Freedom Scientific Pearl User manual

440467-001 Rev. B
PEARL®Portable
Reading Camera
Quick Start Guide
Freedom Scientific, Inc.
July 2010

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PUBLISHED BY
Freedom Scientific
11800 31st Court North
St. Petersburg, Florida 33716-1805
USA
http://www.FreedomScientific.com
Information in this document is subject to change without notice. No part of this publication may
be reproduced or transmitted in any form or any means electronic or mechanical, for any
purpose, without the express written permission of Freedom Scientific.
Copyright © 2010 Freedom Scientific, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
PEARL®is a trademark of Freedom Scientific, Inc. in the United States and other countries.

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Federal Communications Commission Notice
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 off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or
more of the following measures:
Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.
Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is
connected.
Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
Consult the dealer or an experienced radio or television technician for help.
Changes or modifications not expressly approved by Freedom Scientific could void the
user’s authority to operate the equipment.

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Industry Canada ICES-003 Notice
This Class B digital apparatus complies with Canadian ICES-003.
Cet appareil numérique de la classe B est conforme à la norme NMB-003 du Canada.
Regulatory Compliance
Wavelengths: 400 nm to 780 nm
Power: 5V 500mA
Safety: UL 60950-1
CAN/CAS-C22.2 No. 60950-1
IEC 60950-1
EMC: FCC (CFR-47, part 15) Class B
Industry Canada ICES-003
EN 55022 Class B
EN 55024

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Safety and Maintenance
The LED lamp used in this product is in excess of the Exempt Risk Group defined in CEI IEC
62471:2006-07. This lamp has been found to be in the Risk Group 2 classification at an
exposure distance of 20cm or less from the glass surface of the lamp. Care should be taken to
avoid exposure when operating and installing this lamp. The specific hazard is retinal blue light.
Do not stare at the lamp as it may be harmful to the eyes.
To keep your PEARL in good condition, observe the following guidelines:
Read the instructions in this user’s guide before attempting to use PEARL.
Do not attempt to repair PEARL or open its case. This product contains no user serviceable
parts.
Keep PEARL away from wet areas, rain, and other sources of liquids. Do not submerge
PEARL.
Always operate PEARL in a place where the temperature is between 10° and 35° C (50° and
95° F).
Do not store in places subject to temperature extremes such as a parked car.

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When cleaning PEARL, make sure the unit is unplugged from the computer. Use a lightly
dampened, soft, clean cloth with water or mild detergent. Do not use alcohol, solvents,
abrasives, or aerosol sprays.
1. Camera LED
2. Camera lens

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Table of Contents
Introducing PEARL ......................................................................... 1
Opening and Closing PEARL......................................................... 2
Aligning Documents for Scanning ................................................ 7
Low Vision Magnification............................................................. 13
Keystrokes..................................................................................... 16
Service and Support ..................................................................... 18
Warranty......................................................................................... 20
Troubleshooting............................................................................ 22

1
Introducing PEARL
Congratulations on your purchase of PEARL!
PEARL is a portable reading camera used in combination with Freedom
Scientific’s OpenBook software version 9.0 and later. Use these tools to
read books, magazines, documents, and more. The PEARL camera has
an automatic mode that senses motion and allows it to scan an image
whenever a page is turned.
PEARL can also be used as a video magnifier showing a magnified
image of your document on your computer monitor. It works in most
room lighting. If the room is dark, simply turn on the built-in LED light.

2
Opening and Closing PEARL
Use the following steps and illustrations to open PEARL and connect it
to your computer.
1. Remove PEARL from its carrying case, and rotate the page guide
until it is perpendicular to the two support posts. The page guide
locks in place. See Figure 1 on page 3.
2. Press and hold the release button that is closest to PEARL’s base,
and raise both support posts. The posts lock in place. See Figure 2
on page 4.
3. Press and hold the second release button, and raise the camera
post until it locks in place. See Figure 3 on page 5.

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Figure 1: Rotate page guide from closed position

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Figure 2: Press and hold release button (1) to raise both posts

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Figure 3: Press and hold release button (2) to raise camera post

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4. Connect PEARL’s USB connector to your computer.
5. Start OpenBook to turn on and use PEARL.
When using PEARL for the first time, select it using the Device
Selection option found in OpenBook’s Advanced menu.
Refer to OpenBook’s quick start guide and help file for scanning
and reading procedures.
Important: Do not stare into the camera’s LED.
Closing PEARL
To close PEARL, disconnect its USB connector from your computer,
and repeat steps 1 through 4 in reverse order.

7
Aligning Documents for Scanning
The camera’s scan area is 9 inches wide by 12 inches long (22.86 cm
by 30.48 cm).
Documents and Large Books
To align a single page document or large book under the camera, do
the following:
1. Place the document’s top edge against the page guide. See Figure
4 on page 9.
2. To align a single page document, do one of the following: center it
between the outer edges of the page guide, or line up a side edge
of the document with an outer edge of the page guide.

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To align a large book with facing pages, make sure that the inside
margin of the page to be scanned is aligned with the edge of the
page guide. This prevents needless information on the opposite
page from being scanned. Figure 5 on page 10 shows a right-hand
page aligned with the left edge of the page guide.
3. After aligning a document, move your hands out of the way, and
press F4 to acquire an image and start reading.
4. Scan one page at a time when scanning a full-size book with
facing pages. Slide the book to the left or right to capture the next
page.

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Figure 4: Document and large book alignment

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Figure 5: Inside margin alignment with page guide

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Small Books
When scanning small books, such as paperback books, do the
following:
1. Place the book sideways with one edge against the page guide,
and then center the book between the outer edges of the page
guide. See Figure 6 on page 12.
This allows you to capture two pages at once and maintain
pagination.
2. After aligning the book, move your hands out of the way, and press
F4 to acquire an image and start reading.

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Figure 6: Small book alignment