1.INTRODUCTION
1.1 What is the Braille Sense PLUS?
1.2 Hardware
1.2.1 The Top Panel
1.2.2 The Right Side Panel
1.2.3 The Left Side Panel
1.2.4 The Rear Panel
1.2.5 The Front Panel
1.3 Hardware Specifications of the Braille Sense PLUS
1.4 Memory on the Braille Sense PLUS

1. Introduction

1.1 What is the Braille Sense PLUS?

The Braille Sense PLUS is a Braille note taker developed and manufactured by HIMS, for people who are blind and visually impaired. The Braille Sense PLUS has a variety of powerful capabilities, including the following.

Use the Word Processor and the Perkins style keyboard to create Braille documents.
Print your text documents using any compatible Bluetooth or USB ink printer.
Create hard copy Braille documents by connecting the unit to a Braille embosser.
Open Microsoft Word documents, and read them in contracted Braille. 
Send email messages to sighted colleagues and friends while reading incoming email messages in Braille without the need for translation.
Create a schedule of important appointments with the Schedule Manager and set alarms to alert you to these appointments.
Input contact information for colleagues, friends, and family into the Address Manager.
Surf the Internet with the Braille Sense PLUS's Web Browser and integrated Braille display. 
Listen to music, audio books, your own personal recordings, or even videos with the Braille Sense PLUS's integrated media player.
Listen to and record FM radio content.
Calculate algebraic equations, trigonometric functions, and other scientific calculations with the built-in calculator.
VIEW the flashdisk of the Braille Sense PLUS as a USB drive on your computer and transfer files. 
Use the Braille Sense PLUS as a Braille display with a compatible screen reader, such as Window-Eyes, JAWS, or VoiceOver.
Copy, move, and delete files on the Braille Sense PLUS with its intuitive, Windows-like File Manager.
Adjust the volume, speed, and pitch of the speech on the fly. 
Use the Database Manager to create your own Database for storing important information.
Use Google Talk and Twitter to keep up with what's happening and stay in touch with friends, family, and colleagues. 
If you are a sighted teacher or parent, use the LCD screen on the Braille Sense PLUS to view what a student is doing without needing to know Braille.
Share files with other people or other devices using Dropbox.
Download news and podcasts with the included RSS Reader.


1.2 Hardware

To get the most from your Braille Sense PLUS, it is important to become oriented to the buttons and ports on your Braille Sense PLUS as well as learning their functions. 
This section explains the hardware configuration of the Braille Sense PLUS. The Braille Sense PLUS is 10 inches long by 6.1 inches wide by 1.9 inches high. The bottom of the unit contains rubber feet in order to prevent slipping while you are using it. Place the Braille Sense PLUS on a desk or table top with the Braille display nearest you. Its shape resembles a small, thin rectangular box. This section of the manual describes each side of the Braille Sense PLUS and the basic function(s) of each button and port. We will discuss the panels in the following order: top panel, right panel, left panel, rear panel, and front panel.


1.2.1 The Top Panel

On the top face of the Braille Sense PLUS is located a 9 key Perkins-style keyboard, consisting of Braille dots 1:6, "SPACE", "BACKSPACE", and "ENTER". When you are typing, you should place your fingers on these 9 Perkins-style keys in the following manner:
Place your index finger, middle finger, ring finger, and pinky finger of your left hand on the left four buttons. Then, place your index finger, middle finger, ring finger, and pinky finger of your right hand on the right four buttons. Finally, place both of your thumbs on the spacebar. 
The button where you placed your left index finger corresponds with dot one in Braille. The button that your left middle finger is on corresponds to dot two, and the button under your left ring finger corresponds to dot three. The button on which your left pinky finger is placed is the Backspace key.
The button under your right index finger corresponds with dot four in Braille. The button under your right middle finger is dot five, and the button on which your ring finger is placed corresponds with dot six in Braille. The button on which your right pinky is placed is the Enter key. And, the long bar shaped button under your thumbs is the spacebar.

On the same row as the Space bar are 4 rectangular function keys: two to the left of the spacebar, and two to the right. Moving from left to right, the key to the far left is the "F1" key, and the key to the right of it is the "F2" key. The key to the right of the spacebar is the "F3" key, and the key on the far right is the "F 4" key.

Below the keyboard is a 32 cell Braille display. Above the Braille display, there are 32 small, oval-shaped buttons corresponding to each of the 32 Braille cells. These buttons are called cursor routing keys. When you are editing documents, you can use these keys to route your cursor to the character of the corresponding Braille cell. The cursor routing keys also serve as shortcut keys for navigating lists and groups of fields in certain places on the unit.
On each side of the Braille display are two capsule shaped keys. These are the "UP" and "DOWN" scroll keys.  The scroll keys are used to scroll the Braille display through menus, fields, lists or text. You can use the scroll keys to scroll by display length, paragraph, line, sentence, or character. You can set the left and right sets of scroll keys independently in the "Global Options". (See chapter 3.) 
Near the top center of the unit's top panel, is a liquid crystal display (LCD). The LCD displays the output of the unit visually so that a sighted person can see what is shown on the Braille Sense PLUS. STEREO speakers are located one on each side of the LCD for audio output.


1.2.2 The Right Side Panel

On the right panel, there is a recessed rectangular section containing 3 ports. The port nearest the front of the unit is the USB OTG port. You can connect your Braille Sense PLUS to a personal computer via this USB port, and use it as a Braille terminal for the computer, transfer files to and from the computer, or to synchronize your calendar and contacts with Outlook.
Behind the USB OTG port is a full-sized USB host port. Use this port to connect a USB thumb drive for auxiliary storage.
The port closest to the rear of the right panel is the AC adapter jack. To charge the unit's battery or use the Braille Sense PLUS on AC power, plug the small, round end of the AC adapter in to this jack, and plug the larger box-like end in to a standard AC electrical outlet. 

1.2.3 The Left Side Panel

The left panel of the Braille Sense PLUS contains a rectangular recessed section with 2 slots. The larger slot nearest the front of the unit is the "CF" slot, used for housing a CF (compact flash) card in the unit for extra storage.  
The smaller slot, nearer the rear of the unit, is the "SD" slot, used for housing an SD (secure digital) card in the unit, also for additional storage. 

1.2.4 The Rear Panel

On the far left of the rear panel is a small, round recess, with a dot-like button inside it. This is the "RESET" button. If your unit is not responding properly, you can press this button to force a soft reboot of the unit. NOTE: do NOT press the "RESET" button for more than 5 seconds.  It takes about fifteen seconds for your unit to complete the reboot process. You can also perform a soft reset by pressing F2-F3-1-2-3-4-5-6. 
If you hold down dots 1-2 with the "RESET" button, while the power is on, the Braille Sense PLUS reboots without speech.
To the right of the "RESET" button, is the local area network (LAN) port. If you connect the Braille Sense PLUS to an Ethernet interface, you can connect to the Internet, allowing you to browse websites as well as send and receive e-mail.
To the right of the "LAN" port is a serial port for connecting the Braille Sense PLUS to devices with serial interfaces, such as printers and a personal computer.  Serial connectivity is explained in more detail later in this manual.
To the right of the serial port, is a video output (VGA) port. The video output port can be used to display the output of the Braille display on a standard video monitor. To use this port, you must turn it on from in the "Global Options" menu. This port is very beneficial when using the Braille Sense PLUS in educational settings.
On the far right of the rear panel, is a rectangular cavity used for containing the detachable battery. The battery is packaged separately from the unit when the Braille Sense PLUS is shipped. Insert the battery into this rectangular slot until you feel it click into place.  To remove the battery, locate the triangular-shaped latch on the underside of the unit. Using your left hand, pull the latch to the right, and use your right hand to pull the battery out of the compartment.

1.2.5 The Front Panel

On the far left of the front panel, is a 3-position slide switch. This is the key "Lock" switch. This switch is explained in more detail in the next chapter. To the right of the key lock switch is the stereo microphone jack, used for connecting an external microphone or line level recording source. To the right of the microphone jack is the stereo headphone jack. To the right of the headphone jack is another 3-position slide switch. This is the "Media Mode" switch, and determines which type of media the media buttons control. This switch is explained in more detail in the next section. 

To the right of the "Media Mode" switch, are five buttons of varying shapes. These buttons control media playback. As explained above, the type of content controlled by these buttons depends on the position of the "Media Mode" switch. These buttons can control media playback, DAISY playback, or the FM radio. These five buttons are explained further in the FM Radio, Daisy and Media chapters of this manual.
To the right of the media buttons is the on/off switch. To turn on the unit, push the switch to the right. To turn off the unit, push the switch to the left.

Congratulations! You are now familiar with the basic functions of the buttons and ports of the Braille Sense PLUS. The rest of the manual discusses each function in greater detail to help you maximize the potential of your Braille Sense PLUS.


1.3 Hardware Specifications of the Braille Sense PLUS

1) Operating system: Windows CE 5.0.
2) Flash memory: 8GB.
3) RAM: 128MB.
4) Auxiliary storage: Compact flash, SD memory or USB flash drive.
5) CPU: Intel PXA270.
6) Battery: Lithium Ion (detachable), backup battery installed.
7) Keyboard: Perkins-Style Braille keyboard, 4 function keys, 32 cursor routing keys, 4 scroll buttons, 5 audio buttons.
8) Additional buttons and switches: key lock switch, audio mode switch, reset button.
9) Braille display: 32 refreshable Braille cells.
10) Video output: VGA output, LCD.
11) Network: 10/100 based Ethernet.
12) Wireless: WLAN b/%g, Bluetooth.
13) Interface: USB OTG, USB, serial (RS-232C) port, CF slot, SD slot
14) Sound: Internal stereo speakers, stereo headphone jack.
15) Voice recording: Internal microphone, external microphone jack.


1.4 Memory on the Braille Sense PLUS

The Braille Sense PLUS has 128MB of RAM (random access memory) and 8GB of flash memory. The RAM is memory reserved for running programs. RAM is a temporary storage area for any program files that are running or any currently open documents. The data in the RAM area disappears if your battery depletes, and the AC adapter is not connected. The RAM data also disappears when Braille Sense PLUS reboots for any reason. This means, if you have an open document which you have not saved, the unsaved data disappears.
