Topaz XL User manual

440520-001 Revision C
TOPAZ® XL Desktop Magnifier
User’s Guide
PC Compatible
Freedom Scientific, Inc.
April 2011

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Freedom Scientific, Inc., 11800 31st Court North, St. Petersburg, Florida 33716-1805, USA
http://www.FreedomScientific.com
Copyright © 2011 Freedom Scientific, Inc. All Rights Reserved. TOPAZ® and GEM™ are trademarks of Freedom Scientific,
Inc. in the United States and other countries. Information in this document is subject to change without notice. No part of this
publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic or mechanical, for any purpose, without
the express written permission of Freedom Scientific.
Technical Support
To contact Technical Support by telephone, U.S. customers can call [phone], Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to
7:00 PM (Eastern Time).
To contact by e-mail, send questions to S[email protected].
To search the knowledge base, visit www.FreedomScientific.com and choose the Support link.

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Table of Contents
Transporting and Moving TOPAZ XL ..............................................................................1
Steps to Use TOPAZ XL....................................................................................................4
Advanced Operation.......................................................................................................10
Focus Lock and Position Locator Beam ...........................................................................10
Turning LED Reading Lights On or Off.............................................................................11
Reading Lines and Reading Masks..................................................................................12
Selecting Lines or Masks..............................................................................................13
Moving Both Lines or Masks on the Screen .................................................................14
Adjusting Width between Lines or Masks.....................................................................15
Appendix A –Changing TOPAZ XL Settings................................................................16
TOPAZ XL Settings...........................................................................................................16
Opening Configuration Mode and Editing TOPAZ XL Settings.........................................16
Customizing Magnification Settings..................................................................................19
Selecting a Magnification Table........................................................................................20
Changing the Magnification Display Number....................................................................21
Reset Factory Default Settings .........................................................................................23
Display Firmware Version Number ...................................................................................24

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Appendix B –Using TOPAZ XL as Your Computer Monitor .......................................25
Computer to TOPAZ XL through VGA..............................................................................25
Screen Resolutions...........................................................................................................27
Appendix C –TOPAZ XL and GEM Software Connection...........................................28
Appendix D –Rear Panel Connectors...........................................................................29

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Transporting and Moving TOPAZ XL
Use this image and the text on pages 2 through 3 to lift, carry, and position the TOPAZ® XL.

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1. Lock the monitor arm to secure and prevent the monitor from moving to the left or right.
2. Lock the XY reading table to stop it from moving by pushing the red brake lock toward
the TOPAZ XL.
3. Lift and transport the TOPAZ XL by the rear post to move it to a sturdy surface such as a
table, desk, or countertop. One suggested method is to wrap your forearm around the rear
post and then lift.
Important: Do NOT lift TOPAZ XL by the LED reading lights.

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4. Use the repositioning grips on both sides of the reading table to move and position
TOPAZ XL to your liking once it is on a sturdy surface.

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Steps to Use TOPAZ XL
Use this image and the steps on pages 5 through 9 to turn on and begin using the TOPAZ XL.

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1. Plug the power cord from the middle power connector on the rear of the TOPAZ XL to an
electrical wall outlet.
2. Press the white master power switch located near the LED reading light on the right
side of the TOPAZ.
3. Press the green standby power switch on the right side of the control panel.
Note: If the monitor screen remains blank, make sure that the monitor is turned on.
4. Hold the sides of the monitor with both hands and move it up or down to change the
height, or turn the monitor left or right to adjust the angle for the best view.
If the monitor does not move to the left or right, make sure to release the arm lock (push
the locking pin in) located at the base of the monitor arm. Also, make sure that the monitor
is raised up so that it freely moves from left to right.
For arm lock information, refer to Transporting and Moving TOPAZ XL as previously
mentioned in this document.

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5. Place the document that you want to magnify onto the center of the reading table. Move
the document back so that it touches the rear of the XY table. To read a pill bottle, place it
in the indentation located at the rear of the XY table. This prevents the bottle from rolling
on the table.
6. Turn the black Magnification dial to adjust magnification.
7. Turn the yellow Brightness dial to adjust brightness.

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8. Unlock the reading table to move a document so that its text moves back and forth
across the screen to make reading easier.
9. Turn the blue Color Select dial to choose a color mode that best suits your vision needs.
Default color modes are full color; black on white; white on black; yellow on blue; and
yellow on black.

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10. Press the Freeze Frame button located in the center of the black Magnification dial to
freeze the current image on the screen. Press it again to return to the live view.
11. Press and hold the Find button located in the center of the yellow Brightness dial to
zoom out and see more of the document. A set of crosshairs display on the monitor
screen. Move the XY table and use the crosshairs to center and view a new area of the
document.
Release the Find button to turn off the crosshairs and zoom back in on the new area of
the document.

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Advanced Operation
Focus Lock and Position Locator Beam
By default, the camera automatically focuses on the closest object in view. However, if you
want focus to remain on a specific object such as a document on the XY table, you can turn on
the Focus Lock feature. This prevents the camera from accidentally focusing on your hand or
any other item that moves in front of the camera. During normal operation, it is recommended
that you leave Focus Lock off.
The Position Locator beam projects a red dot onto the XY table. Use it to help you pinpoint
your location on the XY table and what you see on the monitor.
1. Press the red Focus Lock button once to turn on Focus Lock. The padlock icon appears
on the screen: .
2. Press the button a second time to turn on the Position Locator beam and remain in Focus
Lock mode.
3. Press it a third time to turn off both the beam and Focus Lock mode. Automatic focus is
restored.

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Turning LED Reading Lights On or Off
Note: TOPAZ XL has two lights designed to illuminate documents and other items that you
place on the reading table. This lighting is diffused to reduce glare and reflections.
However, some items, such as photographs or glossy magazine pages, may be too
shiny or reflective to view easily. When viewing such items, you can turn off the reading
lights if you like.
1. To turn off the LED reading lights, press the center of the yellow Brightness dial and the
red Focus Lock button simultaneously.
2. Press both again when you want to turn the reading lights on.

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Reading Lines and Reading Masks
Reading lines display as two horizontal or vertical lines on the screen. Reading masks block
part of the screen to show only a horizontal or vertical slice of the screen. Use these items to
help you maintain your place while reading text. You can move either lines or masks together
to change their position on the screen, or move one line or mask to adjust the distance
between these items.
Note: The switch and dials that control reading lines and reading masks are located under the
plastic cover on the bottom of the control panel. Press the two recessed tabs on the
backside of the cover to remove it to access the purple switch and dials.
Use the center purple switch to select horizontal or vertical reading lines and masks.
Use the left purple Adjustment wheel to move both lines and masks up and down or left
and right.
Use the right purple Width wheel to change the width between reading lines and masks.

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Selecting Lines or Masks
Use the center purple switch to cycle through and display lines or masks on the screen. To
do this:
Press the center purple switch to the right to cycle through the following options:
horizontal lines, vertical lines, vertical masks, horizontal masks, and none.
Press the center purple switch to the left to cycle through the following options:
horizontal masks, vertical masks, vertical lines, horizontal lines, and none.

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Moving Both Lines or Masks on the Screen
Turn the left purple Adjustment wheel to the left or right to move both reading lines or
reading masks up and down or left and right on the screen.

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Adjusting Width between Lines or Masks
For horizontal lines or masks:
Turn the right purple Width wheel to the left or right to move the top line or mask up or
down. This increases or decreases the distance between horizontal lines or masks.
For vertical lines or masks:
Turn the right purple Width wheel to the left or right. This moves the right line or mask to
the left or right. This increases or decreases the distance between vertical lines or masks.

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Appendix A –Changing TOPAZ XL Settings
TOPAZ XL Settings
TOPAZ XL can be configured for up to 12 color mode settings known as positions 1
through 12. Color modes are used to show text for best readability, for example, yellow
text against a blue background.
Positions 1 through 3 are Full Color (true color), Black on White, and White on Black. The
color settings for these positions cannot be changed.
Positions 4 through 12 can be customized or turned off. By default, positions 4 and 5 are
Yellow on Blue and Yellow on Black, but they can be changed.
Opening Configuration Mode and Editing TOPAZ XL Settings
1. When configuring color modes, it is best to have both a page of text and a color photo to
place under the TOPAZ XL camera.
2. Press and hold the red Focus Lock button for approximately 10 seconds to enter the
Configuration menu. (Press and hold the button again at any time to exit the Configuration
menu and save your settings.)