Federal Screw Works

Votrax International, Inc.
Company type	Private
Industry	Speech synthesis technology
Predecessor	Vocal division of Federal Screw Works
Founded	1971
Fate	Reorganized and merged; eventually became Maxxar Inc.
Successor	Maxxar Inc.
Headquarters	Troy, Michigan, United States
Products	Speech synthesizers, speech backend modules, expansion cards, text-to-speech systems
Number of employees	(reduced in 1984 during reorganization)

Adapted from the English Wikipedia article Federal Screw Works, available under CC BY-SA 4.0Updated 8 August 2025

Votrax International, Inc.—initially established as the Vocal division of Federal Screw Works—was a company specializing in speech synthesis technology, operating near Detroit, Michigan from 1971 until 1996. Originating as a segment of Federal Screw Works between 1971 and 1973, the entity adopted the name Votrax in 1974 following the release of its first commercial product, the VS4 "Votrax," and subsequently moved its operations to Troy, Michigan. By 1980, it had separated from its parent organization to form Votrax International, Inc., continuing to manufacture speech-related products through 1984.

In 1984, Votrax underwent a strategic reorganization aimed at concentrating on commercial telephony and speech audio-response systems, including automated answering solutions, which resulted in a reduction of personnel. Three years later, in 1987, it merged with Vynet Corp., recognized for pioneering voice-recognition prompt technologies. The company functioned as Votrax Inc. up until approximately 1992, at which point it either rebranded or merged with Vysion, Inc., a firm specializing in security cameras and related devices. Vysion filed for bankruptcy in June 1994 after losing a patent infringement lawsuit against PATCO Inc.

Following this setback, the business restructured as Maxxar Inc. in 1995. Maxxar was subsequently acquired by Open Solutions, LLC in 2004, which itself became part of Fiserv, Inc. in 2013. The rights to the Votrax brand remained with Maxxar until the trademark expired in March 2016.

History

Every Votrax speech synthesizer has its origins in a design created by Richard T. Gagnon in 1970, which was licensed to Federal Screw Works and led to the establishment of their "Vocal division."

By 1984, facing financial difficulties bordering on insolvency, Votrax restructured its business model to prioritize commercial phone-interface devices and discontinued consumer product development. During this transitional period, key personnel such as Tim and Kathryn F. Gargagliano departed to launch Artic Technologies. The merger with Vynet Corp. in 1987 brought together their respective product portfolios.

Products

Votrax was instrumental in developing foundational speech synthesis back-end technology and widely adopted integrated circuit phoneme synthesizers. Their portfolio encompassed speech backend modules and expansion cards designed for personal computers, as well as an extensible speech frontend system developed collaboratively with the United States Naval Research Laboratory (NRL). Votrax’s technology found applications across various platforms including arcade gaming machines, Gottlieb System 80 pinball units, talking terminals, and the Kurzweil Reading Machine designed for visually impaired users.

During the 1970s, Votrax produced discrete speech synthesizers featuring epoxy-coated circuit boards for design protection. In 1980, they introduced the SC-01 integrated circuit speech synthesizer, which gained popularity among third-party manufacturers through at least 1984. This model was succeeded by the SC-02 (SSI-263P), fabricated by Silicon Systems Inc., now part of Texas Instruments. The company continued marketing SC-01-A and SC-02 chips alongside Personal Speech System text-to-speech devices sporadically through October 1990.

Focusing on phoneme-based synthesis and text-to-speech conversion algorithms, Votrax collaborated with NRL in 1973 to develop a widely utilized text-to-phoneme algorithm. This algorithm powered several products such as the Type 'N Talk device, Personal Speech System, and General Instruments’ CTS256A-AL2 chip.

Additionally, Votrax supplied the SC-02 speech chip for use in the amateur radio DOVE-OSCAR 17 microsatellite.

M. D. McIlroy employed a Federal Screw Works synthesizer branded as Votrax as the speech backend for the Unix 'speak' command during early Unix system development (1972–1973). The underlying algorithm was documented publicly in 1974.

Notable commercial offerings included:

The Type 'N Talk (TNT), which incorporated a Motorola MC6802 microprocessor, 4K ROM memory, TTL logic chips, a Motorola 6850 ACIA for RS-232 communication interfaces, and an SC-01A speech synthesis chip.

The Personal Speech System (PSS), equipped with 2K RAM, two separate 8K EPROMs containing non-critical data segments, four TTL logic chips, a Zilog Z80 microprocessor, and an embedded synth chip housed within an epoxy-sealed enclosure; it interfaced via RS-232 connectivity.

Official Releases

1971-1972:

VS1 (prototype, personal unit of Gagnon)
VS2 (prototype, experimental breadboard)
VS3 (possible prototype; brochure available though uncertain if released)

1972:

VS4 (initial model marketed by Federal Screw Works as "Votrax", featuring three stacked boards, three formants, passive C/L/C Pi filters, diode "ROM", and optional RS-232 interface)
VS5 (equipped with four formants)

1973-1974:

VS6.0 (introduced active operational amplifier filters, card cage design with multiple cards, expanded input selections, and EPROM-based parameter ROM)

1974-1975:

VS6.2 (incorporated digital amplitude and potentially pitch control)
VS6.G2

Circa 1977:

VS6.4

1978:

ML-1 (a sizable rack-mounted or standalone device containing a card cage with four potted boards, 128 phonemes, digital amplitude and pitch controls, and FIFO memory)
ML-1ES (ML-1 variant with phonemes tailored for Spanish language)
ML-2ES

1978-1980:

VSA
SVA (first integrated speech synthesizer system utilizing a 6800 microprocessor running NRL frontend software)
VSC
VSK (compact potted module mounted on an RS-232 carrier board, operating at ±12VDC)
VSL (similar to VSK; used on Ohio Scientific expansion board Model 567; operates at ±8VDC)

1980:

CDS1 (SC-01 emulation designed for mainframe computers)
VSB
SC-01 (integrated circuit akin to VSL but consolidated into a single chip; manufactured from late 1980 through early 1981)
VSM/1 (based on SC-01 with mc6800 CPU running "voxOS")
Votrax circuit cards (built on SC-01 technology)
Speech PAC (SC-01 based system)
Type 'N Talk

1981:

SC-01-A (IC featuring internal ROM update; produced between 1981 and 1988)
Type 'N Talk (subsequent model based on SC-01-A)

1982:

Personal Speech System (utilizing SC-01-A technology)

1983:

SC-02/SSI-263P (IC launched in early 1984)

1984:

Votalker 1B (IBM PC ISA card based on SC-02)
Votalker AP (Apple II expansion card, SC-02 based)
Votalker C64 (Commodore 64 cartridge utilizing SC-02)

1985:

SSI-263AP (corrected version of SSI-263P; manufactured from 1985 to 1995; also marketed under names such as 'ARTIC 263')

1987:

Votalker IB 2000 (limited edition software ISA card for IBM-PC built on the 6511 processor)

Third-party Products

1978:

Phonic Mirror 'HandiVoice' (utilizing the VSK), recognized as one of the earliest widely marketed speech synthesis communication aids

1979:

Tandy/Radio Shack TRS-80 Voice Synthesizer (modified version of the VSL mounted on a larger circuit board)
Enabling Technologies 'Audibraille' (simple microcomputer with 128k memory and SVA speech core)

1980:

Colorware's Real Talker voice synthesizer for TRS-80 Color Computer (based on SC-01)
Maryland Computer Services 'Total Talk' (modified HP-2621 Terminal integrating VSB and McIlroy algorithm)
Automated Functions 'VERT' system combining VSB with McIlroy algorithm
Triformatlon System 'FSST-3' (modified Zenith Z-19 Terminal using VSA and NRL algorithm)
IBM 'Audio Typing unit'
Midway Games Wizard of Wor arcade machine featuring SC-01 technology

1981:

Gottlieb pinball machines powered by SC-01: Black Hole, Devil's Dare, Mars God of War, Volcano
Microvox/Intex Talker using SC-01-A
Alien Group Voice Synthesizer
Midway Gorf arcade game employing SC-01

1982:

Gottlieb arcade games Q*bert and Reactor utilizing SC-01
Gottlieb pinball titles: Rocky, Striker
Alpha Products 'VS100' for TRS-80 Model III based on SC-01-A
Sweet Micro Systems Mockingboard Speech I and 'Sound/Speech I' incorporating SC-01-A
Heathkit HERO 1 Robot equipped with Votrax SC-01 speech synthesizer

1983:

Sweet Micro Systems Mockingboard B & C versions implementing SC-02/SSI-263P
Gottlieb pinball machine Q*bert's Quest
Tecmar PC-Mate Speech Master ISA card combining SC-01-A and National Semiconductor Digitalker chips

1984–1996:

Artic Technologies produced multiple cards using SC-01-A, SC-02, and SSI-263AP chips, often rebranded as "ARTIC 263"

Software Support

Scott Adams, recognized as a trailblazer in the realm of text-based adventure games for personal computers, incorporated Votrax speech capabilities into the VIC-20 versions of several titles. Notable examples include Adventureland (VIC-1914) and Voodoo Castle (VIC-1918).

Patents

US Patent 3,836,717 – Featuring 32 phonemes and 11/12 parameters; VS1 through VS5 with passive filtering
US Patent 3,908,085 – Offering 64 phonemes and 16 parameters; VS6 equipped with active filters
US Patent 4,128,737 – Supporting 128 phonemes and 16 parameters; ML-1 series incorporating digital rate control
US Patent 4,130,730 – Providing 64 phonemes and 12 parameters; 'low-cost' models such as 1818C and VSK/VSL (including the TRS-80 Voice Synthesizer)
US Patent 4,264,783 – Utilizing 64 phonemes and 12 parameters; VSA/VSB models with digital interpolation and an updated vocal tract filter
US Patent 4,301,328 – Continuation of patent 4,128,737 with expanded claims related to rate control
US Patent RE30,991 – Reissued patent of 4,130,730 with two supplementary claims
US Patent 4,532,495 – Speech encoding system employing 4-bit DPCM technique
US Patent 4,470,150 – Unreleased 'low-cost' variant of the 1818C design featuring improved timing and inflection for enhanced realism
US Patent 4,433,210 – Prototype SC-01 supporting 64 phonemes
US Patent 4,829,573 – Software synthesizer tailored for the R6511 microprocessor using alternative technology
International patents include CA1124865, CA1124866, CA1171179 (Canada), DE2840596 (Germany), and CH625900 (Switzerland)

External links