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OptionFinder® G2
Hardware Guide for OptionPower
© 2005 Option Technologies Interactive, All Rights Reserved
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About this Guide
The purpose of this guide is to provide you with instructions for setting up and configuring your keypad system.
Please refer to the on-line help (OptionPower/Help) for additional troubleshooting tips and information about the
software.
How the G2 Keypads Work
• Each keypad has a unique address. The software uses the address to identify a signal from a specific keypad.
• During polling, participants press the number on the keypad that corresponds with their response choice. The
keypad address and the participant's response are transmitted to the base station and then to the software.
When the software recognizes the response, a signal is sent back to the keypad and three horizontal bars will
appear in the keypad display.
• If a participant presses an invalid number, the number will flash in the display until the participant presses a
new key, presses the Clr key, or polling is closed.
• If polling is open participants may change their responses to a question. To change a response, press a new
number. The last number pressed is the number that is saved.
• The keypads and base station use radio frequency technology to communicate. G2 keypads work on a
maximum of fifteen channels. The base station and the keypads must be set to the same channel.
• One base station will support a maximum of 250 keypads.
• Use the 0 key to enter a response of 10. Use the * key to enter a response of zero.
• Two AA alkaline batteries power the keypads.
Setting Up the Keypad System
Connecting the base station
1. Connect one end of the USB cable to the base station and other end to a USB port on your computer.
2. The power LED on the base station is illuminated when the base station is properly connected.
Note The first time you connect the base station to your computer you will receive a “New Hardware Found”
message. You must install drivers for the base station. See the instructions below.
Installing the Drivers for the Base Station
1. Connect the base station to your computer.
2. Click No, not at this time on the Windows “New Hardware Found” dialog and then click Next.
3. Click Install from a list or specific location, and then click Next.
© 2005 Option Technologies Interactive, All Rights Reserved
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4. Click Include this location in the search and then browse for the folder under c:\Program files\Common
files\OptionTech Shared\Drivers\OptionFinder G2 USB Drivers.
5. Click Next.
6. Repeat the steps 3 – 6 if the “New Hardware Found” dialog appears a second time.
Placing the Base Station
• Place the base station in a central location within 150 feet of the keypads.
• Position the base station 5 to 6 feet off the ground.
• Position the base station away from other electronic devices, i.e. projectors, speakers, computers, etc.
• If you are using multiple base stations, place the base stations at least 3 feet apart.
Define and Test the Keypads
1. On the OptionPower menu, click Keypad Setup Wizard.
2. Click Next.
3. Click I need to change my keypad settings. I would like OptionPower to detect my ports, and then click Next.
The wizard will search for the connected base station. If the base station is found, OK will appear in the COM
Port column of the Search results page and OptionFinder SR will appear in the column next to the COM Port. If
no base station is found, follow the instructions for manually selecting ports.
4. Once your base station has been found, enter the lowest and highest numbered addresses of the keypads you
will be using with the base station.
5. Remove keypad addresses entered for other ports.
6. Click Next.
7. Click Next again.
8. The table displays addresses for all of the keypads in your keypad universe.
9. Press a number key on a keypad.
10. The number you pressed should appear to the right of the keypad address.
11. Test all keypads.
12. Click Close and then click Finish.
© 2005 Option Technologies Interactive, All Rights Reserved
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Manually Select Ports
1. On the Start menu or your desktop, right-click My Computer and click Properties.
2. Click Hardware.
3. Click Device Manager.
4. Click the plus sign next to ports and note the USB port number.
5. On the OptionPower menu, click Keypad Setup Wizard.
6. Select my ports.
7. Click I need to change my keypad settings. I would like to manually select my ports, and then click Next.
8. Double click the Serial/Brand column next to the USB port number you noted above and select OptionFinder
G2.
9. Enter the low and high keypad addresses.
10. Remove keypad addresses entered for other ports.
11. Click Verify. If the base station is found, OK will appear in the COM Port column. If the base station is not
found, click the port and then click Diagnose to try and troubleshoot the error.
12. Once the base station is found, click Next.
13. Click Next again.
14. The table displays addresses for all of the keypads in your keypad universe.
15. Press a number key on a keypad.
16. The number you pressed should appear to the right of the keypad address.
17. Test all keypads.
18.
Click Close and then click Finish.
Changing the Keypad Address
1. Hold down the Clr key.
2. Press 9-5-1 and then release the Clr key. Two horizontal bars will appear in the LED.
3. Enter the three digits of the new address.
© 2005 Option Technologies Interactive, All Rights Reserved
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Verifying the Keypad Addressess
1. Hold the Clr key.
2. Press 9-5-1 and then release the Clr key. Two horizontal bars will appear in the LED.
3. Press *.
4. The current three-digit address will flash in the display.
Changing the Keypad Channel
1. Press and hold the Clr key.
2. Press 973 and then release the Clr key. Two horizontal bars will appear in the LED.
3. Enter the two digit code for the new channel. (Channels 1 - 15 are available) When using a channel less than
10, enter 0 before the channel number. (i.e. for channel 2, enter "0" "2").
Changing the Base Station Channel
1. Set up the G2 base station.
2. On the OptionPower menu, click Keypad Setup Wizard.
3. Click Next.
4. Click I need to change my keypad settings. I would like OptionPower to detect my ports, and then click Next.
5. OK will appear as the status for the COM port on which the base station is detected. Click the port number
and then click G2 Mode.
6. Select a new channel number, and then click Change to channel.
7. Click Close.
Troubleshooting
Problem: The number pressed appears in the display but software does not receive the
response
Cause The keypad address is outside of the defined keypad universe.
Solution: Change the keypad address or change the keypad universe.
Cause: The keypad is too far away from the base station.
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Solution: Move the keypad to within 150 feet of the base station.
Cause: The participant pressed an invalid response.
Solution: If polling is still open, the participant can enter a new number.
Cause: The keypad and base station are set to different channels.
Solution: Check the channel settings on the base station and the keypad.
Problem: A participant presses a number, but the number does not appear in the display.
Cause: The keypad battery is dead.
Solution: Replace the two AA alkaline batteries in the keypad.
Problem: The Power LED on the base station is not illuminated.
Cause: The drivers for the base station have not been installed.
Solution:
1. On the Start menu or on your desktop right-click My computer and then click Properties.
2. Click Hardware.
3. Click Device Manager.
4. Click the plus sign next to Ports.
5. Right click the USB port, and then click Update Driver.
6. Click Install from a list or specific location, and then click Next
7. Click Include this location in the search and then browse for the file c:\Program files\Common
files\OptionTech Shared\Drivers\OptionFinder G2 USB Drivers.
8. Click Next.
9. Repeat the steps 7 – 9 if prompted to install the drivers again.
© 2005 Option Technologies Interactive, All Rights Reserved
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