Origin Instruments Beam User manual

www.orin.com
Beam™
User Guide
Wireless Transmitter for
HeadMouse®Extreme and Swifty™
(Adaptive switch not included with Beam)

Beam User Guide
Origin Instruments Corporation P a g e | 2
Table of Contents
Table of Contents.........................................................................2
Legal Notices................................................................................3
FCC / CE Notice...........................................................................3
Application Disclaimer ..................................................................4
Introduction...................................................................................5
Questions and Answers................................................................7
Configuration................................................................................8
HeadMouse Extreme..................................................................10
Swifty..........................................................................................11
General Care and Maintenance..................................................12
Customer Support ......................................................................12
Warranty Information..................................................................13
Notes:.........................................................................................15

Beam User Guide
Origin Instruments Corporation P a g e | 3
Legal Notices
Information in this User Guide is provided “as is” by Origin
Instruments, is subject to change without notice, does not
represent a commitment on the part of Origin Instruments, and is
provided without warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied,
including any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a
particular purpose. No part of this document may be reproduced
or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or
mechanical, including photocopying, recording or information
storage and retrieval systems, for any purpose other than the
purchaser’s personal use, without the express written permission
of Origin Instruments.
Origin Instruments is not responsible for any problems caused by
unauthorized modification of Beam and will not be responsible for
direct or consequential damages associated with any use of the
Beam product.
FCC / CE Notice
Products bearing the CE marking have been tested and are
declared by Origin Instruments Corporation of 854 Greenview
Drive, Grand Prairie, Texas 75050, USA to be in conformity with
the following standards or other normative documents and
following the provisions of the Electromagnetic Compatibility
Directive, 89/336/EEC:
EN 55022 Class B Emissions (Radiated Emission)
EN 61000-4-2, Electrostatic Discharge Immunity
EN 61000-4-3, Radiated Immunity
EN 61000-4-4, Fast Transient

Beam User Guide
Origin Instruments Corporation P a g e | 4
Origin Instruments Corporation has tested the Beam and found
that it complies 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.
Operation is subject to the following two conditions: (1) this device
may not cause harmful interference, and (2) this device must
accept any interference received, including interference that may
cause undesired operation.
If this product is suspected of causing interference to a radio or
television receiver, remove and apply power to the equipment and
determine whether it is the cause of the disturbance. If a problem
exists, the user is encouraged to try and correct the problem by
one of the following measures:
1. Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
2. Increase the separation between the equipment and the
receiver.
3. Reorient the equipment cables.
4. Consult the dealer or Origin Instruments for additional
suggestions.
Information in this document is subject to change without notice
and does not represent a commitment on the part of Origin
Instruments Corporation.
Application Disclaimer
Beam is designed for use by people who have limited or no motor
capability enabling them to operate switch activated devices.
However, it should not be used in an application where personal
injury or property loss could occur if the Beam failed for some
reason. Origin Instruments products are not authorized for
use as surgical aids or as part of a system intended to
support or sustain life. The user assumes full responsibility for
determining the suitability of Beam for the intended application.

Beam User Guide
Origin Instruments Corporation P a g e | 5
Introduction
Thank you for being a Beam customer!
The battery powered Beam transfers the state of up to three
normally-open switches directly to the HeadMouse® Extreme or
Swifty™. The Beam is an infrared device, but it doesn’t require a
clear optical path to the HeadMouse or Swifty. The light can
bounce off the ceiling, walls and even the user. However, as the
batteries discharge Beam may require a more direct and clear line
of sight. Always replace the Alkaline AA-cells as a set. With typical
use the batteries should last for several months.
When used with the HeadMouse Extreme, adaptive switches
emulate the “LEFT”, “RIGHT”, and “MIDDLE” buttons of a
standard desktop mouse. When used with an Apple Macintosh,
the HeadMouse Extreme uses the “LEFT” input for the primary
mouse button and the “RIGHT” input to generate a Control-Click.
When used with Swifty the buttons are defined by Swifty or by the
software using Swifty.
Figure 1
(a) Beam connector panel.
(b) 1/8-inch (3.5-mm) Stereo microphone plug. A Mono plug looks the same
except it does not have a Ring contact –Sleeve contact extends to the insulator
separating it from the Tip.

Beam User Guide
Origin Instruments Corporation P a g e | 6
Beam has three 1/8-inch (3.5-mm) microphone jacks and accepts
commonly available adaptive switches.
A photograph of the Beam rear panel and a stereo microphone
plug are shown in the Figure 1. Mono and stereo plugs can be
used in any jack; however, only the J1 socket has the capability to
monitor the second button of a dual switch. If a dual button switch
is plugged into J2 or J3 only one button will be seen, the other will
be ignored.

Beam User Guide
Origin Instruments Corporation P a g e | 7
Questions and Answers
Can I use a dual position (stereo) switch with Beam?
Absolutely. Switch combinations such as Sip/Puff or Left/Right can
directly connect using a single stereo cable. Simply plug the
stereo cable into J1. This greatly reduces the complexity of
cabling. Similarly, if you are integrating two switches into an
adaptive mount, we recommend the use of stereo cabling for
connection to Beam.
Can I use Beam with HeadMouse and Swifty?
Yes. However, in general you cannot use two Beams with different
HeadMouse systems or Swiftys in the same room at the same
time.
Must I point the Beam directly at the receiver?
In general light from the receiver will bounce off the walls, ceiling
and other things in the immediate vacinity of the Beam and make
it to the receiver. Certainly if Swifty is plugged into the back of a
computer under a desk a more direct path may be necessary. In
this situation one should purchase a Swifty Cable Kit and use the
USB extender to remote mount Swifty.
How do I get joystick buttons when using Beam with Swifty?
Even though the label indicates Beam sends mouse buttons it
actually just tells Swifty that one or more of the buttons have been
switched. Swifty in conjunction with its mode setting determines
which buttons it will emulate –mouse, joystick, or keyboard.
How long will the batteries last?
With typical use the batteries should last for several months.
However, if you notice intermittent behavior or that a more direct
line-of-sight is needed between Beam and the receiver a fresh set
of batteries may improve the situation.

Beam User Guide
Origin Instruments Corporation P a g e | 8
Configuration
Beam has the capability to determine if a mono or stereo plug is inserted
into J1. If a stereo plug is used, see Figure 1(b), both “Left” and “Right”
mouse buttons will be derived from this connector. The “Left” button will
come from the Tip and the “Right” button will come from the Ring. If a
plug is inserted into J3 the Beam will now use the Tip of J3 as the “Right”
button. In all cases the “Middle” button will use the Tip of J2. For all jacks
switch common is the Sleeve.
Figure 2
The mode switch or jumper is used to instruct the Beam to automatically
determine whether a stereo or mono switch is plugged into J1.
(a) Shows the version of Beam that uses a mode switch.
(b) Shows the version of Beam that uses a mode jumper.
NOTE: In both photos the switch and jumper are shown in Auto
mode. Even though the switch appears to be in the opposite
position from the jumper, internally the switch connects the pin
opposite the actuator.
If the mode jumper is positioned as shown in the Figure 2 (factory
default) then Beam will automatically determine if a stereo plug is
used. If the jumper is in the opposite position shown Beam will
work with stereo plugs, but ignore the J1-Ring contact, illustrated

Beam User Guide
Origin Instruments Corporation P a g e | 9
in Figure 1(b). This jumper is accessed by removing the four
enclosure screws In some versions of Beam there is an access
hole under the battery door that will allow the mode switch to be
changed without opening the enclosure.
Note: By default the Beam automatically determines whether a stereo or mono
plug has been inserted in J1. However, there may be times after moving plugs
between jacks and changing between mono and stereo plugs that the Beam will
temporarily be confused. During these times the Beam may transmit a continuous
right button for up to 30-seconds. If this is a problem, the internal jumper may be
used to configure J1 as a mono jack.

Beam User Guide
Origin Instruments Corporation P a g e | 10
HeadMouse Extreme
The optional HeadMouse Extreme is a precise and efficient head-
controlled access device for computers and augmentative
communication devices. It mounts on the computer and tracks
head position in order to wirelessly control the mouse pointer.
Adaptive switches can be connected to HeadMouse directly or
wirelessly using Beam.
HeadMouse Extreme features:
Built-in receiver for Beam for wireless switch input
Wireless head-controlled mouse emulation
Fast and responsive cursor control
USB mouse interface
Very low power
Light weight
Pocket size