Optelec ALVA 640 Comfort User manual

User Manual
Optelec
P.O. Box 399
2990 AJ Barendrecht
The Netherlands
[phone]
[e-mail]
www.optelec.com

Optelec ALVA 640 Comfort
Page 4 English
Content
1. Introduction ....................................................................................................... 5
1.1. About this manual ........................................................................................ 5
1.2. ALVA 640 Comfort package contents.......................................................... 5
2. Getting to know your ALVA 640 Comfort ........................................................ 6
2.1. The ALVA 640 Comfort lay-out.................................................................... 6
2.1.1. Surface and front panel lay-out.............................................................. 7
2.1.2. Right side lay-out ................................................................................... 7
2.1.3. Left side lay-out ..................................................................................... 7
2.1.4. Front panel keys, eTouch navigation buttons and cursor routing keys .. 7
2.1.5. ALVA 640 Comfort Braille keyboard lay-out........................................... 8
3. Installation ......................................................................................................... 9
3.1. Setting up the ALVA 640 Comfort................................................................ 9
3.1.1. Setting up the USB connection.............................................................. 9
3.2. Installing ALVA 640 Comfort screen reader drivers..................................... 9
3.3. Bluetooth® connection............................................................................... 10
4. The ALVA 640 Comfort menu ............................................................................ 12
4.1. Local Menu ................................................................................................ 12
4.1.1. Activating the Local Menu.................................................................... 12
4.1.2. Changing settings in the Local Menu................................................... 12
4.2. The Bluetooth® Menu................................................................................ 19
5. Power Sources................................................................................................. 20
5.1. USB power................................................................................................. 20
5.2. Internal battery........................................................................................... 20
6. Using the Braille keyboard ............................................................................. 21
6.1. Chord commands........................................................................................... 21
6.2 Prefix chord commands ............................................................................... 22
6.3 Contracted Braille on/off............................................................................... 22
6.4. Special characters on/off............................................................................ 22
7. Notes.................................................................................................................... 23
7.1 Starting Notes............................................................................................... 23
7.2 Using Notes ............................................................................................... 23
7.2.1 Editing text .............................................................................................. 23
7.2.2 Navigating in Notes................................................................................. 24
7.2.3 Defining a block ...................................................................................... 24
7.2.4 Reading in Notes...................................................................................... 24
7.3The Notes Menu ........................................................................................... 25
7.3.1 Notes main menu.................................................................................... 25
7.3.1.1 File menu............................................................................................... 25
7.3.1.2 Edit menu .............................................................................................. 26
7.3.1.3 Braille .................................................................................................... 26
7.3.1.4 Help ....................................................................................................... 26
7.4 Notes Shortcut Key Combinations................................................................ 27
Appendix: Safety and regulatory notices ............................................................. 28
Optelec offices worldwide ..................................................................................... 31

Optelec ALVA 640 Comfort
English Page 5
1. Introduction
Congratulations on choosing the ALVA 640 Comfort. The ALVA 640 Comfort merges
classic Braille display access with advanced functionality. The high quality and reliability
of the ALVA 640 Comfort gives you optimal flexibility and productivity in an ultra
compact design.
Each ALVA 640 Comfort features future proof hardware standards as wireless
Bluetooth® connection and USB ports. The ergonomic design with its high quality
Braille cells and optimal navigation possibilities allows you to be in full control of your
computer, tablet or smart phone. Used in combination with screen reading software
the ALVA 640 Comfort can be installed for a wide range of operating systems to
provide a tactile and audible user interface.
The ALVA 640 Comfort offers an enhanced ergonomic design that extends the
navigation and operation possibilities of the screen reading software. The ergonomics
are designed for optimal efficiency when working with a computer, tablet or
Smartphone.
The ALVA 640 Comfort was designed to adhere to the Open Standard philosophy
using mainstream technology. This enables compatibility with most screen reading
software and operating systems. The available and supported functionality of the
ALVA 640 Comfort depends on the Braille display options of your screen reader, your
mainstream computing hardware and operating system.
Contact your distributor or Optelec for updated information about screen readers that
fully support the device.
If you have any questions or suggestions concerning the use of this Braille display,
please contact your distributor or Optelec’s head office using the contact information at
the last page of this manual. Your feedback is highly appreciated. We hope you enjoy
working with your ALVA 640 Comfort.
1.1. About this manual
This manual will familiarize you with the features and basic operation of your ALVA
640 Comfort. Please read this manual carefully before using your device. Please note
that this manual is about the ALVA 640 Comfort and does not contain information
about screen readers, screen reader commands, screen reader installation
procedures, screen reader Braille display selection or screen reader key
assignments. Refer to your screen reader documentation to find out more on these
topics.
1.2. ALVA 640 Comfort package contents
The ALVA 640 Comfort package contains the following:
–The ALVA 640 Comfort
–A pouch
–USB cable
–The ALVA 640 Comfort driver software for Windows 7 and higher and
documentation on CD-ROM
If any of these items are missing from your package, please contact your distributor.

Optelec ALVA 640 Comfort
Page 6 English
2. Getting to know your ALVA 640 Comfort
The ALVA 640 Comfort consists of a 40 cell Braille line with advanced navigation
possibilities and a Braille keyboard. This chapter will give a detailed overview of the
lay-out of the ALVA 640 Comfort.
2.1. The ALVA 640 Comfort lay-out
The ALVA 640 Comfort is placed correctly in front of you when the Braille input keys
are located at the back of the flat surface and the thumb keys are facing towards you.
The ALVA 640 Comfort contains:
1. 40-cell Braille display
2. Two eTouch keys (left of the Braille line) for panning left and right or other
screen reading functions
3. Two eTouch keys (right of the Braille line) for panning left and right or other
screen reading functions
4. Five thumb keys for panning, left, right, up and down and returning to the
cursor position
5. 40 Cursor Routing Keys
6. Mini USB connector
7. On/off switch
8. Feature connector
9. The Ctrl key
10.An eight key Braille keyboard (From left to right Braille keys 7, 3, 2, 1, 4, 5,
6, 8)
11.Windows key (to open the Windows Start Menu)
12.Enter key
13.Alt key
14.Space bar 10
9 11 12 13
7
2 3
8 6
4 5 14 1

Optelec ALVA 640 Comfort
English Page 7
2.1.1. Surface and front panel lay-out
The ALVA 640 Comfort is designed with a row of 40 Braille cells. In front of the Braille
cells one row of small buttons can be found, known as Cursor Routing Keys. Each
Braille cell has a corresponding Cursor Routing Key that can be used for multiple
functions. On the left and right side of the Braille line you will find two groups of two
keys. These so-called eTouch keys can be used for Braille panning left and right as
well as various other screen reader functions.
2.1.2. Right side lay-out
The power switch is located at the right side of the Braille display. The Braille display
is switched on when the rectangular push button is pressed. Switching the Braille
display on will generate an audio signal.
2.1.3. Left side lay-out
The left side of the Braille display contains two connectors. From front to back: mini
USB connector and a feature connector. The feature connector has no function with
the release of this manual.
2.1.4. Front panel keys, eTouch navigation buttons and cursor routing keys
The names of the ALVA 640 Comfort keys listed in this section will be used in all
documentation, including your screen reader documentation. This section describes
the name of the key(s) and its main function, which is supported by the screen
reader. The exact functionality is defined by the screen reader. Please refer to your
screen reader documentation for detailed functionality of the ALVA 640 Comfort.
eTouch keys
The two keys on each side of the Braille line are called the eTouch keys. They are
used for panning left and right as well as various other Braille functions.
eTouch 1 Top left key marked with two vertical lines
eTouch 2 Bottom left key marked with one horizontal line
eTouch 3 Top right key marked with two vertical lines
eTouch 4 Bottom right key marked with one horizontal line
Cursor Routing Keys
The cursor routing keys correspond to the particular Braille cell immediately above
each button. Typically, they are used for routing the cursor or caret to the
corresponding Braille cell, generating a left or right mouse click at that point, or for
obtaining additional information about the contents of the Braille cell.
Thumb Keys
At the front of the Braille display five front panel keys are placed, the so called thumb
keys. Four bigger keys are symmetrically aligned along the front of the ALVA 640
Comfort. One smaller button is located in the middle of the front. Pressing one of the
four bigger thumb keys will navigate left, right, up or down. By pressing the middle
key you will return to the cursor position

Optelec ALVA 640 Comfort
Page 8 English
2.1.5. ALVA 640 Comfort Braille keyboard lay-out
The ALVA 640 Comfort is designed with an eight-key Braille keyboard that is located
directly behind the 40 cell Braille line. The Braille keyboard consists of eight Braille
keys, a space bar, a Ctrl key, a Windows key, an Enter key and an Alt key. The
space bar is the long key that is located at the centre of the Braille keyboard. The
eight rectangular keys located at the left and right of the space bar are the Braille
input keys. The four square keys are the Ctrl key, Windows key, Enter key and Alt
key. From left to right the keys are labeled as Ctrl key, Braille key 7, Braille key 3,
Braille key 2, Braille key 1, Windows key, Enter key, Braille key 4, Braille key 5,
Braille key 6, Braille key 8 and the Alt key.

Optelec ALVA 640 Comfort
English Page 9
3. Installation
In this section, a general description of the installation procedure is described for the
JAWS, Window-Eyes and Dolphin Supernova screen readers for Windows 7 and
higher and the setup and Bluetooth® installation.
The ALVA 640 Comfort is compatible with most modern operating systems, including
Windows 7, Windows 8, Linux, Apple OS X, Apple iOS, Google Chrome OS and
Android. Please refer to the screen reader documentation for instructions on how to
setup and configure the Braille display for your screen reader of choice and operating
system.
3.1. Setting up the ALVA 640 Comfort
3.1.1. Setting up the USB connection
The ALVA 640 Comfort does not need any special USB drivers. Windows 7 (or
higher and most other operating systems) will automatically detect the ALVA 640
Comfort and install the necessary USB drivers.
1. Attach the USB cable to the ALVA 640 Comfort and computer.
2. A 8GB removable drive will appear on the screen. This drive contains the
ALVA 640 Comfort screen reader drivers for JAWS, Window-Eyes and
Dolphin Supernova.
3. Switch on the ALVA 640 Comfort. Windows will automatically install the
necessary drivers. This process will approximately take 1 minute. Please
do not turn off the ALVA or cancel the installation during this process.
Generally this does not require any further user input. When the connection
is established the ALVA 640 Comfort will issue an audible signal and
displays the message “USB connected”.
3.2. Installing ALVA 640 Comfort screen reader drivers
Drivers for the majority of the screen readers are included in the products
themselves. Therefore, you do not need to install the screen reader drivers from the
ALVA 6-series CD-ROM or removable drive within the ALVA. Please refer to your
screen reader documentation for more information on the setup of, and selection of a
ALVA 640 Comfort and to select and configure the unit in your screen reader.
Only if the drivers on the CD-Rom are newer than the drivers included with the
screen reader, we recommend to install the screen reader drivers from the CD-ROM
or ALVA internal removable drive:
1. Insert the ALVA 640 Comfort software CD-ROM that came with the package
in your computer’s disk drive.
2. The program will automatically run if the autostart feature of your CD-ROM
drive is enabled.
a. If the autostart feature is not enabled, press the Windows key and
type d:\setup.exe (assuming d: is the letter assigned to your CD-ROM
drive) and press Enter.

Optelec ALVA 640 Comfort
Page 10 English
b. Or, locate the ALVA folder on the ALVA 640 Comfort removable drive
and run the “Setup.exe”.
3. Select “Install screen reader drivers”
4. The setup program will guide you through the installation.
5. The setup program will automatically search your system for installations of
JAWS, Window-Eyes and Dolphin screen readers and will install all
necessary drivers, manuals and the ALVA BC6 Bluetooth® pairing utility.
3.3. Bluetooth® connection
To create the Bluetooth® connection with your ALVA, the device will need to be
paired with the PC using the ALVA Bluetooth Utility included with the ALVA screen
reader drivers.
Important:
Please use the ALVA Bluetooth Utility to establish the Bluetooth connection. Do not
use the standard Windows Bluetooth pairing control panel applet. The ALVA
Bluetooth Utility will register the ALVA with the screenreader.
Pairing the ALVA 640 Comfort using the ALVA BC6 Bluetooth®Utility
1. Launch the ALVA BC6 Bluetooth® Utility located on your desktop or by
going to Start, All Programs, ALVA BC6, ALVA BC6 Bluetooth® Utility;
2. Press the Search button.
3. Select the “ALVA BC640 CF” from the list by checking the checkbox;
4. Click on “OK” if you did not changed the default PIN code “0000”.
Otherwise, please enter your PIN code and click on “OK”.
Connecting the Bluetooth ALVA 640 Comfort Braille keyboard:
1. In the ALVA Bluetooth® Utility, select the ALVA BC640 CF you just paired
from the list and right click or press shift-F10;
2. Select “Connect keyboard” from the context menu.
3. A new window will open. In this window, select your ALVA (Other device)
and right click or press shift-F10;
4. In the context menu, select “Properties”;
5. On the “Services” tab, check the checkbox to enable the keyboard service.
Note: This step can be skipped when using JAWS or Dolphin Supernova. JAWS and
Supernova support direct Braille input and do not require the Braille keyboard driver
to be installed.
Unpairing the ALVA 640 Comfort
1. In the ALVA Bluetooth® Utility, select the ALVA BC640 CF from the list and
right click or press shift-F10;