The Spex screen review program sends any information that an Apple program puts on the screen to a serial voice device. Spex also allows you to freeze the Apple screen and get voice output of selected portions of the display. Spex provides serial voice devices with almost all of the features found in the combination of the Echo II and TEXTALKER, Street Electronics' pioneering screen review software for the Apple.
We've tested Spex's speech with three serial voice devices: Personal Data Systems' Audapter; Street Electronics' Echo GP; and Blazie Engineering's Braille 'n Speak. The enclosed Spex Changer utility allows you to define a new serial voice device, but for efficient use, that device must respond to a specific set of commands. In particular, Spex WON'T work with the DECtalk from Digital Equipment Corporation. Spex does not work with the SlotBuster card from RC Systems: use their SCAT screen review software for similar features.
The Spex screen review software runs in Apple DOS 3.3 on an Apple IIe, IIc, or IIgs. Spex, like TEXTALKER, loads into the "language card" portion of the Apple memory; most DOS 3.3 software that's compatible with TEXTALKER should work well with Spex. (The exceptions are BEX versions 2.0, 2.1, and 2.2).
The Spex program and accompanying documentation is copyrighted 1989 by Raised Dot Computing, Inc. RDC's copyright means that we control the distribution of Spex. Because you bought Spex from us, we extend to you the right to use Spex on any computers you own, and to install Spex on any software where it can work. You can not, however, make copies of Spex (or programs modified to work with Spex) to give or sell to other people. If you want to include Spex on a program that you distribute to others, please contact us about licensing the software.
Spex was designed by David Holladay, Caryn Navy, and Jesse Kaysen in the Spring of 1989. Phyllis Herrington, Caryn Navy, Robert Carter, and Nick Dotson provided invaluable assistance by testing the program and finding bugs. David Holladay coded the software and Jesse Kaysen wrote the manual.
We have tested Spex with the three voice devices mentioned above on a variety of Apple II computers. We have tried hard to find and eradicate the "bugs" (software errors) that can be so frustrating to computer users. However, we can't anticipate every way you will use the software. If you do encounter any problems using Spex, please get in touch with us. If you are the first person to report a Spex bug, we will send you a dozen chocolate chip cookies in addition to revised software.
You're probably itching to try Spex out for yourself. Before you do, please review Part 2: it explains how to install Spex on an Apple program. Since each serial voice device has its own idiosyncracies, you use the supplied Spex Changer to tell Spex which unit you're using. We supply the complete Spex Manual as two types of disk files. If you own BEX, read the chapter named "READ ME FIRST" on the enclosed BEX data disk, which explains how to read the Spex Manual chapters. If you don't own BEX, you can use the Apple Talk Reader software on the Spex Program Disk to read the Spex Manual textfiles. Once you've installed Spex, what you read depends on what you already know.
Part 8 provides some device-specific information for Spex users: what modes and commands work well for the Audapter and the Braille 'n Speak. If this is your first screen access program, read Part 3 to find out all about Spex's features, especially the screen review. Terse descriptions of all Spex commands appear in Part 7, and are also available as you use the program by pressing open-Apple-question mark. If you're an experienced TEXTALKER user, then Part 6 gives a brief rundown on the differences between Spex and TEXTALKER. We designed Spex to carefully mesh with BEX 3.0: if you're using BEX, please read all about it in Part 4. When you want to combine Spex with another Apple DOS 3.3 program, refer to Part 5. Spex Manual Part 2
The Spex Program Disk contains the Spex Chager utility, which you use to customize the Spex program files. Since each serial voice device has its own idiosyncracies, use Spex Changer to identify yours and save your answers in the Spex program files, "SPEX" and "SPEX.OBJ". When you're done customizing, the Spex Program Disk can copy the files onto another disk. You can also use the Spex Program Disk to read the eight textfiles that comprise the Spex Manual.
The first step is turning off your Apple and connecting your synthesizer, following the advice in its manual. We recommend interfacing through slot or port 2. (The first time you boot the Spex Program Disk on an Apple IIc, it sets port 2 to 9600 baud--see below for how to change this.) Braille 'n Speak users should make sure that the "speech box" toggle (chord-3-4-5, full cell) is on--more Braille 'n Speak notes in Part 8.
The Spex files on the disk assume your voice device is connected to slot 2: if that's where your synthesizer's interfaced, simply boot the Spex Program Disk and it will come up talking. Spex is now loaded, and you can use Spex's screen review to work with the program.
If your device is connected to a different slot, hold down the open-Apple key while the program is booting. The Apple will beep two times: the screen is silently prompting you to enter the slot where your synthesizer's interfaced. Type this number and press Return; the Spex Program Disk will talk from this point on.
The Spex Program Disk's Main Menu presents five numbered options. Throughout the program, you select an option by typing a number or letter, then pressing Return. Number 1 is the Spex Changer utility: type "1 Return" and you can begin the process of customizing Spex for your device. The Spex Changer is a pretty chatty program, and we've tried to make its questions self-evident. On-line help is available by pressing Return alone at a prompt.
Spex Changer gives you the option of reviewing the current values to see if any changes are necessary. We strongly urge you to customize Spex to your particular voice device before you install it in another program. As shipped to you, Spex is customized for an Echo GP. When you do decide to change something, you're asked a series of questions.
The Spex program MUST know which slot your device is interfaced through, so the first question prompts for your slot. (You get this question even if you used open-Apple to change the slot number when you booted the disk. This enables you to modify the Spex program files for use with an Apple where the voice device is connected to a different slot.) The next time you boot the Spex Program Disk, this will be the "automatic" slot. If you change Spex to interface through slot 4, then later boot the disk on a system with a voice device in slot 2, hold down the open-Apple key so you can specify slot 2 for speech output of the Spex program.
This question only appears when you run the software on an Apple IIc. Select a baud rate by entering the first digit. As shipped to you, the Spex Program Disk sets port 2 for 9600 baud. Any change to this rate only takes affect after you've answered all the questions.
Next you're asked to select the voice synthesizer by brand name. Choice 4 allows you to define your own device--but we can't guarantee Spex's performance with EVERY serial voice device. In particular, the DECtalk has no single "shut up now" command, so it's pretty frustrating to use.
Spex uses a higher pitch to distinguish between lowercase and uppercase letters in screen review and when you're typing at the keyboard. You must provide Spex with numerical values for your "baseline" or lowercase pitch and your uppercase pitch. Pitch is a matter of taste: 21 for lowercase and 29 for uppercase are middle-of-the-road values you can use. The lower the number, the lower the pitch: the minimum value is 1, and the maximum value is 45. (When you combine Spex with BEX, BEX uses the difference between the values to set an even higher pitch in the Editor for words with more than one uppercase letter.)
The default command is control-E for Spex and your device. If you answer Yes to this question, then you'll be able to change this to a different control character as you use Spex. If you answer No, then control-E is unalterable. Once you boot BEX with a serial voice device configuration, BEX automatically locks out changes to control-E.
The next questions are asked for only some devices:
HONORING ECHO COMMANDS: Thanks to its pioneering role in opening the Apple to blind users, many newer serial voice devices provide "Echo emulation" or "TEXTALKER emulation." Carefully peruse your device's manual to see if this feature is available. (Braille 'n Speaks dated March 1989 or later do honor Echo commands: contact Blazie Engineering for an upgrade.) If you answer No to this question, then certain Spex features are unavailable--details in Part 3.
If your device doesn't respond to the Echo family of commands, then you have to tell Spex how to perform three crucial functions.
DEFINING COMMAND CHARACTER: This is the single character that gets the device's attention so you can change its features. When you specify a character different than control-E, you use this new control character for the Spex control-E commands as well.
INSTANT SILENCE COMMAND: Spex constantly uses the "immediate silence" command so that your device shuts up whenever you issue a new command. This is generally control-X.
SPEAK NOW COMMAND: This forces the device to verbalize any text waiting in its buffer. This is generally control-M (better known as Return).
Once you've answered all the questions, Spex Changer summarizes them for you. At this point, the changes are only in memory: you must press "Y Return" to save the new values in the Spex program files. Once you do, there's a disk access pause, and then the modified version of Spex is loaded into the Apple's memory. You're back at the Main Menu, where you can copy the Spex program files to another program.
In addition to copying the two Spex program files, the installation process modifies a few lines in the BEX programs to make them Spex-friendly. Refer to Part 4 of these instructions for more BEX information.
Installation is a breeze when your Apple has two 5.25-inch disk drives: Just place the boot side of BEX 3.0 in drive 2, choose number 2 from the Spex Program Disk Main Menu, and follow the prompts.
When you only have one 5.25-inch disk drive, it's a little more work. There are six steps:
1. Boot BEX, supply any configuration name that you wish, and get to the Starting Menu. DON'T GO TO THE MAIN MENU. If you've been at the Main menu already, you must reboot BEX.
2. Depress the Caps Lock key, then press F for FID. Use option 3 to check the free space on the boot side of BEX--you must have at least 40 sectors free. Delete any non-essential files to make room.
3. Now use FID's option 1 to do a one-drive copy of three files from the Spex Program Disk to your BEX disk: "SPEX", "SPEX.OBJ" and "INSTALL.ONE.DRIVE". Follow the swapping prompts very carefully.
4. Quit FID with option 9.
5. At the BASIC prompt, type EXEC INSTALL.ONE.DRIVE press Return, and relax for a few minutes while the drive whirs. When the installation is complete, the Apple automatically reboots.
6. At some point, use option T - Textfile kill on the Second Menu to erase the "INSTALL.ONE.DRIVE" file from the boot side of your BEX disk.
Option 3 copies the "SPEX" and "SPEX.OBJ" files on to another DOS 3.3 disk. It's a one-drive copy, so you get to swap the Spex Program Disk and the destination disk to complete the transaction. If you don't own BEX, then you should use this option to copy the modified files on to the textfile side of the Spex Manual disk. Read Part 5 for the BASIC programming statements you can use to link Spex in to your program.
This Part goes into detail on all of Spex's features. See Part 7 for a command summary, or use Spex's on-line help by pressing open-Apple-slash once you're in screen review.
When the Apple's running a program, that program sends text to the screen. Spex's "automatic output" captures all the information that's sent to the screen and sends it to your serial voice device as well. When sighted people look at a computer screen, they can see everything at once. A voice synthesizer speaks just a word at a time. Spex's "screen review" freezes the main program so you can examine the contents of the screen in detail. When you use screen review, you point at a particular place on the screen and then ask Spex to speak it, building up a mental image of the screen display.
NOTE: In this Part we describe a host of Spex commands. We show the command letters as uppercase, but you DON'T have to type uppercase letters.
Every time you press a key or issue a Spex command, Spex silences your device and then acts on that keystroke. Alternatively, you can issue the control-X silence command to immediately make your device stop talking.
Speech output with Spex is a cooperative effort. During automatic output, which characters are pronounced and which are silent depends totally on your voice device. For example, if you tell the device to spell letters instead of reading words, then the device spells out everything Spex sends it. Spex echoes what you type at the keyboard. Spex pronounces the character under your video cursor when you use the left and right arrows to edit what you've typed.
While Spex is in automatic output mode, it recognizes five commands. Three determine whether you have voice, screen, or both. To maximize compatibility with existing Echo-compatible software, these commands are identical to TEXTALKER's. Control-E B sends output to both the screen and the voice device. Control-E T is "talk only;" screen display is suppressed. Control-E O is "output only;" your voice device is silent.
Spex's Repeat filter command, Control-E # R, saves you from listening to decorative borders composed of punctuation. Replace the number sign with a digit between 0 and 9, and Spex suppresses announcement of more than that number of punctuation characters in a row. Control-E 0 R means no suppression; when you load Spex, the initial value is 2. The fifth and last command is explained below under "Setting Column Margins:" it defines the column boundaries from outside screen review.
Spex allows a control-E "window" for you to send commands to your device during automatic output: what happens then depends on the device. After you type control-E, Spex allows you to type any number of non-letter characters, followed by one letter. At this point, Spex decides you're done issuing a command, and grabs control of your keystrokes again. When you're using Spex with an Audapter, you can also type control-E, left bracket, any number of characters, right bracket.
One of your Spex Changer answers determines whether this is possible at all. Control-E control-something else is how you change the command character as you use Spex; for example, control-E control-Q changes both the device command character and Spex's command character to control-Q. You'd then use control-Q T to turn off screen output, and control-Q C to turn on compressed speech in your speech device.
Spex uses an imaginary grid on the screen to label every character. There are always 24 lines vertically--Spex labels these with letters. The top line is "A," the second line is "B," and so forth down to the 24th line "X" at the bottom. The horizontal "positions" on the line are labelled with two digit numbers; the left edge of the screen is always "01." The right edge is either "40" or "80," depending on whether your main program is displaying material on the 40-column or 80-column screen. The AUDIO CURSOR is your pointer--you move it around the screen with the navigation commands discussed below. The location of the audio cursor determines what's spoken. When your audio cursor is at "A, 01" it's in the upper left corner of the screen.
Using screen review is a two-step process: First you press control-L, which freezes the main program. Spex confirms your choice by saying "Review." At this point, you can do three things: choose a line to read; press the Escape key to exit screen review; or get on-line help by pressing question mark (or open-Apple-slash). Once you've chosen a line to read, you have access to many more commands--a summary is available by pressing question mark (or open-Apple-slash).
At any time, you can press Escape to leave screen review and get back to work with the main program--your video cursor is just where you left it. Alternatively, you can press the letter "X" to leave screen review at a particular spot on the screen, and Spex will move the video cursor to that spot. This is especially handy when you're using the built-in Applesoft editor to modify program lines.
After you press control-L, you must select the line you want to read. You can press a single letter: "A" for the top line, "B" for the second line, and so forth through "X" for the bottom line. Alternatively, you can tell Spex to find a line on the screen that has particular information. Pressing "Z" selects the screen line where the video cursor is currently appearing. Pressing the up arrow key selects the topmost line that has some text on it, while down arrow chooses the lowest line that's not blank. Spex responds to your choice by moving the audio cursor to the start of the corresponding line and reading all of it. You can use the up and down arrow keys to move to and read lines above and below the current line.
To establish a different "current line," press period followed by a line letter (or up or down arrow) for the line you want to jump to. You can read a range of lines with the comma key. Type a comma followed by a letter, and Spex reads from the start of the current line through the end of the corresponding line.
You can hear the current line again by pressing Return. Every time you enter screen review, you're in "word mode." Pressing the left or right arrow keys moves you along the line reading word by word. Spex defines a "word" as a group of characters that starts with a space or the start of a line, and ends with a space or the end of a line.
You can switch to "letter mode" by pressing the letter "L," and you can toggle between word and letter modes by pressing the letter "T." When you're in letter mode, the left and right arrows move by character. In letter mode, Spex announces the character you land on, regardless of the punctuation mode of your voice device. Spex raises the pitch for uppercase letters. If your voice device doesn't honor the Echo family of commands, then Spex emits a low buzz for capital letters. When there are "highlighted" words or letters on the screen, displayed in inverse video, then Spex adds a click to the speech output.
You can find the first and last words or letters on the line even if you don't know what they are. Pressing open-Apple-left arrow scoots the audio cursor to the first word or letter on the line. For example, if the line starts with a five-space indent, then open-Apple left arrow puts the audio cursor at position 06. To move to the last word or letter on the line, press open-Apple-right arrow.
You can search for particular characters on the screen with Spex's Find command. Press the letter "F," then type the exact characters you're looking for. Lowercase and uppercase letters are significant: when you type "Cat" you won't find "CAT" or "cat". To find entire words, type a space at the start and end of your search string. You can edit your search string with the left and right arrow keys. Once you've typed in the string, press down arrow to find it forward from the audio cursor (towards line X). To search in back of your audio cursor towards line A, press up arrow after you type the search string. The search string is remembered until you type a new one or reload Spex: you can repeatedly search for the same string with "F" then down arrow or up arrow.
Pressing space bar provides the location of the audio cursor: Spex responds with the letter of the line you're on, followed by your position as a two-digit number, and finishes with your current column number if you're using one. Press open-Apple-slash or question mark (shift of slash) to get the on-line help summary, which lists all of Spex's screen review commands. To shut up help, press control-X.
You use the solid-Apple key to get detailed information on your current character. Solid-Apple-space announces your current character using the ham radio alphabet. Combine the solid-Apple with the left or right arrow key to get radio-alphabet information character-by-character. Most of the time, characters on the Apple screen are shown by bright dots on a dark background. If the character is highlighted--dark dots on a light background--then Spex announces "inverse." If it's a capital letter, then Spex tells you "uppercase." If it's Mousetext, the Spex announces "graphics," and if it's blinking, Spex tells you that, too.
You can restrict output to a portion of the line with Spex's numbered columns. Column 0 is the entire line, from position 01 to 40 or 80. To find out if you're in a column, and what the current column margins are, press open-Apple space. You can set the column margins two ways: inside screen review by example, and outside screen review with a control-E command.
Inside screen review, you establish the column margins by putting your audio cursor at the margin position and then issuing a command. You have several ways to move the audio cursor into place: the arrow keys, the Find command, or the "position" command. Press "P" followed by two digits to put your audio cursor at that spot on the line. Once in place, press open-Apple plus a digit to define that column's left margin. "P07 open-Apple-2" defines the left margin of column 2 at position 07. To set the right margin, move the audio cursor where you want it and then press solid-Apple-digit.
Outside screen review, you use a nine-character sequence to define the column margins: "control-E # ; # , # I". (Spaces are added for clarity--don't type spaces in the command.) Replace the first number sign with the column digit from 1 through 9, followed by one semicolon. The next pair of number signs is the left margin value, followed by a comma and the right margin value. Finish up with the letter "I". For example, "control-E 1;07,72I" sets column 1's left margin at position 07 and its right margin at position 72.
Setting the column margins doesn't select the column: you do that by pressing the single column digit. Pressing "1" moves you into column 1, and pressing "0" brings you out to the entire line. Once you're in a column, the reading commands discussed above are all restricted within the column boundaries. Up arrow takes you up one line and reads from the left column margin to the right margin. Return repeats the text within the column. If words straddle the column margins, you only hear the characters that are inside the column. When you search with the F command, Spex only looks inside the column boundaries.
Columns are handy when you're proofreading format. When you want to browse vertically and read for meaning, you can combine open-Apple with the up and down arrow keys in column 0. These commands move a line, reading the complete word directly above or below your audio cursor. In letter mode, open-Apple-up arrow or open-Apple-down arrow reads the character directly above or below the cursor.
If your voice device doesn't respond to the Echo family of commands, then these commands don't work--you just hear a beep. You can press three letters to select punctuation modes: "S" for some, "M" for most, and "A" for all. Slower speech is available by pressing "E"; compressed or faster speech is chosen with "C".
Whenever you press control-L, Spex wakes up and enters screen review. In some situations, you might want to type a control-L to your main program. You can temporarily change the command character by typing control-L followed by some other control character.
For example, you want to type control-L as a Find or Change to string in BEX's Replace characters. Type control-L and Spex responds "Review." Type control-W to set the review command character to control-W; Spex confirms your choice and exits Review. You can now type control-L without Spex grabbing it. To change the character back, type control-W to enter review, then control-L.
Spex only works with BEX 3.0; you won't be able to install it on earlier versions. Use the Spex Program Disk to install Spex on your BEX disk: this copies the Spex program files and also makes a few minor BEX modifications that ensure Spex-friendliness. Once you have installed Spex, you should establish a new configuration that includes your serial device.
When BEX notices that an Echo or Cricket in your Apple, it loads the TEXTALKER software first thing--BEX's first prompt is spoken. Spex is only loaded after you specify a configuration name that includes a serial voice device. When you want serial voice output of the configuration process, add the device's slot number to your configuration punctuation character. You can't configure a serial voice device at the Learner Level. For a User Level configuration with a device in slot 2, you type "*2" at the "Enter configuration:" prompt; for a Master Level configuration with your device in slot 4, type " 4". Since the Spex software is NOT yet loaded, you won't have access to Spex's screen review.
When you want to define an automatic set-up sequence for your voice device (to choose a particular volume or throat size or speed), you probably have to change the device's command character before you can type it in to BEX. Since BEX is sending every character you type as you configure to the voice device, if you don't change the command character, the device will grab it before BEX sees it. Printing a BEX chapter containing the commands that establish your preferred parameters is a simpler alternative to using an automatic set-up sequence--more on this topic in 8.4. If you have an Echo installed in your system, you could use TEXTALKER to configure and then switch over to serial speech to use BEX. However, you won't be able to define an automatic set-up sequence that includes control-E if you do.
Now that you have screen review, you may wish to configure a "Review class printer" by specifying "R" at the "Enter printer class:" prompt. Once the configuration is established and named, BEX loads Spex before it loads the Starting Menu.
We've tried to make Spex act as much like the Echo and TEXTALKER combination as possible. To send commands to your device, type control-E followed by the command. (You don't need to use "control-S O [command] <CR>" any more.) When you use control-V to preview print format in the Editor, you can press control-L to review the material. Since Spex adds a click to inverse letters, you can tell what material you've underlined when previewing print format in the Editor (or printing to SW.) For jerky speech output in BEX's Editor, BEX uses the "upper case" pitch for words with initial caps, and adds the difference between the "lower case" and "upper case" pitches to set an even higher pitch for words with more than one capital letter.
Different devices provide different levels of response to pressing the spacebar in jerky speech mode. Spex is fine-tuned to work well with the Audapter: it stops on a dime. Other devices are less responsive. If you're doing Editor-intensive work, you may wish to run your device at a slower baud rate to get closer coordination between speech output and cursor position. Our testers reported that 600 baud was a good compromise speed--see Part 8 for more details on this topic.
For BEX's automatic output, Spex works just like we describe in Part 3. When you're editing chapter names, the arrow keys act like they do in BEX's Editor: both left and right arrow announce the character you land on. To prevent confusion, Spex automatically locks out any changes to control-E when you're using BEX.
The class R printer works especially well with screen review, allowing you to see exactly what will appear on your final inkprint. Here are a few tips: establish one column from 01 to 03, and another column from 04 to your carriage width. You can then use this second column to read for meaning, jumping out to the first column to check the line number when you find a problem. Suppose your Review class printer has a carriage width of 72. You can write a BEX chapter that contains just a "<control-E>1;04;72;I" command to define the column margins, and print it once to "+V" to establish the columns you want. Spex Manual Part 5
Because you bought Spex from us, we extend to you the right to install Spex on any software where it can work. But Raised Dot Computing retains the copyright on Spex. This means that you can't give or sell copies of programs you have modified to work with Spex to other people. If you want to include Spex on a program that you distribute to others, please contact us about licensing the software--it's cheap!
The Spex program consists of two files: "SPEX" and "SPEX.OBJ". When you BRUN the SPEX file, it establishes the variables you've set with Spex Changer, and then runs the SPEX.OBJ file. You can use Spex Changer to copy these two files on to any DOS 3.3 disk.
Once these two files are on disk, you turn on Spex by typing the following at the BASIC prompt: ]BRUN SPEX <CR>
The software should load and the synthesizer should say "Spex ready". If you get the message "FILE NOT FOUND" then you may not have both SPEX and SPEX.OBJ files on the disk, or there may be a media error.
You can add the following line to a BASIC program so it will automatically load and engage Spex (the line number may vary): 10 PRINT CHR$(4);"BRUN SPEX"
When working with public domain programs that have already been modified for Street Electronic's internal Echo and TEXTALKER, hunt down the program line that reads "BRUN TEXTALKER.RAM" or 'BRUN TEXTALKER" and change it to read "BRUN SPEX".
The BASIC commands "PR#0" and "PR#3" direct output to the 40- and 80-column screen, respectively. With Spex loaded, these commands also engage the voice system. When you first load Spex, it creates both voice and screen output. Here are the BASIC commands to choose the other modes (line numbers are for example only):
You can take advantage of these commands to make your programs "firendly" for both sighted and blind users. The following program fragment illustrates this technique:
When you RUN this program, the blind user hears "Information for blind user" followed by "Information for all users." The screen displays "Information for sighted user" plus "Information for all users."
This Part is intended for experience Echo users seeking out new features. See Part 7 for the complete Spex command summary.
TEXTALKER completely controls what the internal Echo says, while speech output with Spex is a cooperative effort. Spex passes control-E commands on to your serial device; what happens then depends on whether the device fully honors the Echo command syntax.
Spex always speaks the character the cursor lands on when you use the left or right arrow key. While TEXTALKER announces the character you land on with the left arrow, it announces the previous character when you use the right arrow.
Spex provides several screen review features not found in TEXTALKER: "up" or "down" to choose the upper or lower line with text when you enter review; "F" to find characters on the screen; "?" for the help summary; "solid-Apple" to get ham radio announcements of characters; "open-Apple left (or right)" to get the first or last words on the line; "open-Apple up (or down)" to browse vertically; "open-Apple-space" to announce column boundaries; and "P#" to move to position # on the current line.
Column boundaries are set differently. Spex uses the open and solid Apple keys to set the column positions directly, based on where your audio cursor appears on the line. TEXTALKER requires that you "stretch" the columns.
When you exit review in a column, TEXTALKER remembers that value and enters the same column the next time you review. With Spex, you always begin review in column 0, the whole line.
The software is loaded into BEX differently. TEXTALKER is loaded when BEX notices that an Echo or Cricket are in the system BEFORE the configuration is loaded. Spex is only loaded when you specify a configuration name that includes a serial voice device.
Command letters are shown in uppercase, but lowercase letters work just as well. We use the following abbreviations:
control-E means hold down the control key, tap the "E" key, and release the control key.
Spaces inside the commands are only there for clarity--don't type them in your commands.
a number sign # stands for a single digit.
anything inside parentheses () represents a range of choices. Use one of the choices and don't type the parentheses themselves.
*SC after a command means that it's affected by the answers you provide with the Spex Changer utility.
control-E # R -- suppress announcement of more than # punctuation characters in a row. # ranges from 0 (no suppression) to 9; default 2.
control-E # ; # , # I -- establish column #'s left margin at # and right margin at #. "control-E 3;10,45I" sets column 3's left margin at position 10 and its right margin at position 45.
control-E (control-something else) -- change command character *SC.
control-E B -- send output to BOTH screen and voice device.
control-E T -- TALK only; send output just to voice device.
control-E O -- OFF; send output just to screen.
control-E (any number of non-letter characters) (letter) -- send command to voice device *SC.
control-E [ (any number characters) ] -- send Audapter command--you DO type the brackets.
control-X -- shut up *SC.
control-L -- start review.
Escape -- exit review.
X -- exit review, routing video cursor to audio cursor.
control-L (control-something else) -- change enter line review character.
A - X -- Choose line 1 - 24 and read it.
Z -- Choose line of video cursor and read it.
up arrow -- choose topmost line with text on it.
down arrow -- choose lowest line with text on it.
period (letter or arrow) -- Shut up, jump to that line and read it. ".B" means jump to line 2; ". up" means jump to topmost line with text.
comma (letter) -- Shut up, read current line through that line. ",M" reads current line through line 13.
When you choose a column, these commands operate within its margins.
Return -- read or spell current line.
left arrow -- read previous word or letter on current line.
right arrow -- read next word or letter on current line.
up arrow -- move up one line and read it.
down arrow -- move down one line and read it.
open-Apple-left -- Move audio cursor to first word or letter on current line and read it.
open-Apple-right -- Move audio cursor to last word or letter on current line and read it.
open-Apple-up -- move audio cursor up one line, reading word or letter directly above.
open-Apple-down -- move audio cursor down one line, reading word or letter directly below.
F (string) down arrow -- Begin search for (string) ahead of your audio cursor, towards line X. Case is significant: "F cat down" won't find "CAT" or "Cat".
F (string) up arrow -- Begin search for (string) behind your audio cursor, towards line A.
P# -- move audio cursor to absolute position # on current line, jumping outside chosen column. "P05" moves to position 5.
L -- turn on letter mode.
W -- turn on word mode.
T -- toggle between letter and word modes.
solid-Apple-space -- ham radio alphabet and screen enhancement for character at audio cursor.
solid-Apple left arrow -- move left one character, announce ham radio alphabet and screen enhancement.
solid-Apple right arrow -- move right one character, announce ham radio alphabet and screen enhancement.
open-Apple-space -- announce current column and all column margins.
1 - 9 -- select corresponding column.
0 -- select entire line.
open-Apple-# -- set left edge of column # at current cursor.
solid-Apple-# -- set right edge of column # at current cursor.
P# -- move audio cursor to absolute position # on current line, jumping outside any column. "P05" moves to position 5.
? or open-Apple-slash -- two-level help summary of commands.
space -- announce audio cursor as line letter, position number, column number if not 0.
open-Apple-space -- announce current column and all column margins.
control-X -- shut up voice device.
S -- Some punctuation.
M -- Most punctuation.
A -- All punctuation.
E -- Slower speech.
C -- Faster speech.
Successfully connecting a speech box and your Apple computer requires three matched elements: the speech box interface values, the cable, and the Apple interface values. Wherever possible, RDC uses a STANDARD INTERFACE for connecting serial devices: 9600 baud, 8 data bits, 2 stop bits, no parity, and hardware handshakes.
These values work well when you connect an Audapter to an Apple running Spex and BEX. However, when your speech box is not an Audapter, BEX's Editor is more responsive if you interface with a slower baud rate. Our testers reported that 600 baud was an effective compromise value. With faster baud rates, jerky speech in the Editor can't stop on a dime when you press the spacebar. With slower baud rates, you can actually hear the delay introduced by transmission time. We'd appreciate hearing what values work well for you. See 8.5 in this Part for brief hints on controlling the Apple serial interface--remember that Section 6 in the BEX Interface Guide provides in-depth guidance on Super Serial Cards and IIc or IIgs serial ports.
Your Apple model and interface card determines what sort of cable you need. An Apple Super Serial card (installed in an Apple IIe or IIgs) presents a 25-pin jack. An Apple IIc presents a 5-pin circular jack. RDC has a variety of cables to fit Apple IIc's. An Apple IIc Plus or Apple IIgs built-in port presents a 9-pin circular jack. RDC also has cables that fit Apple IIc Plus's and IIgs's. Of special interest is the "Peripheral Adapter Cable." One end fits the 9-pin jack, while the other fits the standard 25-pin serial. From RDC, this cable is known as 11F; from your Apple dealer, it's called A9M0333. Our experience has shown that making a 9-pin to 25-pin adapter cable work successfully is tricky--we can guarantee good results when you use one from RDC or the genuine Apple part.
The Echo GP was manufactured by Street Electronics Corporation. You should be aware that the Echo GP has one drawback: whenever it receives it gets a control-X while it's talking, the Echo GP makes a strangled noise. Since Spex constantly sends the control-X command, you have to put up with a lot of squawks.
Street Electronics supplies a cable for the Echo GP which plugs directly into a Super Serial Card. For an Apple IIc, plug the 25-pin end of Street's cable into an RDC 2F cable. For an Apple IIc Plus or IIgs, plug Street's cable into an RDC 11F cable (or the equivalent A9M0333 Apple cable).
You control the parameters through the four dip switches on the bottom of the unit. If you're using BEX, we recommend that you set switches 1, 2, and 4 ON and switch 3 OFF (Hardware handshakes and 600 baud). For other software, set all four switches ON (9600 baud with hardware handshakes).
If you want to experiment, here's how switches 1, 2, and 3 determine the baud rate:
Baud Rate: SW1; SW2; SW3.
Switch four controls the handshakes, ON for hardware handshakes, OFF for software handshakes.
The Braille 'n Speak has gone through numerous revisions. Our testing focussed on the March 10, 1989 edition of the Braille 'n Speak, which works well with Spex. If you have an earlier edition of the Braille 'n Speak, we recommend you contact Blazie Engineering for an upgrade.
The Apple interface requires a null modem in addition to the Braille 'n Speak's basic I/O cable. You can use an RDC 3F null modem, or the null modem that's part of the Braille 'n Speak's "cable kit." To connect the Braille 'n Speak to an Apple Super Serial card, use the null modem plus the I/O cable. For an Apple IIc, plug an RDC 2F into the null modem plus I/O cable. For an Apple IIc Plus or IIgs, plug an RDC 11F (or the equivalent A9M0333 Apple cable) into the null modem plus I/O cable.
Open or create a file to establsh serial parameters. The default settings work fine, except for the following four values:
When you're using BEX, you may also wish to issue chord-p b 60 to slow the Braille 'n Speak down to 600 baud. Do not attempt to use your Braille 'n Speak as a BEX remote keyboard at the same time as you're using it as a voice device!
With the March 10, 1989 edition, things worked best with "interactive mode" turned off. If you have a later edition, your Braille 'n Speak might work better with interactive mode on--you'll just have to experiment to see.
The Audapter is a high-quality speech box manufactured by Personal Data Systems, Inc., and sold by Raised Dot Computing. Special software in Spex supports the Audapter so you do not need to lower the baud rate to function well with BEX's Editor.
When purchased from us, we supply a 13F cable that goes from the Audapter to an Apple Super Serial Card. For an Apple IIc, plug this cable into a 2F. For an Apple IIc Plus or IIgs serial port, plug this cable into an RDC 11F (or the equivalent A9M0333 Apple cable).
You establish serial parameters through the command button and rocker switch on the Audapter's front panel. With the exception of stop bits, the default settings work swell. Click the rocker switch left to step through the choices until you reach the serial menu. Press the command button once for baud rate, then press command again to confirm 9600 baud. Click the rocker left for parity, then press command once to confirm "none." Click the rocker left for data bits, then press command once to confirm "eight." Click the rocker left for stop bits, press command once to hear "one," then press command again to set "two." At this point, you can simultaneously click the rocker and press command to exit the serial menu.
The Audapter pauses a little each time it receives a carriage return or a linefeed. You can minimize the pauses by turning off auto linefeed in the Apple interface--check 8.5 for commands to use.
You can include Audapter commands in your BEX chapters. For example, "<control-E>[r60]" sets the speaking rate to fairly slow. To type the single <control-E> character in the Editor, press control-C, then press the letter "e". Printing a BEX chapter with Audapter commands is a LOT easier than trying to define an automatic set-up sequence for the Audapter in your configuration. A "set-up" chapter can contain a whole host of Audapter commands, as well as a "User Exception Dictionary" (see the Audapter Manual for details). You have two ways to effect the commands. When you've defined a class V - Voice device printer, specify that printer by number. If you don't have a voice printer defined, then print the chapter to "+V".
Several settings interact to determine how the Audapter pronounces your material. One important element is the Audapter's punctuation mode. When you turn on most punctuation with "<control-E>M", then the Audapter doesn't recognize abbreviations. However, in the default some punctuation mode, the Audapter recognizes and pronounces many common abbreviations naturally, based in part on the presence of periods, Returns, and more than one space at sentence endings. The Audapter's sentence intonation is also affected by where Returns appear.
This is why it's important to understand where BEX places Returns in the text you send to the Audapter. When you have jerky speech on in BEX's Editor, then BEX separates each word with Returns. When you toggle jerky speech off with control-S J, then BEX sends out a Return at the end of each sentence. When you add Audapter speech to any printer with +V, then BEX sends out a line of text at a time, with the number of characters dependent on your carriage width. When you print to the Audapter with a class V printer or "+V" alone, then BEX adds a Return approximately every 250 characters.
Check out the BEX chapter named "AUDAPTER PROMO" to see how we prepared a document to be read aloud by the Audapter. This chapter demonstrates a wide variety of voice parameters--it's what we used to create an audio tape promoting the Audapter. The format commands "$$f0$$l0" at the start mean BEX suppresses Returns at the end of each line, allowing the Audapter to intone sentences most naturally. We added three periods before and after the text of headings to make a short pause. We connected the tape recorder to the Audapter's audio output jack and printed the chapter to "+V". To reduce line hum, we turned the Audapter's volume knob down and raised the gain on the tape recorder.
When you boot the Spex Program Disk on an Apple IIc or IIc Plus, Spex controls the baud rate for the voice device port. With Spex Changer, you can specify what baud rate you wish to run at. If you want to experiment with changing the baud rate, you must use the Spex Program Disk to tell Spex which rate you prefer. You can't override Spex's baud rate by sending a command at the BASIC prompt.
The Control Panel program controls the baud rate and other parameters for the Apple IIgs ports. The default for port 1 is 9600 baud and auto linefeed. The default for port 2 is 9600 baud and no auto linefeed. You can use Computer Aids's Talking IIgs Control Panel program to change the parameters, or you can send commands. The "Device connected" value in the Control Panel determines the initial command character. The default for port 1 is "Printer" and <control-I>. For port 2, the default device is "Modem" with a command of <control-A>. To set port 1 for 600 baud, send "<control-I> 7 B"; to set port 2, use "<control-A> 7 B". Auto linefeed is enabled with "<command> L E" and turned off by "<command> L D". See BEX Interface Guide Section 6 for other command sequences.
The Super Serial Card is controlled by a special switch called the JUMPER BLOCK plus the settings of two banks of switches. (Command sequences can override these settings). For the RDC standard, the jumper block's triangle should point to the word PRINTER (TERMINAL). To establish the RDC standard, set the two banks of switches as follows:
The first four switches of bank 1 control the baud rate. One way to establish 600 baud is to reverse the position of switches 1-1 through 1-4 from that listed above: on off off off. Or you can use a command sequence: "<control-I> 7 B <CR>" sets 600 baud. When you don't want auto linefeed, you can either set Switch 2-5 off, or use commands: "<control-I> L <space> D <CR>" disables linefeed while "<control-I> L <space> E <CR>" turns it back on.