[DECtalk] dectalk external question

Jayson Smith ratguy at bellsouth.net
Wed Mar 1 15:59:06 EST 2006


Hi,
So what you would need to connect the unit to your computer is a 25-pin
female to 9-pin female cable.  I don't know that I've ever seen such a
thing, but you could certainly use a female to female gender changer.  E.G.
use a 25-pin male to 9-pin female cable, and plug the gender changer into
the 25-pin end of the cable, thus making the male a female and able to plug
into the DECtalk.
Now assuming you get the thing connected properly, you'll still have to deal
with communication settings such as baud rate and the like.  Unfortunately I
know absolutely nothing about how these are set on the old DECtalk units
because I have never used or even seen one.
Jayson.

----- Original Message -----
From: "hank smith" <hanksmith4 at earthlink.net>
To: "DECtalk Discussions" <dectalk at bluegrasspals.com>
Sent: Wednesday, March 01, 2006 2:17 PM
Subject: Re: [DECtalk] dectalk external question


> the port has pins showing on it
> thanks
> hank
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Jayson Smith" <ratguy at bellsouth.net>
> To: "DECtalk Discussions" <dectalk at bluegrasspals.com>
> Sent: Wednesday, March 01, 2006 2:28 AM
> Subject: Re: [DECtalk] dectalk external question
>
>
> > Hi,
> > Assuming the ports on the back of your DECtalk are female, that is, they
> > do
> > not have pins showing, you would need a 25-pin male to 9-pin female.
> > These
> > cables were in common use not too long ago when external modems were
being
> > used, most modems had 25-pin female serial ports.  As to whether you
need
> > a
> > null modem cable or adaptor, I can't say as I don't know how the serial
> > ports in the DECtalk are wired, but I would tend to think not.  A null
> > modem
> > cable or a null modem adaptor is needed in some instances, especially
when
> > hooking two computers together.  There are two different types of serial
> > equipment.  Normally when two serial devices are connected properly,
each
> > device's Receive line is connected to the other device's Transmit line.
> > When you try to hook up two devices of the same type without a null
modem
> > cable or adaptor, the transmit lines and the receive lines are connected
> > to
> > themselves.  That is like two people trying to communicate over a
> > telephone
> > by talking into the earpiece and listening to the mouthpiece.  In short,
> > absolutely nothing is accomplished by so doing.  A null modem adaptor is
> > put
> > at one end of the cable to switch the pins around in these instances, or
a
> > null modem cable can be used which is already wired thus.  Usually the
> > only
> > time this is an issue is when you are trying to hook up two computers.
> > Jayson.
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "hank smith" <hanksmith4 at earthlink.net>
> > To: "DECtalk Discussions" <dectalk at bluegrasspals.com>
> > Sent: Wednesday, March 01, 2006 4:42 AM
> > Subject: Re: [DECtalk] dectalk external question
> >
> >
> >> what kind of cable do I need to make this thing work with a computer?
> >> is there such a thing as a 25 mail to 9 pin femail?
> >> I'll be damned if I can find one of things I was told to look at a null
> >> modem cable but that is just for internet connections i thaught
> >> its interesting though that you mentioned interfacing this thing with
> > phone
> >> lines thing things looks like a computer but no ports for a keyboard or
> >> anything its really big some what long etc.it has a fan inside it to.
> >> anyways if any oe has used one of these things please get back to me.
> >>
> >> ----- Original Message -----
> >> From: "Jayson Smith" <ratguy at bellsouth.net>
> >> To: "DECtalk Discussions" <dectalk at bluegrasspals.com>
> >> Sent: Wednesday, March 01, 2006 12:58 AM
> >> Subject: Re: [DECtalk] dectalk external question
> >>
> >>
> >> > Hi,
> >> > You have one of the old DECtalks.  I've never seen one of these so
> >> > don't
> >> > have connector info, but I've heard Speakup under Linux can use these
> >> > so
> >> > if
> >> > you ever want someone to take it off your hands...
> >> > Anyway, you're wrong, any connector with pins or plugs showing is a
> > male,
> >> > any jack or serial connector without pins showing is a female.  The
> > phone
> >> > jacks, as I understand it, are not used for connection to a computer.
> >> > These
> >> > old DECtalk units could interface with a phone line to give callers
> > spoken
> >> > information, provided you had or could write the appropriate
software.
> > I
> >> > think they could even do menu-based stuff, E.G. "For the song of the
> >> > day
> >> > press 1, for the DECtalk demo review of the day press 2, for your
> > current
> >> > account balance press 3, to use a time machine to make it so that
> > Digital
> >> > would never have even thought of selling DECtalk press 4, etc."
Thus,
> >> > probably the reason that DECtalk versions to this day have touchtone
> >> > dialing
> >> > commands.
> >> > Jayson.
> >> >
> >> > ----- Original Message -----
> >> > From: "hank smith" <hanksmith4 at earthlink.net>
> >> > To: "DECtalk Discussions" <dectalk at bluegrasspals.com>
> >> > Sent: Tuesday, February 28, 2006 11:56 PM
> >> > Subject: [DECtalk] dectalk external question
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >> hello I have a dectalk external its before the express
> >> >> it is running firmware 1.8 when you turn it on it has test
touchtones
> >> > before
> >> >> it says
> >> >> "dectalk version 1.8 is running"
> >> >> anyways I am having trouble finding out what exact cable I need to
> >> >> hook
> >> > this
> >> >> up to a computer to use with a screen reader
> >> >> it has 2 phone jacks one with a phone simbol and the other with a
> >> >> minus
> >> > buy
> >> >> it
> >> >> btw I just had a custom cable made a mmj cable and it isn't the one
> > that
> >> >> goes off to the side
> >> >> the other 2 ports it has are one port that says
> >> >> comm
> >> >> the other port has a square buy it
> >> >> these are 25 pin think its femail its the port with the pins
showing.
> >> >> anyways what cable do I need to have custom made to interface this
> > thing
> >> >> with the computer to use it as a external synth?
> >> >> I am going to be returning the mmj cable and I need to tell the
folks
> >> >> what
> >> >> kind of cable I need.
> >> >> any help  is so so greatly appreciated.
> >> >> thanks
> >> >> hank
> >> >>
> >> >> _______________________________________________
> >> >> DECtalk mailing list
> >> >> DECtalk at bluegrasspals.com
> >> >> http://jaybird.no-ip.info/mailman/listinfo/dectalk
> >> >
> >> > _______________________________________________
> >> > DECtalk mailing list
> >> > DECtalk at bluegrasspals.com
> >> > http://jaybird.no-ip.info/mailman/listinfo/dectalk
> >> >
> >> > __________ NOD32 1.1410 (20060215) Information __________
> >> >
> >> > This message was checked by NOD32 antivirus system.
> >> > http://www.eset.com
> >> >
> >> >
> >>
> >> _______________________________________________
> >> DECtalk mailing list
> >> DECtalk at bluegrasspals.com
> >> http://jaybird.no-ip.info/mailman/listinfo/dectalk
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > DECtalk mailing list
> > DECtalk at bluegrasspals.com
> > http://jaybird.no-ip.info/mailman/listinfo/dectalk
> >
> > __________ NOD32 1.1410 (20060215) Information __________
> >
> > This message was checked by NOD32 antivirus system.
> > http://www.eset.com
> >
> >
>
> _______________________________________________
> DECtalk mailing list
> DECtalk at bluegrasspals.com
> http://jaybird.no-ip.info/mailman/listinfo/dectalk




More information about the Dectalk mailing list