Prentke Romich Company ECO Operator's Manual
END USER LICENSING AGREEMENT
Microsoft, Inc.
You have acquired an ECO™ which includes software licensed by Prentke Romich Company from Microsoft
Licensing Inc. or its affiliates ("MS"). Those installed software produ c ts of MS origin, as well as associated media,
printed materials and "online" or electronic docum ent at i on ( s oftware) are protected by international intellectual
property laws and treaties.
IF YOU DO NOT AGREE TO THIS END USER LICENSE AGREEMENT (EULA), DO NOT USE THE DEVICE OR COPY THE
SOFTWARE. INSTEAD, PROMPTLY CONTACT PRENTKE ROMICH COMPANY FOR INSTRUCTIONS ON RETURN OF THE
UNUSED DEVICE(S) FOR A REFUND. ANY USE OF THE SOFTWARE, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO USE ON THE
DEVICE, WILL CONSTITUTE YOUR AGREEMENT TO THIS EULA (OR RATIFICATION OF ANY PREVIOUS CONSENT).
GRANT OF SOFTWARE LICENSE.
This EULA grants you the following license:
• You may use the SOFTWARE only on the PATHFINDER.
• NOT FAULT TOLERANT. THE SOFTWARE IS NOT FAULT TOLERANT. PRC HAS INDEPENDENTLY DETERMINED HOW
TO USE THE SOFTWARE AND MS HAS RELIED UPON PRC TO CONDUCT SUFFICIENT TESTING TO DETERMINE THAT
THE SOFTWARE IS SUITABLE FOR SUCH USE.
• NO WARRANTIES FOR THE SOFTWARE. THE SOFTWARE is provided "AS IS" and with all faults. THE ENTIRE RISK AS
TO SATISFACTORY QUALITY, PERFORMANCE, ACCURACY, AND EFFORT (INCLUDING LACK OF NEGLIGENCE) IS
WITH YOU. ALSO THERE IS NO WARRANTY AGAINST INTERFERENCE WITH YOUR ENJOYMENT OF THE
SOFTWARE OR AGAINST INFRINGEMENT. IF YOU HAVE RECEIVED ANY WARRANTIES REGARDING THE DEVICE OR
SOFTWARE, THOSE WARRANTIES DO NOT ORIGINATE FROM, AND ARE NOT BINDING ON, MS.
• Note on Java Support. The SOFTWARE may contain support for programs written in Java. Java technology is
not fault tolerant and is not designed, manufactured, or intended for use or resale as online control equipment in
hazardous environments requiring fail-safe performance, such as in the operation of nuclear facilities, aircraft
navigation or communication systems, air traffic control, direct life support machines, or weapons systems, in
which the failure of Java technology could lead directly to death, personal injury or severe physical or
environmental damage. Sun Microsystems, Inc. has contractually obligated MS to make this disclaimer.
• No Liability for Certain damages. EXCEPT AS PROHIBITED BY LAW, MS SHALL HAVE NO LIABILITY FOR ANY
INDIRECT, SPECIAL CONSQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES ARISING FROM OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE
USE OR PERFORMANCE OF THE SOFTWARE. THIS LIMITATION SHALL APPLY EVEN IF ANY REMEDY FAILS OF
ITS ESSENTIAL PURPOSE. IN NO EVENT SHALL MS BE LIABLE FOR ANY AMOUNT IN EXCESS OF U.S. TWO
HUNDRED FIFTY DOLLARS (U.S. $250.00).
• Limitations on Reverse Engineering, Decompilation and Disassembly. You may not reverse engineer,
decompile, or disassemble the SOFTWARE, except and only to the extent that such activity is expressly
permitted by applicable law notwithstanding this limitation.
• SOFTWARE TRANSFER ALLOWED BUT WITH RESTRICTIONS. You may permanently transfer
rights under this EULA only as part of a permanent sale or transfer of the Device, and only if the recipient
agrees to this EULA. If the
SOFTWARE.
SOFTWARE is an upgrade, any transfer must also include all prior versions of
EXPORT RESTRICTIONS. You acknowledge that SOFTWARE is subject to U.S. export jurisdiction. You
agree to comply with all applicable international and national laws that ap ply to the
SOFTWARE, including U.S.
Export Administration Regulations, as well as end-user, end-use and destination restrictions issued by U.S. and other
governments.. For additional information see
http://www.microsoft.com/exporting/.
ECO Manual
14364v1.01
™
ECO
Operator's Manual
PRENTKE ROMICH COMPANY
1022 Heyl Rd. • Wooster, Ohio 44691
Telephone: (330) 262-1984
Fax: (330) 263-4829
E-Mail Address: info@prentrom.com
Web Site Address: www.prentrom.com
Prentke Romich International
Minerva House, Minerva Business Park
Lynch Wood, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire
PE2, 6FT UK
Fax: +44 1733 391939
E-Mail Address:
info@prilimited.com
ECO Manual
14364v1.01
Data can be uploaded from this unit to a personal computer for storage on a hard disk, CD, or other storage medium. Be sure to make multiple
copies of all important data to protect against accidental loss.
ECO, Vantage, Vanguard II, Vanguard, Pathfinder, SpringBoard, WordCore, Language Activity Monitor (LAM), Memory Transfer Interface (MTI) and
PRC Infrared Receiver (IRR) are trademarks of Prentke Romich Company.
Minspeak is a registered trademark of Semantic Compaction Systems. Minspeak uses the methodology derived from the concepts covered by U.S
Patent Numbers 4,661,916; 5,097,425; 5,210,689 and subsequent patents and applications of Bruce Baker.
Unity is a registered trademark, in the USA, UK and Canada, of Semantic Compaction Systems.
MinTalk is a trademark of Semantic Compaction Systems.
PCS Symbols are a product of Mayer-Johnson.
Fonix-DECtalk Text-to-Speech software is a copyright of Fonix Corporation; all rights reserved.
RealSpeak Text-to-Speech is a trademark of Nuance Communications, Inc.
AT&T Natural Voices is a trademark of AT&T Corporation.
Non-English text-to-speech supplied by the Acapela Group and RealSpeak Text-to-Speech, a trademarked product of Nuance Communications, Inc.
Windows, WindowsXP, Windows Explorer, Windows Media Player, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Word, Windows WordPad and Microsoft PowerPoint
are registered trademarks of Microsoft, Inc.
IBM is a registered trademark of International Business Machines.
Tracker is a trademark of Madentec, Inc.
Headpointing technology by Madentec
IntelliTools is a registered trademark of IntelliTools, Inc.
HeadMouse is a trademark of Origin Instruments, Inc.
Bluetooth Wireless Technology is a registered trademark. The Bluetooth word mark and logos are owned by the Bluetooth SIG, Inc. and any use of
such marks by PRC is under license. Other trademarks and trade names are those of their respective owners.
WordQ is a trademark of Bloorview MacMillan Children's Centre
Paint Shop Pro software is copyrighted by JASC Software, Inc.Inmage Viewer/32 is shareware from SB Software.
Digital photos of the devices courtesy of Doug Miller
ELECTRONIC INTERFERENCE INFORMATION
This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to two conditions: (1) this device may not cause harmful interference, and (2)
this device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation.
Warning! Changes or modifications to this product which are not authorized by Prentke Romich Company could exceed FCC limits and negate your
authority to use this product.
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are
designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate
radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications.
However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. You can determine whether this product is causing
interference in your radio or television by turning this product off. If the interference stops, it was probably caused by this product or one of its
accessories. You can attempt to correct the interference by using one or more of the following measures:
• Turn the television or radio antenna until the interference stops.
• Move this product to one side or the other of the television or radio.
• Move this product farther away form the television or radio.
• Plug this product into an outlet that is on a different circuit from the television or radio; that is, this product should be controlled by different circuit
breakers/fuses from the television or radio.
• If necessary, contact a Prentke Romich Company service technician for assistance.
Bluetooth Adapter
This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions: (1) this device may not cause harmful
interference, and (2) this device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation. This device
contains FCC-ID POOWML-C40.
This Class B digital apparatus meets all requirements of the Canadian Interference-Causing Equipment Regulations. Cet appareil numérique de la
classe B respect toutes les exigences du Règlement sur le matériel brouiller du Canada.
CE ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION: Use: 0
o
40
C.
CLASS 1 LED PRODUCT –The Tracker Headpointing option falls within the limits of a Class 1 LED product as specified by CENELEC EN 60825-1,
Amendments 1 and 2.
o
- 45o C; Storage: (-20o) - 50o C; 95% maximum relative humidity @ ambient temperatures less than
Attention! Consult accompanying documents.
Not intended to be an emergency call device or sole communication device.
Warnings!
When operating this device in a medical environment, do not use with any product that is not medically approved.
Any mounts used should be fitted by a qualified person.
Failure to install the mounting system according to the manufacturer's instructions may result in an injury to the user.
©Prentke Romich Company 2007. All rights reserved. Under copyright laws this manual may not be copied, in whole or in part, without the written
consent of the Prentke Romich Company.
ECO MANUAL
iv
Remove your device from
Shipping Mode
To conserve the batteries,
your device was put in Shipping Mode at the factory
before it was sent to you.
To use it you must take it out of Shipping Mode:
Plug in your battery charger and then press the key
on the front of the case.
It will take a few moments for the device to boot up.
Prentke Romich Company • 1022 Heyl Rd. • Wooster, Ohio 44691 • (800) 262-1984
ECO MANUAL
14364
v
About the RESTORE Disk
In the event that your device's hard drive or the Windows system quit working,
you will have to use the RESTORE disk that came in a separate mailer.
Unless you are very familiar with computers and understand when and how to use
a RESTORE disk,
call the PRC Service Department first and tell them what is wrong with your
device before you attempt to use the RESTORE disk.
Warning!
Never remove the battery in this device to
perform a re-set.
ECO MANUAL
vi
Table of Contents
GETTING ACQUAINTED WITH YOUR ECO....................................................................................................11
The Front Panel ...........................................................................................................................................................13
The Top and Back of the ECO ....................................................................................................................................15
The Right Side Panel...................................................................................................................................................16
Battery Door and Batteries ..........................................................................................................................................16
Left Side Panel ............................................................................................................................................................17
The Display Areas.......................................................................................................................................................18
Different Ways to Turn your ECO Off........................................................................................................................20
About the Batteries in your ECO.................................................................................................................................22
The Touch Screen and the Exploration Wizard...........................................................................................................25
The Unity® 60 Sequenced Overlay..............................................................................................................................26
About Minspeak®........................................................................................................................................................28
Icon Prediction Shows Where You Have Messages Stored ........................................................................................29
About the Color-Coded Toolbox.................................................................................................................................31
Change the Speaker Volume .......................................................................................................................................32
About the CALL Tool in the Toolbox.........................................................................................................................33
SETTING UP YOUR COMMUNICATION DEVICE..........................................................................................35
About Setting Up your Device ....................................................................................................................................36
Select a User Area.......................................................................................................................................................37
Access Methods...........................................................................................................................................................40
The ACCESS METHOD MENU................................................................................................................................42
Touch Options.............................................................................................................................................................44
1 Switch Scanning Methods........................................................................................................................................45
1 Switch Scanning Options.......................................................................................................................................... 46
2 Switch Scanning Methods........................................................................................................................................48
2 Switch Scanning Options.......................................................................................................................................... 49
Headpointing/Joystick Methods ..................................................................................................................................51
Joystick Options ............................................................................................................... ...........................................51
Tracker Headpointing Options ....................................................................................................................................53
Mouse/Trackball/USB Joystick Options .....................................................................................................................55
The FEEDBACK MENU............................................................................................................................................57
FEEDBACK MENU Options......................................................................................................................................58
SPEECH MENU Options............................................................................................................................................61
The AUDITORY PROMPT MENU............................................................................................................................64
The OUTPUT MENU .................................................................................................................................................67
Save Your Set-Up Settings..........................................................................................................................................69
Store the "Use Settings" Keys on your Overlay ..........................................................................................................70
WORD PREDICTION..............................................................................................................................................72
About Minspeak® and Word Prediction ......................................................................................................................73
Spell and Select Words................................................................................................................................................74
Word Prediction Options.............................................................................................................................................76
CORE VOCABULARY............................................................................................................................................82
About Core Vocabulary and Activity Row Vocabulary..............................................................................................83
Recorded and Synthesized Speech ..............................................................................................................................84
Before You Begin to Store, Plan What You Want to Say...........................................................................................84
Record a Core Vocabulary Message............................................................................................................................85
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ECO Manual
vii
Erase a Recorded Message..........................................................................................................................................86
Store a Synthesized Message.......................................................................................................................................86
Edit a Synthesized Message.........................................................................................................................................87
Erase a Synthesized Message......................................................................................................................................88
Link an Icon Sequence to an Already Created Page....................................................................................................89
Hide a Core Vocabulary Key.......................................................................................................................................90
Swap Core Vocabulary Keys on Your Overlay...........................................................................................................91
The SET-UP Key—a Shortcut.....................................................................................................................................91
ACTIVITIES..............................................................................................................................................................94
Activities......................................................................................................................................................................95
Create a New Activity—An Example .........................................................................................................................96
Dynamic Activities......................................................................................................................................................98
Erase a Dynamic Activity Link; Review All Dynamic Activities...............................................................................99
About the Picture Prediction Option..........................................................................................................................100
Modify an Already Existing Activity ........................................................................................................................102
Link an Activity to a Page or to another Activity......................................................................................................104
Set Activity Template................................................................................................................................................104
Copy Pages/Activities from your Current User Area to Another User Area.............................................................106
Copy Activities or Pages from One Device to Another.............................................................................................107
The SET-UP Key—a Shortcut...................................................................................................................................107
PAGES......................................................................................................................................................................110
About Custom Pages .................................................................................................................................................111
Create a Custom Page................................................................................................................................................111
Go to Your Custom Page...........................................................................................................................................113
Modify a Custom Page..............................................................................................................................................114
Link a Page to another Page or to your Core Vocabulary .........................................................................................115
Visual Scene Pages....................................................................................................................................................116
Copy Pages/Activities from your Current User Area to Another User Area.............................................................122
Copy Activities or Pages from One Device to Another.............................................................................................122
Expand a User Area or Page......................................................................................................................................123
The SET-UP Key—a Shortcut...................................................................................................................................126
STORE/ASSIGN TOOLS AND MACROS IN CORE, ACTIVITIES AND PAGES........................................128
To Store a Tool Use the INSERT TOOL Key on the Spelling Keyboard.................................................................129
Store a Tool Under an Icon Sequence .......................................................................................................................129
Assign a Tool to a Core Key......................................................................................................................................130
Erase the Tool and Restore the Original Icon............................................................................................................131
Assign a Tool to an Activity Row Key......................................................................................................................132
About Macros............................................................................................................................................................133
Store a Macro Under an Icon Sequence.....................................................................................................................134
Assign a Macro to a Core Key...................................................................................................................................135
Erase Macros.............................................................................................................................................................136
Change All Occurrences of an Icon...........................................................................................................................137
Copy or Erase all Sequences Beginning with Selected Icon(s).................................................................................137
REVIEW VOCABULARY.....................................................................................................................................138
Using the REVIEW VOCABULARY MENU..........................................................................................................139
Using the "Review to File" Option............................................................................................................................140
Icon Tutor Options.....................................................................................................................................................140
NOTEBOOKS..........................................................................................................................................................142
Creating and Using Notebooks..................................................................................................................................143
The Notebook Workspace .........................................................................................................................................143
New Notebooks .........................................................................................................................................................144
Close a Notebook; Save a Notebook.......................................................................................................................144
Open or Delete a Notebook .......................................................................................................................................145
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ECO Manual
viii
Rename a Notebook; Transfer a Notebook to a Com puter File.................................................................................145
Print a Notebook........................................................................................................................................................146
Speak a Notebook; Lock a Notebook.......................................................................................................................147
Copy a Notebook from One Area to Another............................................................................................................148
Store a Notebook under an Icon Sequence................................................................................................................148
Editing Tools.............................................................................................................................................................149
THE SPEECH DICTIONARY...............................................................................................................................152
The Speech DICTIONARY MENU..........................................................................................................................153
Add Words to the Dictionary.....................................................................................................................................153
Delete Words from the Dictionary.............................................................................................................................154
Review Words in the Dictionary ...............................................................................................................................155
CALCULATOR.......................................................................................................................................................156
Using the Calculator..................................................................................................................................................157
THE MAINTENANCE MENU..............................................................................................................................160
The MAINTENANCE MENU..................................................................................................................................161
TRANSFER MEMORY MENU ............................................................................................................................166
About Memory Transfers ..........................................................................................................................................167
Memory Transfer using a USB Flash Drive..............................................................................................................168
Importing Icons .........................................................................................................................................................169
Load Icons from an MTI File....................................................................................................................................170
Save a Page/ Load a Page..........................................................................................................................................170
Save/Load a Notebook...............................................................................................................................................171
Using the FILE ORGANIZER..................................................................................................................................172
USING THE MP3 PLAYER MENU.....................................................................................................................174
Listening to Music with your Communication Aid (MP3, WAV and WMA files)...................................................175
About the Options in the MP3 PLAYER MENU......................................................................................................176
Creating and Using Playlists......................................................................................................................................178
Music Tools...............................................................................................................................................................179
About Importing Sound Files to Store on your Overlay............................................................................................180
Store a Sound File under an Icon or Icon Sequence on your Overlay.......................................................................181
Using the FILE ORGANIZER..................................................................................................................................182
USING A REMOTE CONTROL...........................................................................................................................184
Using your Communication Aid as a Remote Control..............................................................................................185
About Teaching Remote Control Signals to your Device..........................................................................................186
Teach Remote Control Signals to your Device..........................................................................................................187
Add a New Device to the IR SETUP MENU............................................................................................................189
Create a New REMOTE Page using "Copy from Existing Page".............................................................................190
Place the TV BDRM Page in your REMOTES Activity...........................................................................................191
How to Store the IR Functions under an Icon Sequence...........................................................................................192
Delete a Device..........................................................................................................................................................193
Rename a Device.......................................................................................................................................................193
Add a New Function to an Existing Device ..............................................................................................................193
Rename a Function....................................................................................................................................................194
Delete a Function.......................................................................................................................................................195
Re-Learn Signals.......................................................................................................................................................195
The IR REMOTE Page..............................................................................................................................................196
ON-OFF Control of Non-Remote Appliances: Using the X-10...............................................................................197
USING THE ECO'S INTERNAL COMPUTER..................................................................................................198
The Optional Internal Computer................................................................................................................................199
Turning Output On ....................................................................................................................................................199
Using Microsoft®Word Pad.......................................................................................................................................202
Using the <RUN PROGRAM> Tool.........................................................................................................................204
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ECO Manual
ix
Sending Mouse Commands to XP.............................................................................................................................206
Store the <MOUSE GO> and <MOUSE STOP> Tools on your Overlay.................................................................207
Pages and Keyboard Mode........................................................................................................................................208
Minimize ECO...........................................................................................................................................................210
Using an External Computer with a USB Cable........................................................................................................211
Using an External Computer with the PRC Bluetooth Wireless Adapter..................................................................211
Using an External Computer and an Infrared Receiver (IRR)...................................................................................213
USING THE CELL PHONE..................................................................................................................................215
Before You Begin......................................................................................................................................................216
Enable the Phone Card ..............................................................................................................................................217
New Phone Tools.......................................................................................................................................................218
Using the Dial Pad.....................................................................................................................................................219
Using the Phone Directory.........................................................................................................................................221
Adjusting Caller and Listener Volume......................................................................................................................222
Send a Text Message.................................................................................................................................................223
Reading a Text Message............................................................................................................................................224
Using the Internal Microphone to Speak...................................................................................................................225
APPENDICES..........................................................................................................................................................227
Appendix A: Recalibrate the Touch Screen..............................................................................................................228
Appendix B: Next-Mouse-Right-Click Tool in PASS and ECO..............................................................................229
Appendix C: Serial Macro Tool ...............................................................................................................................231
Appendix D: Modify Scan Pattern............................................................................................................................232
Appendix E: Pagelets................................................................................................................................................240
Appendix F: Vocabulary Masking............................................................................................................................244
Appendix G: Mid-Sequence Category......................................................................................................................250
Appendix H: Using the LAM (Language Activity Monitoring)...............................................................................252
Appendix I: The ADVANCED INFRARED SETUP MENU (IRR) and IRR Troubleshooting..............................255
Appendix J: All Tools List .......................................................................................................................................258
Appendix K : IBM and Macintosh Computer Keyboard Names; Mouse Commands..............................................268
Appendix L: Troubleshooting...................................................................................................................................276
Appendix M : The Joystick Adapter.........................................................................................................................282
Appendix N: RealSpeak™ Speech Tips ....................................................................................................................283
Appendix O: Helpful DECtalk Speech Tips.............................................................................................................298
INDEX......................................................................................................................................................................307
Index..........................................................................................................................................................................309
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ECO Manual
x
Getting Acquainted with your ECO
GETTING ACQUAINTED WITH YOUR ECO
ECO Manual
11
12
The Front Panel
ON/OFF: Turns the device ON or OFF. If you turn the ECO off with this button,
you must use it to turn the device back on.
TOOLBOX: Takes you to the Toolbox where you can use the system menus.
Keys 1-6 are User Defined keys. They have been pre-programmed for you to perform some
often-used functions. You can re-program to do whatever you wish. See the Store/Assign Tools
chapter beginning on page 128.
CHOOSE ACTIVITY: Press this to toggle through your Activity Row.
SET-UP: This key is context-sensitive, so the menus that open depend on what key
you select on your overlay. You might see the MODIFY PAGE or MODIFY ACTIVITY menu;
the ASSIGN CORE KEYS menu; the STORE menu or the Modify Item within an Activity or
Page menu.
ECO KEYBOARD: This allows you to see both the Windows XP desktop and the
ECO software at the same time. This means you can use your overlay to interact with the XP
programs. Your ECO keyboard goes to half-screen so you see half your overlay and half of the
Windows environment.
SCROLL. Select this key to scroll through your overlay when you are in Keyboard
Mode, so you can access all your overlay keys.
GETTING ACQUAINTED WITH YOUR ECO
ECO Manual
13
MOUSE-RIGHT-CLICK: Select this key then select a key on your overlay. A
r
small context-sensitive menu will pop up next to the overlay key you selected that will allow you
to perform various functions such as Cut, Copy, Paste or use the Setup key.
MINIMIZE ECO: This maximizes and minimizes your communication overlay
when you are in Keyboard Mode so you can see all of the Windows application you are using.
ECO goes into the Windows task bar.
HP IR Window
Battery and Ha
d Drive
LEDs
Recording Microphone
HEADPOINTING INFRARED WINDOW (IR): Receives IR information from the Tracker
or other IR headpointer.
The 3 LEDs at the bottom of the IR window:
The LED on the left flashes when the battery charger is plugged in. A rapid flash means the
battery is recharging. A slow flash means the battery is full and is just trickle-charging.
The LED in the middle indicates a low battery. If you see this LED flashing, plug in the battery
charger.
The LED on the far right flashes when the hard drive in the ECO system is working, just as the
hard drive LED in your computer does.
RECORDING MICROPHONE: This is the small round hole near the top of the case, to the
right of the IR window. When you record messages, speak toward this area.
GETTING ACQUAINTED WITH YOUR ECO
ECO Manual
14
The Top and Back of the ECO
Mounting
Plate
DVD/CD Player
Learning
IR Area
Top
DVD/CD Player: This is at the top of the case above the rounded area. Use this to play movie
DVDs, Audio DVDs and CDs. If you purchased the optional internal computer, you can also
install software and burn CDs using the DVD player. To Use: If your device is On, simply slide
a disk into the CD/DVD Player. The device will accept it. If your device is Off, slide a disk
about half-way into the player, then turn your device On. The ECO will accept the disk. Press
the small button on the Player door to eject a disk.
Learning Infrared Area: The rounded area below the DVD player is the learning infrared area.
You point a remote control at this area to teach remote control signals to your ECO. When the
ECO is sending remote control signals to control things like a TV or DVD player, this window
must be facing in the general direction of the object you want to control.
Back
Wire Stand: pull the stand out from the case and set your device on a flat surface. If you want
your device to sit at a lower or higher angle, remove the table stand from the holes that hold it in
place and place it in the second set of holes. The bottom holes are lower; the top holes are
higher.
Wheelchair Mounting Plate: Slide the plate into your wheelchair mount to hold your device
upright.
GETTING ACQUAINTED WITH YOUR ECO
ECO Manual
15
The Right Side Panel
Battery Door
Battery Door: The ECO batteries are behind this door.
The Connectors from Left to Right: the USB connectors on your device will be different
from this graphic.
External Headphones jack
External Microphone jack (Note: you can also use a USB microphone)
Square USB Connector: use this to connect to an external computer with a USB cable. 3.
Square USB Connector: use this to connect to an external computer with a USB cable.
The picture above does not show the square port, but you will see it on your device.
2 Rectangular USB Connectors: use these for USB flash drives, a USB mouse and keyboard,
etc.
Battery Door and Batteries
Use a flathead screwdriver to remove the battery door screw. This is a long screw and takes a
few seconds to remove. When the screw is removed, slide the door to the left until it comes off.
GETTING ACQUAINTED WITH YOUR ECO
ECO Manual
16
Removable Battery
Internal Battery
Removable battery: this is the large battery on the left with a flexible tab on the end you can
pull to remove the battery, should this be necessary. When replacing the battery, make sure it
clicks into place before replacing the door.
Internal Battery: this is the smaller battery on the right. This battery remains in the case and
should not be removed.
Left Side Panel
Card Slots and Connectors from Left to Right
Reset Button (circled in graphic above): Unbend a paper clip and poke it into the hole to press
the re-set button. Read Appendix L: Troubleshooting: The Internal Computer on page 276
before using this button.
PCMCIA Card Slot (large rectangular slot): will accept an AirCard, wireless card, etc.
Compact Flash Card Slot (smaller rectangular slot): will accept a storage card, network card,
Bluetooth device, etc.
Phone Card Cable Connector: an AirCard phone cable plugs in here.
Switch A and Switch B Connectors: plug single and dual switches into Switch A and Switch B
ports. A joystick will need an adapter that fits these ports.
XGA Connector: connect a computer monitor here.
Battery Charger: Plug in the battery charger that came with your device.
GETTING ACQUAINTED WITH YOUR ECO
ECO Manual
17
The Display Areas
TEXT DISPLAY AREA
ICON OR WORD
STATUS DISPLAY AREA
Text Display Area
This is where you will see any text that appears, either from messages that you have retrieved by
selecting icon sequences or from typing in text. Touch this area and your device will speak any
text on the display.
Icon Display Area/Word Prediction List Area
This is where you will see the icons that you activate on your communication overlay or, if you
are using your spelling overlay and Word Prediction is On, you will see a list of predicted words.
GETTING ACQUAINTED WITH YOUR ECO
ECO Manual
18
Status Display Area
Date and Time
Displays the current date and time. Set this in the CLOCK MENU in the Toolbox.
Battery Bar Graph
This shows the status of the batteries. A FULL battery shows mostly green lines, with only a
few red and yellow lines. A LOW battery shows only red and yellow lines. Plug in the charger.
You cannot store when the battery is low.
An ALMOST DEAD battery shows only red lines. You will hear a warning beep that the ECO
is going to shut down. Plug in the charger.
Speaker Icon and Headphone Icon
These indicate speaker and headphone volume. When the lines fill up the bar graph, the volume
is at its loudest.
Caps Lock
When this is lit, you have turned Caps lock on in your spelling overlay. All letters you type will
be in CAPITAL letters.
Note: Do not use Caps Lock when storing messages for RealSpeak voices.
Ctrl
When this is lit, you are sending a CONTROL command.
Output
When this is lit, your Output option is On in the OUTPUT MENU. Anything you type, or any
messages you retrieve will appear on the Text Display Area of your overlay and will also be sent
to the internal computer.
Speech
When this is lit, your device will speak anything that appears in the Text Display Area.
Drop-Down Menu
This mini-menu to the right of the Status Display Area gives you quick access to some of the
menus in the Toolbox. You can open this menu by touching it with your finger or a stylus or by
plugging in and using a USB mouse.
GETTING ACQUAINTED WITH YOUR ECO
ECO Manual
19
Different Ways to Turn your ECO Off
The I/O button on the front of the case, Auto Power Down in the MAINTENANCE MENU
and the POWER OFF tool in the Toolbox are all available to turn your device Off.
Use the (I/O) button to turn your device On and Off. When you turn the device off
with the I/O button, you must turn it back on using the I/O button.
There is also a POWER OFF tool in the Toolbox. If you would like to be able to turn the
device off yourself but can't press the I/O button, you can go to the toolbox and select POWER
OFF or store the POWER OFF tool on your communication overlay.
To turn the device back on simply tap on the screen or activate a switch.
When your device turns off, it saves any storing and/or programming that you have done up to
that point. If you are doing a lot of storing/programming —perhaps setting up an overlay—make
sure the device turns Off periodically so that your work is saved.
Use POWER OFF or the I/O button to properly shut down your device.
If, for some reason, the device has not been powered down correctly, you may have to press
and hold the I/O button for 10 seconds to turn the unit back on.
There is also has an Auto Power Down option in the MAINTENANCE MENU in the Toolbox.
The default setting is 2 minutes.
Select 2 minutes, 5 minutes or 10 minutes.
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When your device is idle (no key activations) for 2, 5 or 10 minutes, the backlight will dim on
your display. Activate any key or switch to bring it back.
After TEN MINUTES of dimmed backlight and no key activations, the screen goes dark.
Activate any key or switch to bring it back.
We recommend that you leave Auto Power Down set to On. You can select the amount of
time you want to use if 2 minutes is too fast for you.
If you change Auto Power Down to Off, the device will never turn Off unless you press the I/O
button on the top of the case or activate the POWER OFF key in the Toolbox. If you forget that
you turned Auto Power Down to Off and the device never goes Off, the batteries will eventually
go dead.
Note: If you are using a headpointer and your device turns Off, you can activate a switch
to turn it back on. The switch must be plugged into a Switch port on your device.
Troubleshooting Tip: If your device does not turn off or come back on as you expect it
to: Press and hold the I/O button for ten seconds. The device should turn on (or off).
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About the Batteries in your ECO
Always use the battery charger that came with your device. Any other charger may
damage your batteries.
If you plan to store your device for a month or more without using it: put the unit in
Shipping Mode by opening the MAINTENANCE MENU in the Toolbox, selecting Battery
Menu and then selecting Shipping Mode. Unplug the battery charger and store it in a safe place.
Check your battery status in the Status Display Area
The Battery Status bar graph in the Status Display Area on your screen gives you the following
information:
Full Battery: mostly green lines, a few red, a few yellow
Plug in Charger: no green lines at all
Nearly Dead: red lines only (plug in charger now)
Charger Plugged in: blue lines
The Battery Menu
Go to the Toolbox and select the MAINTENANCE MENU
Select the Battery Menu option.
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The Battery Menu will show:
if the charger is plugged in;
the amount of charge in the Internal Battery;
the amount of charge in the Replaceable Battery.
You can activate the Refresh Battery Status option to make sure you are seeing the latest
battery information.
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Low Battery Warning
When the batteries in your device get low, you will hear a Low Battery Warning. This is a
two-toned running beep. When the Low Battery warning sounds, you can no longer do any
storing. The warning will continue to sound at intervals until the batteries are dead. When the
batteries are dead, the device powers down completely and you cannot use it.
You will also see the Low Battery LED blinking in the IR window on the front of the case.
There are three LEDs near the bottom of this window. The Low Battery LED is the one in the
middle.
When you hear the Low Battery warning and/or see the blinking Low Battery LED, plug in the
battery charger. The LED to the left of the Low Battery LED will begin to blink. This LED
indicates that your charger is plugged in.
A complete charge, from dead battery to fully-charged battery, will take 9-10 hours.
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The Touch Screen and the Exploration Wizard
Warning! The touch screen is a liquid crystal display (LCD) screen. Should the
display break (unlikely except under extreme circumstances) and you come into contact with the
liquid crystal, wash or rinse your skin thoroughly. Be careful to avoid splintered glass.
Do not use sharp, pointed objects on the touch screen. They will scratch the screen.
Release the ECO from Shipping Mode:
Before your device was sent to you from PRC, it was put into Shipping Mode. The first time
you use it, you must release it from Shipping Mode. To do this, plug in your battery charger
and press the key on the top front of the case. In a few minutes you will see the
Exploration Wizard overlay.
Text Display Area
Status Display Area
Word Prediction or
Icon Display Area
Note: Non-English speaking devices may have a different overlay.
The Target key and the Unity® 4/8/15 key take you to pages that contain a Back key. This
allows you to return to the Exploration Wizard.
The other options contain overlays that do not allow you to return to the Exploration Wizard.
For example, if you select to see the Unity® 60 Sequenced overlay, the software will take you
directly to that overlay and you can begin using it as your own.
If you do not want to use that overlay, but want to return to the Exploration Wizard follow
these steps:
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Select the TOOBOX key on the front of the case.
Select CHOOSE OVERLAY MENU in the Toolbox.
Select Switch User Area.
Select Exploration Wizard (or you may select any area you might want to switch to.)
Select OK.
Select GO TO MINSPEAK.
You should be in the Exploration Wizard or the area you selected.
The Unity® 60 Sequenced Overlay
We will use the Unity® 60 Sequenced Overlay for examples in this manual. If you selected this
key from the Exploration Wizard, the overlay should now be visible on your touchscreen.
Activity Row
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Right now you can activate a key by simply pressing on it. You do not have to press hard. A
light tap will do it. When you press a key you see that some keys become gray and others stay
bright. Press a bright key.
The device should speak a pre-stored message.
The top row of keys is the Activity Row. The third key down in the far left column shows
ACTIVITY . Press this key to see more activities in the Activity Row. If you want to
look at some activities, press one of the keys in the Activity Row. Press MORE if you want to
see more keys in any activity. If you want to exit an Activity, press the ACTIVITY key.
The bottom four rows of keys contain the Core vocabulary. Core vocabulary is vocabulary that
you use all the time when speaking. The Core vocabulary icons are generally consistent
throughout the different Unity overlays.
Finding Keys
You can find any key on an overlay or in the Toolbox by using row and column locations.
For example, on the Unity® 60 sequenced overlay, there are 6 rows from the top to the bottom of
the overlay. There are 10 columns of keys from left to right across the overlay.
The ACTIVITY key is at location Row 3, Column 1.
The FEELINGS key is at Row 4, Column7.
The LAUNCH key is at location Row 1, Column 9.
Using this method, you can find any key on any overlay.
If you use Auditory Scanning with a Blank overlay, your device uses the numbers 1-36 to
represent Core key locations. Activity Row keys are not numbered.
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About Minspeak®
Your device uses Minspeak® to help you communicate.
Minspeak is a means of coding vocabulary to a small set of icons that are rich in meaning.
Minspeak's use of icons taps into a person's natural tendency to associate multiple meanings to
pictures. By coding a large vocabulary of words, phrases and whole messages using this small
set of icons, Minspeak offers many advantages:
• it is logical in how it represents a person's language;
• it is easy to learn because it fits into a person's natural ability to associate many meanings to
one picture;
• it promotes language development by providing a rich vocabulary of words that you can
combine into sentences;
• because the small set of icons remains the same on a single overlay, you can, with practice,
learn to recall your vocabulary automatically;
• it promotes further language development by offering many opportunities for language-
learning experiences.
These advantages lead to the ultimate benefit of using Minspeak: it allows for and promotes
independent, effective communication.
I like fun
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Icon Prediction Shows Where You Have Messages Stored
If you have pressed any keys on the screen, you have probably noticed that some icons on the
keyboard remain bright and some are gray. This is called Icon Prediction. The bright keys tell
you that they are possible selections for messages that are part of the vocabulary stored in your
device.
If you press a key that is bright, the icon for that key will appear in the icon display area. Other
keys will gray out or stay bright. If you select one of the new bright keys, its icon will appear in
the icon display area and the device will speak the message that is stored under the sequence you
just activated.
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Once a message is spoken, the device returns to showing all the icons. When you press a key
again, some keys will remain bright and some will turn gray.
If you press a gray key, you will see the icon in the display area but no message is spoken. The
overlay resets and all keys with messages become bright again. Gray keys are not part of
message sequences.
Icon Prediction is a good tool to use to help you learn your vocabulary.
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