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Speak & Spell

1978–1992 · handheld

Specifications

Cpu: TMS0270 microcontroller with a TMC0281 linear predictive coding speech synthesizer chip
Os Support: latest: Later revisions (Speak & Spell Compact, 1980s) used a smaller single-chip design with the same LPC speech technique · shipped: Fixed on-board word list stored in TMS6100 VSM ROM, addressed via LPC coefficients rather than sampled audio
Connectivity: None; standalone battery-powered device with a Solid State Speech cartridge slot for vocabulary expansion modules
Release Price: $50

Variants

Models

Original (1978)Full-size keyboard unit, four-chip board, red LED-style vacuum fluorescent display.

Speak & Spell CompactMid-1980s cost-reduced redesign, smaller case, fewer chips as TI integrated the speech synthesis logic.

Upgrade paths

other

Circuit-bent unit with pitch, tempo, and glitch controls added via bent traces on the TMS chips · The Speak & Spell is the founding artifact of circuit bending: Reed Ghazala's 1990s experiments feeding clock and chip traces back into themselves produced the genre's signature glitch vocals, still widely practiced today.

~$20 in parts for a DIY bend

HARD

other

Expanded vocabulary via plug-in Solid State Speech cartridges · Cartridges slotted into the top of the case and added word lists on top of the built-in set, no disassembly required.

Sold separately at launch, now collector priced

EASY