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Drawing area
The drawing area is the rectangular surface area on the
tablet located below the menu strip (see figure). This is
where all your work is performed. The small format
tablets (12" x 12", 12" x 18", and 18" x 24") have a clear
plastic cover over the drawing area that can be used to
secure artwork or templates.
Menu strip
The menu strip is the row of
keys
located at the top of the
tablet on small format tablets and in the lower left corner of
the tablet on large format tablets. You can use these keys to
customize your tablet or to assign macros for greater
productivity.
Indicator light
There are two indicator lights within the menu strip: power and configuration. The
power light
turns on when the
power is on. It also indicates whether the pointing tool is within range of the drawing area. The power light glows
if the pointing tool is inside the drawing area and blinks if it is outside the drawing area.
The
configuration light
turns on whenever you select the Config/Exit key. You will also hear a beep. This means
the tablet is in configuration mode and you can make changes to the Configuration keys. The light stays on until
you select the Config/Exit key again, exiting configuration mode. A double beep sounds.
Cursors
The cursor is similar in appearance to a mouse, except that it has an attached lens with crosshairs for highly
accurate detail work. Cursors are available with 4 or 16 buttons. There is a special 16-button cursor available
with high accuracy tablets. This corded cursor has a lens area that can be illuminated.
Pens
The pen is similar in appearance to a ball-point pen. It has a button built into the tip plus two side buttons on the
barrel. There are three types of pens that are identified by a colored ring on the pen barrel:
Q
Click tip:
Light blue ring
Q
Pressure tip:
Black ring
Q
Lite touch tip:
Red ring
Pointing tools
There are two types of pointing tools available with
DrawingBoard III:
pens
and
cursors
.
The pointing tools are available in both corded and
cordless versions. The cordless pointing tools are powered
by batteries.
Each tool goes into a battery-saving “sleep mode” when
no button has been pressed for one to five minutes,
depending on the type of tool you are using. To reactivate
the tool, press any of its buttons.
