Optelec ClearReader+ User manual

Optelec ClearReader
+
The ClearReader+ will be helpful for low vision and blind people in reading.
WEEE Notice
The directive on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE), which entered into force as European law on 13
th
February 2003, resulted
in a major change in the treatment of electrical equipment at end-of-life.
The purpose of this Directive is, as a first priority, the prevention of WEEE, and in addition, to promote the reuse, recycling and other forms of
recovery of such wastes so as to reduce disposal.
The WEEE logo (shown at the left) on the product or its box indicates that this product must not be disposed of or dumped with
your other household waste. You are liable to dispose of all your electronic or electrical waste equipment by relocating over to
the specified collection point for recycling of such hazardous waste. Isolated collection and proper recovery of your electronic
and electrical waste equipment at the time of disposal will allow us to help conserve natural resources. Moreover, proper
recycling of the electronic and electrical waste equipment will ensure safety of human health and the environment. For more
information about electronic and electrical waste equipment disposal, recovery, and collection points, please contact your local
city centre, household waste disposal service, shop from where you purchased the equipment, or manufacturer of the
equipment.
RoHS Compliance
This product is in compliance with Directive 2002/95/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 January 2003, on the restriction of
the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment (RoHS) and its amendments.
European Union Notice
Products with CE marking comply with the R&TTE Directive (99/5/EC), the EMC Directive (89/336/EEC), and the Low Voltage Directive
(73/23/EEC) issued by the Commission of the European Community.
Compliance with these directives implies conformity to the following international standards:
IEC 60950-1 2004;
IEC 55022
IEC 55024 (IEC61000-4-2 excluded)
FCC
FCC part 15 Class B

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+
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User Manual
OPN: CR-BA-EU/US/AU Version 1.3
© 2010 Optelec, the Netherlands
All rights reserved
Optelec
P.O. Box 399
2990 AJ Barendrecht
The Netherlands
Phone: [phone]
E-mail: [email protected]
Internet: www.optelec.com

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+
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Contents
1. Introduction........................................................................................................................6
About this manual ............................................................................................................6
What’s in the box..............................................................................................................7
2. Getting to Know your ClearReader
+
.................................................................................8
The Optelec ClearReader
+
layout.....................................................................................8
Buttons...........................................................................................................................10
Connections ...................................................................................................................11
3. Getting Started.................................................................................................................12
Using the ClearReader
+
for the first time........................................................................12
Opening the camera arm................................................................................................12
Positioning a document..................................................................................................12
Turning on the ClearReader
+
.........................................................................................13
Standby mode................................................................................................................13
Turning off the ClearReader
+
.........................................................................................13
Reading text...................................................................................................................14
Reading tables and spreadsheets..................................................................................14
Adjusting the volume......................................................................................................14
Adjusting the reading speed...........................................................................................15

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+
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Play or pause reading ....................................................................................................15
Navigate back in the text................................................................................................15
Navigate forward in the text............................................................................................15
Selecting the reading voice or language ........................................................................16
4. Reading Languages and Voices of the ClearReader
+
...................................................16
5. Power and Battery Use....................................................................................................17
Checking the battery status............................................................................................17
Charging the ClearReader
+
battery................................................................................17
Extending the battery life................................................................................................17
6. Troubleshooting ..............................................................................................................18
Appendix A: Safety ..................................................................................................................20
Appendix B: Technical information........................................................................................21
Contact information – Optelec Offices Worldwide..............................................................123

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+
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1. Introduction
Congratulations on choosing the ClearReader
+
, an intuitive portable reading assistant
developed by Optelec.
The Optelec ClearReader
+
combines ease of use with high quality multilingual speech output
and fast text recognition. It can capture any printed material such as letters, newspapers and
books, and reads text aloud using a naturally sounding voice. The built-in speakers provide
high-quality stereo sound. Thanks to the integrated battery you can enjoy reading without the
need to be in close proximity of a mains power outlet.
If you have any questions or suggestions concerning the use of the Optelec ClearReader
+
,
please contact your Optelec distributor using the contact information on the last page of this
manual. Your feedback is greatly appreciated and we hope you enjoy using your ClearReader
+
.
About this manual
This manual will familiarize you with the features and easy operation of the ClearReader
+
.
Please read this manual carefully before using your Optelec ClearReader
+
.

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+
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What’s in the box
The ClearReader
+
packaging contains the following:
- The Optelec ClearReader
+
- A power supply
- A power cord
- This user manual
If any of these items are missing from your package, please contact your Optelec distributor.

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+
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2. Getting to Know your ClearReader
+
This chapter will familiarize you with your Optelec ClearReader+
The Optelec ClearReader
+
layout
Swing-out camera arm
Camera
Object lighting
Built-in speakers
Capture area
Foldable carrying
handle
Power indicator
Power button

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+
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Swing-out camera arm Open the arm to capture a document.
Camera To take a snapshot, position the document in front of the
ClearReader
+
. Use the document positioning indicators on the bottom
left and right of the ClearReader
+
to position the document. The
document area is approximately the width of the ClearReader
+
and
the length of a regular A4 or letter size page.
Object lighting The ClearReader
+
automatically provides sufficient lighting when
taking a snapshot.
Built-in stereo speaker Listen to your letters, newspaper or books.
Foldable carrying handle Open the handle to lift and carry the ClearReader
+
comfortably.
Power indicator Light is on when the power is on, blinks in standby mode, and is off
when the power is off.
Power button Press the round button on the right-hand side to turn the
ClearReader
+
on or off.

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+
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Buttons
Play / Pause button Speed dial Volume dial
Back button Forward button Scan button

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+
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Connections
Power connector Connect the power adaptor to your ClearReader
+
.
Headphone out Connect headphones if needed.
Power connector
Headphone out

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+
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3. Getting Started
Using the ClearReader
+
for the first time
When you use the Optelec ClearReader
+
for the first time, the battery
needs to be charged. To charge the battery connect the ClearReader
+
to
a mains power outlet using the ClearReader
+
power supply included.
Charging takes approximately 3 hours.
Opening the camera arm
To open the camera, locate the “push” sign on the camera arm at the
front of the ClearReader
+
between the speakers. Gently push on the
camera arm until you hear a click. The arm will eject and move towards
you. Close the camera arm in the same way by pushing the end of the
arm back to the closed position until you hear a click.
Positioning a document
The Optelec ClearReader
+
camera can capture an area of an A4 or
letter-size page measured from the front side of the ClearReader
+
. To
position the document, place it in front of the ClearReader
+
between the
two document positioning indicators with the top edge of the document
aligned towards the front of the unit. The orientation of the document will
not influence the recognition of the text.

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+
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Turning on the ClearReader
+
To turn on the ClearReader
+
, press the round Power button on
the right-hand side. The start-up process will take approximately
40 seconds. You will hear a series of beeps to indicate that the
ClearReader
+
is starting up followed by the start-up sound. Now
the Power indicator is lid up and the ClearReader
+
is ready to
use.
Standby mode
The ClearReader
+
will go into standby mode if no button is
pressed for 15 minutes on batteries and 30 minutes if connected to mains power. The standby
sound will be played, the Power indicator will start blinking and the ClearReader
+
will go into
standby mode. To wake up the ClearReader
+
from standby, press the Power button. When the
batteries are fully charged, the standby time of the ClearReader
+
is approximately 40 hours.
After 40 hours the ClearReader
+
will power down. If switching-on the ClearReader
+
from the
standby mode, the start-up process will take approximately 10 seconds.
Turning off the ClearReader
+
Press the Power button to power down the ClearReader
+
completely. The power down sound
will be played and the Power indicator will turn off.

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+
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Reading text
Press the Scan button to capture and start reading a document positioned beneath the camera.
After pressing the Scan button, you will hear the snapshot sound and within a few seconds the
ClearReader
+
will begin reading to you.
Reading tables and spreadsheets
To read tables, receipts and bank statements, press and hold the Scan button for more than 2
seconds until you hear a clicking sound. A long press of the Scan button will enable the Table
Reading mode and will disable the automatic column recognition making it possible to read
across columns. Text will be read from left to right ignoring column borders.
Adjusting the volume
Turn the Volume dial clockwise and release it to slightly increase the
volume of the reading voice. Alternatively, turn the dial counterclockwise
and release it to slightly decrease the volume. To rapidly adjust the
volume turn and hold the dial to the end position. When releasing the dial
it will always move back to its start position.

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+
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Adjusting the reading speed
Turn the Speed dial clockwise and release it to slightly increase the
reading speed. Alternatively, turn the dial counterclockwise and release it
to slightly decrease the reading speed. To rapidly adjust the reading speed
turn and hold the dial at the end position. When releasing the dial it will
always move back to its start position.
Play or pause reading
The ClearReader
+
will automatically start reading after pressing the Scan button. To pause
reading press the Play / Pause button. Press this button once again to continue reading.
Navigate back in the text
Press the Back button to navigate to the previous word. Press and hold the Back button for 2
seconds to navigate to the previous sentence.
Navigate forward in the text
Press the Forward button to navigate to the next word. Press and hold the Forward button for 2
seconds to navigate to the next sentence.

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+
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Selecting the reading voice or language
To select your preferred reading voice or reading language, press and hold the Back button
while turning the Speed dial at the same time. The ClearReader
+
will switch to the next voice
and announce the name of the newly selected voice and the language. For optimal performance
the reading language and language of the document need to match. If the language of the
document does not match the selected reading language, the text recognition will be of a lower
quality and the recognition will take longer to read.
4. Reading Languages and Voices of the ClearReader
+
The ClearReader
+
is able to read in four different voices supporting up to a maximum of four
languages. Check with your Optelec distributor for a list of available reading voices – these
must be selected at the time of purchase.

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+
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5. Power and Battery Use
Checking the battery status
Press the Back and Forward buttons together to check the battery status. The ClearReader
+
will
announce the status in percentage, where 100% means a fully charged battery. If the battery is
low, please charge the battery with the dedicated power supply.
Charging the ClearReader
+
battery
To charge the ClearReader
+
, connect the mains adaptor supplied in the box to the power
connector located at the rear side of the unit. Plug the other side of the adaptor into a power
outlet.
Charging the ClearReader
+
takes approximately 3 hours. A fully charged ClearReader
+
can
operate for approximately 5 hours. Please note that, for safety reasons, only the adaptor
supplied by Optelec should be used to charge the ClearReader
+
.
Extending the battery life
To ensure the battery pack maintains maximum capacity, disconnect the ClearReader
+
from the
power source at least once a month and operate it on battery power until the battery pack is
empty.

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+
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6. Troubleshooting
If the adaptor does not power the ClearReader
+
.
Check the connections. Make sure the power adaptor is firmly connected to the
ClearReader
+
and to the power outlet.
If the adaptor still does not power the unit, contact your Optelec distributor.
If the battery does not power the ClearReader
+
.
The battery may be empty. Connect the power adaptor to charge the battery.
If the text you are reading does not make sense.
Make sure your reading language is corresponding with the language of your document.
If the text recognition takes unusually long before starting to read your document.
Make sure your reading language is corresponding with the language of your document.