Hi Eric, a bit in context.
On Sun, 8 Sep 2024, Eric Auer via Freedos-user wrote:
Depends on the nature of the USB speech synth. You can do it
if the USB version of the synth in fact is just the serial
one with an USB serial bridge chip added, or maybe even just
an USB serial adapter cable to plug it to USB-only computers.
The unit is called a Dectalk USB. I have never seen one in person, but
imagine it actually does connect to a physical USB port. However, the
challenge comes with the screen reader software, which configures to
actual com port locations.
>
In that case, you need nothing specific to the USB device.
You only need a generic way to make the underlying serial
communications visible to DOS. This can be done 1. by a DOS
USB driver supporting your or generic USB serial bridges.
Or 2. by running DOS in an emulator on an operating system
with support for USB serial bridges, configuring only the
emulator to make the right serial thing visible as if it
were connected to the emulated RS232 port, even if it is
not physically RS232 in the outside world.
hmmm most interesting indeed.
What determines if the serial bridges are in place?
It could be USB,
IrDA or Bluetooth, for example, depending on bridge chips.
If, however, your USB speech synth has no serial port roots
at all, it will probably need a quite different driver.
As shared, I have never seen the item, will pass this exchange on to the
one seeking the solution.
Larry seemed to feel no driver would be needful. My thought is getting
the actual screen reader to find things. from what You say though one
simply sets the emulator for the desired port assignment.
>
One may write something which connects any speech synth your
Linux or Windows supports to an emulator in a way which looks
like a fixed, classic DOS compatible synth from the DOS side.
That would be a very generic solution, but also more complex.
Actually the screen reader he aims to use expects a com port assignment,
its part of why I sought to ask Joseph, for his build of freedos to talk
he would have addressed this goal, even without using USB at all.
Larry is a Linux user too, his goal is to make up for the lack of truly
quality Linux screen readers by starting with his DOS one of choice using
the Dectalk USB unit if possible.
Your answer certainly should help him get started.
It would be similar to having an ESC/P printer data capture
thing connected to your emulator, creating a PDF of whatever
DOS is printing, to give you flexibility on how to print the
contents later, in the Linux or Windows hosting the emulator.
Oh that seems needless, as in theory the screen reader program should
provide the actual heavy lifting..wonder about the Latency with such a
thing however.
>
Joseph has a build of freedos that uses something internal for speech.
What does "uses something internal" mean here in technical terms?
I have no idea, if he is still on the list perhaps he will answer. Its
not something I have personally tried as my computers are actually built
to support the hardware synths I prefer.
>
still I was wondering how Freedos itself would, or if it could simulate
the same thing?
DOS itself does not simulate things in that sense. But as
said, you may get drivers for DOS which simulate for example
RS232 ports from a BIOS or UART chip perspective, or tell an
emulator to do that, without needing a DOS driver.
Okay.
The modern DOS drivers which simulate soundblaster hardware
while using AC97 or HDA hardware for actual sound output are
an impressing example of direct simulations without emulators.
A sound card does not typically serve as a speech synthesizer in DOS. That
way one could have sound and speech available at the same time.
For example, the computer I am using right now has a soundblaster pro
live card, and an internal decktalk long card.
When I for example run mpxplay the screen information can be spoken
through the synthesizer while the music is playing via speakers attached
to the pro live.
>
In the decades before those, you had to run the entire DOS in
an emulator to get a simulated soundblaster, while the actual
sound output worked via any sound device of your host system.
provide the DOS floor, add in a good USB dos driver,
like the Panasonic one I use, but simulate the serial port?
I believe the Panasonic driver has a focus on block
h> oriented storage (USB flash, USB card reader, USB
floppy, USB CD, USB DVD, USB harddisk, USB SSD etc.)
but more modular drivers like those of Bret and Georg
may have support for serial (bridge) class devices.
What say you Bret or georg,
the serial port is needful, because the screen reader program uses it, not
necessarily a physical port, but the serial port address.
If you need a port with an address, make sure that the
USB driver or emulator you use has UART level realism.
Some might only support BIOS level, not realistic enough.
I will tell them that as well, hopefully either Bret or georg can share if
theirs will work for them.
One reason why I personally do not use emulaters is that in theory you can
create a port address that, for the software does not make sense as it did
not exist when the software was written.
for me personally its more productive to just have the computer I need
built for the hardware I am using..that reminds me. I need to go back
and update the no longer conflicting CD-rom question I raised some months
back.
thanks
Karen
_______________________________________________
Freedos-user mailing list
Freedos-user@lists.sourceforge.net
https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/freedos-user
_______________________________________________
Freedos-user mailing list
Freedos-user@lists.sourceforge.net
https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/freedos-user
