Assistive Technology MiniMerc User manual

MiniMerc
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.
© 2003–2006 Assistive Technology, Inc. and its licensors.
All rights reserved.
Printed in the United States of America.
MiniMerc 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 MiniMerc?
Use the information in this book to set up your MiniMerc and use it most effectively.
Getting Started:
2 Features and setup
6 Learning the basics
11 Mercury Control Panel
16 Turning off and restarting MiniMerc
17 Using the CD-ROM drive
19 Software overview
20 MiniMerc’s remote control features
24 Connecting to the Internet
26 HandyTools for Speaking
Dynamically Pro and Boardmaker
MiniMerc 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 MiniMerc desktop for easy access
General Information:
40 MiniMerc power options and battery
42 Troubleshooting
44 Maintenance and safety guidelines
47 Technical information

2
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What built-in features does MiniMerc have?
Power Button
Turn MiniMerc on
or reset it. Touchscreen
Headphone/Preview Jack
Plug in headphones here.
USB Ports 1 and 2
Plug in peripherals like your mouse, keyboard,
or external drives here.
AC Power Adapter/Battery Charger Port
Plug in your AC Power Adapter here.
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Status LED
Blinks when MiniMerc is charging or in Stand By mode.
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Wheelchair/Joystick port
For joystick input from a multi-switch or
wheelchair ECU. Requires a MiniMerc wheelchair
cable. See page 34 for more information.
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Switch 1-2 Jack & Remote Power On
Plug in a single-switch, dual-switch, or a splitter here.

3
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What other features does MiniMerc have?
Built-in Microphone
Record sounds and speech.
Pre-programmed universal
infrared and X-10
Use the MiniMerc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 21).
Stereo Speakers
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Adjustable Strap
Use adjustable strap, or remove strap,
connect, and use as short handle.
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Removable Battery
CardBus Slot
For networking or wireless
accessories.
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4
Press the Power Button on the
side of MiniMerc to turn it on.
3
How do I set up and turn on MiniMerc?
1
Plug the AC Power Adapter into the AC Power Adapter/Battery Charger Port on the bottom left
side of MiniMerc.
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
connected.
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Power Button
Be sure that nothing is
touching the screen while
the MiniMerc is starting up.

5
How do I use a keyboard and mouse?
The keyboard and mouse each plug into a USB port on the left side of the MiniMerc. You can safely plug
and unplug these peripherals while MiniMerc is on. They are handy to use when installing new software,
editing communication boards, or using the Internet.
An on-screen keyboard is also available. Refer to page 28 for more information.

6
After you click on
the Start button,
the Start menu will
appear.
How do I get started?
When you turn on your
MiniMerc, the Mercury
Control Panel will load
and will always be avail-
able on the Taskbar (see
below).
From the Control Panel
you can launch software
applications; adjust the
MiniMerc speaker and
headphone volume,
brightness of the display,
the touchscreen and
switch inputs; and put
your MiniMerc in Stand By
mode or shut it down.
For details about the
Mercury Control Panel,
see page 11.
After you turn on the MiniMerc, you will see the Windows®Taskbar at the bottom
of your desktop. You can access all of 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 Microsoft®
Outlook Express or
Microsoft®Internet
Explorer and frequently
used applications.
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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 MiniMerc 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 running
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 MiniMerc features and controls.
Click the More
Info button to
access
information
about the
MiniMercs
power supply.
continued on the next page
Click the Speed Buttons
to run your speech,
on-screen keyboard,
and remote control
programs. You can edit
these buttons and add
buttons to customize
your MiniMerc.
Use these controls to
adjust the MiniMerc
speaker and headphone
volume and brightness
of the display.
Use these
buttons to Shut
Down the
MiniMerc 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.
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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. 20.
For Power, see p. 40.

13
This Setup screen allows you to add or remove Speed Buttons to customize your MiniMerc. 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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continued on the next page

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.
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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 MiniMerc.
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15
Click the new Games group, then add buttons for
your Games using the same method described in
theWordpad 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
nUse the Shut Down button on the Mercury Control Panel to
turn off your MiniMerc. Use the Stand By button to put it
into Stand By mode.
nUse Stand By mode when you leave MiniMerc for a short
time. MiniMerc uses very little power in Stand By mode, so
you increase the amount of time you can operate MiniMerc
on its battery.In Stand By mode,the MiniMerc screen will
go blank, and the status LED will blink green.
nTo wake MiniMerc, 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.
nUse Shut Down when you plan to leave the MiniMerc for longer periods of time, or you can enable
Hibernate in the Power Setup tab (see p.40).When MiniMerc has been shut down, the screen will
be dark,and the status LED will not blink (unless MiniMerc is charging while AC is connected).
nYou can also select Turn Off Computer from theWindows Start menu,
then choose Stand By , Turn Off ,or Restart .
nUse Restart to shut down and then immediately restart MiniMerc. Use Restart to get a fresh start
when you are experiencing problems, or after you have installed new software. Select Turn off
Computer from theWindows Start menu,then choose Restart .
nYou can also reset MiniMerc by depressing the Power button for several seconds until the
MiniMerc shuts down.Then press the Power button again to start up.
How do I restart MiniMerc?
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How do I turn MiniMerc off?

17
MiniMerc comes with an external USB CD-R/RW
drive and AC adapter. You can use it to run or
install software, make backup copies of your
important files, or play music CDs.
Plug in the AC adapter and set the switch on the
back of the drive to “EXT”. Then connect the drive
to MiniMerc by plugging the large end of the
cable provided into center of the back of the CD
drive and the small end into one of the MiniMerc USB ports.
To open the CD drive, press the eject button on the front. Place a CD 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.
To eject the CD, press the eject button on the CD drive door and pull the tray open.
To run or install software from CDs: To play music CDs:
Insert a music CD into the CD-ROM drive.
Windows Media Player will automatically begin
playing the music CD.
To play DVDs:
You can play DVDs on the CD drive using the
optional Cardbus Cable. For more information
or to purchase this cable, please contact ATI
Customer Service at 800-793-9227.
To make backup copies of files:
Please follow the directions on page 18.
How do I use the CD-R/RW drive?
2
3
1Attach your external keyboard. Many
programs will require you to register
information or serial numbers during
installation.
Most installations will automatically start.
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.

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 drive. In the dialog
box that appears, click OK to open a writable CD
folder usingWindows Explorer.
Drag the files and folders you wish to copy to the CD
from your MiniMerc 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
WritingWizard by clicking on Write these files to CD .
Type a name for the CD and click Next. Follow the
on-screen 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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