Abstract: A voice enhancing device amplifies and clarifies the voice of a user with hypophonia or other voice issues. The device includes a collar of either rigid or a soft material that is shaped to comfortably sit on the shoulders of the user. One or more microphone arrays are adjustably mounted to the collar to capture audio of the user talking. An electronics module enhances the captured audio signal and generates an enhanced audio signal that drives at least one speaker adjustably attached to the collar. The electronic controller implements one or more of an AGC amplifier to correct amplitude variation in spoked words, adaptive filtering to actively filter out background noise, a variable attack and decay function to improve intelligibility of the spoken words, a diphthong modification function to clarify the spoken words, and an echo cancelation function to reduce echo and feedback in the enhanced audio.

Abstract: A voice enhancing device amplifies and clarifies the voice of a user with hypophonia or other voice issues. The device includes a collar of either rigid or a soft material that is shaped to comfortably sit on the shoulders of the user. One or more microphone arrays are adjustably mounted to the collar to capture audio of the user talking. An electronics module enhances the captured audio signal and generates an enhanced audio signal that drives at least one speaker adjustably attached to the collar. The electronic controller implements one or more of an AGC amplifier to correct amplitude variation in spoked words, adaptive filtering to actively filter out background noise, a variable attack and decay function to improve intelligibility of the spoken words, a diphthong modification function to clarify the spoken words, and an echo cancelation function to reduce echo and feedback in the enhanced audio.

Abstract: Higher data storage capacity is realized in a self contained fixed rotating disk expansion board subsystem preferably for a single electronics circuit board accessory slot of a host computer. This greater capacity, e.g. 42 megabytes of formatted storage on two 95 millimeter disks, is achieved by use of a plural zone arrangement wherein each zone contains data tracks in which user blocks are recorded and read out at a data rate unique for the zone. An improved phase locked loop within the data separator uses a separate voltage controlled oscillator for each zone and a common charge pump for generating control voltages applied to change the resonant frequency of all of the oscillators. An oscillator disable circuit disables every voltage controlled oscillator other than the selected oscillator, so that it is the only oscillator whose frequency is actually varied by the charge pump during readback/data separation and decode operations.

Abstract: Higher data storage capacity is realized in a self contained fixed rotating disk expansion board subsystem preferably for a single electronics circuit board accessory slot of a host computer. This greater capacity, e.g. 42 megabytes of formatted storage on two 95 millimeter disks, is achieved by use of a plural zone arrangement wherein each zone contains data tracks in which user blocks are recorded and read out at a data rate unique for the zone. An improved phase locked loop within the data separator uses a separate voltage controlled oscillator for each zone and a commmon charge pump for generating control voltages applied to change the resonant frequency of all of the oscillators, An oscillator disable circuit disables every voltage controlled oscillator other than the selected oscillator, so that it is the only oscillator whose frequency is actually varied by the charge pump during readback/data separation and decode operations.