Handy Tech Active Braille, User Manual

Page 1: ...Version 3 0 Horb August 2013 Handy Tech Elektronik GmbH All Rights Reserved Handy Tech Elektronik GmbH Brunnenstra e 10 72 160 Horb Germany Phone 49 7451 55 46 0 Fax 49 7451 55 46 67 E Mail info hand...

Page 2: ...2 Turning the Power On 16 3 3 Basic Operation 17 3 3 1 Chords 17 3 3 2 Signal Tones 17 3 3 3 System Messages 17 3 3 4 Check Boxes 18 3 3 5 Radio Buttons 1 of x 18 3 3 6 System Files 18 3 3 7 Energy Sa...

Page 3: ...t B 37 5 1 6 2 Hangman H 38 5 1 7 PC mode P 38 5 1 8 Braille character sets B 38 5 1 8 1 Creating a Braille Character Set 38 5 1 8 2 Loading Braille Character Sets 39 5 1 8 3 Selecting and Activating...

Page 4: ...PC 1 2 Chord b 56 5 2 13 7 Saving a Block to a File SPC 2 3 4 Chord s 57 5 2 14 Searches 57 5 2 14 1 Incremental Search SPC 1 2 4 Chord f 57 5 2 14 2 Buffered Search 57 5 2 14 3 Backward Search SPC 1...

Page 5: ...6 2 5 Special Keys 73 6 2 6 Status Indicators 74 7 THE ACTIVE BRAILLE AS BRAILLE DISPLAY 75 7 1 Screen reader using Windows Example Window Eyes 75 7 1 1 Overview 75 7 2 Screen readers using Windows E...

Page 6: ...mation under the Standards for Medical Devices 99 11 4 General Safety Information 99 11 5 Handling the Active Braille 101 11 6 Warranty 101 11 7 Technical Support 101 12 LIST OF KEY COMBINATIONS 103 1...

Page 7: ...ogy allowing you to control a PC or Mobile assistant like a cell phone To use Active Braille as a Braille display for a PC Windows or Linux an output program called screen reader is needed It is avail...

Page 8: ...r you may press the keys at the top left TLU and bottom right TRD or at bottom left TLD and top right TRU The centre position of either the left or right Triple Action Key TLC and TRC can be used for...

Page 9: ...e used for inputs and outputs on the Active Braille and on the PC Single keystrokes on Active Braille Key1 e g TLU Key dot combination on Active Braille SPC 1 2 Display on the Active Braille modules D...

Page 10: ...ld first install the enclosed software package Please make sure that the screen reader program you intend to use has been installed on the PC and close Word for Windows Next insert the CD containing t...

Page 11: ...T Beside the start menu you can start HTCom wire the link on your desktop or wire the preset key combination Ctrl Shift H A detailed description of how to use HTCom you will find this in the separate...

Page 12: ...into the PC s USB port When both the Braille display and the PC have been turned on the Braille display will automatically be recognized by USB enabled operating systems When connecting the USB cable...

Page 13: ...wireless transmission radius is approximately 10 meters 10 yards or 33 feet 2 7 1 Bluetooth PC Tie In 1 Please make sure that the Active Braille is switched on the Bluetooth function in the option me...

Page 14: ...3 Bluetooth Cell Phone Tie In If your cell phone uses the Symbian operating system for example the Nokia E50 your cell phone also includes a wireless Bluetooth interface Please make sure that you use...

Page 15: ...s 2 Triple Action Keys 8 function keys 2 space keys 2 USB Type A port 1 USB Type B port 4 GB memory 1 plug for loudspeaker 2 5 mm Battery duration ca 20 hours ca 14 hours for Bluetooth operation Quick...

Page 16: ...on This means that the Active Braille is turning off automatically after 60 seconds if you don t read four characters in a row on the Braille display It doesn t turn off automatically if it is connect...

Page 17: ...d consecutive tones and may sound for example when you have reached the beginning or the end of a text in the Editor or when you are canceling a search 3 Error signal This is a series of warning signa...

Page 18: ...d at any given time A radio button consists of a symbol indicating its state and a designation The symbol X indicates that the button is active whereas represents an inactive or off button A radio but...

Page 19: ...de the Active Braille can only be operated as a Braille display The SAVE Mode is comparable to the save mode in Windows To get into SAVE Mode press the on off Button for more than 5 seconds or take ou...

Page 20: ...s screen into speech and Braille Generally the computer s built in sound card is employed for the speech output function The display of Braille is achieved with the help of your Active Braille after t...

Page 21: ...he current status without closing the file Enter SPC 2 3 4 chord s The message Save file appears followed by the default file name untitled The cursor is positioned on the first character of the file...

Page 22: ...operating instructions for the transfer of data between a Braille system and a PC The data transfer functions of HTCom are described briefly in the following sections 4 2 5 1 Transferring a File from...

Page 23: ...in brackets then there is currently no hotkey available for that menu item Please note The hotkeys permit instant access to items within the same menu level they do not let you move from one menu leve...

Page 24: ...y to the first object file or folder within the list With SPC TU Ctrl Arrow up you reach the first folder if the option folders first is set to on Otherwise you get the first file With SPC TD Ctrl Arr...

Page 25: ...sition If this menu item is not available you have either selected a folder or one or more files recognizable at set dots 7 and 8 If you open a music file with the extension hmf for reading the applic...

Page 26: ...ave loaded this file again Because of this you will receive the following warning before you can delete any system file Warning Deleting this file can cause system instability We recommend that you do...

Page 27: ...pressing SPC 1 4 8 Chord c Dot 8 If you wish to carry out further calculations with the result this can be done in two different ways 1 You can delete the equals sign and the original expression and...

Page 28: ...ture is very useful for example for storing the dates of your family and friends birthdays on your Active Braille which will then remind you reliably and in time The Scheduler provides the following f...

Page 29: ...are displayed within parentheses If you enter a lead time you will receive a reminder ahead of an appointment but you will still see the actual appointment time on the appointment schedule For exampl...

Page 30: ...that you wait until the appointment schedule reappears on the Braille display Any premature action or shutting down of the device can damage the appointments file or even the entire file system To uti...

Page 31: ...either the star symbol or else a valid numeric value The star symbol indicates a variable An incorrect entry e g appointments with too many variables will result in an error message Too many variable...

Page 32: ...ubmenu will open This gives you the option of either editing deleting or copying the appointment Key assignments within the appointment schedule TLC Exit the Scheduler and return to the main menu Curs...

Page 33: ...layed again If the search string is found within the text field the display will switch to the found appointment just as if that appointment had been selected manually Calling up the search function a...

Page 34: ...intments when switching on the device you have to hold down 6 for some time while switching on An additional high signal tone before the low signal tone will confirm this 5 1 3 9 Resources Management...

Page 35: ...the Braille display even after the sound has been shut off until you press TLC If you turn off the Active Braille an active clock alarm will be deactivated If an alarm time was entered previously this...

Page 36: ...n your notes or in PC Mode 5 1 4 5 count down O The Countdown feature can be used to set any time period up to 24 hours in hours minutes and seconds After starting the Countdown function the countdown...

Page 37: ...2 3 4 5 6 MusikBraille exits and plays music in the background Press SPC 1 3 4 6 chord x from the main menu to go back to MusikBraille and stop the music MusikBraille files are saved on Active Braill...

Page 38: ...will have to reveal the entire word In this case the Active Braille shows Congratulations You have won You lose the game when you make 7 wrong guesses In both cases the game is over and you have to re...

Page 39: ...ferring it to the Active Braille may fail When you have finished changing characters you can save the modifications under a new name 5 1 8 2 Loading Braille Character Sets As mentioned above nine addi...

Page 40: ...to jmen If you cannot read the Active Braille s messages at all you have the following options 1 Use the communications program HTCom s Monitor Mode Under Monitor Mode the output is not affected by th...

Page 41: ...menu item by pressing TLC 5 1 9 2 Battery statistics B This menu provides various data regarding the batteries contained in your Active Braille It consists of the three functions described below Plea...

Page 42: ...atically it is not possible to overcharge the batteries The Active Braille automatically switches from initially high recharging voltage to a very low charge just to maintain a full charge 5 1 9 3 Key...

Page 43: ...1 10 Options O The options described below are used for customizing your Active Braille s features The various options are specified by using check boxes or radio buttons contained in the submenus Yo...

Page 44: ...ims arising from any damage caused by deleting system files 5 1 10 5 Folders first O This option determines whether the folders or files are listed first in the file list By default this option is set...

Page 45: ...ration 5 1 10 11 2 autonew N This option makes use of the Active Braille s capability to automatically open a new empty file within the Editor immediately upon startup in work mode This option comes i...

Page 46: ...of the Active Braille s startup sound Any errors or warnings during startup are generally of a more serious nature and will therefore always be indicated 5 1 10 12 1 None N The Active Braille generat...

Page 47: ...deep indicator tone appears nOn latin mode Entering Braille dot combination at active backwards search direction a high pitched signal tone will appear We recommend you to preset the search direction...

Page 48: ...10 18 Restore factory defaults R By pressing the TRC key for this item factory defaults will be restored for all Options items without prior confirmation The default settings are as follows 6 Dots Bra...

Page 49: ...addition the Editor provides confirmation messages in order to inform you about the results of your actions While you are in a dialog field the Editor features several functions to help you enter val...

Page 50: ...the delete function you entered is not possible because you are at the beginning or end of a text file you will hear the warning tone which indicates that this action is not possible You can insert th...

Page 51: ...users reported that short lines of text tend to scroll off the display too quickly When this feature is turned on Active Braille will wait slightly longer before scrolling beyond a short line of text...

Page 52: ...tences may be difficult or impossible in grade two texts because words can contain punctuation marks When a file is closed the current cursor position is also saved When you open the same file again l...

Page 53: ...and allows you to activate the Editor s status display for the current file The following information is displayed in list form The name of the current file The current editing mode insert overwrite r...

Page 54: ...as a mark you will receive the message Bookmark x does not exist You can now enter or select a new name If no marks have been set in the current file you will be notified with a message No bookmarks s...

Page 55: ...ribed below if the first word appearing after the desired block is known Simply mark the beginning of the block by pressing SPC TRC simultaneously and then execute a search for that word If you press...

Page 56: ...free memory in the file system 5 2 13 5 Exchange Mark and Cursor SPC 7 8 You can use this command to return to your original position after executing the following functions When you have jumped to th...

Page 57: ...ng y the same search begins again from the beginning or end of the text respectively If the search string still cannot be found you will receive the same message again You can now enter n to end the s...

Page 58: ...r a search term The message Replace appears on the Active Braille Enter the search term By pressing TRC you indicate that you have finished entering the search string and the message Replace X with ap...

Page 59: ...moment If you enter SPC 5 6 8 now you will switch over to the b txt file A message Current file followed by the file name notifies you of the name of the file you have switched into If you enter SPC 5...

Page 60: ...rrent state you should proceed as described below If you do not make any changes to the file name or if you enter a name that does not yet exist the file will be saved without any further prompts when...

Page 61: ...lease note 1 The Editor is open until all open files have been closed 2 Before you switch off your Active Braille all files that are open in the Editor must be saved and closed Shutting down the Activ...

Page 62: ...with SPC 1 and SPC 4 The desired parameter can be selected by pressing TRC Alternatively you can also input the name of the parameter you wish to change then confirm with TRC Once you have selected a...

Page 63: ...n using automatic scrolling we recommend also activating the option indicate empty lines to be able to scroll on at empty lines By pressing SPC 1 7 Chord A you can toggle both options indicate empty l...

Page 64: ...on into account This is the default setting for the calculator No only the result is displayed for example 5 The setting for the option Result position has no effect in this case 5 2 23 9 Find Exact G...

Page 65: ...itor when you input a tab character Two options are available Tabs t Preferably tab characters will be inserted but this depends on the currently active setting for Tab Stops see next section This opt...

Page 66: ...a word processing program the tab characters may be handled in several different ways Many programs convert tab characters into a number of spaces that is a multiple of 2 e g 4 or 8 Others display ta...

Page 67: ...is the default The current position of the cursor is remembered and when the file is opened again the cursor will be at that position Display The cursor position is remembered at the text last shown o...

Page 68: ...t only adding text to the end of the large file e g a new chapter or your notes for the most recent lecture you can circumvent this problem by creating a new file and writing your continuation there w...

Page 69: ...Tech Braille display driver for your screen reader which you can find on the enclosed CD You can also activate and deactivate PC control specifically This is necessary because the Active Braille s fun...

Page 70: ...8 or TRC Ctrl character TLC character Ctrl for next character SPC 3 6 Activate deactivate Ctrl SPCL SPCR 3 6 Tab Chord t SPC 2 3 4 5 Shift Tab Chord T SPC 2 3 4 5 7 Ctrl Tab TLC SPC 2 3 4 5 Ctrl Shif...

Page 71: ...to F12 SPC CR1 to CR12 Left Windows Key Chord w SPC 2 4 5 6 Context Key Chord W SPC 2 4 5 6 7 Windows Key character SPC 2 4 5 6 8 followed by character Windows Key blocked released SPCL SPCR 2 4 5 6 8...

Page 72: ...epending on the language which means on the keyboard layout currently in force the Active Braille s keyboard driver needs further information indicating how it is to implement the encoded key stroke i...

Page 73: ...keys refer to the 6 key block as well as the cursor keys located between the main keyboard section and the numerical pad These keys retain their functions without any restrictions You should note howe...

Page 74: ...d Page 74 6 2 6 Status Indicators LED status indicators are not used This circumstance should be pointed out to sighted assistants If the keyboard reacts in an unfamiliar manner press the Shift and Co...

Page 75: ...ou bind the Braille display to the WE cursor you can move the position of the Braille display relative to the screen without changing the position of either the focus or the mouse cursor 7 1 1 Overvie...

Page 76: ...the screen reader settings menu Window Eyes d 1 4 5 Desktop minimizes all applications h 1 2 5 Activate Window Eyes Help 4 6 Tab k 1 3 Shift Tab g 1 2 4 5 Grade 2 on off m 1 3 4 Alternative for activa...

Page 77: ...C cursor tracking 3 Display the first line in the window title 2 Move the Braille display to the left 1 Move the Braille display section one line up without changing the horizontal position SPCL If th...

Page 78: ...he Braille display section it moves to the right if not it moves one line down SPCL SPCR 1 2 3 7 Move the Braille display section one line up SPCL SPCR 4 5 6 8 Move the Braille display section one lin...

Page 79: ...ged for seeing impaired users The functionality of Hal and SuperNova for Windows is so extensive that only the basic functions for operating the Braille display can be described in brief in this secti...

Page 80: ...3 7 One line up SPCL SPCR 4 5 6 8 One line down SPC 1 7 Toggle ATC on off SPC 1 2 3 Toggle ATC reading protocol on off By entering letters in Braille you can in addition input the so called mnemonic...

Page 81: ...C 6 Move to next item using rotor setting SPC 2 3 Select previous rotor setting SPC 5 6 Select next rotor setting SPC 3 6 Activates the selected object SPC 1 2 5 Activates the Home button SPC 1 3 5 Sc...

Page 82: ...up procedure later In order to use the TALKS ZOOMS features most efficiently we recommend listening to the Talks manual which is included on audio CD This manual is also provided in printed form 7 5 1...

Page 83: ...cations e g under Extras M The prefix M indicates the selected item from a menu T This identification letter precedes the line of text that contains the cursor S The meaning is the same as T with the...

Page 84: ...Cover on off if using a headset SPCR 2 3 4 Series 80 only Press a command key Key1 to Key4 SPCR CR1 to 4 Move Braille display up left also moves the cursor or highlighting TLU or TRU Move Braille disp...

Page 85: ...change the active application or if you change the marked position TALKS ZOOMS will automatically show the marked position on the Braille display If no marked block is available the title of the activ...

Page 86: ...u will not be able to drive any Handy Tech Braille display The field Device Detection provides two options Automatic means that your screen reader will detect the Braille display regardless of the int...

Page 87: ...view the settings available under this tab in the next Chapter 9 Active Tactile Control ATC 8 3 Status Cells The so called status modules on your Braille display are used to indicate where your curren...

Page 88: ...is released If one of the keys to be used in a key combination is a fast key the fast key must therefore be pressed last The check box Use Fast Keys is used for enabling this function The button Fast...

Page 89: ...ry in PC mode by Dot 7 as Back Space and Dot 8 as Enter results in the 7 key functioning like a Backspace key during Braille input and the 8 key as Enter If you want to disable this option you can do...

Page 90: ...e ATC allows you to enable or disable the ATC functionality There is also a quicker way to do this by pressing SPCL 1 7 Chord A By default this function is unchecked The sliding Sensitivity control is...

Page 91: ...to change the setting so that the word is spoken when read completely Here you can also set a delay time speak Braille display the text shown on the Braille display will be spoken by the speech outpu...

Page 92: ...ou reach the end of the line instead the next line will automatically be displayed after the specified time has elapsed If you activate the check box Indicate empty lines blank lines will be shown on...

Page 93: ...in Reading mode you can also cause the entire text on the line to be spoken when ATC recognizes fast reading Simply move quickly across at least three Braille characters from left to right which will...

Page 94: ...e attention of a sighted person to a specific text position 9 4 ATC Monitor Settings For the graphic display of the reading modes on the monitor screen you may assign a different color to each reading...

Page 95: ...hich can be purchased at any appliance store or from Handy Tech However please make sure that you are purchasing batteries with this exact designation The only permissible deviation from the above spe...

Page 96: ...ed at about 4 3 V your Active Braille turns itself off However even in this state it uses up a small amount of electricity You should therefore never leave the Active Braille in this state for longer...

Page 97: ...teries as the Active Braille s recharging circuitry has been designed for that type of battery only 2 If you replace the rechargeable batteries with standard non rechargeable batteries you must make s...

Page 98: ...This test can conclude with three different possible results which have varying consequences as follows 1 No error was found during the test no measures need be taken 2 An error not affecting the enti...

Page 99: ...Instead turn off the Active Braille and restart it in SAVE mode by pressing the on off button for more than 5 seconds Load the previous firmware version into the Active Braille Following this save all...

Page 100: ...nterface cable to or from the Active Braille always avoid any direct touching of the wire contacts in the plug Touching the contacts could damage your computer interface through static electricity ove...

Page 101: ...lle with a damp cloth Do not use any cleaners The Braille elements must be cleaned with a dry lintfree cloth only The Braille elements should be cleaned and serviced thoroughly every two years in aver...

Page 102: ...ngoing training and information about the product beyond what can be included in any manual If this does not result in the desired solution of your problem do not hesitate to contact Handy Tech Elektr...

Page 103: ...nctions Function Keys Abort operations cancel markings TLC Read text TU or TD Start automatic reading SPC TD Change automatic reading speed TU or TD if automatic reading is active Manual scrolling SPC...

Page 104: ...mode Chord O SPC 1 3 5 7 Switch to next file SPC 5 6 8 Switch to previous file SPC 2 3 7 Save and close file Chord e SPC 1 5 Suspend Editor SPC 1 2 3 4 5 6 Editor s Setup menu Chord u SPC 1 3 6 Status...

Page 105: ...l cursor right Cursor to previous sentence Ctrl cursor up Cursor to next sentence Ctrl cursor down Cursor to beginning of line Pos1 Cursor to end of line End Set mark Ctrl M Jump to mark Ctrl m Switch...

Page 106: ...edy The message file must be reloaded FER Could not read MSG security header Cause In order to be able to unequivocally identify a message file the file includes a security header at the beginning whi...

Page 107: ...default internal German table will be used Remedy Download a valid keyboard layout table ERR Invalid size of KBD header Cause The structure of the keyboard layout table found during start up of the A...

Page 108: ...ring the Active Braille s start up procedure no valid keyboard layout table was found Result The default internal German table will be used Remedy Download a valid keyboard layout table 13 2 Error Mes...

Page 109: ...esults depend on which file you are attempting to delete For example if you delete the file containing the Braille character sets that file will be regenerated once the Active Braille has been turned...

Page 110: ...es from the list by using the cursor s up and down functions X valid range m n Cause The numerical value of a variable you entered is outside of the valid range Here X is the name of the variable m th...

Page 111: ...pboard within the Editor in order to make changes in it before pasting its contents to a file If you try to cut or copy any other text block at this point without first closing the clipboard the Edito...

Page 112: ...m bH Active Braille Error Messages Page 112 configuration file is deleted and then regenerated Although this causes the loss of all configuration settings saved for a file such as marks it is necessa...

Page 113: ...m bH Page 113 14 Copyright Notice All rights reserved copyright Handy Tech Elektronik GmbH No portion of this manual may be reproduced in any form without prior written permission from Handy Tech Elek...