Anybody else gonna do the Robot Magazine hack?
Anybody else gonna do the Robot Magazine hack?
by crmfghtr
Thu Jan 25, 2007 4:43 pm
Im going to attempt the Quadravox sound speech hack from Robot Magazine, anyone else gonna try or done this yet? www.botmag.com/issue6
by Ric
Thu Jan 25, 2007 7:49 pm
I've not yet received the latest issue (is it really spring already? we've a forecast of 1 degree Celcius tonight in the Algarve), but checking out the online version this looks like an absolute essential.
I've already tried a few hacks with limited success:
Gyro's gyroed too much
Distance sensor was a dream sequence with my coding abilities
and Matt's grippers whilst fitted and looking cool have never done more than open and close.
With what looks like quality full instructions I'm up for the speech synthesis hack. Immediate reservations are with the fitting of another board and speaker into my wire crammed shell 8O. I'll be ordering the parts this weekend
Ric
I've already tried a few hacks with limited success:
Gyro's gyroed too much
Distance sensor was a dream sequence with my coding abilities
and Matt's grippers whilst fitted and looking cool have never done more than open and close.
With what looks like quality full instructions I'm up for the speech synthesis hack. Immediate reservations are with the fitting of another board and speaker into my wire crammed shell 8O. I'll be ordering the parts this weekend
Ric
by Humanoido
Fri Jan 26, 2007 5:47 am
There are numerous programmable speech chips available suddenly. 
However, you can program up a speech wave file with any speech you want for playback using this handy freeware called "SayIt."
http://www.analogx.com/contents/downloa ... /sayit.htm
Hope this helps.
Humanoido
However, you can program up a speech wave file with any speech you want for playback using this handy freeware called "SayIt."
http://www.analogx.com/contents/downloa ... /sayit.htm
Hope this helps.
Humanoido
by Humanoido
Sat Jan 27, 2007 5:03 pm
According to the Quadravox QV306M1 PDF, pin 7 expects 5 Volts. Vdd mininum rating is 3.5 and maximum is 5.5. It looks like a 5-volt regulator should do fine.
http://www.milinst.com/Audio_Visual/1_700.pdf
http://www.milinst.com/Audio_Visual/1_700.pdf
Sourcing The Quadravox in the UK
by ForbinOne
Sun Feb 04, 2007 10:37 am
Milford instruments have a supply of the Quadravox.
Website www.Milinst.com
they call it the RS232 control Sound Module.
They have programmers and lots of other robot goodies.
By the way the regulator i used was an LM78L05ACZ
Sorry for missing it off the article.
D.G.Smith (Hack originator)
Website www.Milinst.com
they call it the RS232 control Sound Module.
They have programmers and lots of other robot goodies.
By the way the regulator i used was an LM78L05ACZ
Sorry for missing it off the article.
D.G.Smith (Hack originator)
by pepperm
Sun Feb 04, 2007 11:04 am
Yes I have seen that but it hardly counts as "cheaply" I am afraid. The exchange rate seems to have been forgotten. £49 for the sound module and £45 for the programming cradle, then add VAT and postage. That's well over £100 or $200 I think. I see that it costs just over $100 in the US for the 2 items.
Mark
Mark
Exhange Rate
by ForbinOne
Sun Feb 04, 2007 12:40 pm
Hey thats the way of the British industrial world.
Think about it.
First you have to establish a Distributorship which means buying in quantity and sitting them on a shelf inrented premises.
Then you have to add carriage for what you ship maybe 5% of value.
The you add VAT as it "Legally" comes through customs 17.5 % (Nearly a fifth).
Then you add your own packaging and shipping costs.
Finally you might ad 10 to 30% profit to pay the bills and the employees.
So even the cheapest importer must add 30% to a product or it is costing more than it sells for.
So you can order it from the states direct and hope that customs can't be bothered with your one off transaction, but then your local guy goes out of business and you loose all the back up and support that a local company can give.
I have traded with Milford since 2001 and when i got totally stuck with a Parallax stamp talking to an LCD display the boss man spent 40 minutes on the phone helping me solve my problem, a very important resouce when a deadline looms.
They also have some cool products the CNC hole drilling machine it's great when you start making bigger PCB's i have developed a whole series of scuttle bots for school and the drill takes all the back ache out of hole drilling, It's accurate too.
D.G.Smith.
Think about it.
First you have to establish a Distributorship which means buying in quantity and sitting them on a shelf inrented premises.
Then you have to add carriage for what you ship maybe 5% of value.
The you add VAT as it "Legally" comes through customs 17.5 % (Nearly a fifth).
Then you add your own packaging and shipping costs.
Finally you might ad 10 to 30% profit to pay the bills and the employees.
So even the cheapest importer must add 30% to a product or it is costing more than it sells for.
So you can order it from the states direct and hope that customs can't be bothered with your one off transaction, but then your local guy goes out of business and you loose all the back up and support that a local company can give.
I have traded with Milford since 2001 and when i got totally stuck with a Parallax stamp talking to an LCD display the boss man spent 40 minutes on the phone helping me solve my problem, a very important resouce when a deadline looms.
They also have some cool products the CNC hole drilling machine it's great when you start making bigger PCB's i have developed a whole series of scuttle bots for school and the drill takes all the back ache out of hole drilling, It's accurate too.
D.G.Smith.