Assistive Technology Mercury II User manual

Mercury II™
User’s Guide
Assistive Technology, Inc.

Assistive Technology, Inc. has made every effort to ensure that the information in this manual is accurate; it is not responsible for
printing errors. The information in this document is subject to change without notice and does not represent a commitment on the part
of Assistive Technology, Inc. No part of this document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or
mechanical, for any purpose, without the written permission of Assistive Technology, Inc. Your rights to the software are governed by
the accompanying software license agreement.
© 2005–2007 Assistive Technology, Inc. and its licensors.
All rights reserved.
Printed in the United States of America.
Mercury II and the Assistive Technology, Inc. logo are trademarks of Assistive Technology, Inc. Microsoft, Microsoft Internet Explorer
logo, Windows, Windows logo, Windows Start logo, and Windows Media are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft
Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. Quicktime is a trademark used under license. Boardmaker and Speaking
Dynamically Pro are registered trademarks of Mayer-Johnson LLC. Discover is a registered trademark of Madentec Limited.
All other trademarks are owned by their respective companies.
Mention of third-party products is for informational purposes only and constitutes neither an endorsement nor a recommendation.
Assistive Technology, Inc. assumes no responsibility with regard to the performance or use of these products.
Address all correspondence to:
Assistive Technology, Inc.
333 Elm Street
Dedham, MA 02026
Telephone: [phone]
Toll-free: 800.793.9227
Fax: [phone]
Web: www.assistivetech.com
E-mail: [email protected]

1
How do I get started with Mercury?
Use the information in this book to set up your Mercury and use it most effectively.
Getting Started:
2 Features and setup
6 Learning the basics
11 Mercury Control Panel
16 Turning off and restarting Mercury
17 Using the CD/DVD drive
20 Software overview
21 Handy Tools for Speaking
Dynamically Pro and Boardmaker
22 Mercury’s remote control (infrared)
features
26 Connecting to the Internet
Mercury Access Features:
27 Choosing an input device
28 Windows®On-Screen Keyboard
30 Calibrating the touchscreen
32 Switches
34 Wheelchair/Joystick switch input
36 Connecting peripherals
37 Windows Control Panel
38 Setting up a Mercury desktop for easy access
General Information:
40 Mercury stand/mount
41 Mercury power options and battery
43 Troubleshooting
45 Maintenance and safety guidelines
48 Technical information

2
What built-in features does Mercury have?
Power Button
Turn Mercury on or reset it.
Touchscreen
Headphone/Preview Jack
Plug in headphones here.
External Speaker Jack
Plug in additional speakers here.
Switch 1-2 Jack & Remote Power On
Plug in a single switch or a splitter here.
Wheelchair/Joystick port
For joystick input from a wheelchair ECU.
Requires a Mercury wheelchair cable.
See page 36 for more info.
Modem Port
Connect to the Internet, browse the
World Wide Web, and send and receive
e-mail.
USB Ports 1 and 2
Plug in peripherals like your keyboard, mouse, or external drives here.
PS/2 Port
Plug in your keyboard here.
AC Power Adapter/Battery Charger Port
Plug in your AC Power Adapter here.
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Status LED
Blinks when Mercury is charging or in Stand By mode.
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3
CD-RW/DVD-ROM Drive
Install software, run programs, listen to music
CDs, make backup copies of your files, and play
movies on DVDs.
To open the drive, push the thin button in the
middle of the door. See page 17 to learn more
about the CD/DVD-ROM Drive.
What other features does Mercury have?
Foldaway Handle
Built-in Microphone
Record sounds and speech.
Pre-programmed universal infrared and X-
10
Use the Mercury’s universal infrared as a
remote control for your television, VCR, DVD
player and cable or satellite receiver. Use its X-
10 Infrared Commands to turn on and off lights
and appliances (see page 22).
Stereo Speakers
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4
How do I set up and turn on Mercury?
1
Plug the AC Power Adapter into the AC Power Adapter/Battery Charger Port on the bottom left
side of Mercury.
2
Attach the power cord to the AC Power Adapter, then plug the power cord into a wall socket or
power strip.
The Status LED will blink when the AC Power Adapter is inserted.
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5
4Press the Power Button on the side of Mercury to turn it on.
3Plug your keyboard and mouse into the USB ports on the left side of the Mercury.You will
need these as you set up the Mercury and learn how to use it.
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Be sure that nothing is
touching the screen while
the Mercury is starting up.

6
After you click on
the Start button,
the Start menu will
appear.
How do I get started?
When you turn on your
Mercury, the Mercury Control
Panel will load and will
always be available from the
Taskbar (see below).
From the Control Panel you
can launch software applica-
tions; adjust the Mercury
speaker and headphone
volume, brightness of the
display, the touchscreen and
switch inputs; and put your
Mercury in Stand By mode or
shut it down.
For details about the Mer-
cury Control Panel, see page
11.
After you turn on the Mercury, you will see the Windows®Taskbar at the bottom
of your desktop. You can access all your programs, files, and settings from the
Start menu on the Taskbar.
Click on All Programs
to start other pro-
grams not listed
above, on the Start
menu.
Click on shortcut
buttons to start
Outlook Express or
Microsoft®Internet
Explorer and fre-
quently used applica-
tions.
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The name of the Control Panel button on the Taskbar
changes to “Battery __%” (the percentage of battery
power currently available) when the battery is
installed.
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Taskbar
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7
Where can I learn about basic Windows
®
skills?
If you need help with basic Windows concepts, such as clicking and using files and
folders, choose the Tour Windows XP shortcut button from the Start menu (you can
also get to this tutorial by choosing All Programs, then Accessories). After the
introduction, click on the Windows XP Basics button and follow the instructions.

8
Where do I go to learn more?
Choose Help and Support from the Start menu. The Help and Support Center window appears, with a
variety of tools to help you solve a problem or learn more about a Windows feature. Choose a topic
from the Pick a Help topic column, or type key words in the Search box. Click on any of the topics that
appear. If you didn’t find the information you needed, enter different key words.
For information on a specific Windows program while that program is active, press the F1 key or click
on the Help menu at the top of the window. Select Help Topics.
Another way to request help is to right-click the mouse on a window to bring up a What’s This?
button. Click on the What’s This? button for hints on using a particular Windows feature.

9
How do I find something on the Mercury hard drive?
1Select
My Computer on the Start menu.
2Double-click on a folder to view its contents.
Alternatively, click My Documents on the Start
menu. Click the Search button at the top of the
window that appears. Make a selection from the
left pane to begin your search.
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10
How do I switch between programs that are open?
Speaking Dynamically Pro and Windows Media Player are the open programs in this example. To switch to
a different program, click anywhere on the window of that program.
The Taskbar lists all
programs that are
currently running. If
a program is run-
ning but its window
is minimized or
covered by other
windows, click on its
button on the
Taskbar to switch to
it.
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11
Click the Setup button to
adjust settings for the
touchscreen, Speed
Buttons, switches, remote
control, and power (see
following pages).
What is the Mercury Control Panel?
The Mercury Control Panel provides access to a variety of Mercury features and controls.
Click the More
Info button to
access
information
about the
Mercury’s power
supply.
continued on the next page
Click the Speed Buttons
to run your speech
application, the on-
screen keyboard, or your
remote controls. You can
edit these buttons and
add buttons to customize
your Mercury.
Use these controls to
adjust the Mercury
speaker and headphone
volume and brightness of
the display.
Use these
buttons to shut
down the
Mercury or put
it in Stand By
mode.
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Use the Minimize button
to shrink the Mercury
Control Panel so that it
appears as a button on
the Taskbar at the bottom
of the screen.
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Shows time
remaining if
charging, or
time left on
battery if
unplugged.

12
Turn headphone preview
on or off (see page 37).
Click to calibrate the
touchscreen (see page 30).
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Use this check box to
restrict access to
Setup options by
requiring a keyboard
to type <Alt-S>.
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If you click the Setup button on the Mercury Control Panel, you will see the Main Setup screen.
Use this check box to
restrict access to
Setup options by
requiring a password
(entered at the
right).
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Click on the tabs below to switch to different setup screens.
Type the same password in
both boxes, then click Set
Password. This password will
be required to enter this
Setup screen. Be sure to keep
a record of your password in
a safe place.
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Click OK to keep these settings
and exit Setup.
Click Cancel to exit Setup without
keeping changes.
Click Apply to keep these settings
and continue in Setup.
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For Speed Buttons, see p. 13.
For Switches, see p. 32.
For Remote Control, see p. 22.
For Power, see p. 41.

13
This Setup screen allows you to add or remove Speed Buttons to customize your Mercury. You can have up
to 6 Speed Buttons in a group, and any of the buttons can link to other groups, giving you an unlimited
number of possible Speed Buttons.
1
2
Click the Setup button on the main screen of the Mercury
Control Panel, then the Speed Buttons tab.
To add a new button to the Home group, click the Edit
button next to the first empty button.
In the Button Editor, you can create the button’s appearance
and choose whether the button will launch a program or link
to another button group. The screen below shows how to set
up a Speed Button that launches the Wordpad accessory.
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3
Enter the name you
want displayed on
the Speed Button.
Choose an icon for
the Speed Button:
no icon, the icon
associated with this
program, or any custom
icon (.ico) file. Browse to locate the program to
launch from this Speed Button.
You can hide or show any
Speed Button.
How can I customize the Speed Buttons in the Control Panel?
Be sure to save your changes.
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14
Click the Add button to create a new
group. In this example, the group is
named Games.
Add a Speed Button to the Home group
that will link to Games. To do this, click
the Edit button.
You can create a Speed Button that links to another group of Speed Buttons. Below is an example of a Speed
Button group of games.
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1
2
In the Button Editor, type the name
Games and choose an icon for the
button, if desired.
Under Navigate, select Games as the
Speed Button Set that this button
will switch to.
3
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Use this button to make the selected group (above)
be the Home group, which will appear on the main
screen of the Mercury Control Panel whenever you
turn on your Mercury.
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15
Click the new Games group, then add buttons for
your Games using the same method described in
the Wordpad example on page 13.
Click OK and save the changes to your Games and
Home button groups.
Try out your new
Speed Buttons.
Click the Wordpad
button to launch
Wordpad.
When you click
the Games button,
the new Speed
Buttons for
Games will
appear.
Click the Back button to go to the
previous button group.
Click the Home button to return to
the Home group.
In this example, both buttons will
return you to the Home group.
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16


Use the Shut Down button on the Mercury Control Panel to
turn off your Mercury. Use the Stand By button to put it into
Stand By mode.
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Use Stand By mode when you leave Mercury for a short
time. Mercury uses very little power in Stand By mode, so
you increase the amount of time you can operate Mercury
on its battery. In Stand By mode, the Mercury screen will go
blank, and the status LED will blink green.
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To wake Mercury, press the Power button or a switch
plugged into the Switch 1-2 jack. The desktop will look as it
did before it went into Stand By mode.
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Use Shut Down when you plan to leave the Mercury for longer periods of time, or you can enable
Hibernate in the Power Setup tab (see p. 41). When Mercury has been shut down, the screen will
be dark, and the status LED will not blink (unless Mercury is charging while AC is connected).
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You can also select Turn Off Computer from the Windows Start menu,
then choose Stand By , Turn Off , or Restart .
How do I turn Mercury off?

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Use Restart to shut down and then immediately restart Mercury. Use Restart to get a fresh start
when you are experiencing problems, or after you have installed new software. Select Turn off
Computer from the Windows Start menu, then choose Restart .
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You can also reset Mercury by depressing the Power button for several seconds until the Mercury
shuts down. Then press the Power button again to start up.
How do I restart Mercury?
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17
How do I use the CD-RW/DVD-ROM drive?
2
3
4
With Mercury turned on, press the eject button on the CD/DVD-ROM door, and pull the tray open. Place a
CD or DVD on the tray (label-side up) and then align the hole in the disc directly over the round clip in the
center of the drive. Press down until you feel the disc snap into place. Close the tray gently until it latches.
Attach your external keyboard.
Many programs will require you to
register information or serial
numbers during installation.
Most installations will start
automatically. Then follow the
on-screen instructions.
The installation program may
instruct you to restart your
computer at the end of the
installation process. Often it will
restart the computer for you.
When you want to eject the CD,
press the eject button on the CD-
ROM door, and pull the tray open.
1
To run or install software from
CD-ROMs:
To use your CD-ROM drive to play
music CDs:
1Insert a music CD into the CD-ROM drive.
2Windows Media Player will automatically
begin playing the music CD.

18
To make backup copies of your files and folders to a CD:
You will find it easy and convenient to make backup copies of your data files to a
CD using the CD Writing software in Windows XP and blank CD-R or CD-RW discs
that you purchase.
Place a blank CD disc in the CD/DVD drive. In the
dialog box that appears, click OK to open a writable
CD folder using Windows Explorer.
Drag the files and folders you wish to copy to the CD
from your Mercury to the CD drive folder.
After you have selected the files and folders to copy,
they will appear in the CD drive window. Open the CD
Writing Wizard by clicking on Write these files to CD .
Type a name for the CD and click Next. Follow the
onscreen instructions to write the files to the CD.
If you are using a CD-RW disc, you can add more files to
the same CD at a later time, as long as there is enough
space on it.
Note: You cannot write files to a blank DVD disc.
1
2
3
4
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Names of files appear here.
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