Braille+ QWERTY Docking Station™User's Guide
Copyright 2008-2009
American Printing House for the Blind, Inc.
Braille+ QWERTY Docking Station™2009/4/17
The QWERTY Docking Station for the Braille+ turns this portable mobile manager into a comfortable, ergonomic desktop solution. Slide Braille+ into the docking station for a full sized keyboard, additional network connectivity, larger speakers, and longer battery life. Pull out the wrist rest for additional comfort. Control all aspects of the system from the keys on the docking station. When you are ready to go mobile again, release the Braille+ from the docking station with the release lever.
The following items are included in the box that contains the docking station. Please ensure your box includes all the individual components. If it does not, please contact APH Customer Service promptly.
Place the docking station in front of you in a normal typing position. The keyboard is in a normal QWERTY arrangement, so its orientation should be familiar to most typists.
The docking station's right edge contains a swinging door that hinges on its top. If you are old enough, this door might remind you of the door on a video cassette recorder (VCR). To dock the Braille+ into the docking station, rotate the Braille+ into its braille typing orientation, place it to the right of the docking station, and then slide it into the cavity where the door is located. Push gently until it clicks into place. The docking station announces, "docked," and the Braille+'s right side is flush with the right edge of the docking station.
To release the Braille+ from its docking station, reach behind the docking station and locate the release lever. Slide the lever to the right. The handheld slides out and announces, "Undocked."
There are four connectors on the back side of the docking station just left of the release lever. These are, from left to right, AC power port, the USB client port, the ethernet port, and the USB host port.
The left edge of the docking station contains a shallow, rectangular recess. This recess houses three controls--two buttons and a volume bar. The button closest to the front of the unit turns the system on and off. If the Braille+ is docked, this button turns both units on and off.
The middle bar is the volume control. Press the side toward the back to turn up the volume. Press the side closest to the front of the unit to turn the volume down.
The button behind the volume control is the reset switch. Press and hold this switch for five seconds to reset the docking station.
The Braille+ QWERTY docking station features a substantial power supply and battery power. To charge the unit, connect the AC cable to the power block, and then plug it into a wall socket. Next, plug the other end of the charger into the left-most connector on the rear of the docking station. (This left-most position is based on looking at the docking station from the front view.)
To determine the remaining battery power, use the normal Braille+ procedure to open the Status menu. (Hold the Status key.) The Battery Status item in the Status menu normally shows only power information for the Braille+, but when the Braille+ is docked, the Battery Status item shows information for both the Braille+ and the docking station. The docking station's battery status is expressed as the number of volts (V), ranging from about 16.8 V at full charge to about 13.8 V when it needs to be charged. This range is not linear, which means that when the charge displays 15.0 V or less, the unit will discharge to an unusable level in a very short period of time. Future updates to the Braille+ firmware should provide a reading based on the percentage of time left as with the Braille+ itself.
The docking station's battery should fully charge in less than 4 hours. Leaving the docking station plugged into the power source for longer periods of time will cause no ill effect.
The front edge of the docking station features a retractable wrist rest. To unfold the wrist rest for use, lift the front edge of the docking station and use your fingers to grasp the edge of the rest located about 2 inches from the front. Gently pull down on this lip until the wrist rest begins to unfold. Continue unfolding the wrist rest until reaching its operating position.
When not in use, return the wrist rest to its folded position.
Most of the face of the docking station is occupied by a high quality QWERTY keyboard. The keys in the top row are convex and represent non-typing keys such as Escape and various function keys. The leftmost key is Escape, and the rightmost key is reserved for future use; 15 function keys reside in between. Tactile indicators are located above every fourth function key to aid in orientation.
Keys F1, F2, and F3 are global audio controls that let you control audio playback within any application. F1 rewinds the audio, F2 toggles between Play and Pause, and F3 fast forwards through the content. Read more about the purpose of each of the function keys in the Braille+ documentation.
Above the function keys, the front face contains the stereo speakers, the microphone, and four oval function keys.
The oval keys are (from left to right) Menu, Applications, Status, and Help. They correspond to the keys of the same name on the Braille+.
The bottom row of keys includes the space bar and modifier keys. The left-most key is Control. It is followed by FN, Alt, and then the space bar. To the right of the space bar is another Alt key, and then another Control key.
Four arrows are grouped in a separated area to the right and a little below the bottom row of keys. They are arranged in the inverted T pattern where Up Arrow is above the rest of the arrows. Down Arrow is immediately below Up Arrow, and Left Arrow and Right Arrow are left and right of Down Arrow respectively.
The FN key is a modifier key much like Shift and Control. Of particular interest to the user is that FN modifies the arrows and Backspace to provide additional functions such as Page Up and Page Down for the Up Arrow and Down Arrow, and Home and End for Left Arrow and Right Arrow. Holding down FN while pressing Backspace invokes the Delete key. Use Braille+'s Key Learn mode to discover the name of each of the keys on the keyboard including those that are modified by the FN key. Note that FN pressed by itself is not announced in Key Learn mode. To enter Key Learn mode, follow these steps:
To learn more about how to use the docking station with the Braille+, please consult the Braille+ documentation. You may press the Help key to open the documentation.
The following key combinations are particularly useful:
To open Network Manager, press Ctrl+Alt+N.
To turn on wireless, press Ctrl+Alt+W.
To turn speech on or off, press Ctrl+Alt+S.
To open Bluetooth Manager, press Ctrl+Alt+L.
To turn on and off braille, press Ctrl+Alt+B.
Many Braille+ commands use 0 as a modifier instead of the Control key. When you see a command in the Braille+ manual to use, for example, 0+Volume Up to increase the audio volume, know that you may use Ctrl+Volume Up while using the docking station.
Similarly, the Braille+ uses the Star key to simulate the Shift key when not using a QWERTY keyboard, but you may use the Shift key when using the docking station. For example, with the Braille+, *+Volume Up increases speech volume, whereas Shift+Volume Up increases speech volume on the docking station.
Braille+ uses the Pound key as Alt. When you see a command in the Braille+ documentation such as Pound+Volume Up to increase the speech rate, you may perform that command on the docking station with Alt+Volume Up.
If you have any questions, please call customer service at 800-223-1839.
Congratulations on your purchase of the APH Braille+ QWERTY Docking Station. Your purchase includes a warranty against defects in workmanship and materials under normal use for a period of one year from the date of purchase. This warranty does not include any third party hardware or software used in conjunction with this docking station.
Additionally, the HMA does not include the following:
There are no other expressed or implied warranties for the Braille+ QWERTY Docking Station.
Product Number: 1-07465-00
Price: $75.00
The Braille+ QWERTY Docking Station annual HMA can be extended for twelve months beyond the one-year limited warranty included with the initial purchase. The HMA must be purchased while the product is covered under the standard warranty. Batteries are not covered by the HMA.
Product Number: 1-07461-00
Price: $50.00
For Braille+ QWERTY Docking Station owners who want to purchase an additional one-year HMA after the current warranty has expired, APH offers a post-warranty HMA Inspection. Simply send us your docking station for a hardware system check. If the manufacturer's requirements are met, you may purchase an additional one-year HMA. The service fee covers return shipping and the unit testing. Batteries are not covered under any HMA.
If your warranty has not expired, you may purchase an additional HMA without inspection.
PLACE YOUR ORDER by contacting APH Customer Service. Your order must include the docking station serial number and date of purchase. If a return is required, APH will supply you with shipping instructions. The customer will be responsible for shipping and insurance costs associated with the return to APH.
If you have any questions, please contact APH Customer Service at:
APH - American Printing House for the Blind
1839 Frankfort Ave.
P.O. Box 6085
Louisville, KY 40206
[email protected] 800-223-1839