A little-documented Apple II speech card has become a much clearer piece of computing history. In a video published on 31 October 2026, Adrian’s Digital Basement examines the Ufonic voice system, tracing its design through period magazines and patents before running surviving software on real hardware.
The card is more than a speech chip on an expansion board. Adrian shows its own 6500-series processor and onboard memory, which let it handle speech playback while the Apple II continues other work. In his demonstration of the educational game Animal Survival, speech plays while the computer accesses the floppy drive. He contrasts that arrangement with the simpler Echo II card; the exact release order of the two designs remains uncertain.
The research also reconnects the hardware with its educational-software history: a 1983 announcement described the Borg-Warner Ufonic system for the Apple II and IIe, and later material names Jostens Learning Systems. Adrian goes beyond the paper trail by demonstrating a diagnostic program and experiments using familiar Speak & Spell and Chrysler voice samples. His project repository documents the investigation and software.
For retro-computing enthusiasts, the payoff is not merely hearing a rare card speak again. The video shows how period documentation, circuit-level investigation and working software can turn an obscure expansion board into an understandable system.
Watch the full 42-minute video: Unlocking the mysteries of the Ufonic speech card.
