Harman-Kardon TAKE-CONTROL User Manual
*X03-76009*
Take Control
Information in this document is subject to change without notice. The names of companies, products, people,
characters, and/or data mentioned herein are fictitious and are in no way intended to represent any real individual, company, product, or event, unless otherwise noted. Complying with all applicable copyright laws is the
responsibility of the user. No part of this document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any
means, electronic or mechanical, for any purpose, without the express written permission of Microsoft Corporation. If, however, your only means of access is electronic, permission to print one copy is hereby granted.
Microsoft may have patents, patent applications, trademarks, copyrights, or other intellectual property rights
covering subject matter in this document. Except as expressly provided in any written license agreement from
Microsoft, the furnishing of this document does not give you any license to these patents, trademarks,
copyrights, or other intellectual property.
©1998 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
Microsoft, MS, Windows, and Windows NT are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft
Corporation in the U.S.A. and/or other countries.
Harman Kardon is a registered trademark of Harman Kardon, Inc. Take Control is a trademark of Harman
Kardon, Inc.
Other product and company names mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.
Document No. X03-76009
Part number: 1111-HKTKCTRLO/M
Harman Kardon
Contents
Welcome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Take Control Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Using the Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Using the Screens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Starting Take Control for the First Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Installing the Batteries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Completing the Setup Wizard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Using Take Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Selecting Activities and Operating Your Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Adding, Editing, and Removing Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Adding and Removing Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Viewing the Buttons for a Device . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Editing a Button for a Device . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Adjusting Your Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Setting Up Take Control with a Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Starting the Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Removing the TC1000 Files Copied onto Your Hard Disk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Connecting Take Control to Your Computer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Using Take Control with Your Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Introducing the Take Control Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Creating New Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Customizing Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Deleting Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Customizing Take Control’s Buttons and Menu Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Changing the Tactile Control Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Adding or Deleting a Device . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Working with Macros . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Getting Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Feature Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Touchscreen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Take Control Version. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Care of Your Take Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
General Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Replacing the Batteries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
i
Take Control
Technical Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Regulatory Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
End-User License Agreement and Warranty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
A SOFTWARE PRODUCT LICENSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
B GENERAL PROVISIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
C LIMITED WARRANTY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
D EXCLUSION OF CERTAIN DAMAGES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Technical Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
General Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Take Control TC1000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Computer System Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
ii
Welcome
Harman Kardon
Congratulations on your purchase of the
Take Control™ TC1000 system controller.
The TC1000—a high-performance touchscreen system controller—is the first userprogrammable system controller available
with software wizards and an enhanced
PC interface. It operates nearly all infrared-controlled electronic devices through
an easy-to-use touchscreen. For ease-ofuse and simplicity, the TC1000 touchscreen gives you common controls for all
of your devices.
Exciting Features
Take Control’s many features will
enhance your use of IR-controlled
devices:
l
The touchscreen interface puts all
device commands at your finger tips.
l
The Setup Wizard and built-in
database of popular remote codes
get you started quickly.
l
The Setup Wizard enables you to
easily add new and future devices to
your TC1000.
l
System-controller software adds
unlimited customization and configuration possibilities to make Take
Control work the way you want.
With Take Control, you eliminate the
clutter of multiple remote controls—a
large memory gives your Take Control the
capacity to replace them all.
Note Despite efforts to make Take Control work
with all devices, some IR-controlled products cannot work with the TC1000, due to incompatible
frequencies.
Introducing Activities
Take Control presents you with screenbased “activities,” instead of rows of
confusing buttons. Activities are events,
such as watching TV or listening to a CD.
When you set up an activity, you combine
the controls from all devices needed to
complete the activity. For example, you
might include controls from a TV, VCR,
and stereo receiver for the activity of
“Watch TV.”
A Home menu provides you with a list of
the activities that you can choose, like
Watch TV. When you select an activity on
the Home menu, the controls for your
electronic devices appear on the touchscreen as a button menu. You can then
press the buttons on the touch-screen
just as you would press the buttons on
the device remote control.
Once you set up Take Control, you may
also use the power of your computer to
create new activities and edit existing
activities.
Product Contents
Contents within the box include the following items:
l
Owner’s Manual
l
Take Control system controller
l
Four AA alkaline batteries
l
Serial cable
l
Compact disc with Take Control
software
1
Take Control Overview
Take Control
Using the Controls
Take Control was created with you in
mind. Its form and size present an inviting design, free of complexity. The physical interface includes natural controls,
enabling you to use different electronic
devices smoothly, without awkward
transitions.
Take a moment to examine your Take
Control and observe the following
features:
Note Before using the touchscreen, remove the
protective plastic film by gently grabbing one corner and slowly peeling it away from the
touchscreen.
Selector wheel
(Roll and press to make
a selection)
Home menu
Caution Pressing the touchscreen with a
sharp object, such as a pen or stylus (like
those used with electronic organizers), may
result in damage to the touchscreen that is
not covered by the warranty. Only use your
finger or a soft, dull instrument to press directly on the touchscreen.
Touchscreen—The display gives you direct access to your activities, menu commands (text entries in a menu), and
buttons.
Touchscreen
Volume up
Volume down
IR receiver
2
Backlight
Mute
You may select an activity or command
from a menu on the touchscreen by:
l
Pressing the name of the activity or
command on the touchscreen.
–or–
Rolling the selector wheel to highlight
the activity or command, and then
pressing the selector wheel.
Tips
l
Lightly press the touchscreen, roll or press the
selector wheel, press the Home menu button,
or press the backlight button to turn on the
display.
l
Periodic cleaning of the touchscreen can improve visibility of the display.
You may select a button—such as
—
from the touchscreen by pressing the
button you want. Pressing a button
either sends information to your device,
such as a channel selection, or takes you
to the next screen.
Tip When you press a button that sends information to your device, an icon (
) appears in the
title bar on the touchscreen, next to the time
display.
Note You cannot use the selector wheel to select a button on the touchscreen. You must press
the button.
Selector Wheel—Gives you an easy-touse means of:
l
Changing channels on your TV, cable
box, VCR, satellite system, or tuner. To
change channels, just roll the selector
wheel and the channels change
automatically with each click, or
notch, of the selector wheel.
l
Selecting menu commands (text
entries in a menu). To select a menu
command, roll the selector wheel to
highlight the command, and then
press the selector wheel.
Harman Kardon
l
Scrolling through text and long
menus. To scroll, simply roll the
selector wheel to reveal the touchscreen content beyond the top or
bottom of the touchscreen.
Tip Look for a triangle in the top or bottom
right-hand corner of the touchscreen that indicates
scrollable text.
Tactile Buttons—Each Take Control but-
ton has a tactile, durable rubber surface.
These buttons are used by simply pressing the one you need.
l
Home—Returns you to the Home
menu on the touchscreen or turns on
the display after it times out.
l
+ (Volume up)—Increases the volume
of the current device.
l
– (Volume down)—Decreases the
volume of the current device.
l
Backlight—Lights or dims the
touchscreen.
l
Mute—Turns off or restores the
sound on the current device.
IR Receiver—The IR receiver on your
Take Control is used to “learn” the IR
code for a device. Learning the IR code
for a device requires the remote control
for that device.
You only need to learn the IR code for a
product if the TC1000 does not list the
device category or specific brand name
when you use the Setup Wizard.
3
Take Control
Take Control Overview—Cont.
Computer-Connector Port—The com-
puter-connector port is used to establish
a serial connection between the TC1000
and a compatible computer. This connection enables your TC1000 to transfer data
to your computer, and vice versa. You can
use the computer-connector port by simply following the instructions in “Setting
Up Take Control with a Computer,”
page 14.
IR Transmitter—The infrared (IR) transmitter sends an IR signal to your devices,
directing them to perform an action,
such as changing channels or volume level. When using your TC1000, you need
to point the IR Transmitter toward the
applicable device, and be within 23 feet
(7.0 m) for it to receive the IR signal.
—
Battery Compartment
compartment houses four AA alkaline
batteries. For more information on
installing and replacing the batteries, see
the instructions in “Installing the Batteries,” page 6.
—
Reset Button
button, located inside the battery compartment, to return the contrast, speaker,
and time to their predefined default settings. Pressing the reset button will not
change or delete learned IR codes, activities, macros, or any customizing of buttons performed through the Take
Control Editor on your computer.
To use the reset button:
1 Remove the cover to the battery
compartment.
2 Using a paper clip, press the reset
button.
You can use the reset
The battery
IR transmitter
Computer-connector port
Reset button
Speaker
Battery
compartment
Battery-compartment cover
4
Harman Kardon
Using the Screens
Take Control has two different kinds of
screens to help you set up your system
controller and use your devices: menu
screens and button screens.
Using a Menu Screen
Menu screens include either menu commands, text, or both. One example of a
menu screen is the Home menu.
You may select a menu command by:
l
Pressing the command on the
touchscreen.
–or–
Rolling the selector wheel to highlight
the command, and then pressing the
selector wheel.
Using a Button Screen
Button screens may include four columns
and up to five rows of buttons. These
electronic buttons provide navigation on
Take Control, or send an IR signal to a
device. Pressing a button on the touchscreen performs the same function as
pressing a real button on a conventional
remote control.
You may select a button by pressing the
button on the touchscreen.
Note You must press buttons on the touchscreen directly. The selector wheel does not work
with buttons that appear on the touchscreen.
Menu Screen Button Screen
5
Take Control
Starting Take Control for the First Time
Overview
Starting Take Control for the first time
requires two steps:
1 Installing the batteries.
2 Completing the Setup Wizard.
Installing the Batteries
Installing the batteries provides power
and enables you to begin using Take
Control. You must install four AA-size
batteries for Take Control to work. We
recommend alkaline batteries, and
include four in the box. You may use
either disposable or rechargeable alkaline
batteries. Other types of batteries will
work, but won’t last as long.
To insert the batteries:
1 Turn Take Control upside down (with
the touchscreen toward the floor),
and remove the door to the battery
compartment by pulling the tab located on the top of the cover.
2 Insert the batteries making sure that
you properly orient them for polarity,
pointing the positive (+) end towards
the “key,” and the negative (–) end
towards the spring.
3 Close the battery compartment cover.
Note When replacing batteries, it is recommended that all four be replaced at the same time. To
avoid damage, it is recommended that the batteries
be removed if the TC1000 will not be used for more
than a month.
After installing the batteries, you should
see a “Welcome” display on the
touchscreen.
If you do not see a display:
l
Ensure that you’ve installed fresh
batteries, correctly oriented in the
battery compartment.
Note See “Battery Safety Precautions,” page 28,
for additional information on proper handling and
disposal of batteries.
Key
Spring
6
Harman Kardon
Completing the Setup Wizard
The Setup Wizard takes you step-by-
step through the process of adding electronic devices to Take Control, and
defines the specific IR code for each
device. These unique IR codes ensure
that Take Control communicates properly
with each specific product.
To add your devices for the first time
After you install the batteries, Take Control displays a Welcome menu on the
touchscreen. Using this menu, you can
add your devices with the help of the
Setup Wizard.
1 On the Welcome Menu, press Next
to begin. This will start the Setup
Wizard.
2 Follow the instructions on the Setup
Wizard screen.
Step 1 Install the batteries
You can also use Take Control to set up
an electronic device with:
l
A lost or broken remote control. Take
Control includes an extensive list of IR
codes for many popular electronic
devices, which you can access and
assign using the Setup Wizard.
l
Most IR-controlled products that are
not listed in the Setup Wizard. When
setting up an electronic device that is
not listed in the Setup Wizard, select
unlisted brand and Take Control can
learn the IR code for your electronic
device. To learn the IR code, you need
the remote control for your device and
the TC1000, either alone or with the
software on your computer.
Note Despite efforts to make Take Control work
with all devices, some IR-controlled products cannot work with Take Control, due to incompatible
frequencies.
Step 2 Select a device category
Step 3 Select a device brand
Step 4 Test your devices
Step 5 Set up your activities
Step 6 Enjoy using Take Control
7
Using Take Control
Take Control
You can use Take Control for:
l
Selecting activities and operating your
IR-controlled devices
l
Viewing the buttons for a device
l
Adding, editing, and removing devices
l
Adjusting your unit’s settings
Selecting Activities and Operating
Your Devices
An activity is an event or action that you
perform using your devices. You may use
Take Control for different activities,
including:
l
Watch TV
l
Watch a videotape
l
Watch a DVD
l
Watch a laser disc
l
Listen to a CD
l
Listen to the radio
Take Control’s Home menu lists all of
your activities, enabling you to easily
select the activity that you prefer.
To select an activity:
1 Press the Home menu button.
2 Press the desired activity on the
touchscreen.
–or–
Roll the selector wheel up or down to
highlight the desired activity, and then
press the selector wheel.
After selecting an activity on the Home
menu, the touchscreen displays an activity screen that includes the buttons needed to operate each device.
For example, when you select the activity
Watch TV, the touchscreen displays an
activity screen with buttons to display
your TV channels, and to turn power on
and off for all devices assigned to the
activity.
Tip You can customize any activity screen, and
create new activities on the Home menu, with your
computer. See “Using Take Control with Your Computer,” page 16, for details.
8
Home Menu
Loading...