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Service Hints & Tips

Document ID: VLAR-3X9HUG

PCMCIA VoiceType Dictation Adapter - Various questions and answers

Applicable to: World-Wide

Question:
What is the IBM Personal Dictation System (IPDS) V1.0?
Answer:
It is a combination of ISA or Micro Channel Personal Dictation adapter (and external microphone) with software that provides speech-to-text input, and allows the user to create files and documents "hands off." In addition, any OS/2 program that uses standard PM controls is automatically "voice enabled." Voice macros can be set up as well. The standard dictionary contains 20,000 general-office words (100,000 word US. English spell-checker), and allows up to 2,000 user-added words. In addition, 16-19,000 word medical (Emergency Room and Radiology) and 30,000 word Journalism dictionaries are available as add-ons. This is an ideal product for poor typists, or those suffering from repetitive stress injury or other physical limitations. IPDS has been superseded by the IBM VoiceType Dictation System.

Question:
What is the IBM VoiceType Dictation (VTD) System?
Answer:
It is essentially a renaming and repackaging of the IPDS product, with a newer version (1.1 or later) of the software, and with the addition of a PCMCIA card (P/N 89G2854) as one of the adapter choices.

Question:
I have a VoiceType Dictation PCMCIA card that I bought for use with a laptop. Is there any way to use it with a desktop system too?
Answer:
Yes. There are several ISA/MCA adapters on the market that provide PCMCIA sockets for desktop systems. Some work well with the VTD PCMCIA adapter and some don't. The following are the adapters known to work correctly with the VTD card, in alphabetical order:

-Cirrus PCMCIA Slot ISA Adapter (Cirrus Logic; 510-623-8300)
-Descartes PCMCIA slot ISA adapter (Antec; 510-770-1200)
-IBM PCMCIA Four-Slot Adapter for ISA (P/N 72G0485) - Slots 2 and 3 only.

Known compatibility problems include:
-IBM PCMCIA Two-Slot Front Access Adapter for ISA (P/N 81G4246)
-IBM PCMCIA Two-Slot Front Access Adapter for MCA (P/N 81G4256)
-IBM PCMCIA Four-Slot Adapter for ISA (P/N 72G0485) - Slots 0 and 1 only.

Question:
What kind of microphone is required?
Answer:
The Personal Dictation System software includes a headphone mike, but if you prefer, a number of other microphones can be used, including the Shure SM10A with proper jack (same as used with IBM VoiceType), or equivalent, or a Sennheiser MD431 Handheld (same as used with IBM Continuous Speech Series), or equivalent. If you have an IBM multimedia system that came with a microphone, it is suitable as well. The earpiece-type IBM VoiceType Microphone with active noise cancellation (which improves accuracy) is also available separately. This microphone comes in battery-powered (P/N 30H2343) and unpowered (P/N 30H2445) versions, depending on whether your sound card has amplified output (such as the SoundBlaster 16). All of the current VTD adapters require the battery-powered version.

Question:
Are there any alternatives for a noisy environment, or where a headset wouldn't be appropriate?
Answer:
Yes. If the microphone is not sensitive enough or there is too much background noise, you can try a Sony cardioid mike plugged into a microphone amplifier/mixer then plugged into the line-in jack on the VoiceType Dictation adapter. This scenario allows an effective distance of about 18-24 inches between your mouth and the mike. The distance depends on the degree of background noise of course, but the mixer allows you to dynamically tweak the amplification to compensate for noise, without the need for a headset. This might not be feasible in an office environment or a mobile situation. However, in frequent or constant operation, it is indispensable because it "untethers" your head from the system and eliminates all of the cords that invariably get pulled or caught. The cardioid pattern microphone allows you to raise the output from the speakers to a usable level without any feedback whine.

Question:
Is any other hardware required?
Answer:
Required, no. But external self-powered speakers are recommended. An example is Radio Shack's Realistic line, but many others from Altec-Lansing, Koss, Labtec, and others are suitable as well. External speakers allow the user to hear what is input to the computer. For performance reasons, a 486SX-25 or better is recommended.

Question:
Does the Personal Dictation System adapter use the Mwave Digital Signal Processor chip?
Answer:
No, but the IPDS DSP and the Mwave DSP evolved from a common "ancestor," so they have many functional similarities.

Question:
Does the VoiceType Dictation System software support the Mwave Digital Signal Processor chip?
Answer:
Yes. Version 1.1 (or later) supports the IBM VoiceType Dictation Adapter, which uses the Mwave 2780 DSP chip.

Question:
I accidentally erased my VoiceType Dictation icon. Is there an easier way to get it back than reinstalling from scratch?
Answer:
Yes. Do the following:

1. Go to the \SPCH_RW\USERS\NNN directory.
2. Look for a file with the extension *.eid.
3. Open the file with an editor, find the line icon=done and erase this line; then save the file.
4. Go to Re-enroll, click on NNN and it will ask if you want to create the icon. Answer "Yes," and you're done.

Question:
I'm trying to use the Transfer macro in V1.32 (for Windows 95), but it doesn't work the same way as in previous versions for Windows 3.1. What do I have to do?
Answer:
The Transfer macro is initiated differently under VoiceType Dictation for Windows 95. The implementation follows a "drag/drop" metaphor using the keystroke version. Here is how it works:

1. To do a keystroke transfer, first set the transfer mode to KEYS in the TRANSFERS OPTIONS DIALOG BOX.
2. Dictate text into Dictation Window and have the application you want to TRANSFER the text to up and running.
3. On the far right of the Dictation Window Toolbar, there is an area which is not a button. It is indented and has the transfer icon in it. Put the mouse cursor in this area.
4. Now press the left mouse button down and hold it there. The mouse cursor will change to the transfer cursor. Move this cursor to where you want the text to go, and release the left button. The transfer will now begin, one key at a time.

Question:
Is there any way to automatically turn on the microphone when I start the VoiceType for Windows 95 application?
Answer:
Yes. Simply edit your icon's properties and add at the end of the command line the parameter -mon. This stands for Microphone On.

Question:
Where are the VoiceType for Windows 95 "hands-free" macros?
Answer:
Go to the Voice Action Editor, and select the Import button. A number of .VML files will appear under \IBMSPCH\LANGS\EN_US\MACROS. The ALP32SUS.VML macro allows for standard English letter pronunciations ('A', 'B', etc.) while the MIL32SUS.VML macro allows for military alphabet designations ('Alpha', 'Bravo', etc.). You may import both of these to your userid, but only one at a time.

Question:
How do I activate the VoiceType for Windows 95 Spell Mode macros?
Answer:
The steps are:

1. Open Voice Action Editor.
2. Select Import.
3. Select the macro that you want to import.
4. Select OK.
5. Select OK on the Application Properties window.
6. To verify, scroll down the Macros for any Windows dialog box.

For more information, refer to the User's Guide, in the Importing Macros section. Also, there is a nice write-up under the Help for VAE (Voice Action Editor) port section.

Question:
In installed VoiceType for Windows 95 successfully, and it works fine, but I can't seem to get it to recognize the add-on vocabularies (such as Emergency Medicine, or Journalism). What's wrong?
Answer:
This and other installation issues are discussed in the README file that accompanies VT for Windows 95. Be sure to read it.

Question:
I heard that VoiceType 3.0 for Windows 95 doesn't require a VoiceType Dictation adapter. What are the minimum requirements?
Answer:
A system with a 100MHz-or-better Pentium processor, and at least 16MB of memory; more memory will provide better performance. The new software has new algorithms that will run on a high-performance processor like the Pentium, instead of requiring a separate VoiceType adapter. VT makes heavy use of the processor's FPU (Floating Point Unit, or "math coprocessor"), and a slower processor (like a P-75 or 486DX4) just doesn't have the FPU "horsepower" to do the job adequately.

Question:
Is there a version of VoiceType 3.0 for OS/2 Warp?
Answer:
Yes. It is included in Warp 4.0. It is not sold separately.

Question:
Will VoiceType 3.0 for Windows 95 (or the version built into Merlin) support the IBM Mwave-based adapters (as some IBM Aptiva PCs do) for voice processing, as an alternative to a Pentium if I only have a 486?
Answer:
No. The Mwave controller is supported by OS/2 Warp 4.0 as a sound card, but not for speech-recognition hardware acceration. Those Aptiva systems used a special customized version of VoiceType. Note that installing Merlin on these Aptiva systems will negate their use of the Mwave controller by VoiceType.

Question:
I'm using VoiceType 3.0 for Windows 95, but when I start MS Word and use VT I get a message that says "WordBasic error = number". What causes the error, and what can I do about it?
Answer:
The good news is that you can ignore the error and proceed with dictation. It is caused by a "leftover" macro file that Word is supposed to delete upon exiting VT, but doesn't. (You'll probably see another similar error when you exit Word.) VoiceType development is working on a permanent solution, but in the meantime there are two things you can do. The first is just to ignore the errors and continue as normal. Other than being annoying, the messages will not hurt anything. The second option is to manually delete the file NORMAL.DOT (in a subdirectory called TEMPLATES beneath the directory in which you installed Word, either upon exiting Word, or before starting it the next time. (You can start Word from a batch file that includes the deletion step, if you prefer.)

Question:
If I add additional words to my VoiceType Dictation 3.0 for Windows vocabulary, where are the words stored?
Answer:
They are stored in \IBMVTYPE\USERS\<userid>\STARTUS.ADD.

Question:
I added additional words to my VoiceType Dictation 3.0 for Windows vocabulary, but I misspelled some. Is there any way to delete or correct the misspelled words?
Answer:
Yes. There is a tool called VOCABMGR.EXE that will help you erase words from the add-word cache.

To download IBM VoiceType fixes via the Internet from a File Transfer Protocol (FTP) site, go to ftp://evis.dfw.ibm.com. At the prompt:

1. Login userid: Anonymous
2. Password: Your e-mail address (for example: talk2me@ or talk2me@bcrvm1@vnet.ibm.com)
3. Press Enter.
4. Once logged into the site type: cd voicetype
5. Then type: cd data (to get to the file area)

You will find all current fixes for VoiceType, including VOCABMGR.EXE, in the /data directory. This is a self-extracting, self-installing file. This file is also downloadable from our CompuServe forum (GO VOICETYPE).

Question:
Is there any way to use the existing IBM VoiceType Dictation Adapter from VTD 1.1 and 1.32 with IBM VoiceType 3.0 for Windows 95?
Answer:
Yes. There is software available for ISA and PCMCIA adapters. The location of the update on the Internet is: http://agent2.bocaraton.ibm.com.

Go to Speech Solutions Developments page and then access the product option and then download. This file is also downloadable from our CompuServe forum (GO VOICETYPE).

Note: This code will NOT allow IBM VoiceType 3.0 to be used on a 486 platform (as VTD 1.x did). VTD 3.0 still requires a Pentium-100 or faster.

Question:
How much disk space does VoiceType Dictation 3.0 for Windows 95 need to store speech?
Answer:
The VoiceType requires 1MB of disk space for every 1.5 minutes of dictation (or 40MB/hour). If you choose not to save your audio (typically saved for delayed or delegated function) the hard disk space is freed up post-dictation.

Question:
What are the real RAM requirements for VoiceType Dictation 3.0?
Answer:
16MB RAM, as stated in the literature, is the minimum memory requirement to run VoiceType 3.0. It is enough to run the operating system and VoiceType. If you intend to run other applications at the same time, you will need additional memory for those programs. Also, the 16MB RAM minimum requirement will put the system at the low-end of the throughput performance spectrum: approximately 70 words per minute. If you want to dictate at the upper end, approximately 100 wpm, then you'll need additional memory.

Question:
I'm having problems getting VoiceType Dictation 3.0 to work on a Pentium Pro system, but it works fine on a Pentium-based system. What's wrong?
Answer:
The secret is to avoid running 16-bit applications while using VoiceType 3.0. Running the 16-bit software slows the Pentium Pro processor down to a point where dictation using VoiceType 3.0 becomes impossible.

Question:
I was going through the training for VoiceType Dictation 3.0 for Windows 95, but it died before I was finished. I tried to restart the training, but I keep getting error messages. What's wrong?
Answer:
When you start the training, a message appears informing you not to run other programs during the training, due to limited resources. If you then try to run other speech applications during training the resources may run out, and training will fail. There is no way to suspend the training with the current speech engine. If you attempt to begin training again, you will receive the following error message when the Train button is selected: "Error Code 99,215 and ENR 0313". To resolve the problem:

1. Create a new user and complete one sentence of enrollment.
2. Go back to the user enrollment that failed and try to train enrollment again.

If the first two steps fail, try the following:
3. Copy all of the files from the failed enrollment directory: C:\IBMVTYPE\TEMP\username\IW1\CEP\*.* to the new user directory:
C:\IBMVTYPE\TEMP\newusername\IW1\CEP\IW1???.*

The file names must be changed from the old enrollment filename to the new enrollment filename (e.g. from IW1T1.001 to IW1Z1.001).
4. Copy all of the files from the failed enrollment directory.

Question:
How accurate is the VoiceType 3.0 for Windows 95 software out-of-box (i.e., without training)?
Answer:
It varies. Most native English speaking users are getting accuracy rates in the 90 percentile range. However, on either end of the bell curve there are varying degrees of accuracy. Taking ALL experiences into account, the average accuracy out-of-box is 85% to 90%. However, the 50 sentence dictation enrollment (training) will boost this average accuracy well over 95% for most users.

Question:
What will happen if the IBM VoiceType 3.0 product is installed on a 75MHz Pentium machine?
Answer:
The IBM VoiceType 3.0 will work, but it will be slow. We recommend a 90MHz Pentium machine with a 256K L2 cache as the minimum configuration.

Question:
How do I add specialty vocabularies (Journalism, Radiology, etc.) to IBM VoiceType 3.0 for Windows 95?
Answer:
The IBM VoiceType 3.0 Vocabulary Installer Tool is not mentioned in the documentation. However, it appears in the menu of programs you get after installing IBM VoiceType 3.0. For vocabulary installation on VoiceType 3.0, DO NOT FOLLOW THE INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS THAT SHIP WITH THE VOCABULARIES. The new installation tool may be found in the same menu as VoicePad, Enrollment, etc... The instructions were designed to be self-explanatory. Additionally, under "Online Reference", "Index", there is an entry for "install optional vocabularies" which clarifies the backward compatibility support offered for the optional vocabularies.

Question:
Many insurance companies use proprietary software packages to complete forms. Will VoiceType 3.0 for Windows 95 operate on top of proprietary software? Will VoiceType have a translation ability to import/export into proprietary software?
Answer:
VoiceType has always had cut-and-paste ability into any application, including proprietary software. However, with V3.0, you also have another option available to you: Quick Dictation. VoiceType Direct may also work for you; you'll have to test it with the proprietary application. Proprietary forms are a little more tricky, but through some application macro creation (application enablement) you can emulate function to make the forms work with IBM VoiceType.

If you are a developer, you can always investigate application integration using the IBM VoiceType Software Developer Toolkit. ProNotes, an IBM VoiceType Development Partner, is working on visual development tools called "VoiceTools" for VoiceType 3.0. These tools simplify application integration by offering speech "objects" instead of having to write lines of C syntax code. VoiceTools are already available for VoiceType Dictation for Windows V1.32.

Question:
I have VoiceType Dictation 1.x for OS/2. Will there be an upgrade to Merlin (when it ships), which includes a new version of VTD with the enhanced voice recognition "engine"?
Answer:
Yes, this is planned. Final details on how the upgrade works, cost, etc., will not be available until Merlin is available.

Question:
Is VoiceType Dictation 3.0 for Windows 95 supported on Windows NT?
Answer:
Some users have successfully installed and used VTD 3.0 for Windows 95 on NT systems. However, it has not been tested, and therefore is not supported at this time.

Question:
Will the IBM VoiceType Dictation Adapter allow VTD 3.0 to operate on a 486 machine?
Answer:
No; however, the IBM VoiceType Dictation Adapter can be used as the sound card for VoiceType 3.0 on a Pentium machine. There is beta code available that makes this possible. Please refer to CompuServe (Go VOICETYPE) for this software.

	Search Keywords
	Hint Category	Audio, Multimedia, PCMCIA (PC Card)
	Date Created	11-08-98
	Last Updated	25-03-99
	Revision Date	25-03-2000
	Brand	IBM Options
	Product Family	Multimedia
	Machine Type	Audio
	Model	89G2854
	TypeModel
	Retain Tip (if applicable)
	Reverse Doclinks and Admin Purposes