It’s The Speech Synthesiser You Wanted, For The Computer You Had
Michael Wessel has developed a drop-in DECtalk emulator card specifically designed for the Apple ][ computer. The device integrates an RP2040-based Raspberry Pi Zero with audio hardware to replicate the high-end speech synthesis capabilities of the original DECtalk system. This modern reproduction allows users to interface with the synthesizer using simple memory address commands, bridging the gap between 8-bit computing and advanced audio technology.
- ▪The Perfect Paul ][ is a drop-in DECtalk emulator card designed for the Apple ][ computer.
- ▪The PCB includes an RP2040-based Raspberry Pi Zero, an I2S DAC, an amplifier, and a speaker.
- ▪Users can control the synthesizer by POKEing DECtalk commands to specific memory addresses.
- ▪The device emulates the high-end DECtalk system that was previously unaffordable for most 8-bit computer owners.
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| Original publisher | Hackaday |
| Canonical URL | https://hackaday.com/2026/09/14/its-the-speech-synthesiser-you-wanted-for-the-computer-you-had/ |
| Publication time | Mon, 14 Sep 2026 11:00:12 +0000 |
| Retrieval time | 2026-09-14T11:01:51.203Z |
| Last seen | 2026-09-14T11:01:51.203Z |
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| Summary source text | contentText |
| Citation coverage | Summary is a WeSearch-generated derivative; primary citation is the original publisher URL. |
| Cluster | A1MOfrO9qJJs · 1 stories |
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| Ranking reason | Story pages are not engagement-ranked. Hub feeds use recency, with optional source-diversified chronological ordering (cap consecutive stories per source). No personalized ranking. |
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| Retrieval / RAG | May the content be exposed for third-party retrieval-augmented generation? | Not asserted |
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| Commercial reuse | May the content be reused commercially? | Not permitted |
Basis: Derived from the published RSS/Atom feed. Contact: [email protected]. Reviewed: 2026-07-24.
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It’s The Speech Synthesiser You Wanted, For The Computer You Had No comments by: Jenny List September 14, 2026 Title: Copy Short Link: Copy If you had an 8-bit computer in the 1980s and bought a speech synthesiser for it, what you got was invariably an alophone-based synthesiser using the SP0256 or similar. You definitely couldn’t afford DEC’s DECtalk, a high-end standalone speech synthesiser made famous to the masses as the unit used by Stephen Hawking. But now those two worlds can come together, thanks to [Michael Wessel], whose Perfect Paul ][ is a drop-in DECtalk emulator card for the Apple ][. The PCB includes an RP2040-based Raspberry Pi Zero, plus an I2S DAC and amplifier, speaker, and bus-interface logic.
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