Speech syn for beige TI-99/4a

[wierd_w]

that part is easy. The Cosplay kids have been doing that for years.

 

Method 1

 

 

Method 2

 

 

 

 

[+hloberg]

9 hours ago, wierd_w said:

that part is easy. The Cosplay kids have been doing that for years.

 

Method 1

 

 

Method 2

 

 

 

 

Interesting. here's my thought on this. get a project box about the right size with curved edges. cut a hole in the side for the edge connector to the console. take the bottom of a speech box and cut/mount/glue in the project box so that the bottom part speech edge sticks out the hole cut so the speech can interface with the console and have a place for the speech mount to. attach the tipi boards to the speech. mount the raspi in the box as well. unfortunately I don't have the money right now (on my list) to buy a tipi and raspi to build this so I don't know if it would really work. but it sure looks like it would and with a silver/black unit it would look really snazzy if done well. so I throw this idea out if anyone wants to try it. 

[wierd_w]

A more interesting solution would be to make a mini-backplane card and enclosure.

 

Basically, it takes the card edge connector and turns it 90 degrees so that it is facing upwards, and provides several of these, while still passing through out the other side. From there, you could "vertically" install the Tipi+32k (speech synth enclosure version), AND a speech synth, (since the vertical space needed to mount this way would still work out fine), and just terminate the vertical card edges with rubber boots. Cards could be held in registration with simple slots/notches in the enclosure wall.

 

The issue with the JediMatt versions of those cards is that the cards themselves are taller than the main unit (and already integrate a 90 degree conversion), so the enclosure is going to look funny. For the speech enclosure varieties though, they are meant to lay horizontal in a very narrow enclosure, so even turning them upright like that would still not exceed the vertical realestate allowances.

[+hloberg]

3 hours ago, wierd_w said:

A more interesting solution would be to make a mini-backplane card and enclosure.

 

Basically, it takes the card edge connector and turns it 90 degrees so that it is facing upwards, and provides several of these, while still passing through out the other side. From there, you could "vertically" install the Tipi+32k (speech synth enclosure version), AND a speech synth, (since the vertical space needed to mount this way would still work out fine), and just terminate the vertical card edges with rubber boots. Cards could be held in registration with simple slots/notches in the enclosure wall.

 

The issue with the JediMatt versions of those cards is that the cards themselves are taller than the main unit (and already integrate a 90 degree conversion), so the enclosure is going to look funny. For the speech enclosure varieties though, they are meant to lay horizontal in a very narrow enclosure, so even turning them upright like that would still not exceed the vertical realestate allowances.

thats interesting. what you saying is kinda go back to the way the TI-99/4 had sidecars but up & down?

[wierd_w]

I just looked-- the cards are still too tall to orient in that direction aesthetically. Sad.

 

 

BUT-- I promised pictures.

 

Here they are.  Again, the nylon is not the best material for this, and I DID NOT bake the nylon first, so there's some ugly printing here.  This is just to test fitting really, not to make salable enclosures with. Very little (if any) effort was taken to clean up the prints after pulling them off the bed. The warping I was mentioning is very apparent.  The recesses in the bottom are there for 2 purposes. 1), reduce material consumption, and 2, Reduce thermal stress to attempt to reduce warping. (less material to exert force with!)

 

 

 

 

Still, that is the full RF shield in there!

Edited July 30, 2020 by wierd_w

[Omega-TI]

16 hours ago, wierd_w said:

that part is easy. The Cosplay kids have been doing that for years.

 

Method 1

 

 

Finally!  The beige TI's can now look good too!  <ducking and running for cover> ?

[wierd_w]

Hush you--

 

or I will start making it a point to send you commodore merch for christmas.

(just teasting, not actually serious.)

Edited July 30, 2020 by wierd_w

[+OLD CS1]

27 minutes ago, wierd_w said:

I will start making it a point to send you commodore merch for christmas.

Worry not, @Omega-TI, I will take up the battle for you!

28 minutes ago, wierd_w said:

(just teasting, not actually serious.)

Oh, never mind.

[wierd_w]

4 minutes ago, OLD CS1 said:

Worry not, @Omega-TI, I will take up the battle for you!

Oh, never mind.

 

 

I DO have a large format printer you know...  >:)

 

(I could totally make a run of these, and similar, as gag christmas gifts in full poster size, on shiny paper.)

Edited July 30, 2020 by wierd_w

[wierd_w]

OK, I am going to order some beige PLA filament.

 

We have some choices.

 

Universal Beige

https://www.amazon.com/Paramount-3D-Pantone-7502C-Skin/dp/B06Y93QXFM/ref=sr_1_35?dchild=1&keywords=beige+pla+filament+-wood&qid=1596523554&sr=8-35

 

Bone White

https://www.amazon.com/eSUN-1-75mm-Printer-Filament-Pantone/dp/B07J1W9QRN/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=khaki+pla+filament+-wood&qid=1596523892&sr=8-4

 

Skin Ivory

https://www.amazon.com/Paramount-3D-Pantone-Filament-IRL10147501A/dp/B06Y6HQL5H/ref=sr_1_5?dchild=1&keywords=skin+ivory+pla+filament+-wood&qid=1596523961&sr=8-5

 

 

Before I order, (since I do not have a beige unit to make a pantone color comparison with), which seems to most closely resemble the color of the beige units?

[+Ksarul]

The Universal Beige looks closest, but it is actually between that and the Bone White.

[+hloberg]

8 hours ago, wierd_w said:

OK, I am going to order some beige PLA filament.

 

We have some choices.

 

Universal Beige

https://www.amazon.com/Paramount-3D-Pantone-7502C-Skin/dp/B06Y93QXFM/ref=sr_1_35?dchild=1&keywords=beige+pla+filament+-wood&qid=1596523554&sr=8-35

 

Bone White

https://www.amazon.com/eSUN-1-75mm-Printer-Filament-Pantone/dp/B07J1W9QRN/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=khaki+pla+filament+-wood&qid=1596523892&sr=8-4

 

Skin Ivory

https://www.amazon.com/Paramount-3D-Pantone-Filament-IRL10147501A/dp/B06Y6HQL5H/ref=sr_1_5?dchild=1&keywords=skin+ivory+pla+filament+-wood&qid=1596523961&sr=8-5

 

 

Before I order, (since I do not have a beige unit to make a pantone color comparison with), which seems to most closely resemble the color of the beige units?

the universal beige and skin ivory look too yellow to me. the bone white looks better. but i can tell you from experience that beige color of the TI is actually a tan/beige and doesn't come out so well on pictures on the web. I actually went more tan for my painted speech to get a closer color even though in the can (picture color chip on top of can) looked wrong. I found both the top section and the bottom section of the TI-99 beige unit are very hard to match exactly.

[wierd_w]

Do you have an old flatbed scanner, and some pantone cards?  (If you don't have pantone cards, can you hit up a hardware store and snag some of the freebie paint colormatch cards? Get a spread of red, green and blue cards?)

 

You know, these things?

 

If so, put the beige TI on the scanner, along with the 3 cards. We can look up the exact colors the cards are SUPPOSED to show, (By matching the names on the cards), and thus digitally correct the entire image with the curves and saturation sliders in something like photoshop so the colors on the cards match perfectly, to derive the absolute correct color formula for that shade of beige. (because it too will then have pixel exact color data, and we can get the pantone formula right out of photoshop.)

 

 

Edited August 4, 2020 by wierd_w

[+hloberg]

51 minutes ago, wierd_w said:

Do you have an old flatbed scanner, and some pantone cards?  (If you don't have pantone cards, can you hit up a hardware store and snag some of the freebie paint colormatch cards? Get a spread of red, green and blue cards?)

 

You know, these things?

 

If so, put the beige TI on the scanner, along with the 3 cards. We can look up the exact colors the cards are SUPPOSED to show, (By matching the names on the cards), and thus digitally correct the entire image with the curves and saturation sliders in something like photoshop so the colors on the cards match perfectly, to derive the absolute correct color formula for that shade of beige. (because it too will then have pixel exact color data, and we can get the pantone formula right out of photoshop.)

 

 

will do. I have a Sherwin-Williams color book (i do some interior decorating) and i'll see if anything matches. I don't have photoshop but Gimp and Paint.net has that capabilities. give me a day or so to get it together.

HLO

 

[wierd_w]

I was meaning, we can adjust for the photo color error of the scanner's digitizer digitally if we have a fixed color reference; namely, the cards.

 

So, if we have known gradiated red, green, and blue-- we can evaluate the difference between what was recorded by the scanner, and its ideal theoretical value, to derive the R error, the G error, and the B error-- and with the different gradiated shades, the K value.  Armed these errors, we can accurately plug in some adjust values for those, and PERFECTLY correct the image.

 

Then, we just go in with the eyedropper tool, sample the beige, and pull out the pantone color for that shade of beige, and order it.

[+hloberg]

2 minutes ago, wierd_w said:

I was meaning, we can adjust for the photo color error of the scanner's digitizer digitally if we have a fixed color reference; namely, the cards.

 

So, if we have known gradiated red, green, and blue-- we can evaluate the difference between what was recorded by the scanner, and its ideal theoretical value, to derive the R error, the G error, and the B error-- and with the different gradiated shades, the K value.  Armed these errors, we can accurately plug in some adjust values for those, and PERFECTLY correct the image.

 

Then, we just go in with the eyedropper tool, sample the beige, and pull out the pantone color for that shade of beige, and order it.

oh, got ya. you want absolute red/green/blue swatches then adjust the color of the computer there?

 

[wierd_w]

Yes. Then we can digitally get dead-nuts color formula for that shade of beige.

[+hloberg]

I came up with a idea. what if I scanned the outside of the TI Extended BASIC manual with the console. that way you could match the colors on you manual with the book scan and adjust the color of the console colors accordingly. think that might work? assuming you have a TI XB manual, that is.

[wierd_w]

I mean, if you put the console itself against the glass, (say, cartridge slot side down, so it's flush), you get a direct uniform lighting exposure of the console itself. You can't get more direct sample than that.

[+hloberg]

1 minute ago, wierd_w said:

I mean, if you put the console itself against the glass, (say, cartridge slot side down, so it's flush), you get a direct uniform lighting exposure of the console itself. You can't get more direct sample than that.

i'll work with it this evening.

[wierd_w]

Slick.  Sherwin Williams' paint swatches are searchable, so this should work.

[fimbulvetr]

A lot of paint stores will do a colour match for you from any sample. 

[wierd_w]

I dont think he wants to take an antique (and valuable) bit of equipment into a hardware store just so they can basically put it against a calibrated version of what he already has at home, when we can do the calibration ourselves.

 

(the little thingymajig they scan the color sample with is just a calibrated RGB digitizer, that has its error corrected for automatically, by being tested and calibrated at the factory.)

 

There's some pleasure in deriving the information one's self.

 

But I could be wrong-- If he takes it to the store and gets a specific paint shade, we can always look that paint shade's pantone # up.

[+hloberg]

here you go. scanned the console top with RGB color swatches from Sherwin/Williams. 2nd scan .pdf is the back of the swatches so you can match them perfectly. I got these swatches from Lowes but S/W stores also have them. the color on my monitor is just a little bit too tan but probably different on your monitor (my monitor is an old Viewsonic LED). Note: these beige consoles do color fade but not by much. I found very little fade on mine. So someone else's might be just a little different if put side by side.

Documents.zip

[wierd_w]

Initial lookups:

 

Show Stopper ==

 

Quote

 

R:

164

G:

46

B:

55

Hex Value:

#a42e37

 

 

Talipot Palm==

 

 

 

Quote

 

R:

100

G:

129

B:

73

Hex Value:

#648149

 

 

Georgian Bay==

 

 

Quote

• R:

  34

  G:

  101

  B:

  127

• Hex Value:

  #22657f

• LRV:

  11

 

 

 

 

 

 

I will see about computing the scan errors now.

 

Edited August 4, 2020 by wierd_w