HME System 500 User manual

HME# 400524
Rev— 8/4/03
System 500
Wireless Drive-Thru Audio System
Operating Instructions

Table of Contents
I. GENERAL.........................................................................................................................1
II. EQUIPMENT FUNCTIONS AND USE .........................................................................1
A. Base Station.....................................................................................................................................2
B. Headset .....................................................................................................................................4
C. Battery Charger................................................................................................................................7
III. SYSTEM 500 OPERATION ............................................................................................8
A. Single-Lane Operation.....................................................................................................................8
B. Dual-Lane Operation .......................................................................................................................9
C. Speed-Team Operation....................................................................................................................9
D. Message Repeater Operation .........................................................................................................10
IV. EQUIPMENT CARE AND CLEANING......................................................................11
A. Proper Handling.............................................................................................................................11
B. Cleaning ...................................................................................................................................11
V. IN CASE OF PROBLEMS.............................................................................................12
VI. SPECIFICATIONS.........................................................................................................16
VII. OPTIONAL EQUIPMENT............................................................................................17
VIII. FCC NOTICE..................................................................................................................17
List of Figures
Figure Title Page
1 System 500 equipment............................................................................................................1
2 Base station exterior................................................................................................................2
3 Headset features and controls..................................................................................................4
4 Correct wearing of headset......................................................................................................5
5 Battery removal.......................................................................................................................6
6 Battery replacement ................................................................................................................6
7 Battery charger........................................................................................................................7
8 Base station circuit boards ....................................................................................................14
The HME logo and the word COMMUNICATOR®are registered trademarks of HM Electronics, Inc.
© Copyright HM Electronics, Inc. - August 2003

1
I. GENERAL
The System 500 is a wireless audio system primarily for use at quick-service restaurants.
II. EQUIPMENT FUNCTIONS AND USE
Figure 1. System 500 equipment
HS500, Version 2 or higher, provides basic operating cues in Spanish and French,
as follows. Refer to the Language Selection instructions on page 6.
Español
HS500, versión 2 o mayor, proporciona las señales de funcionamiento
fundamentales siguientes en español: Sistema activado, Sistema desactivado,
Batería baja, Línea uno, Línea dos y Frecuencia ocupada.
Français
HS500, la version 2 ou plus, fournit les sélections de fonctionnement fondamentales
suivantes en français: Fonction active, Fonction inactive, Pile basse, Voie un,
Voie deux et Fréquence occupée.

2
A. Base Station
The base station is the electronic heart of the System 500. It contains the circuitry
through which all functions of the drive-thru audio system are channeled.
External base station features are shown in Figure 2, and described on page 3. Its
internal features are shown in Figure 8, and the base station circuit board switches and
adjustments are listed on page 15.
Figure 2. Base station exterior

3
Base Station External Features
Front —
• POWER light is on when the base station has power.
• MESSAGE RECORD light is on RED when the base station is ready to record
message #1 for the message repeater, and blinking RED while message #1 is
being recorded. It is on GREEN when the base station is ready to record
message #2 for the message repeater, and blinking GREEN while message #2
is being recorded. The MESSAGE REPEATER button must be pushed IN.
• RECEIVE light is on during channel-A and channel-B transmissions, and is
used for troubleshooting.
• “A” light is on during channel-A transmission.
• “B” light is on during channel-B transmission.
• VEHICLE light is on when a vehicle is present in the drive-thru lane or when the
system is in vehicle-detect override.
Bottom —
• PUSH FOR RECORD MODE button must be pushed IN and released once to
prepare the base station to record message #1 for the message repeater, or
pushed IN and released twice to record message #2.
• MESSAGE REPEATER button must be pushed IN to use the message
repeater, OUT when the message repeater is not being used.
• SPEED TEAM button must be pushed IN for speed-team operation, OUT for
normal drive-thru operation.
• VEHICLE DETECTOR button must be pushed and left IN to override a vehicle
detector; to reset vehicle detector, push IN and leave IN for 5 seconds, then
push again and leave OUT for normal vehicle detection.
Left Side —
• WIRED/WIRELESS button must be OUT when using the wireless System 500,
IN when using a wired backup system.

4
B. Headset
1. Features and Controls
Figure 3. Headset features and controls
2. How to Wear the Headset
• Wear the microphone on your right or left side.
• Wear the battery end of the headset above your
ear, on the side of your head opposite the earpiece.
• Adjust the headband for a comfortable fit.
• To adjust the microphone position, hold the microphone
boom at its base (See Figure 3) and pivot the boom up
or down until the microphone is at the side of your mouth
as shown in Figure 4.
Figure 4.
Correct wearing
of headset

5
3. How to Use the Headset
The headset control buttons are touch-sensitive. They will activate when only
slightly touched. Use your fingertips, not your fingernails, to touch the buttons.
a. Power On/Off
Power Light
• The headset power light is red for lane 1, green for lane 2.
• The headset power light blinks while the headset is transmitting your voice.
• The headset power light is ON steady when the headset is not transmitting.
Power On
• Press and release the power ON/OFF button to turn the headset on.
• A voice message in the headset says “Power on, lane one (or two)” in the
selected language.
• The headset power light blinks green, then goes on steady red (lane 1)
or green (lane 2).
Power Off
• Press and hold the power ON/OFF button 2 seconds.
• A voice message in the headset earpiece says “Power off” in the
selected language.
• The headset power light goes off.
b. Volume Up/Down
Single-Step Volume Adjustment
• Lightly touch and release the Volume-up or Volume-down button.
• A beep sounds in the headset earpiece each time the button is pressed.
• As the volume increases, one step at a time, the pitch of the beep increases.
As the volume decreases, one step at a time, the pitch of the beep decreases.
• When the same high or low pitch repeats each time you touch a Volume-up
or down button, you have reached the maximum or minimum volume level.
Continuous Volume Adjustment
• Lightly touch and hold the Volume-up or Volume-down button.
• The volume increases or decreases continuously while the button is held.
• A series of beeps, of increasing or decreasing pitch, sound in the headset
earpiece until the volume reaches maximum or minimum.
4. Headset Operating-Mode Settings
Most stores have systems with Hands-Free capability. If you are uncertain whether or not
your System 500 has Hands-Free capability, do the following test. ⎯When a car is at the
speaker post (or menu board), touch and hold the appropriate Abutton. If you can hear the
sound of the car or the customer with the Abutton held, you have Hands-Free capability.
a. Auto-Hands-Free Setting
The auto-hands-free (AHF) feature allows one operator to communicate with a
customer in one drive-thru lane without pressing any buttons. Other operators can
listen. If the first operator turns the AHF feature off, another operator can turn it on.
CAUTION: Only one HS500 per lane can be set in the auto-hands-free mode,
or interference will occur when a customer enters the drive-thru lane.

6
• Turn the headset power on and release the power button. After hearing the status
message, press and hold the Power button and touch the Volume-down button
– You will hear “Auto-hands-free on” or “Auto-hands-free off”
NOTE: You must touch the Volume-down button within 2 seconds after pressing
the Power button, or you will turn the power off and have to begin again. If the
auto-hands-free feature does not come on, you may need to reconfigure the S1
switch in the base station. Call HME Customer Support at 1-800-848-4468 for help.
• The last Auto-hands-free on/off message heard will remain in effect until you
change it again or turn the headset power off.
b. Configuration Settings
• Turn the headset power on and release the power button. After hearing the status
message, press and hold the Power button and press the Bbutton. NOTE: You
must press the Bbutton within 2 seconds after pressing the power button, or you
will turn the power off and have to begin again.
• You will hear “Configuration” in the headset.
• Select the desired configuration setting described below.
• When finished, press and release the Bbutton to exit the configuration-settings
mode. You will hear “Power on, lane (one or two)” in the headset, in the
selected language.
• Configuration settings will remain in effect until you change them again.
Hands-free On/Off Configuration
• Touch and release the Volume-down button – you will hear “Hands-free on.”
• Touch and release the Volume-down button again – you will hear “Hands-free off.”
• You will continue to hear “Hands-free on” or “Hands-free off ” messages
alternating each time you touch and release the Volume-down button.
• The last Hands-free on/off message heard will be selected when you exit the
configuration-settings mode by pressing the Bbutton.
Single/Dual Lane Configuration
• Touch and release the A1 button – you will hear “Single lane.”
• Touch and release the A1 button again – you will hear “Dual lane.”
• You will continue to hear “Single lane” or “Dual lane” messages alternating each
time you touch and release the A1 button.
• The last Single/Dual lane message heard will be selected when you exit the
configuration-settings mode by pressing the Bbutton.
Language Selection
• Touch and release Volume-up button – you will hear “English.”
• Touch and release Volume-up button again – you will hear “Español.”
• Touch and release Volume-up button again – you will hear “Français.”
• You will continue to hear “English,” “Español” and “Français” each time you
touch and release the Volume-up button.
• The last language message heard will be selected when you exit the
configuration settings mode by pressing the Bbutton.
Operating Channel Configuration
• CAUTION: If you touch the A2 button you may change the headset
operating channel, in which case you will hear “Channel __.” If this
happens, do not touch any other headset buttons until you hear a second
“Channel __” message (approximately 15 seconds), indicating the headset
has reverted to its previous channel setting. If you do not hear the
second message, call HME Customer Support at 1-800-848-4468.

7
5. Battery Removal and Replacement
If you hear “Battery Low” in the headset, in the selected language, its battery needs to
be replaced and recharged. HS500 batteries need be recharged after 12-13 hours of
normal use.
a. Battery Removal
• Slide the battery-release latch
upward.
• Pull the battery out from the top.
b. Battery Replacement
• Place the end of a battery into
the battery compartment, with
its metal contacts downward.
• Press the top of a battery into the battery
compartment until it snaps in place
under the battery-release latch.
C. Battery Charger
Up to four headset batteries can be charged in the charger at the same time. Charging
time is approximately 2 hours. The battery status lights next to each charging port are
explained below. Up to six fully charged batteries can be kept in the battery storage ports.
• Insert a battery in one of four charging ports until it clicks in place.
• The yellow light next to a charging port stays on while it is empty. When a battery is in a
charging port, a yellow light flashing next to it indicates CHARGE PENDING, which means
the temperature where the charger is located is out of the battery’s operating range (32o-
104oF, 0o-40oC). Adjust the room temperature or move the charger to a cooler area.
When battery is in a port, a yellow light on steady next to it indicates CHARGE FAILED.
Follow the diagnostic instructions on the side of the battery charger.
• The red CHARGING light next to a charging port stays on while a battery in it is charging.
CAUTION: Do not remove batteries from the charger until the green READY light is
lit, or the charger will reset and the charge cycle will begin again.
• The green READY light next to a charging port goes on when a battery in it is fully charged.
NOTE: Batteries left in a charging port for an extended period of time (over a week
without being removed) may result in a yellow error light next to the port while the battery
is still there. In this situation, the battery is not faulty. It can be used in the headset and
recharged as normal.
• Remove the fully charged battery from its charging port and place it in a storage port.
Figure 6.
Batter
y
re
p
lacement
Figure 5.
Batter
y
removal
Battery
release
latch
Figure 7. Battery Charger
Battery in
storage port
Battery in
charging port
Label on
battery charger

8
III. SYSTEM 500 OPERATION
The headset can be operated in Hands-Free, Auto-Hands-Free or Hands-Free-Off modes.
If your store does not have Hands-Free capability, you should operate the System 500
according to section A.3. below in single-lane stores, or B.3. (page 9) in dual-lane stores.
If you are uncertain if your store has hands-free capability, refer to section 4 on page 6.
In the Auto-Hands-Free mode, transmission and reception are activated automatically when a
customer drives into the drive-thru lane. In the Hands-Free mode, transmission is activated
by touching and releasing one of the Abuttons on the headset. In the Hands-Free-Off mode,
you must touch and hold one of the Abuttons on the headset while speaking to the customer.
When a customer arrives in the drive-thru lane, you will hear a single beep in the headset
for single lanes and for Lane 1 in dual-lane operations, or a double beep for Lane 2. In
dual-lane operation, if you are communicating with a customer when another customer
arrives in the opposite lane, a higher pitch double beep will sound in the headset to alert
you of the second customer’s presence. When the first customer leaves the speaker post,
the same higher pitch double beep will repeat in your headset every 4 seconds until you
touch the A1 or A2 button to communicate with the second customer.
A. Single-Lane Operation (one base station for one speaker post)
1. Hands-Free (HF) Mode:
!Alert tone (single beep) sounds in headset, then customer at speaker post or menu board can be
heard.
!Adjust customer’s voice level in headset if necessary.
!Touch and release A1 or A2 button to speak and listen to customer.
!Touch and release A1, A2 or Bbutton to end communication with customer. You will hear a
single beep in your headset.
!Touch and release A1 or A2 button if you want to speak to the customer again.
!If customer drives away from speaker post or menu board, headset automatically stops transmitting.
2. Auto Hands-Free (AHF) Mode:
!Alert tone (single beep) sounds in headset, then customer at speaker post or menu board can be
heard.
!Adjust customer’s voice level in headset if necessary.
!Speak and listen to customer without pressing any buttons.
!Touch and release A1, A2 or Bbutton to end communication with customer. You will hear a
single beep in your headset.
!Touch and release A1 or A2 button if you want to speak to the customer again.
!If customer drives away from speaker post or menu board, headset automatically stops transmitting.
3. Hands-Free-Off Mode:
!Alert tone (single beep) sounds in headset, then customer at speaker post or menu board can be
heard.
!Adjust customer’s voice level in headset if necessary.
!Touch and hold A1 or A2 button to speak to customer.
NOTES:
To communicate internally with another HS500 user, press and hold the Bbutton while
talking. Release to listen.
If you press the A1, A2 or Bbutton while someone else is already communicating on
that channel, you will hear “Channel active” in your headset, in the selected language.