Thanks Brian, that's very helpful; let me dig through my disks and look for the one with the files on it...
--David At 11:28 PM 12/22/2014, you wrote:
hello. I believe the Linux DecTalk PC driver is based on one I wrote many many years ago for the ISA card. When the card cold boots, it is running only a firmware smart enough to download the DecTalk OS module which was supplied on the DOS driver diskette. I wrote the initial driver for BSD, and that driver package contained a user level program that knew how to read the required DOS file from the linux filesystem and load it into the DecTalk card and enable it to work as a full fledged synthesizer. I believe the program was called "dtload." We couldn't distribute the DOS module as part of the driver code, but if you have the original DOS disks that came with your DecTalk, you should have the required files. Below is the pasted man page for the dtload program I wrote as part of the original driver package. The syntax may be somewhat different than described below, but there is a listing of the files you need to get things going. perhaps that will help you find the disks you're looking for. DTLOAD(8) DTLOAD(8) NAME DTLOAD - load and initialize Dectalk PC speech synthesiz- ers SYNTAX ddttllooaadd [ --ff <<ssppeeeecchh ddeevviiccee>> ] [ --KK <<kkeerrnneell nnaammee>> ] [ --DD <<pprriimmaarryy ddiiccttiioonnaarryy>> ] [ --ttvvxx ] [ <<sseeccoonnddaarryy ddiiccttiioonnaarryy>> <<pprrooggrraamm mmoodduullee>> ...... ] DDEESSCCRRIIPPTTIIOONN _D_t_l_o_a_d uploads firmware and dictionary modules from the Unix filesystem to Dectalk PC speech synthesizers. When a Dectalk speech synthesizer expansion module is pow- ered up, it is incapable of actually talking. Before it can talk, program and dictionary modules must be uploaded to the device. Once the upload is complete and the syn- thesizer configured, it is ready to talk. Dtload is the utility which accomplishes that upload and initialization. There are approximately five modules that must be uploaded before the synthesizer is ready for action. The first two modules, called the kernel and primary dictionary respec- tively, are essential for any operation to occur on the synthesizer. The kernel is the basic operating system which runs on the device. Once it is installed and ini- tialized, it controls all actions on the device, including additional uploads. The primary dictionary provides the basic phonetic rules the synthesizer will use to produce sound. It may also contain wave table entries to enable the synthesizer to produce alter- native sounds, such as DTMF tones. The additional modules can either be dictionaries or pro- grams, which give the synthesizer the ability to speak a particular language or set of languages. The modules you have for your device depend on which configuration you purchased. This loader has been tested with the modules for the U.S English distribution, but it should work with any synthesizer modules. OPERATION The dtload command is intended primarily for use at boot time to configure the synthesizer and ready it for use on the system. However, additional modules may be loaded at any time until the synthesizer runs out of memory. A typical configuration would run dtload from one of the /etc/rc scripts at boot time in order to insure that the synthesizer is initialized and ready for service when the system gets to multiuser mode. Command line options are as follows: 1 DTLOAD(8) DTLOAD(8) -f <speech device> Tell dtload where to find the synthesizer. Typically this would be /dev/dt0 Alternatively, the environment variable DTK_PORT can be set to contain the name of the device which is to be opened for initialization. --K <Kernel File> This gives dtload the name of the file which is to be sent to the synthesizer as the `operating system`. If dtload determines that the synthesizer needs an operating system, this is the file it will use to send one. If the synthesizer needs an operating system and this option was not specified, or the specified file could not be read, dtload aborts. --D <primary dictionary> This option tells dtload to use the indicated file as the primary dictionary file. If dtload determines that the synthesizer needs a primary dictionary and this option was not specified, or, the file could not be read, dtload will abort. -t This `talk` option will send an initial verbal message to the synthesizer if a reload of the synthesizer is required at run time. If the synthesizer is already initialized when dtload is run, this option has no effect. -x Because the synthesizer only resets at power up, and because the Unix operating system may reboot without doing a cold reset of the computer, it is desirable for dtload to leave the synthesizer alone if it determines that it is already loaded and ready for action. This option disables dtload from loading any secondary dictionaries or programs if it determines that the synthesizer already has modules loaded and running. -v The verbose option turns on status messages about the progress and specifics of the loading process. It gives the names of the files as they load, memory allocation statistics on the synthesizer itself, and other interest- ing data. EXAMPLES Here is a listing of the `/etc/dectalk` directory on a typical machine with the synthesizer installed. Note that most of these files are from the distribution media shipped from Digital. total 1495 -r--r--r-- 1 root wheel 18458 Apr 24 17:11 cmd.exe -r--r--r-- 1 root wheel 408316 Apr 24 17:15 dtpc.dic 2 DTLOAD(8) DTLOAD(8) -r-xr-xr-x 1 root wheel 233 Apr 24 17:41 dtstart -r--r--r-- 1 root wheel 14994 Apr 24 17:11 kernel.sys -r--r--r-- 1 root wheel 264332 Apr 24 17:11 lts.exe -r--r--r-- 1 root wheel 39664 Apr 24 17:11 ph.exe -r--r--r-- 1 root wheel 6488 Apr 24 17:11 usa.exe Here is what the dtstart shell script does to get things rolling at boot time. #!/bin/sh #Script to automatically load the speech card with its attendant software. # # PATH=/sbin:/bin:/usr/bin:/usr/sbin; export PATH cd /etc/dectalk dtload -f /dev/dt0 -K kernel.sys -D dtpc.dic -xt lts.exe ph.exe cmd.exe usa.exe BUGS There is no way to unload a secondary dictionary or pro- gram module once it is in the card. There is currently no mechanism to see what is loaded in the synthesizer. The only way to reset the synthesizer is through power cycling it. SEE ALSO dt(4), init(8), reboot(8) AUTHOR Brian Buhrow _______________________________________________ Speakup mailing list Speakup@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx http://linux-speakup.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/speakup
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