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Software Automatic Mouth (S.A.M.)

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Bobbi

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Oct 13, 2017, 8:53:05 AM10/13/17
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So it turns out the mystery card in my 'new' II+ is a clone of the Software Automatic Mouth (S.A.M.) card. This is an 8 bit DAC customarily placed in slot 5. While the original SAM has a speaker, mine has a 3.5mm jack audio output.

I downloaded the S.A.M. software from Asimov and it works quite nicely. It is a pretty decent speech synth when you consider it is 100% software, with only a 1MHz 6502 to push it along.

My question is - is there any other software for this card? An 8 bit DAC is also pretty handy for playing music and other effects, but I don't know if anyone used it that way back in the day.

Antoine Vignau

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Oct 13, 2017, 11:08:41 AM10/13/17
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Other SAM info at http://mirrors.apple2.org.za/Apple%20II%20Documentation%20Project/Interface%20Cards/Speech/Don%27t%20Ask%20Software%20Automated%20Mouth/

av

Bobbi

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Oct 13, 2017, 11:12:01 AM10/13/17
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Awesome - thanks Antoine!

Michael J. Mahon

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Oct 13, 2017, 7:11:02 PM10/13/17
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A hardware DAC makes a lot of experiments possible, such as generating
waveforms or sounds (if played through headphones or an amplifier).

There are *lots* of 8-bit sampled sounds available, usually at 11kHz or
22kHz, and if you load the DAC with consecutive samples at the correct rate
the sound will be played.

Of course, you can generate waveforms in BASIC to be "played" through the
DAC.

--
-michael - NadaNet 3.1 and AppleCrate II: http://michaeljmahon.com

Bobbi

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Oct 13, 2017, 7:24:25 PM10/13/17
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I am planning on playing with it using Merlin-8 at some point this weekend. See how it sounds playing sampled audio.

Zellyn

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Oct 16, 2017, 1:56:30 PM10/16/17
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On Friday, October 13, 2017 at 7:24:25 PM UTC-4, Bobbi wrote:
> I am planning on playing with it using Merlin-8 at some point this weekend. See how it sounds playing sampled audio.

FYI if you want to play around with it in an Emulator, and are on a Mac, I added SAM hardware support to OpenEmulator a while back. a2's OpenEmulator build should include it.

Bobbi

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Oct 16, 2017, 2:23:10 PM10/16/17
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I use MAME on Linux usually.

Bobbi

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Oct 16, 2017, 3:19:45 PM10/16/17
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I have been playing around writing a sound generator using the S.A.M. board. My first thought was to play sampled audio, but memory is a bit tight for more than a couple of seconds, so I decided to do a type of 'wavetable synth' instead.

There are two parts.
1) An Applesoft program that creates the note waveforms and stores them in memory.
2) An assembly language (MERLIN-8) routine to play notes using the note waveforms.

Right now I am just creating sinusoidal waveforms and I am able to play notes using a 20kHz sample rate. I only have one octave at the moment and there are some other issues I would like to work out, but I think it has potential. Sounds better than the one bit DAC of the build-in speaker anyhow :)

joltenjoe

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Oct 16, 2017, 5:13:18 PM10/16/17
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I have a SAM board someplace that I dearly loved back in middle 80's. Mine did not have a speaker. I recall hooking it up to external speakers or a sound system (using the Apple II+ speaker was not optimal) including the microphone side of the old Bell Telephone handsets but nobody was fooled by the speech when I called but it was fun.

I then moved onto the MockingBoard from Sweet Micro which might be more of what you are seeking. The software for that contained all sorts of sound control and may also give you some ideas. I used to play with tweaking wave forms and frequencies until the dogs next-door howled at me or was that my family yelling to stop?

you can check out a SAM simulator I saw online that came from a Commodore 64 derivative of the SAM software only variety.

http://simulationcorner.net/index.php?page=sam

Bobbi

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Oct 16, 2017, 7:16:14 PM10/16/17
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My S.A.M. clone does not have a speaker either, just a 3.5mm jack.

James Hall [VE3MYZ] FN25dj. 73

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Oct 17, 2017, 12:46:25 PM10/17/17
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On Monday, 16 October 2017 19:16:14 UTC-4, Bobbi wrote:
> My S.A.M. clone does not have a speaker either, just a 3.5mm jack.

I used my SAM that did have a speaker built-in with any of the software that needed output to a 8-bit DAC.

Off the top of my head maybe the mountain music system.
I do still have all that stuff stored away.

There was/is a book called "Musical Applications of the Microprocessor ?"
Written by Hal Chamberlan ? that I remember using alot.

I also have a ADC <--> DAC board i built from a kit i ordered out of Toronto, Canada that came with Software to create / sample and then playback with the same 8-bit DAC.

I just changed the output address in the BIN code to point to the SAM/DAC.

When I remember what the software was I will post the info.

Unfortunatly I don't think I can get to look at the software until, I make room for the garage of Apple ][ Gear. It's all in there way at the back.

I remember using a couple of packages that i just changed the "STA $C0xx" to the slot I had the ADC/DAC or SAM card in.


James

73

joltenjoe

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Oct 17, 2017, 1:29:04 PM10/17/17
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On Monday, October 16, 2017 at 7:16:14 PM UTC-4, Bobbi wrote:
> My S.A.M. clone does not have a speaker either, just a 3.5mm jack.

I looked thru the SAM manual Antoine linked to and it shows that the a "non-clone" versions also had no speaker. The 2 without a speaker photos look like mine. Oddly no silk screening on the PCB.

Check out page 17 of the manual. it describes how they approached the sound and specifically discuss tables and compression.

James Hall [VE3MYZ] FN25dj. 73

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Oct 17, 2017, 2:31:16 PM10/17/17
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After a quick look online.

The Decillionix DX-1 was what the kit was a clone of.

and then i came across this link that just may help.


regards

James
73

http://eightbitsoundandfury.ld8.org/hardware.html

just check the code for $C0xx's and replace with the slot of S.A.M

TomCh

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Oct 17, 2017, 8:37:23 PM10/17/17
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...and FYI, supported in AppleWin from 1.26.1.1 (last year).

The pull-request (from Riccardo) came with this disk too:
https://github.com/AppleWin/AppleWin/blob/master/Disks/SAM%20Slot%205.dsk

Tom

cb meeks

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Oct 18, 2017, 2:20:52 PM10/18/17
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On Friday, October 13, 2017 at 8:53:05 AM UTC-4, Bobbi wrote:
> So it turns out the mystery card in my 'new' II+ is a clone of the Software Automatic Mouth (S.A.M.) card. This is an 8 bit DAC customarily placed in slot 5. While the original SAM has a speaker, mine has a 3.5mm jack audio output.


I can't view that site at the moment. But, is there a schematic for the card somewhere? A simple DAC could be made with nothing but resistors. I'm really curious on how that was built.


Bobbi

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Oct 18, 2017, 2:42:16 PM10/18/17
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It has three ICs on board - an eight bit buffer for the data lines of the bus, an audio power op-amp and what is evidently a DAC (but it has no markings at all on the chip.) The rest of the board is passive components - probably analog audio low-pass filter.

cb meeks

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Oct 18, 2017, 2:45:29 PM10/18/17
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On Wednesday, October 18, 2017 at 2:42:16 PM UTC-4, Bobbi wrote:
> It has three ICs on board - an eight bit buffer for the data lines of the bus, an audio power op-amp and what is evidently a DAC (but it has no markings at all on the chip.) The rest of the board is passive components - probably analog audio low-pass filter.

Are there lots of resistors? Like 16 or more?

Bobbi

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Oct 18, 2017, 2:58:48 PM10/18/17
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Seven or eight devices that look like resistors. I don't think it uses a resistor latter as a DAC if that is what you are thinking. I can email you a picture of the board if you like.

cb meeks

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Oct 18, 2017, 3:14:19 PM10/18/17
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On Wednesday, October 18, 2017 at 2:58:48 PM UTC-4, Bobbi wrote:
> Seven or eight devices that look like resistors. I don't think it uses a resistor latter as a DAC if that is what you are thinking. I can email you a picture of the board if you like.

Yes, that's what I was getting at. I was wondering if it used a resistor ladder.

And yes! I would love to see some pics of it.

cbmeeks {at} gmail {dot} com

Thanks!

James Hall [VE3MYZ] FN25dj. 73

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Oct 19, 2017, 8:22:35 AM10/19/17
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How about placing it on a scanner and scanning both sides.

that's how I do it.

73

Bobbi

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Oct 19, 2017, 10:27:29 AM10/19/17
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Scanning a board is not a bad idea :)
I snapped some okay pics on my cellphone (see upthread.)

cb meeks

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Oct 19, 2017, 10:40:11 AM10/19/17
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On Friday, October 13, 2017 at 8:53:05 AM UTC-4, Bobbi wrote:
A 6522, simple DAC (like DAC0808) and an op-amp would be a lot of fun to play with. I wonder if such a card exists for the Apple II?

Bobbi

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Oct 19, 2017, 10:48:36 AM10/19/17
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This thing is pretty close, except is has an octal latch instead of the more flexible 6522.

joltenjoe

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Oct 19, 2017, 1:11:38 PM10/19/17
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https://blog.juicylizard.com/?p=258

Here is a home brew DAC after his SAM died.

Zellyn

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Oct 19, 2017, 1:21:46 PM10/19/17
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As usual, the Apple II Documentation Project delivers the goods: http://mirrors.apple2.org.za/Apple%20II%20Documentation%20Project/Interface%20Cards/Speech/Don%27t%20Ask%20Software%20Automated%20Mouth/Photos/

Michael J. Mahon

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Oct 20, 2017, 2:39:50 AM10/20/17
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It's not a resistor ladder. It's a real DAC.

James Davis

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Oct 20, 2017, 4:39:26 AM10/20/17
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I downloaded the S.A.M. software for Windows, but it sounds too much like Steven Hawking!

cb meeks

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Oct 20, 2017, 9:16:27 AM10/20/17
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>
> It's not a resistor ladder. It's a real DAC.
>
> --
> -michael - NadaNet 3.1 and AppleCrate II: http://michaeljmahon.com


Yep. That's what Bobbi said earlier which I confirmed myself after I saw the pic.
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