Modular Evolution
Start-Up
Handy Tech
Elektronik GmbH
Page 11
3
Start-Up
3.1 Turning the Power On
Please make sure that the Modular Evolution is connected to your PC with the USB
cable, and that the PC is running. Flip the main power switch towards you. You will
hear a short, high-pitched beep, and the following start-up message will be displayed
on the Braille display:
’Handy Tech Modular Evolution yy Ver. Fx.xx’
In this string, yy indicates the number of Braille modules, that is, either 64 or 88. In
"Ver. Fx.xx", x.xx is the version number of your Modular Evolution's firmware (e.g.,
1.00).
After you hear the beep, the Modular Evolution is ready to work. As soon as the
screen reader transmits any information to the Modular Evolution, the start-up
message will disappear, and the new data will be displayed.
3.2 Energy Saving Mode
If no key is pressed or there is no change in the Braille display on the Modular
Evolution for several minutes (the default setting is 90 minutes), it will enter sleep
mode. In sleep mode, the Braille elements are off and some of the electronic
modules are deactivated. As soon as any key is pressed, the Modular Evolution will
be fully operational again immediately. You will recognize this because the tactile
pins will be pushed back up. If you have selected a blinking cursor representation,
the Modular Evolution will not go into energy saving mode.
3.3 Braille Display Operation
In order to operate the Modular Evolution as a Braille display under Windows, you
need a screen reader to output the contents of the PC screen, which is not part of the
Modular Evolution package.
Please make sure that your Modular Evolution is properly connected and switched
on, and that the appropriate Braille display driver by Handy Tech is installed, before
starting up the screen reader program (see Section 2.2). As a rule, the screen reader
will display the selected position within the active window on the Braille display. For
example, if you are moving through a menu, the selected menu item is displayed.
The navigation keys, [L] and [R] or [TRD] and [TLU], allow you to move through text.
In word processing programs such as Microsoft Word, you can also position the
cursor with the cursor routing keys. In addition, the [CR] keys also allow you to
activate menu items or functions directly (e.g., when you are prompted for a yes or
no answer with
'y/n'
, pressing the [CR] key above the
'y'
has the same effect as
entering "y").
