rst unpair it from the current one. Erasing all paired devices in the
adapter itself (the device clear command) is not enough to erase the
bonding. If you pair a new host without unpairing the old one rst, and
if both hosts are present at the same time, the adapter will connect to
either of them at random.
Command Mode
Command mode is used to congure adapter features. To use com-
mand mode, pair the adapter with a host. Use any app that can display
text (i.e., Notes, Notepad, Word, or even a browser input window).
Make sure when you type on the keyboard connected to the adapter,
the text appears on the app. is can be through either Bluetooth or
USB. Press and hold the mode button until the following text is emitted
(which will happen in about 2 seconds):
Bluetooth Adapter Firmware v5.2.8
Copyright (C) 2019 Handheld Scientic, Inc.
Type help or ?
>
Alternatively, you can use the shortcut Ctrl+Alt+Insert to enter com-
mand mode, so you don’t need to reach to the adapter to press the but-
ton. at 3-key combination is similar to the well-known Ctrl+Alt+Del
3-nger solute in Windows. But instead of Del, the Insert (Ins) key
is used. In the unlikely event this 3-key combination is used by some
other application, so you don’t want the adapter to intercept it, you can
disable it in settings.
When attempting to enter command mode, if you see funny charac-
ters instead of the above text, make sure the language setting of your
operating system is English. To exit command mode, press the mode
button again, or type exit in command line. In command mode, key
strokes are intercepted and interpreted by the adapter as commands.
Outputs of the commands are directed to the host. Commands are all
lower cases and terminated by Return or Enter. is is pretty much like
the command line in a terminal window in Linux. Type “help” or “?”
for a list of commands, and “help command” for help with a specic
command. Our goal is to make the help messages concise and compre-
hensive so one does not need any other reference to understand and use
the commands. We appreciate any suggestion for improvements.
e keyboard must be in English layout, otherwise the adapter may
not generate the right texts. Most features such as key mappings, timers
and layers are disabled in command mode (in other words you have to
exit command mode to see them working, or the eect of any changes
you make). To exit command mode, press the mode button or type the
command exit.
e syntax of the commands is very straighforward. Curly brackets {}
signify a name that needs to be substituted with the actual value. For
example, {time} should be 10 or whatever value you want to set. Any-
thing that is not in a curly brackets should be typed as is. Square braces
mean the argument is optional. Vertical bar means “or”. For example,
dvorak|colemak means dvorak or colemak, as is without substitution.
e following is a summary of available commands for the current
rmware being shipped. Note we add new commands frequently so
some commands in the list may not be available in early versions of the
rmware.
syntax – Display concise explanation of command syntax.
show – Display useful adapter information such as TFT screen settings (enabled/
disabled), throttle interval and interface status.
save – Save changes so they will persist across re-starts. If you don’t execute this
command, all changes are lost when the adapter is turned o.
exit – Exit command mode. Same as pressing the mode button (so you don’t
need to move your hand away from the keyboard to press the button)
device clear – Clear paired devices in the adapter. Note you also need to unpair
the adapter from the paired host. is command alone will not rease the
bonding between the adapter and the host.
reboot [hard] – Restart adapter so you don’t need to disconnect the power. Op-
tional argument hard to perform a factory reset.
key name – Print out the list of key names used in key mappings, macros and
timers. is is displayed in multiple pages.
set – Set system parameters.
set usb enabled|disabled – Enable or disable the USB interface. Eective upon
next reboot. Default is enabled.
set bt enabled|disabled – Enable or disable the Bluetooth interface. Eective
upon next reboot. Default is enabled.
set bt name {name}– Set the Bluetooth device name to name.
set time throttle {n} – Set throttling time to nmilli seconds (ms). rottling
time is the delay added between keystokes to slow down the output. is
is useful if the output of a keyboard emulating device (e.g, magnetic strip
reader) is too fast for Bluetooth to handle.
set ctrlaltins enabled|disabled – Enable/disable the Ctrl-Alt-Ins to enter com-
mand mode. Default is enable. Eective immediately.
timer – set up timers used to send out keys periodically. is can be useful
in preventing Bluetooth connections from timing out or the host from
entering into sleep. is feature was called “keepalive” in older rmware
versions. You can create up to 4 timers.
timer list – list timers with their periods and keys. By default, all timers are
disabled (period = 0)
timer {n} period {m} – set the period of timer n(n=1-4) to mseconds. Setting
the period to 0 disables the timer.
timer {n} key {key} – set the key of timer nto key which can be a single key or
a macro.
map – manage key mappings. See full User Manual for detailed explanation of
the commands and examples.
map – without any argument, this command lists all key mappings.
map add {source_key} {dst_key} – add mapping from source_key to dst_key.
In the full user manual, there is detailed information on what can be used as
source_key and dst_key.
map add dvorak|colemak – add all mappings to turn an ANSI/ISO QWERTY
keyboard into a dvorak or colemak keyboard.
map del {key} – delete the mapping specied by source key key.
map del all – delete all mappings.
map names – show all the key names that can be used in key mapping (and
anywhere a key parameter is expected). Same as the key names command.
macro – display and set up macros. A macro is a series of keys, mouse move-
ments and delays in between that can be triggered by a single key.
macro list – list all macros.
macro edit {n} – edit the nth macro where n=0-63. ere is no need to delete a
macro since it has no eect unless used somewhere.
layer – A layer is a group of settings (mappings, timers and macros) that can be
switched together quickly using shortcuts. See full manual for details.
repeat – Use a key to toggle on/o to send keystrokes in fast succession. Useful
in gaming. See full manual for layer and repeat (due to space limitation in
this short manual).
Restore to Factory Defaults
Press and hold the mode button for more than 10 seconds (it will enter com-
mand mode aer 2 seconds. Ignore that and continue to hold). e device will
eventually turn itself o. Upon next reboot, all congurations will be restored to
factory defaults. e “reset hard” command achieves the same eect.
Further Information
Download the full manual (30+ pages) from the product page: http://handheld-
sci.com/kb. It has much greater details especially with regarding the commands.
We love to hear from our customers. Please send comments/suggestions to
support@handheldsci.com. We appreciate your business.
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