Pretorian Simplyworks Smooth Talker User manual

Simplyworks
®
INSTRUCTIONS
Smooth Talker
Product Description
Product Description
With a modern and stylish design
SMOOTH TALKER
is the most versatile single
and sequential message Communicator
currently on the market.
SMOOTH TALKER
has 2 minutes of recording
time, superior digital sound quality from
twin speakers and a low switch profi le angled
towards the user for easy activation.
SMOOTH TALKER
is unique in providing
Random, Choice, Auditory Prompt and
Converse messaging modes; and is the
only Communicator with both wired and
completely wire-free connectivity.
For positive reinforcement and additional
motivation, toys or appliances can be
attached and a message assigned to activate
the toy/appliance.
attached and a message assigned to activate
the toy/appliance.
attached and a message assigned to activate
SMOOTH TALKER
is the only Communicator
with both wired and wire-free connectivity
options for toys and appliances and,
uniquely, can activate two toys/appliances
simultaneously.

Fitting the Battery
Fitting the Battery
Remove the screw from the underside of the unit to release the battery fl ap. Connect a 9 Volt battery
to the battery connector, then replace and secure the battery fl ap. Use a good quality battery such as
Duracell or Energiser to ensure the best battery life and sound quality.
If you are not going to use
SMOOTH TALKER
for an extended period it is recommended the battery be
removed to prevent possible leakage.
Features
Features
• Records single and sequential messages.
• Two minutes of recording and playback time.
• Digital amplifi er with twin speakers for superior sound quality.
• Random, Choice, Auditory Prompt and Co-operative modes
• Activates wirelessly using SimplyWorks
®
SWITCH 125
.
• Wireless toy activation using SimplyWorks
®
toy controllers.
• Activates a mains-powered appliance in conjunction with SimplyWorks
®
ENERGISE
mains controller.
• Activates two toys/appliances simultaneously using wired and wire-free connectivity.
• Input socket for attaching a wired, external switch.
• Input socket for attaching a toy/appliance.
• On/Off and volume control.
• Built-in symbol holder.
• Large (125mm), low profi le, switch activation area.
• Tactile and auditory feedback.
Smooth Talker

RECORD
OFF
VOLUME
SWITCH APPL.
2
1
3 4 5
9
7
11
6
10 8

Recording Messages
Recording Messages
Press and hold the Record button (1) until the Record LED (2) illuminates. Release the Record button.
Press and hold down the switch top (6). Begin recording the fi rst message after you hear a beep by
speaking clearly into the microphone (11). Release the switch top when you have fi nished recording
the message. Repeat the procedure for additional messages in the sequence. Note that it is best to
hold down the switch for at least half a second after you have fi nished speaking to ensure that the
message is not cut short.
During recording the Record LED fl ashes slowly. When only 10 seconds of recording time remains the
Record LED will fl ash rapidly. If all the recording time is consumed,
SMOOTH TALKER
automatically
drops out of recording mode and is ready for playback.
When you have fi nished recording all the messages press the Record button briefl y to exit recording mode.
SMOOTH TALKER
is now ready to use.
Playing
Playing
Messages
Messages
After recording, message playback begins from the first message recorded. Press down the switch
top to play the next message in sequence. When the last message is reached, playback returns to
the first message.
Playback volume may be adjusted using the volume control (3).
Stopping a
Stopping a
Message
Message
During playback a message may be ended early by briefly pressing the Record button. Playback
continues with the next message when the switch top is next pressed.
Repeat
Repeat
ing a
ing a
Message
Message
First, play the message. Then, at the end of the message, briefly press the Record button. The
message will then be repeated each time the switch is activated.
To return to message sequencing, briefly press the Record button again.
The message repeat function only operates in Sequence Mode.
Using Messaging Modes
Using Messaging Modes
SMOOTH TALKER
has four additional messaging modes. To view the current mode setting, press
the Mode button (7). The adjacent Mode LEDs (8) illuminate to show the current Mode setting,
without any changes being made. If you wish to change to a different mode, press the Mode
button repeatedly until the appropriate LED lights. The Mode LEDs are extinguished after a few
seconds to conserve battery life.

The following sections describe the messaging
modes:
RANDOM
Randomly plays a message from any of the recorded
sequence of messages. For example, record the
numbers one to six and
SMOOTH TALKER
becomes
SMOOTH TALKER becomes SMOOTH TALKER
a speaking dice. Or record messages appropriate to
a selection of toys and then use
SMOOTH TALKER
for ‘show and tell’.
CHOICE
Choice mode allows users to exercise a choice
between two messages. The main switch always
plays message 1 (the fi rst one to be recorded) and
the external switch (whether wired or wireless)
plays message 2.
If more than two messages are recorded, the third
and any subsequent ones are ignored in this mode.
For example, you could record ‘Yes’ as the fi rst
message and ‘No’ as the second. Or try ‘Please’ and
‘Thank you’.
CONVERSE
(TURN-TAKING)
This unique mode allows a conversation to take
place between two users in a strict to-and-fro
order no matter how the buttons are pressed. It
is very useful in teaching turn-taking. There is
no possibility of the conversation getting out of
sequence.
First, record a number of messages in the
normal way. Odd messages form one half of the
conversation and even messages form the other
half. For example:
Message 1 (James) “Hello, my name is James”
Message 2 (Catherine)
“Hi James, I’m Catherine”
Message 3 (James) “What is your favourite food?”
Message 4 (Catherine)
“I like pizza”.
For added realism you could use different voices
for each half of the conversation.
Once recording is complete, the internal switch (6)
plays odd messages and the external switch (wired
or wireless) plays even messages. In other words
James, in the example above, uses the internal
switch and Catherine uses the external switch.
Because James has the internal switch, he must
initiate the conversation by pressing his switch.
Catherine’s switch does nothing until the fi rst
message is complete. Once the fi rst message has
ended Catherine may press her switch and play the
second message, meanwhile James’s switch does
nothing, and so on.
Once all the messages have been played through,
James can start the conversation again.
As with all other modes, there is no limit to the
number of messages and there is no requirement
for there to be an even number of messages.
The only requirement is that the internal switch
initiates the conversation.
AUDITORY PROMPT
This mode is used to allow a carer to set up the correct
message more easily for a particular situation,
while still allowing the user to communicate.
To select the particular message to be played,
the carer repeatedly presses either an external
switch, or the Record button, to step through
the messages. These are played back at reduced
volume. There is no need to listen to each message
in full- you can step on to the next message at any
time. Note that the toy outputs are disabled while
stepping through messages.
Once the required message is arrived at,
SMOOTH TALKER
plays the message at normal
SMOOTH TALKER plays the message at normal SMOOTH TALKER
volume whenever the internal switch is pressed.
Repeated presses of the internal switch repeat the
same message.
For example, the carer and user are making an
excursion to a fast food restaurant. The carer
pre-records the following messages:
Message 1: “Hamburger”
Message 2: “Pizza”
Message 3: “Ice Cream”
Message 4: “Hot dog”
On arrival at the restaurant, the user decides she
would like a hot dog. The carer steps through to
message 4 and then the user approaches the till
and presses the internal switch. The message “Hot
dog” is played back at normal volume levels.

Playing Messages from an External Wired Switch
Playing Messages from an External Wired Switch
Attach any wired switch with a 3.5mm plug into the switch input socket (4).
Playing Messages from a
Playing Messages from a
Wireless Switch 125
Wireless Switch 125
Place
SWITCH 125
close to
SMOOTH TALKER
.
Press
and hold
the Pair Button (9) on
SMOOTH TALKER
until the Pair LED (10) flashes slowly.
Immediately press the Pair Button on
SWITCH 125
. The Pair LED on
SMOOTH TALKER
continues to
flash slowly until pairing is complete at which point the Pair LED lights steadily for 5 seconds.
SEND
can be used in place of
SWITCH 125
.
Note that wired and wireless switches can co-exist and perform the same function.
Controlling Battery Operated Toys/Appliances
Controlling Battery Operated Toys/Appliances
To enhance messaging and provide positive reinforcement,
SMOOTH TALKER
can activate battery-
operated toys/appliances.
Plug any switch adapted toy or appliance into the toy/appliance input socket (5).
To assign a message to the toy/appliance press the Record Button (1) briefl y
during
message recording.
Every time this message is played the toy/appliance will activate for the duration of the message.
Alternatively, for wireless activation of the toy/appliance,
SMOOTH TALKER
must be paired with
a SimplyWorks toy controller. Connect the toy/appliance to any toy controller e.g.
CONTROL LITE
,
CONTROL
or
CONTROL PRO
.
Press the Pair Button on the toy controller and the Pair LED will begin to fl ash slowly. Now press the
Pair Button
briefl y
on
SMOOTH TALKER
. The Pair LED on the toy controller will continue to fl ash
slowly until pairing is complete at which point the Pair LED will light steadily for 5 seconds. Assign a
message following the above procedure.
Note that wired and wireless toys can co-exist and will be turned on an off simultaneously.
Controlling Software During Message Playback
Controlling Software During Message Playback
SMOOTH TALKER
may also be paired with
RECEIVE
to allow software to be controlled by messages
which are assigned to toy/appliance control.
Briefl y press the Pair Button on
RECEIVE
and the Pair LED will begin to fl ash slowly. Now press the
Pair Button
briefl y
on
SMOOTH TALKER
. The Pair LED on
RECEIVE
will continue to fl ash slowly until
pairing is complete at which point the Pair LED will light steadily for 5 seconds.
Whenever a message is played which has toy/appliance control assigned,
RECEIVE
sends the Space
character to the computer via the USB lead for the duration of the message. This allows software
which uses Space to be used alongside
SMOOTH TALKER
.

Controlling
Controlling
Mains Powered Devices
Mains Powered Devices
Electrical appliances can be controlled wirelessly using an
ENERGISE
mains appliance controller.
Plug the
ENERGISE
power cable into an electrical socket and the electrical appliance into socket number
one of
ENERGISE
. Briefl y press Pair Button 1 on
ENERGISE
and the Pair LED will begin to fl ash slowly.
Immediately press the Pair Button on
SMOOTH TALKER
. The Pair LED on
ENERGISE
will continue to fl ash
slowly until pairing is complete at which point the Pair LED will light steadily for 5 seconds.
Assign a message using the above procedure.
Optimising the Battery Life
Optimising the Battery Life
To conserve battery life
SMOOTH TALKER
automatically enters a power saving mode after 30 minutes
SMOOTH TALKER automatically enters a power saving mode after 30 minutes SMOOTH TALKER
without use. The Simply Works wireless transmitter/receiver is shut down, which saves power but also
prevents reception of switch activation data from external wireless switches.
To wake up
SMOOTH TALKER
from power saving, simply press any button or the main switch.
SMOOTH TALKER from power saving, simply press any button or the main switch.SMOOTH TALKER
If you are not going to use
SMOOTH TALKER
for more than a few minutes it is best to turn it off
SMOOTH TALKER for more than a few minutes it is best to turn it off SMOOTH TALKER
completely using the volume control (3). This also prevents accidental presses of the main switch
from playing messages during transportation.
Low Battery Warning
Low Battery Warning
If a message is cut short during playback and the Record LED fl ashes rapidly, this is an indication
that the battery is exhausted and should be replaced. Turning the volume down will prevent messages
being cut short and extend battery life a little.
To conserve battery life, avoid extensive use of high volume levels.
Maintenance
Maintenance
SMOOTH TALKER
has no user serviceable parts. If repair is necessary the unit should be returned to
Pretorian Technologies or an authorised Distributor.
Warranty
Warranty
SMOOTH TALKER
is warranted against defects in manufacture or component failure for a period of 24
months. The unit is designed for use in domestic and educational applications. Use outside these areas
will invalidate the warranty. Unauthorised repair or modifi cation, mechanical abuse, immersion in any
liquid or connection to incompatible equipment will invalidate the warranty.
Inserting Prompt Cards
Inserting Prompt Cards
A picture card may be inserted into the open lid of
SMOOTH TALKER
to act as a visual prompt.
SMOOTH TALKER to act as a visual prompt. SMOOTH TALKER
The card
should be 75mm wide, and 35mm or more in height.
Should the array of LEDs and buttons
distract users when the lid is open, the Card
may be made around 75mm high to obscure
the LEDs and buttons, as shown here.

www.pretorianuk.com
www.pretorianuk.com
Unit 37 Corringham Road Industrial Estate
Gainsborough Lincolnshire DN21 1QB UK
Tel
[phone]
Fax
[phone]
SimplyWorks
®
is a registered
trademark of Pretorian Technologies Ltd
Troubleshooting
Troubleshooting
Symptom
Possible Cause
No playback
No messages
recorded!
Volume control
turned right down
Battery exhausted
•
•
•
Remedy
Record some messages!
Turn volume up
Replace battery
•
•
•
Playback stops part way
through a message and
REC LED fl ashes rapidly.
Battery exhausted
•
Replace battery
(Short term fi x- turn
Replace battery
(Short term fi x- turn
Replace battery
volume down)
•
Toy doesn’t turn on with
message
Toy not assigned to
this message
Toy lead broken
SimplyWorks
receiver not paired
•
•
•
Re-record and press Record
to assign
Test and replace if necessary
Pair up receiver
•
•
•
External switch does not
play message
Wired switch broken
SimplyWorks switch
not paired
Not your turn in
Converse mode
•
•
•
Test with Pretorian Test-IT
and replace if necessary
Pair up transmitter
Wait until it’s your turn
•
•
•
Same message played
repeatedly
Unit set to Repeat
Unit in Prompt mode
•
•
Press
Record
button briefl y
between messages
Set to desired mode using
Mode button.
•
•
Mechanical noises on
recording
Unit was held in hand
whilst recording
•
Place on a fi rm surface when
recording
•