Papenmeier BRAILLEX EL 2D-80s User manual

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BR RA AI IL LL LE EX X®
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E EL L 2 2D D- -8 80 0s s
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it th h J Ja aw ws s
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f fo or r W Wi in nd do ow ws s
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Us se er r’ ’s s M Ma an nu ua al l
Papenmeier part n°: 0090.
413.00
Rev. 1.0
/
Januar
y
2006

Table of Contents
Introduction..............................................................I
The Easy Access Bar .......................................................... I
CE Medical Devices Directive ............................................... I
Symbols and Conventions................................................... I
Chapter 1 – Getting Started ..................................... 1
1.1 – Physical Description ...................................................1
1.2 – Installation ...............................................................1
1.3 – Service ....................................................................3
1.4 – Safety Advice............................................................4
1.5 – Service and Maintenance ............................................4
Chapter 2 – Controlling the Braille display............... 5
2.1 – Braille Functions........................................................5
2.2 – Working Modes..........................................................5
2.3 – Getting a Fast Screen Overview — The Vertical Display .13
Chapter 3 – Important Advice................................ 17
3.1 – Purpose of the Device...............................................17
3.2 – Safety Advice..........................................................17
3.3 – General Precautions.................................................17
3.4 – CE-Marking.............................................................17
3.5 – Copyright ...............................................................18
3.6 – Declaration of Conformity .........................................19
Index ..................................................................... 21

Introduction
Introduction
BRAILLEX EL 2D-80s is the latest of Papenmeier's world-renowned Efficiency Line
Braille displays. It is the top-of-the-line Papenmeier Braille display combining
state-of-the-art access technology with a particularly comfortable user interface.
The highlight of the unit is the patented Easy Access Bar.
This document will describe the installation and use of the device along with the
Jaws®for Windows screen reader package.
The Easy Access Bar
The Easy Access Bar integrated in the font of BRAILLEX EL 2D-80s allows fast
and easy navigation across the screen.
You can push the Easy Access Bar in all four directions, in two steps each. When
you sit in front of the device and read the Braille display, your thumbs are natu-
rally located in front of the Easy Access Bar.
You push the bar with your thumb. When you release it after a movement, it will
jump back to the initial position. The profiled front of the bar gives your thumb
enough grip to activate these keys. You feel a light resistance and hear a click
when you have activated a key. Its function is generally executed only after you
have released the Easy Access Bar. Only the keys with repeat function make
exception.
In every direction you can access two functions. After you release it, the Easy
Access Bar returns to its home position. In its home position it has no function.
Jaws for Windows obviously allows more functions than the 8 described above.
Therefore, Papenmeier added two keys to the left and to the right of the Braille
display. You will learn below that using the keys, you can also alter the
assignment of the Easy Access Bar. You then get a selection dialog that modifies
the meaning of the Easy Access Bar until you change it again.
CE Medical Devices Directive
BRAILLEX EL 2D-80s complies with the requirements of the European Union
Medical Devices Directive, as an active class I medical product intended to be
used for the purpose of compensation for a handicap.
This product may only be used in home or office environments. In medical facili-
ties, this product may only be used in office rooms.
Please read this manual and the information on medical devices carefully.
Symbols and Conventions
The following conventions and symbols shall help you to identify all the text
elements being used in this manual:
Comment and / or additional information.
Warnings of possible dangers and safety information re-
ferring to the medical devices regulation
I

Symbols and Conventions
All trademarks and proper names mentioned in this manual are properties of
their respective holders.
F.H. Papenmeier reserves the right to modify the devices described in this
manual without notice.
January 2006
F. H. Papenmeier GmbH & Co KG
Reha Division
P.O. Box 16 20
D-58211 Schwerte, Germany
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Email: [email protected]
II

Getting Started
Getting Started
Physical Description
The housing
Measuring 657 x 277 x 22 569 x 277 x 22 mm (25.9" x 10.9" x 0.87") and
weighing only 2.950 kg (6.5 lbs.), BRAILLEX EL 2D-80s is one of the flattest and
lightest 80 cell Braille desktop units on the world market.
Front panel
In the rounded front you will find the integrated Easy Access Bar. The bar has a
rubber profile.
Back panel
If you face it, on the left side you have the communication ports and the power
supply jack. From left to right, there is a USB connector, a 9-pin female serial
connector and a power supply jack. If connected to a USB port, BRAILLEX EL 2D-
80s does not need an external power supply; this one is only required if you
connect the device through the serial port.
Top
On the left side of the top of BRAILLEX EL 2D-80s you find the 20 cell vertical
display. As for all BRAILLEX EL units, the Braille display is placed along the front
line.
On either side of the Braille display, you will find a key. The keys have two
positions each: you can press them towards the front side (for one function),
and towards the rear side, for another one.
Installation
USB Connection
You connect the BRAILLEX EL device with the PC with the supplied USB cable.
After a short while, a box will pop up: "Found new hardware, Braillex II USB".
After a couple of seconds, the Found New Hardware Wizard dialog starts. Hit
Enter to activate the Next button.
In the next box, check "Search for a suitable driver for my device (recom-
mended)" and hit Enter to activate the Next button.
1

Installation
In the next box, you can specify the search locations to reduce the searching
time. Check " Floppy disk drives" if you have the driver on a floppy disk, or "CD
ROM drives" if you have it on s CD-ROM. Hit Enter to activate the Next button.
Finally, confirm that you want to install the "BRAILLEX.INF" driver that Windows
found on the media you specified and hit Enter to activate the Next button.
The next box confirms that you have installed a "Papenmeier Braillex II USB de-
vice". Hit Enter to activate the Finish button.
Serial Connection
In case you want to connect BRAILLEX EL 2D-80s via serial port, you have to use
the supplied power supply. No further installation is required (besides the screen
reader software, see below).
Start Message
As soon as the display unit is powered on (see above), you will see a start mes-
sage:
"BRAILLEX EL 2D-80s" and the revision number of the actual firmware of the de-
vice.
Installing the Screen reader
If you want to read the computer screen on the Braille display, you need to in-
stall and run a screen reader package. Depending on the package you might
need to install driver software for the BRAILLEX EL 2D-80s.
Installing JAWS with support for the BRAILLEX EL 2D-80 vertical display
JAWS for Windows has had support for the Papenmeier Braille displays on the
original Jaws CD-ROMs for a long time. Select custom install, and you will find a
reference to "BRAILLEX EL – all models" in the list of supported Braille devices.
You do need to install an updated driver for BRAILLEX EL 2D-80s, though. You
find the updated driver in the JAWS directory of the installation CD. Copy the file
BRX-EL.BIN from the CD to the main Jaws directory. Depending on the Jaws
2

Getting Started
version, this can be a JAWSxx (i.e. Jaws50) directory on your C drive (i.e.
c:\Jaws50), or c:\Program Files\Freedom Scientific\JAWS\x.xx (i.e. c:\Program
Files\Freedom Scientific\JAWS\6.20).
After the regular JAWS installation, the BRAILLEX 2D Screen vertical display will
only show rather poor status information. In order to get full structural display,
you also need to install the BDAS program (Braille Display Access Server) as
well. This program has been written by Papenmeier in order to enhance the
JAWS presentation and to enable the vertical display support. BDAS comes with
the regular Jaws CD, but you have to activate it in order to be able to use it.
In the Jaws directory, you find a batch file called BDAS_ON.BAT. If you run this
batch file, BDAS will be registered. Afterwards, the BRAILLEX vertical display will
show the usual structural information, once you have opened the start menu.
Service
In case of any defect of the Braille display unit, please contact an authorized
Papenmeier service center. If you are in doubt about the service center
responsible for your area, please contact Papenmeier:
F. H. Papenmeier GmbH & Co. KG
Phone:[phone]
Fax: [phone]
E-mail: [email protected]
If possible give a short description of the kind of disturbance.
3

Safety Advice
Safety Advice
Please read the information in this manual carefully, so you
will be able to avoid problems.
Use BRAILLEX EL 2D-80s in a dry environment only. Even if
the device is not powered up, it must not get wet.
Never place any heavy objects on the Braille display.
Service and Maintenance
Avoid touching the device with dirty hands. You may clean the surface of the
device (NOT the Braille cells) with a soft, damp cloth. Do not use any aggressive
detergent or soap.
4

Controlling the Braille display
Controlling the Braille display
BRAILLEX EL 2D-80s offers 80 Braille cells for reading the screen. You can move
this reading window across the screen with the Easy Access Bar. With the
routing keys integrated into the Braille cells you move the mouse pointer to
any desired place on the screen.
Function Keys
You control the Braille display either with the Easy Access Bar alone, or with the
keys.
In any case, the behavior of the Braille display depends on the screen reader
software. Depending on the software package used in conjunction with the
BRAILLEX EL display, a key or key combination might have different meanings.
Braille Functions
Moving the Braille display (Reading Window)
For navigating across the screen, you just use the Easy Access Bar.
Push the Easy Access Bar one step up to move the display up one line. Push the
Easy Access Bar one step down to move the display down one line. You main-
tain the column position of your Braille display when you push the Easy Access
Bar up or down.
The Easy Access Bar positions one step left and one step right have the meaning
"Read backward" and "Read forward".
• Push the Easy Access Bar one step left to move the reading window 80
columns to the left.
• Push the Easy Access Bar one step right to move the reading window 80
columns to the right.
Using the "Read forward" function, you continuously read the screen, i.e. once
the display has finished reading the screen line, it will go to the next line if you
continue pushing the Easy Access Bar.
Working Modes
When navigating in the active window, you can choose between three different
working modes, which influence the assignment of the Easy Access Bar:
 Navigation Mode
In the Navigation Mode, you just read across the screen when using the
navigation keys as described above; the cursor is NOT moved. This also
means that you can explore parts of the screen where the cursor can't go.
 PC Mode
The PC mode is the opposite: Instead of moving the display across the
screen when pushing the Easy Access Bar, you move the cursor. Please note
that as long as the active cursor moves the Braille display, this obviously also
influences the Braille display position.
 Combined Mode
The so-called Combined Mode is a mix of the two modes described above. It
is useful especially when it comes to reading long text documents. Whenever
5

Working Modes
you press a reading key and a line border is crossed, the PC cursor is moved
to the new line as well. This means that you can read a text without having
to bother about screen pages.
Selecting the Working Modes
In order to select the working modes, press the right key towards the rear. You
will get a dialog box that looks like follows:
The mode displayed is the one currently selected. Move the Easy Access Bar one
step left or right to change the values. Once you have reached the end of the
list, you will see the first value again. The options are the following:
 Navigation mode
 PC Mode
 Combined Mode
For setting the value temporarily, push the Easy Access Bar 2 steps up. This will
set the value displayed and return to the application you came from.
If you want to save the setting as a new default for the current application, push
the Easy Access Bar 2 steps down. You will hear the message "settings saved",
the value displayed will be activated, and you will return to the application you
came from.
Easy Access Bar Assignment in the Different Working Modes
In the following you will see the assignment of the Easy Access Bar in the three
different working modes:
6

Controlling the Braille display
Navigation Mode
Used for normal screen navigation. The cursor position is not changed. Two
marker positions can be reached directly: the title bar (with 2 steps up) and the
last window line, which typically corresponds to a status line (with 2 steps
down). The main reading functions (read forwards and backwards) have a
double assignment: they can be reached with both the first step and the second
step right or left.
Navigation Mode Functions
Easy Access Bar Function
One step up Moves the display one line up.
One step down Moves the display one line down.
One step left Read backwards.
Two steps left Same as one step left.
One step right Read forwards.
Two steps right Same as one step right.
Two steps up Moves the display to the title bar
Two steps down Moves the display to the last line of the window.
PC Mode
In PC mode, the Easy Access Bar allows to navigate through an application. Easy
Access Bar keys will emulate PC keyboard functions:
PC Mode Functions
Easy Access Bar Function
One step left PC Left arrow key
One step up PC Up arrow key
One step right PC Right arrow key
One step down PC Down arrow key
Two steps left (Shift)+(Tab)
Two steps up (Alt); within a dialog box or menu: (Esc)
Two steps right (Tab)
Two steps down (Enter)
Combined Mode
The combined mode includes both screen navigation and cursor movement
features. When you move the Easy Access Bar up or down, the cursor is moved
one line up or down as well (cf. PC mode). When you move the Easy Access Bar
to the right, the function is the same as in navigation mode if the text line is
longer than the display is. The cursor remains at the original position. Once all
the text of that line has been displayed, another “read forwards” command will
move both the cursor and the display to the next line. Pushing the Easy Access
Bar one step left corresponds to “read backwards” if you are within a long line of
text. Otherwise, both cursor and display are moved one line up.
In analogy to the navigation mode, two marker positions can be reached di-
rectly: the title bar (with 2 steps up) and the last window line, which typically
corresponds to a status line (with 2 steps down). This will NOT move the cursor.
The main reading functions (read forwards and backwards) have a double as-
signment: they can be reached with both the first step and the second step right
or left.
Combined Mode Functions
7

Working Modes
Easy Access Bar Function
One step left Read backwards (within a long line), or: move cursor
and display to previous line
Two steps left Same as one step left
One step up Move cursor and display to previous line
One step right Read forwards (within a long line), or: move cursor
and display to next line
Two steps right Same as one step right.
One step down Move cursor and display to next line
Two steps up Moves the display to the title bar
Two steps down Moves the display to the last line of the window.
Cursor Tracking
When navigating across the screen with the Braille display, you do not always
take the cursor with you. You can return to the cursor position at any time. If the
cursor is not present within the Braille display and you want to move the display
back to the cursor position, press the right key towards the front. This will move
the display to the cursor location and make sure that when the cursor is moved,
the display will follow.
You can also decide not to have the Braille display follow the cursor movements.
For this purpose, press the right key towards the front while the cursor is visible
on the display. You will hear the message "the active cursor will not move the
Braille display", and the automatic tracking is disabled. In order to enable the
cursor tracking again, move the display away from the cursor and press right
key towards the front again.
Cursor Tracking
Key Function
Right key in front position while
cursor is NOT within Braille win-
dow
Enable cursor tracking and move
display to the cursor position
Right key in front position while
cursor is visible within Braille
window
Disable cursor tracking
Braille presentation
When pressing the left key in front position, you access a number of Braille pres-
entation options. A dialog box with six different parameters will pop up:
8

Controlling the Braille display
In this dialog, you can adjust the most frequently used Braille presentation op-
tions. The choices you have refer to the Braille verbosity settings within Jaws.
The settings displayed are the ones that are currently selected.
Move the Easy Access Bar one step down or up to move between the different
parameters. Move the Easy Access Bar one step left or right to change the
values. The options are the following:
Braille presentation options
Parameters Options
Braille mode  Line
 Structured
Grade two translation  On
 Off
Translate word under cursor  Translating whole line
 Expanding current word
Mark with dots 7 and 8  On
 Off
Text display in Braille  As on screen
 Line up text
Display in  Eight dot Braille
 Six dot Braille
For setting the values temporarily, push the Easy Access Bar 2 steps up. This will
set the value displayed and return to the application you came from.
If you want to save the setting as a new default for the current application, push
the Easy Access Bar 2 steps down. You will hear the message "settings saved",
the value displayed will be activated, and you will return to the application you
came from.
9

Working Modes
Reveal Text Attributes
You can have the Braille display reveal different text attributes. The Braille dis-
play then underlines the corresponding portion of text with dots 7+8. You can
select any of the different attributes directly, or you can choose to get all avail-
able attributes revealed. You can, of course, also disable this function.
Press the left key in rear position to activate the selection. You will see a dialog
that looks like follows:
The first line in the dialog box shows the current attribute value at the cursor
position of the application you are in. You can obviously also use this function to
just look up the exact attribute at the cursor position.
The next line contains the global attribute display choices:
 Attribute display: Braille marking all
 Attribute display: Braille marking off
 Attribute display: Braille marking see below for current settings
If you select "Braille marking all", all text with screen attributes other than nor-
mal will be marked with dots 7 and 8. This only works if in the Braille presenta-
tion options, the "mark with dots 7 and 8" option is enabled.
The "Braille marking off" option disables the Braille marking function for all at-
tributes.
If you have chosen one or several attributes you want to get revealed with dots
7 and 8, you get the message "Braille marking see below for current settings".
Push the Easy Access Bar one step to the left or to the right to select the set-
tings.
In the next lines, you see the list of attributes that can be revealed with dots 7
and 8. You enable or disable the marking by pushing the Easy Access Bar one
step to the left or to the right. If you modify any of the settings in this part of
the dialog, line 2 will change to " Attribute display: modified". If you go back to
line 2 you can then also restore the initial selection of attributes to be displayed,
by chosing "Braille marking see below for current settings".
For setting the values temporarily, push the Easy Access Bar 2 steps up. This will
set the value displayed and return to the application you came from.
If you want to save the setting as a new default for the current application, push
the Easy Access Bar 2 steps down. You will hear the message "settings saved",
10

Controlling the Braille display
the value displayed will be activated, and you will return to the application you
came from.
Mouse Functions
You can activate mouse functions with all BRAILLEX EL devices, using the routing
keys.
In order to execute a mouse click, you first move the Braille display to the rele-
vant position. Then you press a routing key at the desired position. This corre-
sponds to a left mouse click.
You can also use the routing keys to select text, for example in a word process-
ing program. Move the display to the starting point of the marker. Hold the left
key in front position while you press the routing key at the start position. Then
move the display to the end point and repeat the key combination.
Mouse functions
Key Function
Routing key Route mouse to the key position
and execute a left mouse click
Left key in front position +
routing key Text selection
11

Getting a Fast Screen Overview — The Vertical Display
Getting a Fast Screen Overview — The Vertical Display
The Vertical Display
BRAILLEX EL 2D-80 is equipped with a 20 cell vertical display on its left side.
This vertical display or "structural display" shall help you to get a fast and
precise overview of what happens on the screen, it offers you a general idea of
the structure of the screen data you will not want to miss once you have used it.
Reading the Structural Display
The structural display does NOT display Braille: normally you "read" this display
vertically: Every vertical line of dots represents one PC screen line. One Braille
cell thus shows the status of two screen lines. Let us call the dots of the struc-
tural display by numbers: the ones on the far left are called dot 1, then follow
dots 2, 3 and 4 in the same row towards the right.
In the "structural display", for every computer screen line you have one dot row
of four dots. Every VERTICAL dot row means the same thing for all screen lines.
For example, in the default setting, all dots 1 show whether in the corresponding
screen line, there is text in columns 1 through 20. All dots 2 stand for text in
columns 21 through 40, and so on, every dot row "observes" one more quarter
(20 columns) of the corresponding screen line. If a dot is set, this means that at
the corresponding place of the PC screen you will find text. Taken all together,
these dots give you a tactile picture of the distribution of text on the screen.
With a little bit of practice you will soon recognize paragraphs or headlines in a
text, menu structures in a program, etc.
It is possible though that the meaning of these dots changes: you can program
them individually. Depending on the programming of the dots (which is
contained in the application profiles you have loaded), you are able to see:
 The distribution of text on the screen. This is the default setting. Each dot is
"observing" 20 columns in one line. If there is text only in the center of one
line, let's say from column 30 to column 55, the two middle dots in the corre-
sponding cell of the structural display - dot two and three - will pop up,
whereas the two external ones, dot one and four, remain low. If a line is
completely filled with text, all four dots come up; if it is empty, none.
Like that, you get a "structural picture" of the whole screen, you can easily
see headlines, paragraphs, etc.
 Groups of characters (like numbers or window frames, for example).
 Colors or screen attributes.
 Words or other strings.
 The cursor position.
 The Braille display position.
13

Getting a Fast Screen Overview — The Vertical Display
You program the meaning of the structural display using the BDASCONF pro-
gram.
Line Routing
Within the structural display, the routing keys get a new function: The structural
display not only lets you get a general view of your screen, but furthermore, it
enables you to jump directly to the part of the information which is of interest for
you. Press the key on top of one of the dot rows where you find text, and the
Braille display will jump to the corresponding screen line (and exit the structural
display, as well). We call this procedure "line routing".
BRAILLEX 2D-80s has one key for every dot row; you will route the display to
the upper position when you press the left key, and to the lower position when
you press the right one.
Please note that as in Jaws, you cannot move to an "empty" place on the screen,
any line routing action will move the Braille display to the nearest line containing
text.
Programming the Vertical Display
If you want to modify the vertical assignment, use the BDASCONF program lo-
cated in the JAWS folder. Even though it is an external program, BDASCONF
looks and feels like one of the JAWS configuration managers:
As usual you first open a configuration file (i.e. DEFAULT.JBD). This file contains
the standard assignment of the vertical display. In order to modify it, open the
"Set Options" menu (Alt S) and select "Vertical Area" (mnemonics V).
A dialog box will open with four tab controls, "Dot 1" through "Dot 4". All of the
four sheets are identical, otherwise. Use these tab controls to select the dot you
want to define.
In the first group you define the type of event that shall be monitored on the
vertical display. The choices are "Cursor"(mnemonics C), "Character"
(mnemonics H) and "String" (mnemonics S).
 Select "Cursor" if you want to see the position of either the "PC cursor"
(caret), the "Jaws cursor" (mouse location" or the "Braille cursor" (Braille
display location).
14