Echo II Clone

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Echo II Clone

Hi y'all -

 

Back when I was a kid my first computer was an Apple II+ and I had an Echo II speech card for it. Somewhere along the way I picked up a IIe and traded away the II+. Thought I had kept the Echo II but when I dug the IIe out of my parents garage on a recent visit just before the pandemic hit I could not find it so seems not. 

Being a bit of a hardware hacker, and I been lurking here a long time so I know there are plenty of y'all who are way more knowledgable than I, I got it in my head I should try and make my own Echo II clone. 

There appear to have been several versions of the Echo II card. Some earlier ones used the TI TMS5220NL and later, I assume they were later, used what looks to be a custom echo chip manufactured by TI. That or it's just a rebranded TI Chip.

There appear as well to have been several versions of the TMS based Echo II. One had an additional two sockets on it. I assume for additional ROMS. There were also IIb and Plus versions as well which both used the TMS Chip. 

For starters I'd like to clone the Echo II that did not have the additional chip sockets. Problem is I don't currently have an Echo II with the TMS chip that I can use as a pattern. I have some pix off the web and off eBay but I can't tell what the value of all the capacitors, resistors and the pot are. Also there are some traces I just can't make out. 

So I was hoping someone here might have an Echo II they would be willing to take some photos of and maybe jot down the cap/res/pot values and send them to me. I've been trawling eBay for a while now and missed that last few that came up for auction. Well there is one now but it's Ike $400.00. :-/

Any help anyone can provide would be most appreciated.  

Thanks! 

~daniel 

 

 

 

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I think I have two, if so I

I think I have two, if so I would be willing to sell one. Where are you located and make me a reasonable offer via PM. Thanks,.

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I have a newer Echo II

I have a newer Echo II sitting here, but it's probably not the one you are looking for.  I can give you info on if you want it.  The PCB is marked copyright 1992.  Here is the chip side if you are interested.  The chip covered by the tantalum cap says: 5BCXOVT  ECHO-3 SEC

 

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Thanks Nick

Nick,

 

Yea that's the one with the either rebranded or completely custom speech chip. At least that's my current best guess as to what that chip is. I'm still digging for info to see if I can sort out whether it is custom or not. and even if, there is still the issue of the PAL on that version. I'd need to find someone with the ability to reverse engineer it...

 

If so then I suppose I could breadboard the circuit and just simply brute force it by trying every TI speech chip with the same foot print that matches voltage levels for the vss/vdd pins on the chip.

 

But ultimatly to do that I'd need to source a board I could remove the PAL from. Since that is the case I don't think asking  you to catalog all the component values for me, though I do appreciate your offer to help, would be a good use of your time.

 

I think that would be a follow on project if I can accomplish my first goal of cloning the TMS version. Or the Echo IIb TSP version. Though I'm quite sure I already have all the parts for the TMS version already on hand. 

 

Thanks for the reply!

 

~daniel

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Check your PMs

Verault,

I PMd you. 

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TMS5220 chip cloned in Arduino software

Just wanted to point out, the TMS5220 chip and several of the LPC samples that work with it, have been cloned.It's a software library for an Arduino now.  The only thing left to implement would be a way for the Apple // to communicated with the Arduino,

so that the card responds to data sent by the Apple //.  The Apple II bus is parallel, and the arduino works well with serial input (such as SPI) 

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