Franklin BR-1000 Bill Reader User manual

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Introduction
The BR-1000 Bill Reader is a handheld
device for the blind and visually impaired
that uses Evolution Robotics’ViPR® (Visual
Pattern Recognition) object recognition and
identication technology with an imbedded
digital camera and speaker to immediately
determine the denominations of U.S. paper
currency/notes.
Simply hold the BR-1000 over a single U.S.
dollar bill (each bill must be identied one at a
time), with the camera lens pointing towards
the bill and approximately 3 to 8-inches away
from the bill. Press the large CAPTURE button
in the top corner of the unit to take a picture
of the bill, determine the denomination and
speak the value of the note in English or
Spanish. It is capable of identifying all current
and recent versions/designs of U.S. paper
currency, including the One Dollar bill, $2, $5,
$10, $20, $50 and $100 bills.
Battery Precautions
This product uses two AAA batteries.
• Dierenttypesofbatteriesornewand
used batteries should not be mixed.
• Non-rechargeablebatteriesarenottobe
re-charged. Never recharge batteries that
come with the device.
• Rechargeablebatteriesaretoberemoved
from the device before being charged.
• Rechargeablebatteriesareonlytobe
charged under adult supervision.
• Onlybatteriesofthesameorequivalent
type as recommended are to be used.
• Thesupplyterminalsarenottobeshort-
circuited.
• Donotexposebatteriestodirectheat
or try to take batteries apart. Follow the
battery manufacturer’s instructions for
battery use.
• Alwaysremoveaweakordeadbattery
from the device.
• Toavoiddamagecausedbyleakageof
the battery uid, replace the battery or
batteries once every two years regardless
of how much the device has been used
during that time.
• Shouldabatteryleak,thedevicemay
become damaged. Clean the battery
compartment immediately, avoiding
contact with your skin.
• Keepbatteriesoutofreachofsmall
children. If swallowed, consult a physician
immediately.
Product Care
Your device is designed to be light, compact
and durable. However, it is an electronic
device and must be treated carefully. Putting
unnecessary pressure on it or striking the
device against other objects can cause
damage.
To avoid damage to your device, please:
• Donotdrop,crush,bend,orapply
excessive force to the device.
• Donotexposeyourdevicetomoisture,
extreme or prolonged heat, cold, humidity,
or other adverse conditions. Avoid storing
it in damp, humid or wet places. It is not
waterproof.
• Cleanthedevicebysprayingamildglass
cleaner onto a cloth and wipe its surface.
Do not spray liquids directly on your
device.
• Shouldthedevice’sdisplayglassbreak,
properly dispose of the product avoiding
contact with your skin, then wash your
hands immediately.
• Pleasekeepscreenprotectorsandplastic
bags away from babies and children to
avoid danger of suocation.
Understanding Your Device
ONOFF
SPA ENG
BR-1000
English
Bill Reader
Assistive Device for the Visually Impaired
User’s Guide
Please read the following safety warnings
and precautions before using your device.
Note: If this device is to be used by young
children, this User’s Guide should be read to
them by an adult and their use of the device
should be monitored. Failure to do so may
cause injury.
On/O
Capture Button
USB Jack
Capture
Language
Selection

ON/OFF: Turns the unit on and o. This slide
button Is located on the top center of the
bill reader. Each time the ON/OFF button is
moved to the ON position, the unit will speak
accordingly. The unit will say“Turning on”to
notify the user.
CAPTURE: Large button located on the
upper right corner of the Bill Reader with the
camera lens facing you. Pressing this button
once will allow the unit to take a picture of
the U.S. paper currency. The unit will identify
the bill and speak its value in English or
Spanish.
VOLUME BUTTON: Located on the left side
of unit. Pressing the button will incrementally
raise or lower the volume of the unit. There
are ve (5) selectable volume levels. An
audible beep tone is sounded each time
the volume button is pressed. These beep
volumes vary to match the (5) selectable
volume levels so that a blind user can pick the
volume level they desire.
LANGUAGE SELECTION: This switch Is
located on the lower right side of the unit.
Slide the switch up for Spanish and slide
down for English.
CAMERA: Located on the front of the unit.
Use a clean soft cloth to keep the camera lens
clean. Keep your ngers away from the lens
when using the Bill Reader. Do not place the
unit on any surface with the lens down. This
will prevent possible scratches on the camera
lens.
SPEAKER: Located on the back of the unit
under the small holes.
EARPHONE JACK: Located on the bottom
of the unit. When a earphone is plugged
into the earphone jack, the unit will play
through the earphone and the speaker will be
disabled.
USB JACK: Located on the right side of the
unit just under the CAPTURE button. The
USB jacks allows connectivity to a PC for latest
rmware updates from Franklin’s website. See
separate section called “Firmware Upgrade via
USB” for download instructions.
LANYARD: Attachment point for the handy
lanyard is located on the bottom of the unit.
BATTERY COMPARTMENT COVER: Located
on the lower front side of the unit under the
camera lens.
Installing or Replacing
the Batteries
Your Bill Reader is powered by two AAA
batteries which are included. Follow these
easy instructions to install or replace them.
1. Turn the product face up with the
camera lens facing you.
2. The battery compartment cover is
located on the lower portion.
AAA
AAA
3. Press the recessed area at the top of the
cover just under the camera lens.
4. As you are pressing, push the cover
down towards the bottom of the
product to slide the cover o.
5. Remove the old batteries.
Note: Use a paper clip if necessary to
remove the old batteries.
6. Install the new batteries following
the +/- markings in the battery
compartment.
Important: Be sure the batteries are
installed correctly. Wrong polarity may
damage the unit.
7. Slide the battery cover back into place.
For better performance and longer
operating time, we recommend the use of
high quality AAA batteries.
Information
Adjusting the Sound✓
Press the volume button to raise or lower
the volume. There are ve (5) selectable
volume levels. A short beep, each time,
indicates when the sound has been
increased or decreased.
Automatic Power-o✓
The Bill Reader has a built-in automatic
shut-o feature to save battery power. If
the unit is left idle for over one minute with
the ON/OFF switch in the ON position,
the unit will go into a power-saving “sleep”
mode and speak “Turning o”to notify the
user. Pressing the CAPTURE button while
scanning a bill will automatically turn the
unit back on from“sleep”mode and it will
scan the bill.
When the unit is not in use, turn it
completely o by sliding the ON/OFF
switch to OFF. This will best conserve
battery power.
Low Battery Warning✓
This product has an automatic battery
level detection feature. The battery will be
checked if the CAPTURE button is pressed
in the power saving mode. If the battery
falls below a critical level, you will hear a
warning message “Warning. Battery power
is low. Please change batteries soon.”
Change the batteries as soon as possible.
Automatic Illumination✓
This unit is equipped with a White LED
ash for illumination. The camera module
will automatically detect the ambient light
intensity automatically. If the lighting
is not enough, it will turn on the LED to
ensure proper recognition.
Operating the Bill Reader
1. Slide the ON/OFF button to the ON
position.
The unit will speak “Turning on.”
2. Set the Language Selection switch to
English.
3. Hold the reader with the camera
pointing at the paper U.S. Currency
(“bill”) at approximately 4-inches to
10-inches from the bill, directly over the
bill and as close to a 90-degree angle to
the bill as possible.
Note: The bill should lie at.
4. Press the CAPTURE button to activate
the reader.
You will hear the message “Turning On”.
The reader will complete the recognition
within 2 seconds. If the recognition is
successful, it will speak the value of the bill.
Volume
Button
Speaker
Earphone
Jack
Lanyard
Battery
Compartment
Camera

5. Change another bill and press the
CAPTURE button to start another
recognition.
If you hear the message “Please try again”
then the unit cannot read the dollar bill
either because the unit is tilted at an angle
that prevents the unit from capturing a
clear, clean, sharp image of the bill, the
camera is too close (less than 3.5”) or
too far (more than 10”) from the bill, the
camera is not pointed directly at the bill, or
the bill is not recognizable because it may
not be a U.S. dollar bill. Try reading the bill
again by re-aligning the Bill Reader to the
bill and pressing the CAPTURE button.
6. If you have nished reading all the bills,
leave the unit alone. The unit will enter
power saving mode automatically if it
is idle for 1 minute. You will hear the
message “Turning O”. For maximum
power saving, slide the ON/OFF button
to the OFF position.
Switching between English
and Spanish
This product supports both English and
Spanish. Slide the LANGUAGE SELECTION
switch to select the desired language. If you
slide the switch when the unit is operating,
you will hear either“Language selection
button is set to English” or “Language
selection button is set to Spanish” (spoken in
Spanish) according to the switch position and
the language selected.
Speeches
English
One dollar bill
Two dollar bill
Five dollar bill
Ten dollar bill
Twenty dollar bill
Fifty dollar bill
One hundred dollar bill
Turning on
Turning o
Please try again
Invalid operation
Warning. Battery power is low. Please
change batteries soon.
Language selection button is set to
English.
Spanish
Billete de un dólar
Billete de dos dólares
Billete de cinco dólares
Billete de diez dólares
Billete de veinte dólares
Billete de cincuenta dólares
Billete de cien dólares
Encender
Apagar
Por favor intente de nuevo
Operación invalida
Atención. Poca batería. Por favor cambie
las baterías a tiempo.
El botón para la selección de lenguaje esta
puesto en español.
Upgrading Firmware via USB
The rmware and database of this product
can be upgraded via a PC through its USB
port.
First, download the latest rmware from
Franklin’s web site and execute/launch the
program.
Follow the procedures below to upgrade the
Bill Reader unit:
1. Make sure your unit has enough power.
2. Be sure to rst launch the Bill Reader
Update program just downloaded from
the Internet.
It should appear on your screen.
3. Connect the BR-1000 Bill Reader to your
PC using a USB cable.
4. Switch on your unit.
5. Press the “Start” button to begin the
process. The progress bar will display
the status. DO NOT unplug the USB
cable or power o the unit before the
completion of the process.
6. When the upgrade process is nished,
click on the “OK” button and detach the
USB cable.
7. Power o the BR-1000 unit.
8. The Bill Reader is now equipped with
the latest rmware and database.
PC System Requirements
-Windows Operating System:
Windows 98 SE/ME/2000/XP/VISTA
-Minimum Pentium 166
-Minimum 128MB RAM
-50MB free hard drive disk space
-CD-ROM Drive
-Open/Free USB Port
Specications
Model: BR-1000 Bill Reader
•Batteries: two AAA
•Battery Life: Approximately 1000 scans or
about 200 days in standby mode (based on
alkaline batteries)
•Size: 79mm x 42mm x 20mm
©2009 Franklin Electronic Publishers, Inc.,
Burlington, N.J. 08016-4907 U.S.A. All Rights
Reserved.
ViPR® is a registered trademark of Evolution
Robotics, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Recycling and Disposal
Device Disposal✓
This device should be disposed through
your local electronic product recycling
system - do not throw into the trash bin.
Packaging Disposal✓
Please save this User’s Guide and all
packing materials, as they contain
important information. In case of disposal,
please refer to your local recycling system.
Battery Disposal✓
Do not dispose of batteries with normal
household waste. Please obey your local
regulations when disposing of used
batteries.
FCC Notice (U.S. only)
This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC
Rules. Operation is subject to the following
two conditions: (1) This device may not cause
harmful interference, and (2) This device must
accept any interference received, including
interference that may cause undesired
operation.
Warning: Changes or modications to this
unit not expressly approved by the party
responsible for compliance could void the
user’s authority to operate the equipment.
NOTE: This equipment has been tested and
found to comply with the limits for a Class B
digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC
Rules. These limits are designed to provide
reasonable protection against harmful
interference in a residential installation.
This equipment generates, uses and can
radiate radio frequency energy and, if not
installed and used in accordance with the
instructions, may cause harmful interference
to radio communications. However, there
is no guarantee that interference will not
occur in a particular installation. If this
equipment does cause harmful interference
to radio or television reception, which can
be determined by turning the equipment
o and on, the user is encouraged to try to
correct the interference by one or more of the
following measures:
–Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
–Increase the separation between the
equipment and receiver.
–Connect the equipment into an outlet on
a circuit dierent from that to which the
receiver is connected.
–Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/
TV technician for help.
NOTE: This unit was tested with shielded
cables on the peripheral devices. Shielded
cables must be used with the unit to insure
compliance.
NOTE: The manufacturer is not responsible
for any radio or TV interference caused
by unauthorized modications to this
equipment. Such modications could void
the user’s authority to operate the equipment.

Disclaimer of Warranties
Except as specically provided herein,
Franklin makes no warranty of any kind,
express or implied, with respect to this
product.
Your purchase, receipt, or use of this product
conrms your acknowledgment that no
guaranty is made as to your satisfaction in
connection with your use of this product
nor as to the accuracy of any processing of
information by this product.
Limited Warranty (U.S. only)
LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF
WARRANTIES, AND LIMITED REMEDY
FRANKLIN WARRANTS TO THE ORIGINAL
PURCHASER THAT THIS PRODUCT WILL BE
FREE FROM DEFECTS IN MATERIALS AND
WORKMANSHIP FOR A PERIOD OF ONE
(1) YEAR FROM THE ORIGINAL DATE OF
PURCHASE AS EVIDENCED BY A COPY OF THE
SALES RECEIPT. THIS LIMITED WARRANTY
DOES NOT COVER DAMAGE DUE TO ACTS
OF GOD, ACCIDENT, MISUSE, ABUSE,
NEGLIGENCE, MODIFICATION, UNSUITABLE
ENVIRONMENT, OR IMPROPER MAINTENANCE.
THE SOLE OBLIGATION AND LIABILITY OF
FRANKLIN, AND THE EXCLUSIVE REMEDY
UNDER THIS LIMITED WARRANTY, IS REPAIR
OR REPLACEMENT AT THE SOLE OPTION
OF FRANKLIN AND THIS REMEDY APPLIES
ONLY IN THE CASE IN WHICH FRANKLIN
DETERMINES THAT THE PRODUCT WAS
DEFECTIVE AND THAT THE DEFECT AROSE
WITHIN THE DURATION OF THE LIMITED
WARRANTY. THIS REMEDY IS THE EXCLUSIVE
REMEDY FOR BREACH OF THIS WARRANTY.
THIS WARRANTY GIVES YOU CERTAIN
RIGHTS; YOU MAY ALSO HAVE OTHER RIGHTS
THAT MAY VARY FROM JURISDICTION TO
JURISDICTION.
EXCEPT FOR THE LIMITED WARRANTY
EXPRESSLY RECITED ABOVE, THIS FRANKLIN
PRODUCT IS PROVIDED ON AN “AS IS”BASIS,
WITHOUT ANY OTHER WARRANTIES, EXPRESS
OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED
TO, WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABLE
QUALITY, MERCHANTABILITY, OR FITNESS
FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, OR THOSE
ARISING BY LAW, STATUTE, USAGE OF
TRADE, OR COURSE OF DEALING. THIS
WARRANTY APPLIES ONLY TO PRODUCTS
MANUFACTURED BY OR FOR FRANKLIN AND
SPECIFICALLY DOES NOT INCLUDE BATTERIES,
CORROSION OF BATTERY CONTACTS OR ANY
OTHER DAMAGE CAUSED BY BATTERIES.
FRANKLIN SHALL NOT HAVE ANY LIABILITY
TO THE PURCHASER OR ANY OTHER PERSON
OR ENTITY FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL,
SPECIAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES
WHATSOEVER, INCLUDING, BUT NOT
LIMITED TO, LOSS OF REVENUE OR PROFIT,
LOST OR CORRUPTED DATA, OR OTHER
COMMERCIAL OR ECONOMIC LOSS, EVEN
IF FRANKLIN HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE
POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES, OR EVEN IF
OTHERWISE FORESEEABLE. FRANKLIN IS NOT
RESPONSIBLE FOR CLAIMS BY A THIRD PARTY.
FRANKLIN’S MAXIMUM AGGREGATE LIABILITY
SHALL NOT EXCEED THE AMOUNT PAID FOR
THE PRODUCT AS EVIDENCED BY THE SALES
RECEIPT. SOME STATES/JURISDICTIONS DO
NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION
OF LIABILITY FOR CONSEQUENTIAL OR
INCIDENTAL DAMAGES, SO THE ABOVE
LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU. IF
THE LAWS OF THE RELEVANT JURISDICTION
DO NOT PERMIT FULL WAIVER OF IMPLIED
WARRANTIES, THEN THE DURATION OF
IMPLIED WARRANTIES AND CONDITIONS ARE
LIMITED TO THE DURATION OF THE EXPRESS
WARRANTY GRANTED HEREIN.
Warranty Service: If you think your product
is defective, call Franklin’s Customer Service
Desk, 1-800-266-5626, to request a return
merchandise authorization (“RMA”) number,
before returning the product (transportation
charges prepaid) to:
Franklin Electronic Publishers, Inc.
Attn: Service Department
One Franklin Plaza
Burlington, NJ 08016-4907
If you return a Franklin product, please
include your name, address, telephone
number, a brief description of the defect and
a copy of your sales receipt as proof of your
original date of purchase. You must also write
the RMA prominently on the package if you
return the product; otherwise there may be
a lengthy delay in the processing of your
return. Franklin strongly recommends using a
trackable form of deliver to Franklin for your
return.
Limited Warranty
(EU and Switzerland)
Notwithstanding the disclaimer of warranties
above, this product, excluding batteries and
liquid crystal display (LCD), is guaranteed
by Franklin to be free of defects in materials
or workmanship for a period of two years
from the date of purchase. It will be repaired
or replaced with an equivalent product (at
Franklin’s option) free of charge for any defect
in workmanship or materials during that time.
This warranty explicitly excludes defects
due to misuse, accidental damage, or wear
and tear. This warranty does not aect the
consumer’s statutory rights.
Limited Warranty (outside
U.S., EU and Switzerland)
Notwithstanding the disclaimer of warranties
above, this product, excluding batteries and
liquid crystal display (LCD), is guaranteed
by Franklin to be free of defects in materials
or workmanship for a period of one year
from the date of purchase. It will be repaired
or replaced with an equivalent product (at
Franklin’s option) free of charge for any defect
in workmanship or materials during that time.
Products purchased outside the United States,
the European Union and Switzerland that are
returned under warranty should be returned
to the original vendor with proof of purchase
and description of fault. Charges will be made
for all repairs unless valid proof of purchase is
provided.
This warranty explicitly excludes defects
due to misuse, accidental damage, or wear
and tear. This warranty does not aect the
consumer’s statutory rights.
BRD-28000-00
Rev. A