BrailleNote mPower BT USER GUIDE V7.0 11 Mary Muller Drive P.O. Box 3044, Christchurch, New Zealand. Telephone +64 3 3844555. Fax +64 3 3844933 E-mail: info@humanware.com World Wide Web: http://www.humanware.com P/N NT293 Corporate HumanWare Limited Headquarters 11 Mary Muller Drive, P.O. Box 3044 Christchurch, New Zealand Phone: +64 3 384 4555 Fax: +64 3 384 4933 e-mail: info@humanware.com Web: www.humanware.com North America 175 Mason Circle Concord, CA 94520, USA Phone: (800) 722 3393 Fax: (925) 681 4630 e-mail: us.sales@humanware.com 1030 René-Lévesque, Drummondville, Québec, CANADA Phone: 1-888-723 7273 Fax: (819) 471 4828 e-mail: ca.sales@humanware.com Europe 3 Blotts Barn Business Centre Brooks Road, Raunds, Northamptonshire NN9 6NS United Kingdom Phone: 01933 626000 Fax: 01933 626204 e-mail: eu.sales@humanware.com Bredaseweg 108a, 4914 NS Oosterhout The Netherlands Phone: 31 162 437 910 Fax: 31 162 437 904 Sjouddev. 8, 35246 Växjö Sweden Phone: 46 470 764 490 Fax: 46 470 711 088 Australia Suite 2, 7-11 Railway Street, P O Box 944, Baulkham Hills Asia NSW 2153, Australia Phone: (02) 9686 2600 Fax: (02) 9686 2855 e-mail: au.sales@humanware.com Copyright © 2005 HumanWare Limited, Christchurch, New Zealand. All rights reserved No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form whatsoever without the express written permission of HumanWare Limited. Every effort has been made to ensure that the information contained in this user guide is correct at the time of issue. Neither HumanWare Limited nor its agents assume responsibility for errors or omissions in this information. No liability is assumed for damages resulting from the use of this information. This product complies with the requirements of EMC Directive 89/336/EEC. Braille translation copyright © 1975-2005 Duxbury Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. The patent for the touch cursor technology incorporated in the BrailleNote is owned by ALVA BV. Authorised European Union Representative: HumanWare 3 Blotts Barn Business Centre Brooks Road, Raunds Northamptonshire NN9 6NS United Kingdom phone: +44 (0) 1933 626 000 fax: +44 (0)1933 626 204 e-mail: eu.info@humanware.com web: www.humanware.com Susceptibility to Interference. There may be temporary degradation of the image when the BrailleNote mPower BT is subjected to a strong radio-frequency field, electro-static discharge or transient electrical noise. FCC Warning. This equipment generates and uses radio frequency energy and if not installed and used properly, in accordance with the manufacturer's instruction, may cause interference to radio and television reception. It has been type tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device in accordance with Subpart B of Part 15 of FCC Rules and Regulations, which are designed to provide reasonable protection against such interference in a residential installation. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures: 1. Reorient the receiving antenna. 2. Relocate the equipment with respect to the receiver. 3. Move the equipment away from the receiver. 4. Plug the equipment into a different outlet so that the equipment and receiver are on different branch circuits. If necessary, the user should consult the dealer or an experienced radio/television technician for additional suggestions. The user may find the booklet prepared by the Federal Communication Commission helpful: "How to Identify and Resolve Radio-TV Interference Problems". This booklet is available from the U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402. Stock No. 004-000-00345-4. Shielded cables and certified Class B peripherals must be used on this product. Using unshielded cables or uncertified peripherals may result in this unit not complying with FCC Rules Part 15. Changes or modifications not expressly approved by the manufacturer could void the user's authority to operate this equipment. Notice for Canada. This Class B digital apparatus meets all requirements of the Canadian Interference-Causing Equipment regulations. Modem Information (USA ONLY) This equipment complies with Part 68 of the FCC rules. Located on the equipment is a label that contains, among other information, the FCC registration number and ringer equivalence number (REN). If requested, this information must be provided to the telephone company. The REN is used to determine the quantity of devices which may be connected to the telephone line. Excessive REN's on the telephone line may result in the devices not ringing in response to an incoming call. In most, but not all areas, the sum of the REN's should not exceed five (5.0). To be certain of the number of devices that may be connected to the line, as determined by the total REN's contact the telephone company to determine the maximum REN for the calling area. This equipment cannot be used on the telephone company-provided coin service. Connection to Party Line Service is subject to State Tariffs. If this equipment causes harm to the telephone network, the telephone company will notify you in advance that temporary discontinuance of service may be required. If advance notice isn't practical, the telephone company will notify the customer as soon as possible. Also, you will be advised of your right to file a complaint with the FCC if you believe it is necessary. The telephone company may make changes in its facilities, equipment, operations, or procedures that could affect the operation of the equipment. If this happens, the telephone company will provide advance notice in order for you to make the necessary modifications in order to maintain uninterrupted service. If trouble is experienced with this equipment, please contact: HumanWare 175 Mason Circle Concord CA 94520 Phone 800-722-3393 If the trouble is causing harm to the telephone network, the telephone company may request you to remove the equipment from the network until the problem is resolved. This equipment uses the following USOC jacks: RJ11C It is recommended that the customer install an AC surge arrester in the AC outlet to which this device is connected. This is to avoid damaging the equipment caused by local lightening strikes and other electrical surges. This equipment is Hearing-Aid Compatible (HAC). The telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991 makes it unlawful for any person to use a computer or other electronic device, including fax machines, to send any message unless such message clearly contains in a margin at the top or bottom of each transmitted page or on the first page of the transmission, the date and time it is sent and an identification of the business or other entity, or other individual sending the message and the telephone number of the sending machine or such business, other entity, or individual. (The telephone number provided may not be a 900 number or any other number for which charges exceed local or long-distance transmission charges.) Contents 1 Getting Started....................................................................................... 1 1.1 Equipment Checklist. ............................................................................ 1 1.2 General Features.................................................................................... 2 1.3 Software Features.................................................................................. 3 1.4 Orientation............................................................................................. 5 1.5 Thumb Keys. ......................................................................................... 5 1.6 Braille Display. ..................................................................................... 5 1.7 Touch Cursor......................................................................................... 6 1.8 Keyboard. .............................................................................................. 6 1.9 Power Switch. ....................................................................................... 7 1.10 Speech. .................................................................................................. 8 1.11 Earphones. ............................................................................................. 9 1.12 KeySoft Concepts..................................................................................9 1.13 The KeySoft Menus. ........................................................................... 12 1.14 A First Experience............................................................................... 16 1.15 General Functions. .............................................................................. 19 1.16 Switching Between Tasks. .................................................................. 24 1.17 Keyboard Assistance. .......................................................................... 25 1.18 One-Handed Mode. ............................................................................. 26 1.19 Saving before Switching off. .............................................................. 27 1.20 Setting Time and Date......................................................................... 27 1.21 User Settings. ...................................................................................... 29 1.22 User Guide. ......................................................................................... 30 1.23 Where to Now. .................................................................................... 34 2 BrailleNote mPower BT Hardware....................................................... 37 2.1 The Battery.......................................................................................... 37 2.2 Long Term Storage. ............................................................................ 43 2.3 Using the Serial Port. .......................................................................... 44 2.4 PC Cards.............................................................................................. 50 2.5 Compact Flash Cards. ......................................................................... 52 2.6 Secure Digital Cards. .......................................................................... 53 2.7 USB Peripherals. ................................................................................. 54 2.8 Using a Remote Visual Display. ......................................................... 56 2.9 BrailleTerminal for Screen Reader. .................................................... 59 2.10 Remote Synthesizer............................................................................. 60 2.11 Braille Display Care. ........................................................................... 61 2.12 General Care........................................................................................ 61 3 Word Processor. .................................................................................. 63 3.1 What is a Word Processor. .................................................................. 63 3.2 Braille and Text................................................................................... 64 3.3 The KeyWord Menu. .......................................................................... 65 3.4 Documents Folders and Drives. .......................................................... 65 3.5 Opening a Document...........................................................................67 3.6 Naming a Document. .......................................................................... 68 3.7 Creating a Document...........................................................................69 3.8 Reading a Document. .......................................................................... 70 3.9 Review Commands. ............................................................................ 76 3.10 The Cursor........................................................................................... 77 3.11 Braille Display Modes.........................................................................79 3.12 Format Indicators. ............................................................................... 81 3.13 Editing a Document............................................................................. 86 3.14 Breaking your Document into Pages. ................................................. 90 3.15 Checking the Word Count and File name........................................... 91 3.16 Searching a Document. ....................................................................... 91 3.17 Checking the Cursor Position. ............................................................ 95 3.18 Going to a Specified Position..............................................................95 3.19 Marking Places for Quick Reference. ................................................. 96 3.20 The Spelling Checker. ......................................................................... 98 3.21 Opening ASCII and Plain Braille format Documents. ..................... 103 3.22 Large Documents. ............................................................................. 106 3.23 Switching Between Documents. ....................................................... 106 4 Book Reader. ..................................................................................... 107 4.1 Instant Braille Transcription. ............................................................ 107 4.2 Reading the Sample Book................................................................. 107 4.3 Braille Display thumb Key Commands. ........................................... 108 4.4 The Review Cursor. .......................................................................... 109 4.5 Additional Reading Commands. ....................................................... 110 4.6 Miscellaneous commands. ................................................................ 112 4.7 Review Book Opening Options. ....................................................... 113 4.8 Reading Books Stored on Other Drives............................................ 115 4.9 Exiting KeyBook............................................................................... 117 4.10 Bookshare.......................................................................................... 118 5 General Functions. ............................................................................ 123 5.1 Date. .................................................................................................. 124 5.2 Time Options..................................................................................... 124 5.3 Grade of Braille for Keyboard Entry. ............................................... 127 5.4 Braille Display Options..................................................................... 128 5.5 Keyboard Settings. ............................................................................ 134 5.6 Review Voice. ................................................................................... 136 5.7 Visual Display. .................................................................................. 140 5.8 Next Appointment. ............................................................................ 140 5.9 Power and Battery Status. ................................................................. 140 5.10 User Guide. ....................................................................................... 140 5.11 Insertion............................................................................................. 141 5.12 Repeat and Spell................................................................................ 142 5.13 Hear Punctuation. .............................................................................. 142 5.14 Move to Another Task. ..................................................................... 143 5.15 Front Thumb Keys On/Off................................................................ 144 5.16 Change Speech Volume Rate and Pitch............................................ 144 5.17 Editing at a Prompt............................................................................ 145 6 Embossing and Printing Documents..................................................147 6.1 Setting Up the Embosser or Printer. ................................................. 147 6.2 Printing with Infrared........................................................................ 147 6.3 Printing with USB. ............................................................................ 147 6.4 Printing with Bluetooth. .................................................................... 148 6.5 Embossing or Printing a Document. ................................................. 149 6.6 Embossing Options. .......................................................................... 149 6.7 Embossing a Group of Documents. .................................................. 151 6.8 The Embosser Set-up List. ................................................................ 151 6.9 Printing a Braille Document. ............................................................ 154 6.10 Testing the Embosser. ....................................................................... 155 6.11 The Printer Set-Up List. .................................................................... 156 6.12 Testing the Printer. ............................................................................ 157 7 Advanced Word Processing. ............................................................. 159 7.1 Overview. .......................................................................................... 160 7.2 Document Types. .............................................................................. 161 7.3 Formatting a Braille Document......................................................... 162 7.4 Formatting a Braille Document for Ink-printing. ............................. 175 7.5 Block Commands. ............................................................................. 184 7.6 Cursor Movement Modes.................................................................. 193 7.7 Moving to the Start of the Next Line. ............................................... 194 7.8 Moving to the Next Tab. ................................................................... 194 7.9 Inserting the Time Date or Calculator Result. .................................. 195 7.10 Binding Spaces.................................................................................. 196 7.11 Pasting an Address. ........................................................................... 196 7.12 Working with Documents on other Drives. ...................................... 197 7.13 Saving a Document. .......................................................................... 198 7.14 Quitting a Document. ........................................................................ 199 7.15 Creating Other Document Types. ..................................................... 200 7.16 Text Documents. ............................................................................... 201 7.17 Computer Braille. .............................................................................. 203 7.18 Formatting a Text Document. ........................................................... 206 7.19 Initial Format Settings in a Document. ............................................. 216 7.20 Extended Characters.......................................................................... 217 8 Scientific Calculator. .......................................................................... 225 8.1 Entering KeyPlus. ............................................................................. 225 8.2 Entering a Calculation....................................................................... 226 8.3 Basic Operations. .............................................................................. 228 8.4 Memory Operations. ......................................................................... 235 8.5 Scientific Operations. ........................................................................ 237 8.6 Inserting a Result or a Calculation.................................................... 241 9 Planner. ............................................................................................. 243 9.1 Entering the Planner. ......................................................................... 243 9.2 The KeyPlan Menu. .......................................................................... 243 9.3 Selecting a Date................................................................................. 244 9.4 Scheduling Appointments. ................................................................ 248 9.5 Recurring Appointments. .................................................................. 250 9.6 Reviewing the Appointments............................................................ 256 9.7 Changing an Existing Appointment.................................................. 260 9.8 Selecting Another Date. .................................................................... 262 9.9 Alarms. .............................................................................................. 263 9.10 Embossing and Printing. ................................................................... 266 10 Address List. ...................................................................................... 267 10.1 Adding an Address. ........................................................................... 268 10.2 Looking Up an Address. ................................................................... 271 10.3 Changing a Field or Adding More Information................................ 273 10.4 Deleting a Record.............................................................................. 274 10.5 Duplicating a Record.........................................................................275 10.6 Inserting an Address into a Document.............................................. 275 10.7 Embossing Addresses. ...................................................................... 276 10.8 Printing Addresses. ........................................................................... 278 10.9 Templates. ......................................................................................... 278 10.10 Copying Addresses............................................................................282 10.11 Selecting an Address List.................................................................. 285 10.12 Creating an Address List................................................................... 286 10.13 Using KeyList to Manipulate Databases........................................... 288 11 E-mail................................................................................................. 289 11.1 What Can KeyMail Do. .................................................................... 290 11.2 KeyMail Menu. ................................................................................. 291 11.3 Before You Start. .............................................................................. 293 11.4 Correcting Input Errors. .................................................................... 294 11.5 Writing an E-mail Message............................................................... 295 11.6 Attaching a file to an e-mail.............................................................. 297 11.7 Read E-mail....................................................................................... 298 11.8 Connect to Send and Receive E-mail................................................ 312 11.9 Setup Options. ................................................................................... 316 12 Web Browser. .................................................................................... 323 12.1 Connecting to the World Wide Web................................................. 323 12.2 Changing to another Part of KeySoft................................................ 324 12.3 Logging on. ....................................................................................... 325 12.4 Navigation. ........................................................................................ 326 12.5 Moving from Page to Page or Site to Site......................................... 330 12.6 Page Management. ............................................................................ 331 12.7 Application Management. ................................................................. 334 12.8 Favorites. ........................................................................................... 337 12.9 Tables. ............................................................................................... 339 12.10 History. .............................................................................................. 340 12.11 Saving and Refreshing Web Pages. .................................................. 342 12.12 How to Download a file. ................................................................... 343 13 Connectivity ....................................................................................... 345 13.1 Understanding Connectivity Concepts. ............................................ 346 13.2 Connection Configurations. .............................................................. 347 13.3 The Connectivity Menu. ................................................................... 348 13.4 Using a Wireless Connection. ........................................................... 349 13.5 Wireless Configuration Options........................................................353 13.6 Dial up and LAN Connections.......................................................... 354 13.7 Active Connection Details. ............................................................... 360 13.8 Review an existing connection configuration................................... 360 13.9 Glossary of terms: ............................................................................. 362 13.10 Troubleshooting. ............................................................................... 362 13.11 Firewalls. ........................................................................................... 363 13.12 Bluetooth. .......................................................................................... 364 13.13 Accessing the Network through your BrailleNote BT...................... 368 13.14 ActiveSync. ....................................................................................... 373 13.15 KeySync. ........................................................................................... 384 13.16 File Synchronization. ........................................................................ 401 14 File Manager...................................................................................... 403 14.1 Selecting Files Folders and Drives. .................................................. 404 14.2 Checking the Spelling of Folder or File Names. .............................. 404 14.3 The Directory Option. ....................................................................... 405 14.4 Folder Manager. ................................................................................ 405 14.5 Document and File Types. ................................................................ 408 14.6 Copying a File. .................................................................................. 410 14.7 Erasing a File..................................................................................... 411 14.8 Renaming a File. ............................................................................... 411 14.9 Moving a File. ................................................................................... 412 14.10 Protecting a File. ............................................................................... 412 14.11 Groups of Files and Wild Cards........................................................ 413 14.12 What is a Directory. .......................................................................... 415 14.13 Creating Renaming and Erasing Sub-Directories. ............................ 418 14.14 File Translation. ................................................................................ 421 14.15 Translation Menu. ............................................................................. 422 14.16 Importing Files. ................................................................................. 422 15 Utilities Menu. .................................................................................... 439 15.1 Backup or Restore Files. ................................................................... 439 15.2 Pronunciation Dictionary. ................................................................. 443 15.3 Date and Time Set. ............................................................................ 446 15.4 Application Programs. ...................................................................... 448 15.5 Miscellaneous Options. ..................................................................... 448 15.6 Key Management. ............................................................................. 450 16 Media Center. .................................................................................... 451 16.1 Media Player. .................................................................................... 451 16.2 Audio Recorder. ................................................................................ 459 17 Database Manager. ........................................................................... 473 17.1 KeyBase Menu. ................................................................................. 475 17.2 Exporting data. .................................................................................. 485 17.3 Creating a new Database. .................................................................. 486 17.4 Sort Orders. ....................................................................................... 496 17.5 Record Title....................................................................................... 498 17.6 Associated Database Name ............................................................... 499 17.7 Database File Management. .............................................................. 501 18 Games. .............................................................................................. 503 18.1 Starting a game.................................................................................. 505 18.2 Entering commands........................................................................... 506 18.3 Leaving a game. ................................................................................ 509 18.4 Saving games. ................................................................................... 510 18.5 Reading previous moves. .................................................................. 511 18.6 The status line. .................................................................................. 513 18.7 The single key mode. ........................................................................ 514 18.8 Downloading and playing more games............................................. 515 18.9 Selecting games for children............................................................. 515 18.10 Freely available games. ..................................................................... 515 18.11 Commercial games............................................................................ 516 18.12 Hints and walkthroughs. ................................................................... 516 18.13 Internet resources. ............................................................................. 517 18.14 History of text adventure games. ...................................................... 518 19 Command Summary.......................................................................... 519 19.1 General Commands. .......................................................................... 519 19.2 Word Processor. ................................................................................ 527 19.3 Calculator. ......................................................................................... 537 19.4 Planner............................................................................................... 542 19.5 Address List. ..................................................................................... 547 19.6 E-mail. ............................................................................................... 548 19.7 Database Manager. ............................................................................ 550 19.8 Games................................................................................................ 552 19.9 Unicode Characters. .......................................................................... 554 19.10 Web Browser..................................................................................... 554 19.11 Stopwatch. ......................................................................................... 559 19.12 Media Player. .................................................................................... 560 Appendix A User Settings for BrailleNote BT. ........................................... 563 Appendix B Information on BookShare. .................................................... 565 Appendix C Troubleshooting the BrailleNote BT. ...................................... 567 Appendix D Computer Braille Reference List. ........................................... 571 1 Getting Started. Welcome to the BrailleNote mPower BT, an innovative personal productivity system, from HumanWare. The BrailleNote mPower BT incorporates a Braille style keyboard, a choice of 18 or 32 cell Braille display, high quality responsive speech and a suite of powerful applications running under the Windows CE operating system, all packaged into a truly portable system. This User Guide tells you all about them. Note: For ease of reading, the BrailleNote mPower BT will be referred to as BrailleNote BT throughout most of this user guide. 1.1 Equipment Checklist. Carefully unpack your BrailleNote BT. Save the box and packing materials for future use. Your BrailleNote BT package comprises the following items: BrailleNote mPower BT; AC adapter; Slim line carrying case; Earphones; Modem data cable; Serial communications cable; 9 to 25 pin cable adapter; Audio CD containing a "Getting Started Tutorial;" Getting Started Guide in embossed Braille; Command summary in ink-print; PC software for BrailleNote Family on CD-ROM. Your BrailleNote BT may also include a modem cable adapter if you live in the UK, Australia or New Zealand. 1.1.1 Optional items include: BrailleNote GPS. Braille Manual. Multilingual – add on languages including french, german and spanish. Software Maintenance agreements. 1.2 General Features. The BrailleNote BT is a compact portable Personal Organizer with an ergonomic Braille keyboard, and a Braille display. The Braille display may be either 18 or 32 cells with each cell comprising 8 dots, allowing for both the display of 6 dot and 8 dot Braille. Each cell of the Braille display has an associated cursor routing button. Four thumb keys on the front of the BrailleNote BT supplement the Braille display and provide convenient navigation control. The BrailleNote BT also has synthesized speech output that can be used in conjunction with the Braille display or on its own. The BrailleNote BT runs on AC power or batteries. Indications of battery and charger status are displayed on the Braille display and spoken. The BrailleNote BT runs under the Windows CE 4.2 operating system. It has serial, USB client and host ports and a Bluetooth transceiver as well as a high-speed infrared port. The BrailleNote BT has 128MB of flash memory technology to retain information indefinitely even if the batteries run flat. A Type 2 Compact Flash slot and a Type 2 PC card slot allow for additional storage and LAN and/or wireless Network options. The Secure Digital (SD) card slot allows for another 1 Gigabyte of memory, and the USB host port will take a range of memory devices. 1.3 Software Features. A multi-purpose program, called KeySoft, running under the Windows CE operating system, is especially designed for people with a visual impairment. KeySoft provides the following functions: A word processor called KeyWord that is powerful yet surprisingly simple to learn. KeyWord has most of the features of an office word processor, including unlimited text insertion, search and replace, indents, clipboard operations, spell check and so on. It can even directly import and export the popular Microsoft Word format documents. An e-mail program called KeyMail that lets you send and receive electronic mail. KeyMail works using a standard e-mail connection. You can also send and receive attachments with your e-mail. An internet browser called KeyWeb, that allows you to search and use the world wide web and also read locally stored html documents. A Media player that plays a range of audio format files and allows you to record and play back memos. It also provides you with an FM Radio that can be automatically tuned and have multiple stations preset. A calendar, scheduler and planner called KeyPlan. Your entries may include alarms that sound even if the BrailleNote BT is switched off. An address list manager called KeyList that sorts your entries and allows flexible searching. Addresses can be copied into letters and e-mail. A synchronization Tool called KeySync that works in conjunction with KeyPlan and KeyList to keep their records up to date with MS Outlook on a PC. A 10 digit scientific calculator called KeyPlus. Support is provided for both Nemeth and British Braille mathematics. A book reader called KeyBook that enables you to read Braille books, or books in any standard text format including Microsoft Word format. Books opened in KeyBook are protected from accidental editing. A Keyboard Learn function that helps you to learn the keyboard layout and the available quick key functions. A File Manager that allows folder management and files to be copied, renamed, protected, deleted or translated. A program called ActiveSync that allows the BrailleNote BT disk structure to be viewed and managed on a PC running Microsoft Windows. A Database Manager called KeyBase that allows you to develop new databases and modify the definition of existing databases. An application that enables you to play text adventure games, also known as Interactive Fiction. These games are played using text-based input and output. A Remote Synthesizer mode that allows the BrailleNote BT to act as a speech synthesizer for other computers. You can switch easily between these KeySoft tasks, which are fully integrated so you can transfer information between them. KeySoft has both forward and back translators, so a text document can be imported into the BrailleNote BT and translated automatically into an uncontracted (grade 1) or contracted (grade 2) Braille document, and vice versa. The BrailleNote BT can output its display to a separate visual display. Sighted observers or teachers can use the visual display screen to view what you are doing on the BrailleNote BT. A remote screen viewer based on the Palm hand-held computer is also available. Information can be transferred to and from another computer such as a PC or Apple Macintosh, or specialized equipment such as a self-contained scanning system. BrailleNote BT has a one-handed Braille input keyboard mode, providing convenience for people restricted to the use of one hand. 1.3.1 The Windows CE Operating System. The Windows CE operating system version 4.2 is a modern, powerful operating system designed for small hand-held computers. It supports many technologies such as e-mail, desktop PC synchronization, portable mass storage and more. 1.4 Orientation. BrailleNote BT is supplied in a slim line wrap around leather carry case. To open the case, lift the flap on the front edge. Fold back the case to allow operation of the BrailleNote BT. On the front edge of the BrailleNote BT you will find 4 buttons called thumb keys. Position the BrailleNote BT with these keys facing you. You can operate the BrailleNote BT while it is in its carry case. 1.5 Thumb Keys. The four keys facing you are normally operated by your thumbs so we call them “Thumb keys” to differentiate them from the main keyboard keys. They are used in conjunction with the Braille display when reading and navigating menus and lists. They can be operated using your thumbs without moving your fingers from the Braille display discussed in the next section. The thumb keys can be set up for left-handed or right-handed operation. You can also create a custom thumb key set up to suit your personal preference as discussed in 5.4.15 Thumb Key Set. The factory setting is right-handed. The thumb keys are named as follows: PREVIOUS, BACK, ADVANCE and NEXT. In the right-handed configuration the key functions are assigned from left to right in that order with PREVIOUS on the left and NEXT on the right. For the left-handed configuration the functions are assigned in the reverse order with PREVIOUS on the far right and NEXT on the far left. 1.6 Braille Display. If you put your thumbs on the thumb keys and drop your fingers, they will be positioned on or about the Braille display. The electronic Braille display comprises either eighteen or thirty-two identical eight dot cells that can display any Braille symbol. Each dot of the Braille display is, in fact, a pin that is controlled electronically. To display a dot the pin is raised and the pin is lowered when there is no dot. When the display is off all dots are raised slightly and are somewhat spongy to touch. The Braille display is able to be refreshed; it can be written and re-written repeatedly. 1.7 Touch Cursor. If you run your finger up past Braille cell, you will notice that there is a curved, springy strip above it with a raised vertical ridge through the middle. This is the touch cursor button for that Braille cell. It is especially useful when editing a document. In KeyWord, for example, when you press a touch cursor button, the cursor moves to that cell. You can then edit the character displaying on that cell, if any. This is discussed in chapter 3. The touch cursor can also be used to select an item from a menu or list. 1.8 Keyboard. On the top surface of the BrailleNote BT you will find the Braille keyboard. It is like a Braille writer, with eight keys and a space bar. The two extra keys on the extreme left and right are for your little fingers. The left-hand key is called BACKSPACE, or sometimes dot 7, and the right-hand key is called ENTER, or dot 8. The single space bar is in the usual place. In this User Guide, key presses are described in the following way. The instruction: Press H means that you should press the dots for the letter H, which are 1, 2, and 5, then release them. This instruction may also be presented as: Press dots 1-2-5. The order in which you press the keys does not matter. The character is typed when the keys are released. You will also encounter instructions such as: "press SPACE with H". This means that you press the space bar as well as dots 1-2-5, and then release them. This may seem very strange at first, because you are probably accustomed to pressing the space bar by itself to create a space between words. In KeySoft, the space bar pressed by itself produces a space in the same way but in addition, it is used in combination with other keys to obtain many KeySoft commands. Similarly, the BACKSPACE and ENTER keys can be used on their own or in combination with other keys. 1.9 Power Switch. From the front edge of your BrailleNote BT, move your hand along the left side of the case and towards the rear and you will come upon a rocker type power switch surrounded by a raised rectangular frame. To switch the BrailleNote BT on, press the power switch near the front of the rocker. A power on message is displayed, the content of which will depend on where the BrailleNote BT was when you last switched off. To switch off, press the power switch near the rear of the rocker. Every time you switch the BrailleNote BT on, its operation resumes in exactly the same place as it was when you switched it off. If you are not sure if the BrailleNote BT is on or off, feel the position of the power switch. If you don’t use the BrailleNote BT for approximately 10 minutes it will enter hibernate mode, where the power drawn from the battery is the same as if the unit was switched off. Pressing any key will end the hibernate mode, but it is recommended that you momentarily press BACKSPACE with ENTER to end the hibernate mode. This will avoid the possibility of inserting unwanted characters if a document was open when the unit entered the hibernate mode. If your BrailleNote BT displays "Battery low," or does not come to life, you should plug in the AC adapter. The power socket is located at the rear of the BrailleNote BT on the extreme left. Locate the socket then the small plug on the end of the AC adapter cable. Plug the small AC adapter plug into the socket. Plug the AC adapter into a wall socket. The message "AC adapter on" is displayed to confirm battery charging is in progress. If the BrailleNote BT does not start, wait 30 seconds or so and try switching it off then on again. If this does not work then press the Reset button. The BrailleNote BT immediately beeps to confirm that it has been reset. After about 10 seconds, KeySoft displays a sign on message and resumes from the Main Menu. 1.9.1 Resetting the BrailleNote BT. The Reset button is located just behind the Power switch. The Reset button is recessed to avoid accidental operation, so you may need to use a pointed object to press it. Details of when and how to reset the BrailleNote BT are mentioned in context throughout this user guide. There is also a detailed description of each type of reset in Appendix C Troubleshooting, as well as reference to each type under Reset Topics in the online index. 1.10 Speech. You can listen to the BrailleNote BT using either the built-in loudspeaker at the center back of the BrailleNote BT or headphones. If headphones are plugged in, the loudspeaker is automatically disabled. The headphone socket is on the left hand side of the unit, the first one you encounter as you slide your hand from front to back. The speech volume, speed and pitch can all be controlled by keyboard commands. These commands are described fully in 1.15.6 Setting Speech Volume Speed and Pitch, but nevertheless it is important to know how to control the volume of the speech right now. To increase the volume press ENTER with dot 4 To gradually increase the volume you can hold down the ENTER key and tap the dot 4 key repeatedly. To decrease the volume press ENTER with dot 1. The speech supplements the Braille display. You might prefer the Braille display when editing text, reading detailed material or accessing notes during meetings but prefer speech for reading longer documents such as novels when reading for pleasure. We will explain how to turn off the speech or the Braille display later. 1.11 Earphones. BrailleNote BT comes with a set of earphones. To use the earphones, adjust the volume to a comfortable level after fitting the earphones and while the BrailleNote BT is speaking. The BrailleNote BT will also work with a wide range of other popular ear- and headphone styles. 1.12 KeySoft Concepts. Learning to use the BrailleNote BT is easy because the User Interface is very consistent. Similar operations in different parts of KeySoft are carried out in similar ways. This section covers the concepts behind the way KeySoft operates. 1.12.1 Help Messages. At any point in KeySoft you can get information about the options that are available. To do this, press SPACE with H. KeySoft help is context sensitive, which means that you are only given help relevant to your current situation. Remember to press SPACE with H for Help when you need it. It does not affect your work in any way, and after you have finished reading the Help message, you are returned to the point at which you selected Help. When the help system is being used to review a list of available commands, pressing ENTER on the displayed command will cause that command to be executed. To read a longer Help message on the Braille display, use the ADVANCE thumb key and to review the message use the BACK thumb key. The Braille grade used when displaying text can be selected. The factory setting is Grade 2 Braille. You can change the setting as described in 5.4.6 Preferred Reading Grade. 1.12.2 Prompts. Whenever KeySoft requires input from you, a brief message called a prompt is displayed. The prompt indicates what input is required from you. If you are unsure how to respond, press SPACE with H for help. Where possible, KeySoft offers reasonable suggested choices. BrailleNote BT provides prompts in Braille, speech or both together. The factory set up turns on both the Braille display and speech and the following discussion assumes that both are on. You can read the Braille display or listen to the voice or do both. When this User Guide states that the BrailleNote BT "displays a message" it is referring to both the message appearing on the Braille display and being spoken. You will notice that the prompt that appears on the Braille display is often in shorter form than the announced version, which is the one quoted in this User Guide. For example, the BrailleNote BT will announce, "Folder name? Press ENTER for General" while it displays, "Folder name? General". You can turn off one or other of the outputs; refer to 1.15.1 Turning the Braille Display On or Off and 1.15.2 Turning Speech On or Off. 1.12.3 Reading Prompts on the Braille Display. Generally the prompts displayed in Braille are identical to what is spoken. Sometimes there are slight differences because what is appropriate in speech does not need to be displayed in Braille. Also, because the Braille display has a limited length, Braille output is limited to the number of whole words that fit on the display. If a prompt is longer than the Braille display or you are reading a long passage of Braille, you can scroll the Braille display to see the next group of words by pressing the ADVANCE thumb key. In the following discussion it is assumed that you will scroll to read the full prompt as necessary. Remember you can also scroll back to see the previous display by pressing the BACK thumb key. To help reading longer messages and prompts you can press PREVIOUS together with BACK to move the Braille display one word to the left. Pressing PREVIOUS together with ADVANCE moves the Braille display one word to the right. You can return to the previous prompt by pressing PREVIOUS at any time. 1.12.4 Repeating Spoken Prompts. If you miss hearing a prompt when it is spoken the first time, don't worry. You can listen to it again by pressing SPACE with R. 1.12.5 Automatic Cut-off of Prompts. KeySoft gives detailed spoken prompts and messages to help you learn the system. To prevent these messages slowing down an experienced user, speech is cut off automatically by the next keystroke. 1.12.6 Menus. KeySoft uses a series of menus to provide a quick and easy way of performing many complex functions. Each menu contains a list of options from which to choose. For example, the Main Menu allows you to select the Word Processor, Planner, Address List, and so on. The selection of items is described in 1.12.6 Reviewing the Main Menu. Many of the more frequently used functions are also available via short-cut key combinations. These are mentioned in context throughout this user guide, as well as being listed in the Command Summary. 1.12.7 Exiting the Current Activity. Another concept used throughout KeySoft is that of exiting what you are doing and taking one step back to the previous option point. You can do this by pressing SPACE with E particularly while using the keyboard, or the PREVIOUS thumb key particularly when you are using the Braille display. 1.12.8 Instant Access. You can switch from one KeySoft task to another with a simple key sequence. For example, you can switch from the Word Processor to the Planner, and then return to the same point in your document. For information on how to do this, refer to 1.16 Switching Between Tasks. 1.12.9 Braille Documents. KeySoft assumes that you want to create Braille documents, so that is the suggested choice. You also have the option of generating text documents directly. 1.13 The KeySoft Menus. 1.13.1 Structure. The entry point to KeySoft is the Main Menu, which contains 17 items. You can display each of these items in turn, and select one. When you have done this, you are generally presented with another menu. The system may extend to 3 or 4 levels of sub-menu. This structure is an important aspect of KeySoft. Items are grouped together for easy location, so a huge range of functions can be found from one starting point, the Main Menu. For example, if you start at the Main Menu and choose the Word processor option, you are presented with the KeyWord menu. This contains the following items: Create a document, Open a document, Emboss a document, Print a document, and Setup options. These all relate to word-processing. If you choose to Emboss a document, you are presented with a further choice of Embossing, or Setting up the embosser, and so on. Now let's see how the Main Menu works. 1.13.2 Reading a List or Menu. You can read through any menu or list using only the thumb keys and Braille display. Consequently, you can keep your hands on the Braille display avoiding the need to go back and forwards between the Braille display and keyboard. The thumb keys perform the following functions: To step forwards through a menu - press the ADVANCE thumb key. Menu items are displayed one at a time. To step back through a menu - press the BACK thumb key. Menu items are displayed one at a time in reverse order. To select a menu item - press the NEXT thumb key. To exit a menu - press the PREVIOUS thumb key. 1.13.3 Reviewing the Main Menu. To start with, go to the Main Menu by pressing SPACE with dots 1 through to 6. KeySoft displays: "Main Menu." To display the first item of the Main Menu, press SPACE or ADVANCE . KeySoft displays: "Word processor." You could select the word processor at this point, but our present object is to review all the items in the Main Menu. So, press SPACE or ADVANCE repeatedly, pausing to read and listen to each of the 17 options in the menu, which are: Word Processor; Planner; Address List; E-mail; Internet; Media Center, which includes the Media Player, audio recording options and the FM Radio; Book Reader; Scientific Calculator; Database Manager; Games; File Manager, which allows files to be copied, translated, etc; Utilities, which is a group of general purpose functions; Terminal for Screen Reader, which allows the BrailleNote BT to act as a Braille display for other computers; Remote Synthesizer, which makes the BrailleNote BT act as a speech synthesizer for other computers; Keyboard Learn, which helps you to learn the Braille keyboard functions; For Information press SPACE with I, which provides information about the BrailleNote BT such as the serial number and software version. For the Options Menu, press SPACE with O, anywhere, which is a reminder of how to access the Options Menu. The last item is: "End of Menu." Having stepped forward along the menu by pressing SPACE or ADVANCE repeatedly, you can step back by pressing BACKSPACE or BACK repeatedly. When using speech, if you don't want to hear a complete announcement, you can cut it off and move to the next item by pressing SPACE or BACKSPACE. This speech cut-off occurs at all points in KeySoft. 1.13.4 Selecting from the Main Menu. When KeySoft displays the option you want, press the ENTER key. The exceptions are Information and Options Menu, which contain directions on how to access them. Don't worry about getting in over your head, because you can always back out of a selection by pressing SPACE with E for exit on the keyboard. When you have selected an item from the Main Menu, you are generally presented with another menu, from which you can again select an item. To display a Help message describing your options at any point, press SPACE with H. To return to the previous menu, press SPACE with E. To go directly to the Main Menu, press SPACE with dots 1 through to 6. 1.13.5 Keyboard shortcuts. As well as moving through the menus an item at a time as described in the previous section, you can take a keyboard shortcut directly to the menu item by typing its first letter. This automatically selects the item, so instead of having to press ENTER when the item is displayed, KeySoft takes you straight to the action selected when you would have pressed ENTER. For example, if you were at the Main Menu and you wanted to go to the Word processor, you could press W. Instead of "Word processor", KeySoft will go straight to "KeyWord Menu". Press O and instead of "Open a Document", KeySoft will go straight to "Folder Name". This is a real time saver. 1.14 A First Experience. Most people hate reading User Guides. They would much rather just have a go, on the presumption that if the product is any good, it should be obvious how it works. If that's you, then this is your section. We'll go through two simple demonstrations: in the first we'll create a basic word processor document, and in the second we'll do an addition with the calculator. You should only need the simple commands that have been introduced so far. If you are not keen on jumping in at the deep end, don't panic. It's not essential to follow these demonstrations, because after this part we'll revert to normal manual mode, and describe in detail all the wonderful things that the BrailleNote BT can do. 1.14.1 Writing a Simple Document. The aim of this first exercise is to write a very simple document with the word processor. To reach a common starting point, go to the Main Menu by pressing SPACE with dots 1 through to 6. Your BrailleNote BT displays: "Main menu." To get to the word processor, press W. Your BrailleNote BT displays: "KeyWord menu." To Create a document, press C, for Create, and your BrailleNote BT displays: "Folder name? General," KeySoft is asking which part of its filing system you want to use, and is offering the "General" folder. This is fine for now, so follow the prompt and press ENTER. KeySoft then displays: "Document to create?" You are being asked to provide a name for the new document, so Braille a name such as: "test." You can do this in Grade 1, as: ‘t e s t’, or in Grade 2 as: ‘t e’ followed by the ‘s t’ sign. A capital sign is optional because KeySoft does not take them into account when finding documents. When you have typed the name, press ENTER. Your BrailleNote BT displays: "Top of document. Blank." This means that you have created a new document named “Test,” and the cursor is sitting at the top of it. The Braille display is completely blank. You are now free to Braille whatever you like. For this demo, just Braille a simple sentence such as: "This is a test of my new BrailleNote BT." You can use Grade 1 or Grade 2 as you wish. Braille the first word and press SPACE. The characters are displayed on the Braille display as you Braille. The cursor, dots 7-8, appears to the right of the last character Brailled. This shows where the next character will be entered. Each word is spoken when the space bar is pressed. Complete your sentence. That's all we'll write for now. To finish this little exercise, press SPACE with E. Your BrailleNote BT displays: "KeyWord menu." You are back at the Word processor menu, and your new document has been automatically saved. If you press SPACE with E again you arrive back where you started, at the Main Menu. 1.14.2 Trying Out the Calculator. You might also like to try out the Calculator, which you can do without any extensive knowledge of the BrailleNote BT. From the Main Menu, go to the Scientific Calculator by pressing S. You hear: "KeyPlus. Zero." On the Braille display, just 0, number sign followed by the letter J, is displayed. This means that the Calculator is ready. If someone has previously used the Calculator and it displays a number other than 0, you can clear it by pressing SPACE with dots 3-5-6. Both the Nemeth Braille Code for Mathematics and the UK Braille Mathematics Notation are supported. The correct code for your country is automatically selected when you set up your Calculator Braille Language as described in 5.4.11 Computer Braille Language. Let's try calculating 2 + 3. The BrailleNote BT knows that you are using the Calculator, so you don't need to use any number signs. The numbers 1 through 9 and zero are just the letters A through J. Input the following key sequence without using the SPACE bar in between entries. First Braille 2, the "plus" operand, then Braille 3. Complete the calculation by pressing ENTER. The number 5 will be displayed. You can review the calculation by pressing the PREVIOUS and NEXT thumb keys together. The Braille display will show 2 + 3 = 5. Pressing the PREVIOUS and NEXT thumb keys again will return to just displaying the answer. If the speech is on, the speech will mirror the content on the Braille display. To complete the exercise, press SPACE with dots 1 through to 6, to return to the Main Menu. 1.15 General Functions. Some useful general functions are available wherever you are in KeySoft. These functions may be accessed from the Options Menu, or often more conveniently via a Quick Command sequence. The general functions allow you to control the configuration of Time, Date, Braille settings and so on. You could be using the Word processor, or using the Calculator, or reading a menu when you request one of these functions. After display of the requested function you are returned to the place from where you initiated the request. The Quick Commands typically use the SPACE, BACKSPACE or ENTER key in combination with another letter. For example, ENTER with T displays the current time. Not all items on the Options Menu have an associated Quick Command key combination. Pressing SPACE with O anywhere in KeySoft will access the Options Menu. KeySoft displays: "Options menu." The Options Menu can then be reviewed by pressing the SPACE and BACKSPACE keys on the keyboard. The Options Menu comprises a long list of items. Only some of the items are relevant at this point but the complete list is provided so you know what to expect when you read the menu. Where applicable, the equivalent Quick Command is also given. The Options Menu contains the following items: Grade of Braille for Keyboard entry; Braille Display Options; Keyboard settings; BACKSPACE with ENTER with K Review voice; BACKSPACE with ENTER with R Connectivity; Visual display; Next appointment; ENTER with N Hear punctuation. Repeat with maximum punctuation; ENTER with H Move to another task; SPACE with dots 2-3-5 and finally the speech settings, a list of 6 items that tell you how to adjust the volume, speed and pitch of KeySoft's speech, and the 2 media player volume commands complete the Options menu. The "Insertion" item is displayed only when it is appropriate to insert such things as the date or time such as in KeyWord. To select an item, move through the menu until the required item is displayed, and then press ENTER. Alternatively, from anywhere in the Options menu, press the initial letter of your choice. This does not apply to the speech settings, which are discussed in 1.15.6 Setting Speech Volume Speed and Pitch. We will now deal with some of the more commonly used items in the Options menu. All the functions in the Options Menu are detailed in Chapter 5. 1.15.1 Turning the Braille Display On or Off. To turn off the Braille display, hold down the NEXT thumb key, press SPACE, then release both keys. The same key combination turns the Braille display on. Note that if the Braille display is turned off when speech is off, speech is forced on. This avoids having both Braille and speech off simultaneously. The function to turn the Braille display off is also available from the Options Menu, under Braille Display Options. 1.15.2 Turning Speech On or Off. There are three speech options: Speech On, Speech on Request and Speech Off. If speech is currently on, hold down the PREVIOUS thumb key, press SPACE, then release both keys to select Speech on Request. KeySoft displays: "Speech on request." To select the next option, Speech Off, press the same key combination again. KeySoft confirms that speech is off by displaying "Speech off" only on the Braille display. To turn Speech On again, press that key combination again. KeySoft displays: "Speech on." You are returned to where you started with Speech On. When the Speech on Request option is selected, KeySoft only speaks when you use a command that is a specific speech command. For example, in KeyWord, the word processor, when you move forward word-by-word using SPACE with dot 5, nothing is spoken. However if you use the dedicated "Speak Word under Cursor" command, SPACE with dots 2-5, the word under the cursor is spoken. Note that if speech is turned off when the Braille is off, the Braille display is forced on. This avoids having both Braille and speech off simultaneously. The function to select Speech On, Speech on Request, or Speech Off is also available from the Options Menu, under Review Voice. 1.15.3 Start-up Braille and Speech Mode. The BrailleNote BT may be forced to start in one of three modes when it is switched on. You may choose to start with Braille only, speech only, or both Braille and speech. This feature is very convenient if, for example, you have previously been using both Braille and speech, but you are now attending a meeting and for privacy you wish to start in the Braille only mode. As you turn on the switch, simply hold down one of the following key combinations: 1.15.4 Setting the Keyboard Voice. The first of these settings determines how KeySoft speaks what you type. Press SPACE with O, then K for Keyboard. KeySoft displays: "Keyboard voice? Words." The options are as follows: To turn off speech altogether, press F followed by ENTER; To spell words as they are typed, press S followed by ENTER; To speak whole words, press W followed by ENTER; To both spell and speak words, press B followed by ENTER; Or just press ENTER to leave the selection unchanged. The suggested setting is "Words." You can request help, using SPACE with H for a reminder of these options. Three further Keyboard settings are then presented relating to your preferred typing Braille grade, alerting of prompts requiring input of computer Braille and whether you wish to use 6 or 8 dot computer Braille. See 5.5.1 Preferred Keyboard Braille Grade. To leave the Keyboard Settings, press SPACE with E. 1.15.5 Repeating an Announcement. As we have already mentioned, you can get KeySoft to say a prompt again by pressing SPACE with R if you didn't quite catch it. To repeat the prompt with variables such as file names or folder names spelled out, press ENTER with S. To reveal the most detail, you can repeat the last prompt with full punctuation and spaces. To do this, press ENTER with H. After either command you are returned to your original place in KeySoft. 1.15.6 Setting Speech Volume Speed and Pitch. The characteristics of BrailleNote BT's voice can be changed anywhere in KeySoft, as follows: For higher volume, press ENTER with dot 4; For lower volume, press ENTER with dot 1; For faster speech, press ENTER with dot 6; For slower speech, press ENTER with dot 3; For higher pitch, press ENTER with dot 5; For lower pitch, press ENTER with dot 2. There are 32 volumes, 16 speeds and 16 pitches, and they change one step at each key press. A reminder of the commands is given in the Options Menu, at the end of the list. 1.15.7 Power and Battery Status. The BrailleNote BT Power & Battery status can be obtained at any time. Press SPACE with O, then P. KeySoft displays the battery charge level as a percentage of fully charged, and whether the AC Adapter is On or Off. For more details, refer to 2.1.3 Checking Power Status. 1.16 Switching Between Tasks. KeySoft allows you to move directly from one KeySoft task to another without returning to the Main Menu. You can switch between the Word processor, Scientific Calculator, Planner, Address List, E-Mail, etc. For example, if you are writing a document and you need an address, you can switch directly to the Address List, look up the address, and then return to the Word processor. You are placed back at the same point in your document. The following hot keys are available for switching tasks: To select the Word processor press BACKSPACE with ENTER with W; To select the Scientific Calculator press BACKSPACE with ENTER with S; To select the Database Manager press BACKSPACE with ENTER with D; To select the Games press BACKSPACE with ENTER with G; To select the Planner press BACKSPACE with ENTER with P; To select the Address List press BACKSPACE with ENTER with A; To select the E-mail system press BACKSPACE with ENTER with E; To select the Book Reader press BACKSPACE with ENTER with B; To select the Internet browser, press BACKSPACE with ENTER with I; To select the Media Player, press BACKSPACE with ENTER with M. There is also a Task menu available. To access this, either: 1. Press SPACE with O for the Options menu then M for Move to another task, or 2. Press SPACE with dots 2-3-5. KeySoft displays: "Task menu." You can make a selection by either: 1. Review the menu items using SPACE or ADVANCE and select one by pressing NEXT or ENTER. or, 2. Press the initial letter of the task; for example, W for Word Processor. Remember that, if necessary, you can always get back to the Main Menu by pressing SPACE with dots 1 through to 6. 1.17 Keyboard Assistance. There are two ways of getting help with keyboard input. The first is available from the Main Menu, and is called "Keyboard Learn." In Keyboard Learn, KeySoft displays the letter or sign of any dot combination that you press and also speaks it, but no further action results. It also displays the function of the thumb keys and key commands that are always available. For example, pressing ENTER with T will give the response “display the time.” Keyboard Learn is invaluable for familiarizing yourself with the keyboard layout and Quick Commands that are available at any point within KeySoft. The second mode works in the Word processor, Web browser, Calculator, Planner and Book reader. It is called Announce Key mode, and can be entered by pressing SPACE with W. In addition to displaying letters and signs, the function of any key or key combination is displayed. For example, in the Word processor, SPACE with dot 2 displays: "Back one word," without causing any further action. Announce Key mode is helpful for learning the commands available in the selected KeySoft application. You can exit either mode by pressing SPACE with E. 1.18 One-Handed Mode. BrailleNote BT provides a one-handed mode for users restricted to the use of one hand for Braille input. To turn on this mode, hold down BACKSPACE while switching on your BrailleNote BT, and keep holding it down until "One-handed mode" is displayed. This mode stays in effect until it is deliberately turned off. To type a character in one-handed mode you can press the dots at any time and in any order. When you have pressed all the required dots, press SPACE, and the character is entered. To enter the letter J, for example, you might press dot 2 first, and then dots 4 and 5 separately or together. After releasing the keys, press SPACE, and J is entered. To speed input the concluding SPACE may be performed in conjunction with key input. For example, to enter the letter J, you could press dot 2 first, and then dots 4-5 and the SPACE bar together. A command that includes SPACE can be obtained by pressing SPACE both before and after the other keys. For example, to return to the Main Menu, press and release SPACE, then press and release dots 1 to 6 in any combination or order, then press and release SPACE again. To make a space between words, press SPACE twice, after pressing SPACE once to enter the last character typed. The operation of the thumb keys remains the same as in two-handed mode. To return to two-handed mode, hold down the ENTER key while switching on the BrailleNote BT, and keep holding it down until KeySoft starts normally. If one-handed mode is on, the BrailleNote BT will advise this each time it is powered on, and will also advise what to do to return to the standard two-handed mode. 1.19 Saving before Switching off. Before you switch off your BrailleNote BT, it is good practice to return to the Main Menu first. This ensures your current work is saved. If you don't do this, and subsequently the battery becomes discharged, the current version of your work will be lost. That's fairly unlikely, but it's good insurance for the cost of one keystroke. If you have storage cards and/or an external memory drive , you should consider backing up your work regularly. It's a common thing to do with any computer. It minimizes the amount of data you could lose should a computer or software "crash" occur. You can back up all your working files by using the Back up function in the Utilities menu, as described in 15.1.1 Backing Up. 1.20 Setting Time and Date. When you first get your BrailleNote BT you should check that the time, date and Time Zone settings are correctly set. By selecting your correct time zone, you can have the BrailleNote BT’s clock adjust automatically when you select whether you are in or out of daylight saving time. If the BrailleNote BT’s battery goes completely flat, the system will advise that the time and date need to be set when the machine is restarted. To display the current day and date, press ENTER with D. To display the current time, press ENTER with T. These commands are available from any place within KeySoft. If either the date or the time is incorrect you can set new values and have them displayed in your preferred format from the “Date and Time Set” option in the Utilities Menu. To set the Date and time, follow this procedure. Remember that on-line help is available at any point by pressing SPACE with H, and that if you wish to leave a displayed value unchanged, just press ENTER to move onto the next item in the list. You may exit the setup list at any point by pressing SPACE with E. 1. Return to the Main Menu by pressing SPACE with dots 1 through to 6. 2. Press U to go to the Utilities Menu. 3. Press D to go to the Date and Time set option. 4. Choose your preferred date format. For USA format where the date is in the form month/day/year press S, or for UK format where the date is in the form day/month/year press K. To save your entry, press ENTER. 5. Choose your preferred time format, 12 or 24 hour. For a 12-hour clock press A, for a 24-hour clock press B then complete your entry by pressing ENTER. 6. Select your Time Zone. To cycle through the list of time zones, press SPACE with dots 3-4. Alternatively press the initial letter. Complete your entry by pressing ENTER. 7. In daylight saving time: Press Y if you are in daylight saving time, or N if you are not, followed by ENTER. 8. Enter the current time. Press SPACE with H to display instructions on how to enter the time in the format you have selected. 9. Enter the current date. Press SPACE with H to display instructions on how to enter the date in the format you have selected. After setting the time and date you will be returned to the Utilities Menu. Note: It is possible to set up the time to synchronize every time you use ActiveSync. This is covered in 13.14.7.1 Synchronizing Time in ActiveSync. 1.21 User Settings. BrailleNote BT provides many user definable options. As you get to know more about how your BrailleNote BT works, you can change the way it behaves to better suit your personal preferences. Your BrailleNote BT supplier will most probably have set the User settings most appropriate to your needs. The following items will be of principal interest: Speech; volume, rate, and pitch; Time and date correctly set, and in preferred format; Keyboard input voice setting; words, characters, or off; Review or reading voice settings; punctuation settings, numbers or digits; Braille language; US, UK, or Australian; Braille grade for keyboard input; grade 1, 2 or computer Braille; Calculator language Nemeth or UK math; Computer Braille language; US, UK, or Australian; Preferred cursor shape on Braille display; Preferred Braille reading grade; Computer Braille 6 dot or 8 dot; thumb key layout; Spelling checker dictionary language installed; Address list database installed; E-mail database installed. Some of these items have already been covered in this chapter, but for convenience, Appendix A of the User Guide provides additional assistance and, if appropriate, a reference to the relevant section in the User Guide. The next section explains how to use the Electronic User Guide to read a particular section of the user guide. After reading this next section, you could use the Electronic User Guide to read Appendix A, User settings for the BrailleNote BT. 1.22 User Guide. The User Guide is built into KeySoft, so that you can look it up any time you want. Using either the Table of Contents or the Index to locate a reference, the User Guide will take you directly to the topic you wish to read. If you wish to read the User Guide like a book rather than look up specific references, simply open the chapter or appendix in the Book Reader like any other book file. You will find the files in the Manuals folder on your KeySoft System Disk. Alternatively, the entire User Guide is available in several PC friendly formats on the CD-Rom that came with your BrailleNote BT. This gives you the option of working through a chapter trying things out on the BrailleNote BT while reading the user guide on a PC, printing or embossing a copy etc. The rest of this section concentrates on the on-board User Guide, how to access it and how to use it. 1.22.1 Electronic User Guide The text of this user guide is stored in your BrailleNote BT and is available for reference at any time. It is accessed through the Options Menu, or by the quick command BACKSPACE with ENTER with H. You can look up a topic in the Table of Contents or Index, and read that section of the user guide. When you are finished with that section, you can return to the Table of Contents or Index or exit the user guide. You are returned to your original place in KeySoft when you exit. If you have edited your user guide KeyWord Text files in any way (a practice we do not recommend as it can interfere with the table of contents and index functions) it is important to note that the user guide files are loaded on every reset. This means that to save any edited copies, you should first change the file names so the newly loaded copies do not over write them. To refer to the User Guide press SPACE with O for the Options menu, then U for the User Guide. If this is the very first time you have accessed the Electronic User Guide your BrailleNote BT displays: "Look up Table of Contents or Index?" Press T to select the Table of Contents or I to select the Index. KeySoft confirms your selection. If you have accessed the User Guide before, your BrailleNote BT prompts: "Continue reading (reference)?" where "reference" is the last topic accessed. If you press Y to continue you are returned to that topic. If you press N you go to the Table of Contents or Index. Use the SPACE or BACKSPACE to move through the Table of Contents or Index listing, which is in alphabetical order. Press any letter to jump to the items starting with that letter. Once the desired item has been found, press ENTER to select it. If the item has sub­indexes, repeat the selection procedure. Once you have entered the User Guide at a particular place, the following review commands are available for reading the content: To read from the start of the previous sentence, press SPACE with dot 1; To read from the start of the current sentence, press SPACE with dots 1-4; To read from the start of the next sentence, press SPACE with dot 4; To read from the start of the previous paragraph, press SPACE with dots 2-3; To read from the start of the current paragraph, press SPACE with dots 2-3-5-6 To read from the start of the next paragraph, press SPACE with dots 5-6; To skip back one section, press SPACE with dots 1-2-3; To advance one section, press SPACE with dots 4-5-6; To go back to the Table of Contents or Index press BACKSPACE; To exit the User Guide and return to your original place in KeySoft press SPACE with E. To continuously read a section of the User Guide using speech, select your starting point from the Table of Contents or Index as discussed above, then press SPACE with G. To pause reading, press BACKSPACE with ENTER. You can issue the review commands while reading is in progress or after it has stopped. If you give a command while reading is in progress, what is currently being read is cut off and reading begins immediately from the new position. This provides a very convenient method of quickly panning through a section of the User Guide. If you are reading continuously, you are able to jump forward or back through the text by sentence or paragraph without halting the continuous reading function. To read the User Guide continuously from the Braille display, select your starting point and press SPACE with dots 1 through to 6. To stop the Braille display advancing, press PREVIOUS and NEXT together. You can adjust the rate at which the Braille display advances. Press PREVIOUS to slow down and NEXT to speed up the refresh rate. 1.22.2 Location of User Guide Files. As an alternative to accessing the Electronic User Guide through its Table of Contents or Index, you can also read the User Guide as a number of KeyWord documents. Each chapter and appendix is a separate KeyWord text document. As of version 5.0 of KeySoft, you may notice that each file name ends with a two letter code such as bb, bq, pk, vb or vq. This identifies the model type – the first letter is b for BrailleNote or v for VoiceNote, the second letter is b for BT, q for QT. The PK files have pk after them. If the code is not correct for your model, contact your distributor. These files are all stored in a folder called "Manual" on your KeySoft System Disk drive. 1.22.2.1 User Guide Version Check. There is a simple version check built into the User Guide. Simply access the Index, and select the "Version" entry in the usual way. When you press ENTER it will announce "This manual is for the BrailleNote BT using version x.x of KeySoft." If the model name or version is not what you expected, contact your distributor. Please note that the number "1.x" is not related to the version number, it is simply the outline heading number from the user guide. 1.22.2.2 Version. This manual is for the BrailleNote BT using version 7.0 of KeySoft. 1.23 Where to Now. By now you should have a good basic knowledge of the BrailleNote mPower BT and KeySoft. The entire User Guide is stored in the BrailleNote BT so you can read each chapter at your leisure. The User Guide can be read using your BrailleNote BT as previously described. A good starting point is to browse through the Table of Contents, as this will provide you with an appreciation of the topics covered in the User Guide. Please read the next chapter, which concerns practical hardware matters like the batteries, port connectors and card slots. To read chapter 2, follow the procedure discussed in the previous section. You will find chapter 2 in the Table of Contents so you can select it from there and start reading. After Chapter 2, most of the remainder of the User Guide is all about KeySoft and you can pick and choose what to read. If you are new to KeySoft, you might want to work through Chapter 3, which introduces the basic Word processor functions. You might then want to read Chapter 5, which deals with the functions available via the Options Menu, or Chapter 7 for advanced word processing features. Chapter 4 covers the book reader, and how to download books from Bookshare.org, if this site is available in your area. And chapter 6 covers how to emboss or print documents. Alternatively, you can read Chapter 8 on the Calculator, Chapter 9 on the Planner, or Chapter 10 on the Address List. If you are interested in using e-mail or accessing the internet, and/or using the other connectivity options the BrailleNote BT offers, read Chapter 13 on Connectivity, then Chapter 11 on E-mail, or Chapter 12 on the Web Browser, depending on your interest and requirements. Chapter 14 describes use of the File and Folder Manager, and the translation of files from Text to Braille and other formats. Chapter 15 covers the Utilities menu, where topics like backing up, restoring files and software upgrades are discussed. Chapter 16 covers the Media Player and audio recording facilities. It also includes how to access the FM Radio. Chapter 17 covers the Database Manager. If you are keen for a bit of a distraction from your work or want to sharpen your mind, read Chapter 18 to learn how to play games on your BrailleNote BT. Chapter 19 provides a convenient listing of all the keyboard commands for the BrailleNote BT. These are categorized under general commands as well as commands for each of the applications of KeySoft. You might find it tedious to read a User Guide, but we have endeavored to make sure it is full of useful information, and it's surprising what sticks in your memory. When people say, "I didn't know you could do that!" it usually means that they haven’t read the User Guide. And remember; please make frequent use of BrailleNote BT’s superb Help that you can access at any point by pressing SPACE with H. It's a valuable source of information, whatever part of KeySoft you are using. 2 BrailleNote mPower BT Hardware. 2.1 The Battery. The BrailleNote mPower BT can operate from its internal rechargeable battery or from its AC adapter. The length of time you can run the BrailleNote BT from a fully charged battery is typically over 20 hours before it becomes flat. Activities like embossing, e-mailing and using ports or wireless connectivity increase the drain on the battery. Using the built-in modem also drains the battery more than, say, editing documents. Storage cards that draw their power from the BrailleNote BT's battery reduce the available battery life too. The BrailleNote BT warns you if the battery is getting low. When the battery gauge indicates that the battery is down to 10% full or less the following warning is displayed periodically: "Battery is low." If possible, connect the AC adapter to re-charge the battery now. You typically have about 2 hours of battery life remaining. If the battery continues to run down and becomes nearly flat, KeySoft displays the following message: "Battery is critical." If this message is displayed you should act within the next 30 seconds or your BrailleNote BT may switch itself off. The time available to switch off may be as little as 30 seconds but it is typically 15 to 20 minutes if you are not using high current accessories. You have two options. You can connect the AC adapter and carry on working indefinitely, or you can save your current work and switch off. To save your work, just return to the Main Menu. If the BrailleNote BT switches itself off, it cannot be switched on again until it is powered from the AC adapter. Your BrailleNote BT automatically manages its power usage to give you the maximum life from the battery. It will enter into hibernate mode after about 10 minutes of inactivity. Pressing any key will end the hibernate mode, but we recommend that you momentarily press the ENTER and BACKSPACE keys to end the hibernate mode. This will avoid the possibility of inserting unwanted characters if a document was open when the unit entered the hibernate mode. You can help by switching off your BrailleNote BT when you are not going to be using it for a while. Remember that you can switch your BrailleNote BT off and on without effecting your work in any way and your BrailleNote BT resumes from where you were when you switched off. 2.1.1 Battery Care. Like all rechargeable batteries, as the BrailleNote BT battery ages its capacity reduces. If your BrailleNote BT is used every day we expect that the battery will last typically 18 months before the battery's capacity is noticeably lower than it was 18 months before. We recommend that you send the BrailleNote BT back to an authorized BrailleNote BT service center to replace the battery. Replacement batteries are expected to last typically 18 months before they too, need replacing. 2.1.2 Charging the Battery. To charge the battery, simply plug the AC adapter in and the BrailleNote BT looks after the battery charging itself. If the BrailleNote BT battery is flat and the AC adapter is connected, the battery is fast charged in about 2 hours. Charging takes less time if the battery is only partially discharged. You can charge the battery and run the BrailleNote BT simultaneously although the battery may take longer to charge. You can leave the AC adapter connected indefinitely without any risk of damaging the battery. To connect the AC adapter, locate the power socket on the back of the BrailleNote BT, near the left-hand corner of the case. Insert the plug on the AC adapter cable into the socket, and plug the AC adapter into a wall socket. The BrailleNote BT displays: "AC adapter on.” The message is displayed even if the BrailleNote BT is switched off. If this message is not displayed after a second or two, check that the AC supply is switched on, and that the plug on the end of the AC adapter cord is inserted securely into the BrailleNote BT's power socket. When the battery is charging, if the AC supply is interrupted, or the AC adapter is disconnected the BrailleNote BT displays: "AC adapter off.” This message, too, is displayed even if the BrailleNote BT is switched off. The messages are both spoken and appear on the Braille display, assuming both speech and Braille are on. Of course, if speech is off, the message only appears on the Braille display. If the Braille display is off the message is only spoken. 2.1.3 Checking Power Status. You can check the state-of-charge of the battery and whether the AC adapter is connected from anywhere in KeySoft by pressing SPACE with O, then P. First, the battery state-of-charge in percent is displayed: “Level c percent,” where c is the battery's state-of-charge. Then the AC adapter status is displayed: "Adapter (status)," where "status" is either "on" or "off." After these messages are displayed, you are returned to your original place in KeySoft. To clear the battery status message from the Braille display, press ADVANCE. If the gauge is too inaccurate, that is, it has been too long since it was last recalibrated, KeySoft will not be able to give a percentage state of charge. Instead it will display, "AC Adapter (status). The gauge needs recalibrating and is not accurate enough to give a percentage reading." If the AC Adapter is not plugged in, KeySoft will also display "The battery is critical" or "The battery is not critical" To find out how to re-calibrate the battery gauge, refer to 2.1.4 Recalibrating the Battery Gauge. 2.1.4 Recalibrating the Battery Gauge. BrailleNote BT incorporates a battery gauge that is originally calibrated at the factory. For best performance, the gauge needs to recalibrate periodically as the battery ages during its life. Remember that as the battery ages, its capacity reduces. When the battery gauge is calibrated it measures the battery capacity. If the battery's capacity is reduced then the battery gauge over-estimates the remaining charge in the battery. The BrailleNote BT will recalibrate itself automatically during normal use. This will happen every time you fully charge the battery so that the level is 100% and then use the BrailleNote BT until it display "Battery Critical". As it is good for the health of your battery and to recalibrate the gauge, it is recommended that this occurs approximately once a month. The only time you would need to manually recalibrate the battery is when the power status check tells you as described in the previous section. Another noticeable sign is when the "battery is low" warning is closely followed by the "battery is critical" warning. There should be a gap of from one to two hours of continuous operation between these warnings. Note that this gap can be less depending on which cards you have plugged in or whether USB devices are connected. If in doubt, check the power status by pressing SPACE with O, then P. 2.1.5 How to manually recalibrate the Battery. To manually set up the BrailleNote BT to recalibrate its battery, you will need a spot where it can chatter away to itself without disturbing anyone, with a nearby power socket to connect the AC adapter. 1. On the BrailleNote BT, make sure you have no unsaved work. It is very important that you remove any storage cards, or card or USB devices. 2. Go to the Options Menu by pressing SPACE with O. 3. Press SPACE with I. KeySoft will display "Support Information Mode". 4. To select the option "Recalibrate the Battery gauge", press R. If you haven't already plugged in the AC Adapter, you will be asked to do so. 5. What KeySoft does next depends on how much charge is left in the battery at this time, however it is all automatic. It may not start up initially but when the process gets to the point of discharging the battery, KeySoft will talk repetitiously to help it to do so, thus the need to choose a spot where the noise won't bother you. Once the battery is flat, KeySoft will automatically initiate the recharging cycle. When the whole cycle is complete, KeySoft will display: "Battery Test Completed." You can check the status of the recalibration process at any time by pressing SPACE. This will give you the times for the various charge and discharge stages depending on which stage it is in. 2.1.6 Checking Battery Information. As well as recalibration, you can also check a range of battery and battery gauge characteristics using the Support Information mode. To enter the Support Information mode from anywhere in KeySoft press SPACE with O, followed by SPACE with I. You can now select the following options: 1. To find out if the battery gauge has recalibrated and is accurate, press A. For example, if the battery gauge is calibrated KeySoft will prompt, "Gauge is accurate, Error: plus or minus 2%" If the gauge is inaccurate, KeySoft will prompt, "Gauge is not accurate, Error: plus or minus x%" As discussed in, if you regularly recharge the battery to full then run the BrailleNote BT on batteries until it display "Battery Critical", your battery gauge will remain accurate. 2. To determine the "Last charge" information for the battery, press B. The reported time indicates the time it took to fully charge the battery after plugging in the AC Adapter. The report is in the form: Last charge: 234 minutes. Completed: Friday, February 9, at 2:47pm. Started: Friday, February 9, at 10:53am. After executing this command you are returned to the Support Information mode. 3. To determine the charge available from the battery, press C. For example, a typical message is: "Nominal available charge 9,800." The higher the value the greater the charge. After executing this command you are returned to the Support Information mode. 4. To review the last measured discharge count of the battery, press D. The last measured discharge is the learned battery capacity. For example, a typical discharge message is: "Last measured discharge 16,000." The higher the value the greater the capacity available from the battery when it is fully charged. 5. To determine the charging status, press S. For example, if the AC adapter is connected, the BrailleNote BT displays: "Fast charging", or "Trickle charging." If not, the BrailleNote BT displays "Discharging." After executing this command you are returned to the Support Information mode. 6. To display the voltage of the battery, press V. For example: "Battery voltage 7.2 Volts" 7. After executing this command you are returned to the Support Information mode. To return to the place where you selected the Options menu, press SPACE with E. 2.2 Long Term Storage. If you store a BrailleNote for more than two to three weeks, the battery will become completely flat. If the battery was less than fully charged prior to storing the BrailleNote, the time for the battery to become fully flat will be shorter. This is because BrailleNote's battery self discharges internally and because BrailleNote BT draws a very small amount of current even when it is switched off. The battery gauge will be inaccurate at that point, and if you use this feature, you will need to re-calibrate the gauge as described in 2.1.4 Recalibrating the Battery Gauge. If you intend to leave the BrailleNote switched off for more than a few days, fully charge the battery beforehand, or leave the AC adapter connected if this is convenient. If you intend to store a BrailleNote for more than two to three weeks without the AC adapter connected, ensure your work is saved by returning to the Main Menu, and fully charge the battery before putting the BrailleNote into storage. When you take a BrailleNote out of long-term storage, first connect the AC adapter to recharge the battery. Try switching the BrailleNote on. If it does not resume normally, press the Reset switch with a pointed object. The BrailleNote beeps to confirm that it has been reset. Wait a few seconds while the BrailleNote initializes itself. If the battery has gone quite flat, you will be prompted to reset the time and date and so on. Press ENTER several times if you want to leave that for later or refer to Appendix C, which describes the procedure for initializing the BrailleNote. 2.3 Using the Serial Port. Place the BrailleNote BT in front of you with the keyboard oriented as you would use it. The many sockets and connectivity ports are arranged around the sides and back of the BrailleNote BT. Starting from the front of the left side, and working around to the back, you will find: The small record button, the audio output socket for earphones, the audio input socket for a microphone, the power switch and the recessed reset button. Reach beyond the keyboard to the back of your BrailleNote BT and investigate the layout of the back of your BrailleNote BT. From the left there is the small round AC Adapter socket. Keep moving to the right and you will notice that the bottom half of the back is recessed. This is a metal panel that holds most of the ports. They are recessed to protect them from being easily knocked. The first port in this panel is the USB client port above an SD card slot. Moving right from there is the CompactFlash slot, a 9 pin serial port, two horizontal USB host ports, one above the other, and a modem jack. On the far right, back on the casing again, there is an infrared port set between two slightly raised vertical ridges. Down the right side of the unit, you will find the PCMCIA card slot. This has a recessed ejector button on the side furthest from you. Each of these ports is discussed in more detail directly following this section. Please note that if you inadvertently or deliberately remove a card or a plug from the BrailleNote BT while it is active, that is while data is being passed through the connection, it may result in a loss of data, an error message, or even in some cases, corruption of the file or software. 2.3.1 Audio Sockets. On the left side of the unit, there is a microphone input socket, an audio output socket and a record button. The microphone input socket takes a high impedance electret microphone with a 3.5mm plug. There is also a built in microphone. The audio output socket is stereo and works with most head or earphones with a 3.5mm plug. It will also connect to a set of mini speakers, as used with a PC. Remember that these will also need to be plugged in to a wall socket. 2.3.2 USB Client Port. The USB client port is located above the SD card slot on the left hand end of the back recessed panel. It is a completely different shape to the USB host ports, being small and shaped a little like a miniature 9 pin port set flush into the panel. It is oriented so that the wider side is facing up, just like the 9 pin serial port. The primary purpose of this port is to connect your BrailleNote BT to a PC via ActiveSync. For details on how to do this, refer to 13.14.5 ActiveSync using USB. 2.3.3 Using the Serial Port. The serial port is on the recessed rear panel of your BrailleNote BT, to the left of the Compact Flash card slot. It is a nine pin male port with the usual screw holes on each side to secure the plug. The serial port can be used to provide a connection to a visual display, PC or other equipment. You can use the serial port to connect to a terminal, an embosser or printer that has a serial interface, a modem or to other computers to import and export documents and files. You can use the BrailleNote BT as a remote speech synthesizer by connecting the serial port to a suitable driver. You can also run ActiveSync on a PC and access your BrailleNote BT through the serial port like an extension of the PC. Your BrailleNote BT is supplied with a serial cable that has two identical nine pin plugs on each end of the cable. You don't have to identify which is the right end of the cable, either end will do. The connectors can only be plugged in one way. To plug in the connector hold the plug horizontal and push it gently into the socket. If it does not engage turn it through 180 degrees and try again. The cable supplied is called a "null modem cable." This cable works with most equipment except external modems. A different cable is needed to communicate with a modem and equipment that emulates a modem. The 9 pin plugs on each end of the serial cable incorporate two locking screws designed to secure the plug when it is plugged in. Use of these screws is recommended to prevent the plug falling out in use. The screws can be tightened and undone by hand. In the usual way, turning them clockwise does them up and turning them anti-clockwise undoes them. Do not over tighten the screws; a light force is sufficient to hold the connector. Don't forget to disconnect the cable when you are done. As a precaution check for anything connected to your BrailleNote BT before transporting it. 2.3.4 USB Host Ports. The two ports to the right of the serial port are USB host ports. They are stacked one on top of the other. USB host ports on the BrailleNote BT allow you to use the BrailleNote BT with a range of USB-compatible devices including: External floppy disk drive, USB memory drive, Some USB printers, and An external memory card reader. The two ports between them have a total power supply of 500 milli-Amps, so if using both at once it is important to ensure that the devices plugged in do not require more than this between them. As well as this, you can plug in a USB qwerty keyboard, as discussed in 2.7.1.1 Connecting to a USB keyboard. 2.3.5 Using the Modem. The internal modem can be used for sending and receiving e-mail. A modem port is located on the far right of the recessed rear panel. Your BrailleNote BT is supplied with a modem cable for connecting BrailleNote BT's modem to a phone line. If you live in UK, Australia or New Zealand, an adapter that plugs into a standard "BT" type phone jack is also supplied with your BrailleNote BT. The modem cable plugs into the adapter and the adapter plugs into a phone jack. The modem cable has a phone type plug at either end of the cable. Insert one plug into the BrailleNote BT modem port and the other end into a phone jack. To do this, locate the locking clip on one side of the plug. Orient this side to the bottom of the modem port, engage the plug in the socket and push the plug home. A latch holds the plug that should hold when the cable is lightly pulled. To unplug, squeeze the clip in towards the plug and pull the cable. The case bottom is scalloped under the modem port so that you can easily get your fingertip under the clip. When the plug is unclipped it releases freely. Don't forget to disconnect the cable when you are done. As a precaution check for anything connected to your BrailleNote BT before transporting it. 2.3.6 Using the Infrared Port. The infrared port is located at the rear of your BrailleNote BT on the right, directly behind the ENTER key. Run your hand across the back of the BrailleNote BT on the extreme right and you will feel a vertical channel. The infrared port communicates though a window that is located in the channel. The BrailleNote BT's infrared port conforms to the Infrared Data Association specification for infrared communications. This standard is called "IrDA" for short. This type of infrared communication can work up to a high speed. The BrailleNote BT's infrared port can be used for printing or for communicating with a remote visual display. You can also run ActiveSync on a PC and access your BrailleNote BT through the Infrared port like an extension of the PC. Using the infrared port, you can print to a printer equipped with an infrared port. You can also print to a printer that is connected to an IrDA compatible accessory such as the JET EYE printer adapter. This adapter is normally connected between a PC and a printer without an infrared port. Embossing and printing using the infrared port is described in 6.8.6 Embosser Port. To communicate with a remote visual display using the infrared connection, an IrDA compatible port is needed on the PC. The JET EYE PC is an accessory that provides such a port. It is designed for use in conjunction with a PC or a lap top computer, plugging into a serial port on the host computer. Terminal software running on the PC enables the PC's screen to display output from the infrared port of the BrailleNote BT. This provides a sighted teacher with a text display matching the BrailleNote BT display. Using BrailleNote BT's infrared port to communicate with a remote visual display is described in 2.8 Using a Remote Visual Display. IrDA compatible infrared communications work over a distance of up to about three feet (1 meter) for standard power devices and up to at least eight inches (200 millimeters) for low power devices. The BrailleNote BT is a standard power device. The host's and BrailleNote BT's infrared ports must face each other but they do not have to be lined up exactly because the infrared beam is quite wide. After a little experimentation, you will be able to determine the most convenient arrangement of equipment that works reliably. 2.4 PC Cards. The BrailleNote BT has a slot for plug-in PC cards, also known as PCMCIA cards. These cards are about the size of a credit card, only thicker. The PC card slot can be used for a microdrive or PC storage card, or an approved type of wireless card as discussed in 13.4.1 Creating a new Wireless Configuration. To find out what PC card accessories are available or will become available call your BrailleNote BT distributor. CompactFlash cards can be used in the PC card slot as well as in the dedicated CompactFlash slot in the rear panel, as discussed in the next section. An adapter is available into which you slide the card before inserting it into the slot as described below. Feel along the right-hand edge of the BrailleNote BT and you will find a horizontal slot. The card eject button is located in a recess behind the slot. 2.4.1 Inserting and Removing PC Cards. PC or PCMCIA cards can be installed only one way. A polarizing key prevents a card from being fully plugged in if it is the wrong way up. A simple strategy for finding the correct orientation is to just try gently plugging it in. If it engages, gently push it home. If it stops with a "clunk" with the card protruding some 10 mm from the slot, take it out, invert it and try again. You can also identify the correct orientation by touch. The front of the PC card is the short edge on which there are many indentations along its entire length. Hold the front edge away from you. Run your fingers along this edge and just around the corners, where you will find some polarizing ridges. If the card is facing upward, there will be two ridges on the right-hand side. The groove between them can be detected with your fingernail. On the left, there will be one ridge. If necessary, turn the card over so that there are two ridges on the right and one on the left. You could label the PC card once you have identified the correct orientation. PC cards should be inserted with the BrailleNote BT switched on. When you do so the BrailleNote BT displays: "Card Ready." To remove a PC card, firmly push the PC card eject button. Remember it is located behind the PC card slot. This disengages the card from its connector and pushes the card out about a quarter of an inch. Always use the eject button even if the card has a cable with a grip. You can now pull the PC card completely out of the slot. If the card is removed with the power on, BrailleNote BT displays: "Please wait..." and after a few seconds the prompt "Card removed" will confirm that the card is disengaged. 2.4.2 Accessing files on the PC Card. The PC card slot is treated as a drive by KeySoft. To access files on the PC Card, at any file prompt, go to the drive list and press P for PC card. Proceed as normal. 2.5 Compact Flash Cards. A Compact Flash card is 3.5cm by 4cm, about the size of a matchbook. It provides considerable extra data storage, and cards come in a large range of capacities running into several gigabytes. The BrailleNote BT has a card slot for Compact Flash cards. This slot is located on the back of the unit. As well as allowing you to use Compact Flash cards for extra data storage, the Compact Flash card slot can be used for data storage using a CF memory card, or as a plug for Compact Flash card type accessories. CompactFlash cards can be used in the PC card slot as well. An adapter is available into which you slide the CompactFlash card before inserting it into the PC card slot as described in 2.4 PC Cards. 2.5.1 Inserting and Removing CompactFlash Cards. The CompactFlash card is wider than it is long, so it is important to orient the card correctly, as attempting to plug the shorter side in may damage the pins in the back of the slot. Also, a polarizing key makes the card more difficult to plug in if it is the wrong way up. A simple strategy for finding the correct orientation is to just try gently plugging it in. If it engages, gently push it home. If it resists being inserted, take it out, invert it and try again. You can also identify most CompactFlash cards' correct orientation by touch. The front of the CompactFlash card is the longer side that has two rows of pin sized indentations. The bottom side of most CompactFlash cards has a slight grip ridge along the opposite edge. You could label the CompactFlash card once you have identified the correct orientation. Compact cards should be inserted with the BrailleNote BT switched on. When you do so the BrailleNote BT displays: "Card ready." To remove a CompactFlash card, hold the card firmly and pull it out. This is quite tricky if you have big fingers or no fingernails. Most CompactFlash cards have a grip ridge that makes them easier to grasp. If the card is removed with the power on, BrailleNote BT displays: "Please wait..." and after a few seconds the prompt "Card removed" will confirm that the card is disengaged. 2.5.2 Accessing files on the CompactFlash Card. The CompactFlash card slot is treated as a drive by KeySoft. To access files on the CompactFlash Card, at any file prompt, go to the drive list and press C for CompactFlash card. Proceed as normal. 2.6 Secure Digital Cards. On the back of the unit, underneath the USB Client port, there is a card slot for Secure Digital cards, also known as SD cards. These cards are only 32mm x 24mm x 2mm big i.e. less than a quarter of the size of a CompactFlash card, and yet can hold up to 1 Gigabyte of data at time of publishing. This is a very new technology and it won't be long until the capacity will increase. For up to date information on the latest developments, check out our website; www.humanware.com. The BrailleNote BT uses SD cards for memory only. It does not support SD accessories such as wireless or Bluetooth cards. 2.6.1 Inserting and Removing SD Cards. The SD card is about the size of a postage stamp, and only 2mm thick. One corner is cut off at a diagonal, which makes it easy to orient it by touch. The short edge of this cut off corner is the end that is inserted into the SD card slot. You will notice that on one surface of the card, there is a row of ridges along that edge; this side faces down. On each long edge is a notch. If you hold the card as if you were going to insert it, i.e. with the cut off corner and ridged end away from you, along the right side the notch is small, only 2mm long and 1mm deep. However on the left side, the notch is longer and houses a sliding lock mechanism. When the slider is pushed away from you, the card is unlocked and is read/write. When the slider is pushed toward you, the card's memory is read only. SD cards should be inserted with the BrailleNote BT switched on. When you do so the BrailleNote BT displays: "Card ready." Push it gently in until you hear it click. To remove an SD card, push it in gently until it clicks then release it. The card will pop out far enough for you to grasp and remove it. If the card is removed with the power on, BrailleNote BT displays: "Please wait..." and after a few seconds the prompt "Card removed" will confirm that the card is disengaged. 2.6.2 Accessing files on the SD Card. The SD card slot is treated as a drive by KeySoft. To access files on the SD Card, at any file prompt, go to the drive list and press S for SD card. Proceed as normal. Likewise if you wish to save a file to the SD card. If you find that you can't save a file to the card, check the sliding lock mechanism on its left edge, as this may be in the "read-only" position, which is closest to the end that goes into the slot first. 2.7 USB Peripherals. As mentioned earlier, there are a range of devices available to work with the BrailleNote BT, that offer a broad range of data storage options, as well as printer access. These are all discussed in turn below. 2.7.1 Using a Computer Keyboard with your BrailleNote BT As well as the Braille keyboard, you can use a normal qwerty keyboard for input into your BrailleNote BT. This works with keyboards with two types of connection - USB and Bluetooth. First we will look at how a qwerty keyboard interacts with the BrailleNote BT, and then at how to connect to a USB keyboard. To connect to a Bluetooth keyboard, simply follow the instructions in 13.12.3 Pairing with another Bluetooth device. The qwerty keyboard can be used to create or edit KeyWord text (kwt) or other types of text documents. If you create a new document while the keyboard is plugged in, it will default to kwt format. The Braille keyboard still operates, so you can swap between them if you wish. The Braille display will also behave as normal, as its Braille grade is set separately to input. What you cannot do is use the qwerty keyboard to input into a Braille document, even if the grade is changed to computer Braille using the BACKSPACE with J command. However, if you think about it, there is not really any reason why one would want to do this. The whole purpose of having the option of a qwerty keyboard input is for typing a lot of text, and that usually means a text document. 2.7.1.1 Connecting to a USB keyboard. USB is one of the standard connection types available for modern keyboards. It is a flat, narrow rectangular plug, as opposed to the round PS2 type plug that is also common. USB keyboards are readily available and usually very reasonably priced. If you have a PC, it may have a USB keyboard already. Simply plug the keyboard into one of the USB host ports on the recessed back panel of your BrailleNote BT, and you are ready to go. 2.7.2 USB Storage Devices. There are a range of storage devices that work with the BrailleNote BT. Which ones you wish to work with will probably be determined by the other technology you are using and what storage media works best with it. In all cases, when the device is plugged into one of the USB host ports on the back of the BrailleNote BT, it will appear on the drive list as whatever name the device provides. When at a file or folder prompt, simply select that drive. Here is some background information on each type of storage device: External floppy drive: This technology has been around the longest, and offers storage on standard 1.44MB floppy disks. This is a small capacity compared to the other devices, but the universal availability and affordability of floppy disks still makes them a viable storage choice. USB Memory drive: Sometimes known as a USB key, stick or thumb. This is a small device with a USB plug set into one end of it. They vary in shape, size and storage capacity, which can range from 128MB to 1GB. These devices are convenient as they don't have cables, are highly portable, and can be used with a PC without the need for an external card reader, unlike the CompactFlash, PC and SD cards. External card reader: There are card readers available that can be used with the BrailleNote BT as well as a PC. There are card readers for all the types of storage cards, and some take more than one kind. While this may seem a bit redundant when there are three card slots in the BrailleNote BT itself already, it is nevertheless possible. When plugged in, these storage devices show up in the drive list as Hard Drive. 2.8 Using a Remote Visual Display. BrailleNote BT can provide a text output via the serial or infrared ports to a visual display. Sighted observers or teachers can use the visual display screen to view KeySoft's prompts and help messages, and your text if you are typing a document. The visual display can be a terminal or a PC, laptop or hand-held computer running terminal emulation software. The terminal or terminal emulation software must emulate a DEC VT100 or an ANSI terminal. For PC's running Windows, "HyperTerminal" is provided as part of the communications accessories and can be used as the terminal software. To facilitate the use of HyperTerminal as the remote Visual Display for the BrailleNote BT, a program shortcut is provided on the CD-Rom supplied as part of the BrailleNote BT package. 2.8.1 Connecting a Remote Visual Display to the Serial Port. In the following discussion when we refer to a terminal, we mean either a dedicated terminal or a PC running terminal emulation software. The following procedure might require the help of a technician if the terminal is unfamiliar to you. The procedure involves connecting the BrailleNote BT to the terminal using a cable and setting up the terminal to communicate at a certain speed and format. This can be done manually for some terminals. Or if the terminal is intelligent, done by the terminal itself as it automatically detects the serial speed and format. The necessary settings are: bit rate: 38400 bps. parity: none. data bits: 8. stop bits: 1. 1. To connect BrailleNote BT's serial port to a terminal, first plug one end of the serial communications cable into the serial port as described in 2.3.3 Using the Serial Port. 2. Plug the other end of the cable into a matching socket on the terminal. If the terminal has a 25 pin D type connector instead, use the 9 pin to 25 pin adapter. Ensure the terminal is switched on. 3. Finally, direct the BrailleNote BT to drive the serial port by selecting the remote visual display output as described in 2.8.3 Turning the Visual Display On and Off below. Now, when the BrailleNote BT displays something such as a prompt the terminal should also display the corresponding prompt. If the terminal responds when the connected BrailleNote BT displays something but the terminal's display is not intelligible then the speed and/or format are probably not right. Correct the settings and retry. 4. Ensure that the COM port that you are going to use for this connection is not being used by another software application or hardware device. 2.8.2 Connecting a Remote Visual Display using the Infrared Port. A suitable remote visual display for use with the infrared port is either a portable computer or a PC equipped with an IrDA port. Although there are many IrDA devices available, they are not all compatible. Check first that the computer has an IrDA compatible port. The following procedure might require the help of a technician if the equipment is unfamiliar to you. First set up the terminal software on the computer to receive its input from its infrared port. Next, position the computer so the infrared port on the BrailleNote BT is facing the infrared port on the remote display device. Finally, direct the BrailleNote BT to send display output to the infrared port as described in 2.8.3 Turning the Visual Display On and Off. 2.8.3 Turning the Visual Display On and Off. The last step towards providing a visual display is to have your BrailleNote BT send text to the serial or infrared outputs. Press SPACE with O, then V for Visual display. KeySoft displays: "Visual display, Currently off." The options are: To send the visual display to the Serial port press S then ENTER; To send the visual display to the Infrared port press I then ENTER; Or just press ENTER to leave the selection unchanged. To turn the visual display off again after use, press F for OFF then ENTER. Use the serial port if you are using a standard computer terminal or a PC running a terminal emulator program. Use the infrared port if you are using a desktop or hand held PC with an infrared port and running a terminal emulator program. 2.9 BrailleTerminal for Screen Reader. BrailleNote can act like a remote Braille line or terminal. You can then run a screen reader, for example Window Eyes, JAWS, or HAL on a desktop PC, using the BrailleNote BT as its Braille display. If you want to operate Bluetooth, you will need to configure your screen reader to open the serial port from which Bluetooth services are offered. To find out what port Bluetooth services are offered, check the Bluetooth software on your PC. . Note that this is most likely to be Com 7, 8 or 9. The serial communications or null modem cable provided with your BrailleNote BT should be used to connect the PC to your BrailleNote BT. If your PC's serial port has a 25 pin connector you will need to use the 9 pin to 25 pin adapter also provided. Plug the cable into the serial port on the rear of BrailleNote BT as described in 2.3.3 Using the Serial Port. Plug the other end into a serial port on your PC. To access the Braille Terminal, either go to the Main Menu and press T, or from anywhere, press BACKSPACE with ENTER with T. KeySoft prompts either: "Braille Terminal Port? Currently Serial" or "Braille Terminal Port? Currently Bluetooth" according to which port you used previously. To select serial, press S and to select Bluetooth, press B. Press ENTER and KeySoft displays: "Braille Terminal." If you select the serial port, the BrailleNote BT now acts as a Braille display connected to the serial port of the desk-top PC. You are able to run a screen reader from the desk-top keyboard, and BrailleNote BT displays text on its display. Refer to your screen reader documentation for details of how the screen reader interacts with the BrailleNote BT. The screen reader will have an associated driver, and maybe other configuration files, that determine the function of the BrailleNote BT keyboard when it is being used as a Braille display. If you select the Bluetooth port, it is likely that a dialog box will appear on your PC that requests permission for the BrailleNote to connect. "Braille Terminal" will not be announced until you have authenticated the connection from the PC. To activate this connection, you must first pair your BrailleNote BT to the PC. Refer to 13.12.1, 13.12.2 and 13.12.3 for information on pairing. BrailleNote BT cannot be used for its normal functions while it is acting as a remote Braille display, however, you can use the "Change Task" option to temporarily leave the Braille Terminal. For example, during a screen reading session, you may wish to temporarily switch to the Planner to add an appointment, and then switch back to using the Braille Terminal mode. To exit the Terminal for Screen Reader mode, press SPACE with E and you are returned to the Main Menu. You should plug in the AC adapter if you intend to use your BrailleNote BT as a remote display for an extended period. 2.10 Remote Synthesizer. Your BrailleNote BT can act like a Keynote Gold Stand Alone speech synthesizer. You can then run a screen reader on a desktop PC, using your BrailleNote BT as its synthesizer. If you want to operate Bluetooth, you will need to configure your screen reader to open the serial port from which Bluetooth services are offered. To find out what port Bluetooth services are offered, check the Bluetooth software on your PC. Note that this is most likely to be Com 7, 8 or 9. You must connect your BrailleNote BT to your PC as described for the Braille Terminal in. On your BrailleNote BT, at the Main Menu, press R. KeySoft prompts either: "Remote Synthesizer Port? Currently Serial" or "Remote Synthesizer Port? Currently Bluetooth" according to which port you used previously. To select Serial, press S and to select Bluetooth, press B. Press ENTER and KeySoft displays: "Remote synthesizer ready." If you select the Bluetooth port, it is likely that a dialog box will appear on your PC that requests permission for the BrailleNote to connect. "Remote synthesizer ready" will not be announced until you have authenticated the connection from the PC. To activate this connection, you must first pair your BrailleNote BT to the PC. Refer to 13.12.1, 13.12.2 and 13.12.3 for information on pairing. The BrailleNote BT now acts as a Keynote Stand Alone synthesizer. On the Braille display, the message "Remote synthesizer ready" will remain while the BrailleNote BT is being used in this mode. BrailleNote BT cannot be used for its normal functions while it is acting as a synthesizer. To exit the Remote Synthesizer mode, press SPACE with E and you are returned to the KeySoft Main Menu. You should plug in the AC adapter if you intend to use your BrailleNote BT as a remote synthesizer for an extended period. 2.11 Braille Display Care. Each cell of the Braille display has eight pins. For each pin there is a special crystal that lifts the pin to make a dot, and allows the pin to drop when there is no dot. T