Braille Note Tutorial
By Katie Beaver

Module One

The Braille Note has:
A word processor
A calendar
An address book
An e-mail program
An Internet browser
A media player
A book reader program
A scientific calculator
A file manager

The Braille Note can be:
connected to an ink printer to produce ink copies
connected to a braille embosser to produce hard copy braille output
connected to the computer to be used as a refreshable braille display 
connected to the computer to display information from the Braille Note on the monitor
connected to a phone line or LAN card for email / Internet access
connected to a disk drive

The Braille Note can also:
Read information from and write information to a compact flash disk

The Braille Note Battery:
The Braille Note comes with an AC adapter and a rechargeable, built-in battery
A full battery charge will last about 20 hours
The Braille Note will warn you when the battery is low 
When the battery is low, you need to plug in the AC adapter
It takes about 2 hours to charge
The battery will last longer if you store the Braille Note at room temperature
You will need to send the Braille Note back to the company to replace the battery about every 2 years

Braille Note Controls:
On the left side, behind the on/off rocker switch is a small, red, recessed button called the RESET button.
This is used for troubleshooting

Lesson 1 Adjusting the speech
On the left side, find the on/off rocker switch and press the side closest to you to turn it on
This may take you directly to the "main menu"

If not:
Go to the Main Menu
Dots 1,2,3,4,5,6 and Space take you directly to the Main Menu

Some tips to help you as you begin:
If you are not sure what the Braille Note said, you can read the braille display or
You can press space with the letter R (dots 1,2,3,5) to REPEAT the last spoken item
To check your battery power, press space with the letter O, then press the letter P

Changing the speech volume, pitch and rate
The braille input keys, used in specific combinations with the Enter key, are used to change the speech.
Tip: The braille input keys on the left make things go down and the keys on the right make things go up
There are 32 volume levels, 16 speech rates and 16 pitch levels

Changing the Volume
The ENTER key and Dot 1 reduces the volume
The ENTER key and DOT 4 increases the volume

Changing the Pitch
The ENTER key and Dot 2 lowers the pitch
The ENTER key and DOT 5 increases the pitch

Changing the Rate
The ENTER key and Dot 3 slows down the speech rate
The ENTER key and DOT 6 increases the speech rate

Before continuing:
Set the volume to 18
Set the pitch to 8
Set the rate to 5

Lesson Two Keyboard Echo options:
You can instruct the Braille Note to ...
speak each letter that is typed
speak each word when you press the spacebar 
speak both letters and words
or turn the keyboard echo off

This is a 4-Step Process
You must:
first enter the OPTIONS MENU 
then choose KEYBOARD
then type the letter of the option you want 
and then EXIT

Change the echo to OFF
Press SPACE with the dots for the letter O (dots 1, 3, 5) - Braille Note says "options menu"
Press the letter K (dots 1,3) - Braille Note says: "keyboard voice currently ... "
Type F for OFF (dots 1,2,4)
Press Space with the dots for the letter E (dots 1,5) to exit

Change the echo to speak each letter
Press SPACE with the dots for the letter O (dots 1, 3, 5) - Braille Note says "options menu"
Press the letter K (dots 1,3) - Braille Note says: "keyboard voice currently ... "
Type S for spell letters (dots 2,3,4)
Press Space with the dots for the letter E (dots 1,5) to exit

Change the echo to speak each word
Press SPACE with the dots for the letter O (dots 1, 3, 5) - Braille Note says "options menu"
Press the letter K (dots 1,3) - Braille Note says: "keyboard voice currently ... "
Type w for words (dots 2,4,5,6)
Press Space with the dots for the letter E (dots 1,5) to exit

Change the echo to both words and letters
Press SPACE with the dots for the letter O (dots 1, 3, 5) - Braille Note says "options menu"
Press the letter K (dots 1,3) - Braille Note says: "keyboard voice currently ... "
Type b for both (dots 1,2)
Press Space with the dots for the letter E (dots 1,5) to exit

Review
OPTIONS MENU (O with space)
K for KEYBOARD
F for Off
S for spell letter
W for word
B for both 
Exit (E with space)

Lesson 3 Navigating the Menus
If you are not already at the Main Menu, press dots 1,2,3,4,5,6 and space

Moving forward through the menus:
Press the space bar or the advance key to move you forward through the menu choices

Moving backward through the menus:
Press the backspace or the back key to move you backward through the menu choices

Choosing an item from a menu:
Press the Enter key or the Next/select key to select an item from a menu

Exiting a Menu: 
Press space with the letter E (dots 1,5) or press the Previous/Exit thumb key to exit a menu

Turning the system off
The Braille Note remembers where you were working when you turn it off, and will return there when you turn it back on
While it is designed to automatically save files, it is always recommended that you return to the Main Menu first

Practice
Return to the Main Menu
Locate the on/off power switch on the left side
Press the side farthest from you to turn the Braille Note off.

Practice
Turn the Braille Note on
Change speech rate to 6
Set key echo to SPELL
From the Main Menu, select the Word Processor 
Exit the Word Processor menu
Set key echo to BOTH