VisionAid ReadEasy Evolve User manual

Standard User Manual
English, Version 1.2
Copyright © 2019, VisionAid International Ltd, all rights reserved.

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Table of contents
General description ................................................................................... 3
Improvement program ............................................................................... 3
Ownership and intellectual property.......................................................... 4
Safety ........................................................................................................ 5
Pacemaker safety guidelines.................................................................. 5
General safety guidelines ....................................................................... 5
Box contents.............................................................................................. 6
Unpacking ................................................................................................. 6
Carry Handle ............................................................................................. 7
Positioning for use..................................................................................... 7
Plugging in................................................................................................. 8
Camera...................................................................................................... 9
Turning on / off ........................................................................................ 12
Positioning documents for capture .......................................................... 13
Lighting on / off........................................................................................ 15
Audio ....................................................................................................... 16
Controls ................................................................................................... 17
Menu ....................................................................................................... 19
Recognition ........................................................................................... 20
Menu settings ....................................................................................... 22
Advanced Settings ................................................................................ 22
About..................................................................................................... 23
Languages............................................................................................... 23
Upgrading software ................................................................................. 28
FAQ and Troubleshooting ....................................................................... 29
Terms and conditions of sale .................................................................. 31
Appendix A: Technical Information.......................................................... 32

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General description
Congratulations on choosing the ReadEasy Evolve digital capture reading
system.
The ReadEasy Evolve combines ease of use with the highest quality
speech output and the world’s fastest text recognition. It can capture and
read any printed material up to A3 in size, such as letters, bank statements,
newspapers, food packaging etc. and reads the text aloud using natural
sounding voices.
Improvement program
Users are the best people to help us further improve and develop our
products so if you have any ideas or suggestions, no matter how small,
please do contact us:
Email:
[e-mail]
Post:
ReadEasy Evolve Suggestions
VisionAid International Ltd.
Bridge Lodge
Spalding
Lincolnshire
PE11 3AU
United Kingdom
Phone:
[phone]
Thank you and enjoy your new ReadEasy Evolve reading machine!

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Ownership and intellectual property
The software installed on the ReadEasy Evolve makes use of third-party
software libraries that are redistributed under their own respective licenses.
Copyright (C) 2000-2015, Intel Corporation, all rights reserved.
Copyright (C) 2009-2011, Willow Garage Inc., all rights reserved.
Copyright (C) 2009-2015, NVIDIA Corporation, all rights reserved.
Copyright (C) 2010-2013, Advanced Micro Devices, Inc., all rights
reserved.
Copyright (C) 2015, OpenCV Foundation, all rights reserved.
Copyright (C) 2015, Itseez Inc., all rights reserved.
Third party copyrights are property of their respective owners.

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Safety
Pacemaker safety guidelines
The ReadEasy Evolve contains magnets in multiple locations.
If you have a pacemaker fitted please consult the manufacturer’s
guidelines for safe operating distances.
Do not use the ReadEasy Evolve near inadequately shielded medical
devices.
There are magnets located in the main unit, the camera arm, the Wireless
Control Pad and the Wireless Control Pad Simplifier. Do not put any of
these items on or near your chest if you have a pacemaker fitted.
General safety guidelines
•Please handle the ReadEasy Evolve with care as rough handling may
damage internal components and will void your warranty.
•Always operate the unit in a place where the temperature is between
10°and 35°C (50°and 95°F). Do not expose to excessive heat, cold or
direct sunlight.
•Keep the unit away from wet areas, rain and other sources of fluid,
moisture and chemicals. Do not submerge the unit.
•Do not attempt to repair the unit; any unauthorised attempt will void
the product warranty. Please contact your distributor.
•Use only the supplied power adapter.
•Always unplug the ReadEasy Evolve before cleaning. Only use a soft
cloth to clean the exterior. Do not use cleaning agents or abrasive
materials as they will damage your unit.
•Use of the ReadEasy Evolve other than as described in this manual
will exclude it from warranty.

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Box contents
Your ReadEasy Evolve box contains the following items:
1. ReadEasy Evolve digital capture reading system.
2. ReadEasy Evolve camera (stored in the back of the ReadEasy
Evolve).
3. Power brick and power cable.
4. White contrast / positioning mat.
5. Laminated Quick Reference Guide.
6. This User Manual.
7. Over ear headphones.
8. Optional Wireless Control Pad (if Feature Pack purchased).
If any of these items are missing from your box, please contact your local
distributor immediately.
Unpacking
Lift out the cardboard tray containing the power brick (in its own box),
power cable, headphones and documentation.
Next, remove the white contrast / positioning mat which is on top of the
ReadEasy Evolve unit.
Finally, lift the ReadEasy Evolve out of the box and carefully remove its
side packaging.
Place the ReadEasy Evolve onto a stable flat surface where it is going to
be used.
If you have purchased the optional Feature Pack, the Wireless Control
Pad will also be included. Remove this if present and required.

7
Carry Handle
The ReadEasy Evolve features an integrated carry handle making it safe
to move from room-to-room.
The carry handle is built into the top of the unit. It sits flush when not in use.
By lifting the handle into its raised position, it is easy to grasp and move
the unit.
You can lower the handle back down by gently pushing it down until it sits
flush with the unit.
Positioning for use
When placing the ReadEasy Evolve onto a surface for use, ensure it is
clean, flat and large enough for you to position the items you wish to read.
Ensure that the unit is not directly underneath any bright lighting, as this
could affect its accuracy when reading glossy documents.
Pull upwards

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Plugging in
1. Plug the power cable into the power brick.
2. Plug the tip of the power brick into the ReadEasy Evolve’s power
socket. With the ReadEasy Evolve facing towards you, run your index
finger up the back of the unit on the far left-hand side. 2.5 inches (6cm)
up, you should feel a round area with a round recess. This is where
the tip of the power brick should be inserted.
3. Insert the mains plug into a wall socket and ensure it is switched on.

9
Camera
The ReadEasy Evolve features a unique, magnetised, easy release
camera system. The camera can be located in the A4 or A3 camera
position depending on the size of your document.
Removing the camera from its stored position
The camera arm is stored within the ReadEasy Evolve, at the back of the
unit, along the bottom. With the ReadEasy Evolve facing towards you, run
your fingers 1 inch (2.5cm) up the back of the left edge. You will feel a half
circle shaped cut-out. Push the camera head backwards using this recess
and fully remove it.
Unfolding the camera
With the camera removed from the unit, it then needs to be unfolded. When
the camera is folded, the part of the camera that will insert into the A4 or
A3 positions is slightly shorter. It
also has a rectangular USB port
which sits flush with the bottom of
the shorter section.
Unfold the camera (90 degrees)
so it is ready to be inserted into
the A4 or A3 camera position.

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Plugging in the camera
Positioning the camera into the A4 position provides the absolute maximum
recognition accuracy for standard and smaller documents, allowing text as
small as 5 point to be read. This is ideal for reading food packaging,
medication, small print on terms and conditions etc.
Positioning the camera into the A3 position allows larger documents to be
read such as tabloid newspapers, large format books, both left and right
pages of a magazine etc. This allows text as small as 6 point to be read.
The A4 slot for the camera (coloured silver) is located on the top of the
ReadEasy Evolve unit, at the back, 2.5 inches (6cm) from the left-hand
side. The A3 slot is located 2 inches (5 cm) in front of this. Both slots have
a dust cover which springs back into position when the camera is removed.
With the shorter arm containing the USB port facing downwards and the
other part of the arm facing towards you, angle the camera head a few
degrees forwards and slowly insert the camera into either the A4 or A3
camera position.
For the A4 camera position (the rear slot) the camera will slide down
approximately 5 inches (13 cm).
For the A3 camera position (the front slot) the camera will slide down just
1.5 inches (4 cm).
A4 (Letter) camera position
A3 (Tabloid) camera position

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Once slid down into position, you may need to apply a small amount of
downwards force to connect the camera fully. As you do so you will feel it
positively locate into position.
The camera will only go into its slots one way round and it does not require
much force so please insert it carefully.
Un-plugging the camera
To disconnect the camera, grasp it firmly on the upright part (above the
camera slot). Place your other hand on the main unit itself and then pull the
camera upwards. If you pull the upright part slightly towards you (with a
small amount of force) as you lift it upwards, it reduces the force needed to
remove the camera.
Returning the camera to its stored position
With the camera removed, gently fold the camera in at the hinge by holding
onto both sections. Then return it to the back of the unit for safe storage in
the opposite way to which you removed it.

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It magnetises back into position and will only fit correctly one way round,
with the shorter edge facing towards you and the rounded hinge to the left.
Turning on / off
To turn on the ReadEasy Evolve, ensure it is plugged in, the mains power
is switched on and that the camera is connected. Then, press and release
the on / off button. It is located on the top of the ReadEasy Evolve, 1 inch
(2.5 cm) from the back and 1.25 inches (3 cm) from the right edge. It is a
round button which is recessed in a round hole.
Once pressed and released, the on / off button will illuminate in blue. After
3 seconds, an audible beep will be heard (if the volume is up) and 15
seconds after that the ReadEasy Evolve will announce it is ready.
To turn the ReadEasy Evolve off, simply press the on / off button again.
The ReadEasy Evolve will announce that it is turning off.
IMPORTANT
If you wish to unplug your ReadEasy Evolve after turning it off,
please wait 5 seconds after turning it off for it to fully power down.
On / off button

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Positioning documents for capture
With the ReadEasy Evolve powered up and the camera connected, you
are ready to read a document. It allows both A4 and A3 sized documents
to be accurately positioned purely by touch.
In both A4 and A3 camera positions the ReadEasy Evolve captures an area
15% to 20% larger than the paper size to ensure you don’t miss anything.
A4 (Letter) document positioning
Ensure the camera is located in its A4 position (the rear camera slot).
Take the A4 sized document you wish to read and rotate it so that it’s in a
landscape orientation (long edge running left to right). Now place the long
edge up against the front of the ReadEasy Evolve and slide it so that the
right edge of your document is aligned with the right edge of the ReadEasy
Evolve.
A3 (Tabloid) document positioning
Ensure the camera is located in its A3 position (the front camera slot).
Fold out the integrated A3 positioning guide, located on the right edge of
the unit, at the bottom. There is a finger cut out, 3 inches (7 cm) from the
front and the guide pivots outwards, 90 degrees towards you so that it’s in
line with the front of the unit.
Take the A3 sized document you wish to read and rotate it so that it’s in a
landscape orientation (long edge running left to right). Now place the long
edge up against the front of the ReadEasy Evolve and slide it so that the
right edge of your document is aligned with the edge of the A3 positioning
guide.

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Contrast / positioning mat for A4 (Letter) documents
The ReadEasy Evolve includes a contrast / positioning mat. This does not
need to be used for ReadEasy to work correctly but serves two purposes:
1). It provides a rough guide for the A4 (Letter) capture area.
2). If the surface where the ReadEasy Evolve is located is textured and the
item wishing to be read is small (e.g. a postage receipt or small packet of
food) then using the mat can reduce the chance of the ReadEasy Evolve
finding additional characters within the table surface.
To position the mat, ensure the
ReadEasy Evolve is located on a
flat surface where you wish to use
it. Then, make sure the contrast
mat is folded flat (the top section is
folded over for transport). There is
a ‘finger’ at the top of the mat that
needs to be slid around the back
and left side of the ReadEasy
Evolve, from left to right.
Ensure the ‘finger’ is held flat with
the index finger on your left hand
as you slide the mat from left to
right until it fits snugly up against
the left edge and the front of the unit.

15
Lighting on / off
The ReadEasy Evolve’s camera features integrated LED lighting. By
default (and for most scenarios), the lighting should be left on. Keeping the
light on can help if there is very little ambient light in the room but can cause
reflections on glossy documents. Therefore, if you are having difficulties
with glossy documents, switch the light off.
The light is controlled by a rocker switch. This is located on the underside
of the camera arm approximately 1.25 inches (3 cm) from the back of the
head, in the middle.
To switch the light on, rock the switch to the right. To switch the light off,
rock the switch to the left.
Light On
Light Off
Lighting Rocker Switch

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Audio
Volume adjustment
To increase or decrease the volume, raise or lower the vertical volume
slider. This is located on the right edge of the machine, 1.5 inches (4 cm)
from the back. It travels 4 inches (10 cm) between maximum and minimum.
Headphone socket and headphones
The ReadEasy Evolve includes a pair of over ear headphones. They have
a standard 3.5 mm audio jack connector.
To use the included headphones (or any other that you may already own),
simply plug them into the headphone socket, located on the right-hand
edge of the machine, 3 inches (8 cm) from the front and 2.5 inches (6.5
cm) up from the bottom.
The loudspeakers will automatically be muted as soon as the headphones
are plugged in. To alter the headphone volume, use the volume slider.
Volume
slider
Headphone
socket

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Controls
The main controls are all located on the top edge of the unit at the front.
There are 6 tactile buttons.
Capture (quick press)
To capture a document and have it read aloud, ensure you
have a document under the camera and then press the green rectangular
button. This is the furthest button to the right.
ReadEasy Evolve features an intelligent motion detection system that won’t
allow your document to be captured if it is moving. This allows you time to
press capture and position your document underneath ReadEasy Evolve
with both hands (e.g. for a book). Your document will be captured two
seconds after the last movement was detected.
An audible “beep” will be emitted while movement is being detected.
To override this function and force ReadEasy Evolve to capture your
document, press Capture again.
Your document will start being read aloud a few seconds later.
Faster
Quick press: Previous
sentence
Press & hold: Previous
word & spell on release
Quick press: Next
sentence
Press & hold: Next word
& spell on release
Slower
Play /
Pause
Faster & slower
simultaneously:
Change Voice
Quick press: Capture
Press & hold: Table Mode
(for bank statements etc.)

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Capture as table (press and hold)
To capture documents with tabular information (like bank
statements), simply press and hold the capture button until “Capturing as
table” is announced. This is the furthest button on the right. This forces
ReadEasy Evolve to read across the columns of information.
Play / Pause (quick press)
To start and stop the reading of your document, press the play /
pause button. This is the blue circular button, located between the
two grey crescent buttons. It is the third button from the right. It has
play and pause icons embossed on it.
Next & previous sentence (quick press)
To navigate forwards or backwards one sentence, press
and release the right or left crescent buttons. These are the
buttons to the right and left of the Play / Pause button. They
have an arrow embossed on them.
Word-by-word with spelling (press & hold)
To navigate forwards or backwards word-by-word, press and hold the next
or previous sentence buttons (the right or left crescent buttons). On release
the current word is spelt out letter-by-letter.
Next paragraph (press & hold the Play /
Pause button & quick press the next
sentence button)
To navigate to the next paragraph, press and hold the Play / Pause button
and quick press the Next sentence button.
Previous paragraph (press & hold the Play /
Pause button & quick press the previous
sentence button)
To navigate to the previous paragraph, press and hold the
Play / Pause button and quick press the Previous sentence button.

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Faster & slower
To increase or decrease the reading speed, press the Faster or
Slower buttons. These are the two vertically in-line, yellow, half-tablet
shaped buttons located on the far left of the buttons, just to the left
of the previous sentence button. The top button increases the
reading speed and the bottom button decreases the reading speed.
Change voice
To cycle through the reading voices for your document’s language, quick
press the Faster and Slower buttons together.
Cycle recognition profiles
To cycle through your Recognition Profiles, press and hold
the Play / pause button and press the Faster or Slower
buttons.
Recognition Profiles can be set up in Main menu – Recognition profiles.
This is fully described on page 20.
Main menu
The Main menu contains additional settings for the ReadEasy Evolve.
To access the Main menu, press and hold the Next and Previous sentence
buttons together for 5 seconds until “Main menu” is announced.
The Main menu is presented in a vertical list and you always start at the
top of the list.
To scroll down through the options, press the Slower button. To scroll up,
use the Faster button. To select or choose the current option, press the
Play / Pause button. To go back, press the previous sentence button.
The Menu is organised as follows:
1. Recognition profiles
2. Menu settings
3. Advanced settings

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4. About
Recognition profiles
Recognition profiles allow you to adjust how the ReadEasy Evolve
recognises your documents.
There are 3 customisable Recognition profiles, making it easy to switch
between multiple language and page recognition settings without the need
to keep returning to the Main menu.
For example:
Recognition profile 1 could be English, German, French and Belgian Dutch
set to change language on a per page basis.
Recognition profile 2 could be English and Spanish set to change language
on a per sentence basis (good when learning a language).
Recognition profile 3 could be Welsh.
Active recognition profile
This enables you to select the active recognition profile.
Recognition profile 1, 2, 3
Allows you to configure the following settings for each of the 3 recognition
profiles. This is an advanced feature so your local distributor will likely set
these before your ReadEasy Evolve is delivered to you or during training.
1. Start reading when recognition complete (enabled by default)
When enabled, documents start being read out loud as soon as they have
been recognised. If you prefer to magnify documents first (available with
the optional Feature Pack) disabling this could be useful.
2. Pause at line breaks (disabled by default)
When enabled, adds a pause at the end of every line. This is useful when
reading things such as recipes or lists.