Orion ti-84+ User Manual

Orion TI-84 Plus Talking Graphing

TM

Calculator

User's Guide

Copyright 2013

American Printing House for the Blind, Inc.

2013/06/14

Introduction

This guide is designed to guide you in the use and care of the Orion TI-84 Plus
Talking Graphing Calculator. The Orion TI-84 is a specially modified TI-84 Plus,
based on the popular TI-84 Plus Graphing Calculator. The functionality and operation
of the Orion are identical in all respects to the standard TI-84 Plus Graphing
Calculator. The only differences are additional controls, jacks, speakers, and software
for accessible feedback of both equations and graphs. This User's Guide covers the
accessibility enhancements to the TI-84 Plus.

An accessible version of the TI-84 Plus Guidebook is included on a USB flash drive
in the packaging of the Orion TI-84 Plus. You can access the Orion Resources

page for accessible versions in Daisy, PDF, and HTML formats. You may also refer

to the numerous online user manuals and guidebooks from Texas Instruments for the
TI-84 Plus Graphing Calculator, as well as third-party tutorials.

About This Guide

This guide was accurate and complete at the date of its publication. For the latest
version, see http://tech.aph.org/gc_info.htm

The Orion TI-84 Plus information page contains the Quick Start guide, a Getting
Started video, the accompanying software, and information about updates.

In addition to the User's Guide, there is an e-mail list that discusses the Orion TI-84
Plus. To subscribe, send an e-mail to [e-mail].

APH's customer support, developers, and interested and knowledgeable users
exchange information here; the email list is a great place to get usage tips, ask
questions, or make suggestions.

Features

The Orion TI-84 is a modified TI-84 Plus Graphing Calculator for the user with visual
impairment. Below is a list of some of the features the Orion has to offer:

 LCD display and keypad functionality are identical to the standard TI-84 Plus,

making it easy for teachers already familiar with the TI-84 to help students.

 Calculator functions have the benefit of decades of experience from Texas

Instruments, the world leader in calculators.

 Full speech access to all menus, mathematical expressions, text, and symbols

displayed on screen

 Full access to graphs through speech output of coordinates
 Graphs can be accessed by audio tones.
 Clear, high-quality synthetic speech also available for dynamic text
 Each key is announced when pressed.
 Repeat capability to announce the displayed screen (or parts of it) at any time
 Unique Help mode for immediate key identification without interruption of

operation

 Comprehensive choice of speech modes for various levels of feedback
 High capacity, rechargeable battery
 Battery or AC adapter operation
 Ergonomically designed
 Large, tactile, and functionally zoned keys
 Easy on/off control and auto power-off

Conventions Used in This Guide

This guide references various functions of the calculator in the following manner:

 The keys on the calculator are divided into two sections for easier accessibility.

The top part of the calculator is referred to as the Orion, and the bottom part is
referred to as the TI-84 Plus.

 When referencing the location of a TI-84 Plus key, the rows begin at the

bottom and the columns begin on the left. For example, the On key is located at
the bottom left of the TI-84 Plus in column 1, row 1.

 The location of certain keys on the Orion section of the unit is described as

follows:

o The six keys on the left side are referenced as top, middle, bottom, and

left, right. For example, the Preference key (Pref.) is the top-right key.

o The five keys on the right side are referenced as up, down, left, right, and

home.

o Both sets of keys can be used in conjunction for navigation and other

functions. For example, pressing both the CTRL key, which is the
bottom-left key on the left side of the Orion, and the Left Arrow key,
which is located on the right side of the Orion, lets you navigate to the
far left of the review line.

The following example demonstrates how to calculate the square root of 9 using the
keys on the TI-84 Plus section of the calculator:

1. Press the 2nd key, located in column 1, row 9.

2. Press the Square Root (X2) key (the square root symbol is displayed above this

key), located in column 1, row 5.

3. Press the numeral 9 key, located in column 4, row 4.

4. Press the Enter key, located in column 5, row 1.

The TI-84 Plus announces the answer. If you wish to repeat the answer, press
the Repeat key. Repeat is denoted by a looping arrow (the word Repeat is displayed
above the key). Repeat is the top-left key in the left set of keys of the Orion.

Becoming Acquainted With Your Orion TI-84 Plus Talking
Graphing Calculator

Parts List

The box contains the following items:

 Orion TI-84 Plus Talking Graphing Calculator
 Hard slide cover
 Standard A male to Mini-B male USB Cable
 Earphones
 Pack of four triple-A batteries
 USB flash drive containing documentation and software
 Quick-Start Guide in braille format
 Quick-Start Guide in print format

Orientation and Functions

This section will help you become familiar with the location and various functions of
your Orion TI-84 Plus Talking Graphing Calculator.

To begin the exploration process, position the Orion TI-84 Plus so that the keys face
up and the ports are at the top. This is the normal operating position. The ports at the
top of the calculator begin with the TI-84 serial link port on the left, followed by the
micro port, the Mini-B port, and finally the earphone jack on the right. On the left and
right side of the unit, at the top and near the ports, are the two speaker grills.

On the front of the Orion section of the calculator, there are 11 keys grouped like a
game pad. Six keys are on the left in a three row, two column layout (like a braille
cell); and an arrow key configuration is on the right, with a center Home key (denoted
by a graphic of a house).

The keys on the bottom half of the calculator are the TI-84 Plus keys. There are 41
keys laid out in five rows and nine columns and a four-key directional pad in the top­right corner. The four keys of the directional pad are the arrow keys for the TI-84
Plus. The 12 number keys in the bottom and middle feel concave, while the other keys
feel convex. There are two exceptions: the On key is flat and slanted forward, and
the Enter key is larger than the other keys.

The rectangular, flat section between the Orion and the TI-84 Plus is the screen. Just
below the screen is an additional row of five keys. These are the TI-84 Plus Function
keys.

Power Supply and Charging

There are two separate power sources for the Orion TI-84 Plus Talking Graphing
Calculator. The calculator uses four triple-A batteries, and the accessible extension
(Orion) uses its own internal chargeable battery.

To install the batteries and charge the unit, follow these steps:

1. Turn the calculator so that the keys are pointing down and make sure the two

rubber feet are positioned at the top. Using your thumb, find the battery door
lever in the middle of the unit and pull down toward the bottom of the unit.
While applying downward pressure, pull your thumb away from the unit and
the battery door should open and come completely off.

2. Place each triple-A battery so that the flat end of the battery is positioned

against the spring. Tilt the battery and press it against the spring. Push the
battery flat into the opening until it snaps into position.

3. To close the battery cover, place the cover at an angle with the thumb lever at

the top and the two tabs at the bottom. Position the tabs under the plastic edge
of the opening and lower the lever until it snaps into place.

4. Turn the calculator over so the keys face up. Plug the Mini-B end of the USB

cable into the Mini-B port on the top right side.

Note: Fully charge the battery the first time you use the calculator. This should take
about four hours. You can use the Orion TI-84 Plus while it is charging.

The triple-A batteries in the TI-84 should have a battery life of several months. If they
become low, you will receive a message at 5%. At that point, you have several days of
charge remaining in the triple-A batteries. Until you replace the batteries, each time
you turn on the calculator, it announces that the batteries are low.

The chargeable battery in the Orion lasts several days, depending on usage. Always
charge the unit before any important test or assignment.

Operation Procedure

Follow these steps to turn the calculator on and off:

1. To turn the device on, press the On key located at the lower left-hand corner of

the calculator positioned in column 1, row 1.

2. To turn the device off, first press the 2nd key located in column 1, row 9, and

then press the On key.

Note: If the calculator is on and not in use for 5 minutes, it automatically powers off
safely without loss of data. At restart, it returns to the location and procedure of when
the unit was powered off. If you were using the Help mode, the calculator returns to
the location and procedure prior to the initiation of Help mode.

Help Mode

The Orion TI-84 Plus is equipped with a Help mode designed to assist you with
locating keys and confirming their functionality. Help mode can be used at any time,
even in the middle of a calculation. When the unit is in Help mode, the calculator
retains its previous status, i.e., if you were in the middle of an operation, the calculator
is not interrupted and the display remains unchanged. To enter the Help mode, quickly
press the 2nd key (column 1, row 9) three times.

In Help mode, to assist you with locating a particular key, each key is announced
when pressed. Its primary function is also announced. When used in combination with
various modifying keys, such as 2ndand Alpha, the Orion announces the secondary
functions as set by the modifying key.

To exit the Help mode, press the On key. The calculator returns to the speech and
operational mode you were using prior to entering Help mode and restores all the
previously set preferences. You can resume operation from precisely the point where
you left off.

Accessibility Features

The Orion TI-84 Plus Talking Graphing Calculator is a modified TI-84 Plus. The
modifications are found at the top of the unit called the Orion. On the left side of the
Orion, there are six keys laid out in three rows of two columns. On the right side,
there are five keys in the form of a directional pad. The Orion keys are used to review
text and graphs and to set accessibility preferences, such as volume, rate, voice
selection, and playback tone duration, as well as many other useful settings.

Many of the keys have multiple functions if used with the Shift or the CTRL keys.
The following sections describe each key by function.

Control and Pause

The bottom-left key on the left-hand side of the Orion is the CTRL/PAUSE key.
Pressing it in conjunction with other Orion keys changes the function of those keys.
Tapping the CTRL key alone pauses speech feedback. Tapping the key a second time
restarts the speech function at the point it left off. Pressing any other key while the
speech function is paused deletes the buffered text.

Shift and Mute

The bottom-right key on the left-hand side of the Orion is the Shift/Mute key.
Pressing the Shift key with other Orion keys changes the functionality of the key.
Pressing the Shift key alone silences the speech mode.

Adjusting the Volume

The middle two keys on the left-hand side of the Orion are the Volume keys. Pressing
the middle-left key, denoted by a speaker symbol and a minus sign, lowers the volume
by one level and announces the current level. Pressing the middle-right key, denoted
by a speaker symbol and a plus sign, raises the volume by one level and announces
the current level. There are 10 levels, with 1 as the lowest and 10 as the highest. There
are two separate settings for earphones and speakers. If you are using earphones, the
volume control adjusts the earphone volume. When earphones are not connected, the
volume control adjusts the volume of the speakers.

Adjusting the Rate of Speech

The middle two keys on the left-hand side of the Orion also control the rate of speech
when pressed in conjunction with the CTRL key. Pressing both the CTRL key and
the middle-left key, labeled withS.R. Down, once decreases the rate of speech by one
level and announces the current rate. Pressing both the CTRL key and the middle­right key, labeled with S.R. Up, once increases the rate of speech by one level and
announces the current rate. There are 10 rates of speech, with 1 as the lowest and 10
as the highest.

Repeat

The top-left key on the left-hand side of the Orion is the Repeat key (denoted by a
looping arrow). Pressing this key once repeats the last spoken text.

Preferences

The Orion TI-84 Plus has many Preference options for changing the accessibility
features. To access the Preferences menu, press the Preference (Pref.) key located at
the top-right, on the left-hand side of the Orion.

When the Preference key is pressed, the Orion announces a list of vertically arranged
items. Using the Orion navigation keys on the right, press Up or Down to move
through the list. Press the Home key, located in the center of the arrow keys, to make
a selection.

The Preferences menu contains the following options:

 Graph Options
 Speech Options
 Orion Help

 Reset All
 Exit

Graph Options

Selecting Graph Options from the Preferences menu opens a menu that contains the
following options:

 Navigation tone length - This option sets the length of an individual tone for

hearing a whole graph or reviewing a graph step-by-step.

 Equation playback duration - This option sets the speed of the duration of

playback of a whole graph. The smaller the number, the faster the playback.

 Negative value noise - This option enables or disables the static noise and

adjusts the tone level while in the negative Y region of a graph.

 Negative value vibration - This option enables or disables the haptic feedback

while in the negative Y region of a graph.

 Coordinate announcements - This option sets in what order the X and Y

coordinates are announced and if both should be announced.

 Reset Graph Settings - This option resets all graph settings to the factory

defaults.

Speech Options

Selecting Speech Options from the Preferences menu opens another menu that
contains the following options:

 Voice - This option presents a list of voices to change how the Orion sounds.
 Pitch - This option presents a list of values to adjust the pitch of a selected

voice.

 Reset Speech Settings - Selecting this option returns the speech settings to the

default factory settings.

Orion Help

Selecting Orion Help from the Preferences menu opens another menu that contains the
following option:

 About Orion - This option informs you which version of Orion software is

currently running.

Reset All