboard matrix scan I think)

In the Datasheet the minimum voltage is 4Volt
Title: Re: Super Speak & Spell (the blue one)
Post by: ne7 on July 09, 2007, 08:35:13 AM: yes it is confusing isnt it :)
mine is the blue one - as we only had those in UK/Europe - the red one looks quite cool tho hehe - i did see someone had bent the red one with a LFO and stuff:
http://fire.prohosting.com/circuitm/superspeakandspell.html

:)
Title: Re: Super Speak & Spell (the blue one)
Post by: catweazle on July 09, 2007, 09:19:29 PM: Yes very confusing ;) I live in Germany but I got one from eBay US ..,

The link is marvelous !!!! This give me some new ideas, using Analog Multiplexer 4051 or so for different bents,
maybe signal traces cuts and switches between like on the Yamaha FM bends could be a way to succeed (or the way to such eggs ;)

gtz and a lot of thanks!
Title: Re: Super Speak & Spell (the blue one)
Post by: ne7 on July 10, 2007, 07:18:18 AM: yes the trace cut thing is v. interesting :) let me know what you find *grin*
Title: Re: Super Speak & Spell (the blue one)
Post by: superkenel on August 21, 2007, 03:30:05 AM: Hello I'm just a newby in circuit bending and I'm starting with the Super Dictee Magique (the blue and orange French Super S&S)
>>>
(http://superkenel.free.fr/circuit.bending/Circuit.Bending.Int.Super.Dict%E9e.Magique.JPG)
>>>
Direct link to Super Dictee Magique recording (13 Mo) >>
http://superkenel.free.fr/circuit.bending/Hacking.French.Super.Speak.N.Tell.by.Superkenel.com.mp3
-Yeah I know that's more a sound chaos matrix machine with some good glitch loops, I must learn how to use it know... L0L !
>>>
Check some other pictures and glitch index >> http://superkenel.free.fr/circuit.bending

Next Toys Hacking >> Ordimini (Nathan 1984 France ::)), Le Livre Magique (1981 French Touch & Tell Texas Instrument :-*)
Title: Re: Super Speak & Spell (the blue one)
Post by: binarybloke on November 04, 2007, 07:08:54 PM: the super speak is my first bend so pretty basic: 2 loop/glitch toggles, a "chance" button, and reset switch.

Pics of the bends are on electro-music.com forum. theres a short clip of some glitches here: http://youtube.com/watch?v=4Dfi5RfkCRs

:)
Title: Re: Super Speak & Spell (the blue one)
Post by: superkenel on February 19, 2009, 12:22:01 AM: Hi !
That's a long time...
I've just bought 2 LTC 1799 on GetLoFi.
I've re-open my first bent >>> http://earslicker.free.fr/circuit.bending/SuperS&S.html (http://earslicker.free.fr/circuit.bending/SuperS&S.html)
Cause I know that I can change the pitch with an LTC 1799.
My problem is that the LTC have two out and the blue ceramic resonator have 3 !
So I wonder if someone have soldered some LTC 1799 or 555 to a super Speack and Spell...
Thanks...
Earslicker ~~(Superkenel)~~
Title: Re: Super Speak & Spell (the blue one)
Post by: The big D on May 06, 2017, 08:03:28 PM: I have not gotten the red or blue super speak and spell but I'll get them soon
Title: Re: Super Speak & Spell (the blue one)
Post by: The big D on May 06, 2017, 08:07:00 PM: Quote from: The Big D on February 19, 2007, 07:03:07 AM
I have not found the red or blue super speak and spell yet but I'll take the time to get them
Title: Re: Super Speak & Spell (the blue one)
Post by: The big D on May 06, 2017, 08:09:17 PM: I don't have eaither the 1989 or 1991 super speak and spell but I will buy them and circuit bend them