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ALT-Chat Full Operation Manual

1. Navigate Navigate Back ALT Chat Rev 1 4 Besides Visit and Navigate actions there are some special entries Navigate to home amp Navigate back The Navigate home command tells ALT HATF to return to the very first page in the vocabulary file the home page See Setting a Home page The Navigate back command tells the system to return to the page that you were on previously e Tap the Add button next to the actions drop down list When a button Action is set to Navigate or Visit use the pop up Pages list to determine the page to which a button tap will transport e Finally tap the OK button in the properties window to add the navigation button to the current page 5 20 Using an existing button in multiple places within a Vocabulary file Once created a button can be used in multiple pages at the same time All buttons are listed in your library and you can refer any of these buttons in multiple places e Start by going into Edit mode choose Edit Menu and check Edit Mode e Tap on your currently opened page and right click push amp hold to call up the menu options e Select the Add Button From Library option A resource browser window will list all buttons in the library e Select a button and tap on the Choose button The selected button will be added to the page 5 21 Copying Pasting buttons ALT CHAT provides several ways to create a button by using an existing button 5 21 1 Copy Paste buttons ALT CHAT
2. Speak Label Onhy Speak Message Only Speech Message Static character predictior Static word prediction Stop Store text to button Toggle mute unmute Visit 5 16 Using character and word prediction Static Word Prediction SWP Static Character Prediction SCP Note Dynamic Prediction Dynamic Word Prediction DWP Dynamic Character Prediction DCP is not currently available It will be used in future updates of this system The Saltillo Word Prediction system will predict the word that is currently being spelled as well as the next word Character Prediction will predict the next character in the word while spelling Because of the size of the ALT HAT screen the number of buttons for words or characters available on a keyboard page is limited So pre made keyboards have been included with the device that contains buttons for word prediction or character prediction To view these choose View gt Go To gt Page and find the keyboards used in each vocabulary file Choose these pages and view them to determine if any of these defaults might work for the device user If not you can modify another page or create a new keyboard from scratch To create the Static Word Prediction or Static Character Prediction buttons Use section 5 4 to navigate to the button properties dialog This dialog screen will request information about the new button To create a Static Word Prediction button e Tap on the Actions tab e Choo
3. e Tap on the Actions tab Use the drop down list to select the Play Audio action e Hit the Add button next to the actions list A dialog for selecting the sound file in wav format will pop up WAY properties WAY resource Import trom file Ilse 4 resource e If you want to record a new sound file tap on the Record button The Record audio dialog allows you to record digital sound files right on your ALT CHAT ALT Chat Rev 1 34 Add Record sound Record Recorded Time Record sound Haa Add Haa Tap on Stop when you re done recording You can listen to what you ve recorded by tapping on the Play button To record another sound simply tap on the Start Recording button Once you re pleased with a recording tap OK then tap Apply Note The sound files that you record on the device use a large amount of memory so you must be careful not to use up all your available memory Insert a Sound File There may be times when a sound file from the internet or some other source may need to be used In order to do this bring that sound to the computer with the DesktopChat running and save it Tap on the Import from file button if you want to use a sound file stored in your system files A File dialog will be displayed Browse your folders for a sound file in wav format Double tap on your sound file My Recent fc lotsafrogs short way Documents Desktop a oh i _ My Doc
4. General Settings Advanced Settings Switch Settings Speech off w Add space W Automatic Capitalization ALT Chat Rev 1 17 SDB Speech Display Bar and Display are used interchangeably throughout these instructions They are all used to represent the window in which text appears when buttons are pressed DesktopChat Fie Edit View Help spaghetti ALT Chat Rev 1 18 4 3 Menus The menus at the bottom left of the ALT CHAT window e g File Edit View Help allow you to determine which vocabulary files will be used which augmentative options are enabled how and when to speak messages and how a wide variety of other options are configured Some of these features are accessed directly through the menus while others are accessed through pop up dialog boxes called up by simply tapping and holding 1 k Lt m 1 _ 1 Menu Bar File Edit View Help OO i The pop up dialogs are called context menus They are accessed by a tap and hold if using the DesktopChat these menus are accessed by a right mouse click There are many instances when context menus are available to you when in Edit Mode as well as a context menu available for the Speech Display Bar while you are in Run Mode DesktopChat DesktopChat File Edit View Help File Edit View Help spaahetti Spaghetti Speak last Speak cursor rigatoni Change Button Size Copy Button Load from file
5. The Home page is the very first page of each vocabulary file When you load a vocabulary file its Home page will be presented to you If a vocabulary file has no home page set the ALT CHAT will display the message This Vocabulary file file name has no home page set Empty screen will be displayed To set Home page perform the following steps Go into Edit Mode See section Going into Edit mode Choose the page that you want as the Home Page and have it showing on the screen Tap on the current page and hold the stylus to call up the page menu options Select the Page option and choose Set as Home of the current Vocab file o Use Set as Home of the current Vocab file option to set the current page as home page of the current vocabulary file ALT Chat Rev 1 46 5 30 Editing page properties Once you create a page you can always edit its properties e Go into Edit mode to enable modifications See section Going into Edit mode e Tap on the Edit menu e Choose Modify Vocabulary gt Edit gt Page to open the page properties window Now you can edit the Button style and the Page style properties of the selected page See section Modifying Button s style 5 31 Creating new Vocabulary file In addition to modifying existing vocabulary files you can create new vocabulary files e Select the File menu then Vocab File then New Vocab File A pop up window asks you to select Continue or Cancel Select Continue and a pop up window as
6. This is where the symbol pages will appear By loading new pages into the application you can completely change the Page appearance The center and majority of the screen is taken up by the vocabulary pages These pages vary in appearance with different colors different numbers of buttons and the items on each button can be different The keyboard icon has been removed for ALT Chat D models Note The DesktopChat software displays the menu bar at the top of the screen Most of the instruction for using the menus remains the same for both the device and computer use only the placement of the menus is different We will use the photos and instructions interchangeably throughout these instructions ALT Chat Rev 1 14 4 1 Turning ALT CHAT On and Off ISO I O button you must turn it back on using the I O button Use the I O button to turn your device On and Off When you turn the device off with the There is also an Auto Power Down option The default setting is 3 minutes When your device is idle no key activations for 2 minutes the backlight will dim on your display Activate any key or switch to bring it back After THREE MINUTES of no key activations the device turns Off Activate any key or switch to bring it back We recommend that you leave Auto Power Down set to On You can change the auto power down time by choosing Edit gt Advanced Settings gt Power If you change Auto Power Down to Off the device will n
7. This mode displays the Display bar and the Menu bar 7 3 2 Microsoft Applications Access ALT CHAT is based on Microsoft s software One of the many benefits this provides is the ability to use Microsoft s applications on the device Some standard Microsoft applications that come loaded on your device include Microsoft WordViewer Microsoft Excel Viewer and Solitaire Some individuals will not be able to navigate the Microsoft software Others will be able to use the ALT CHAT software as well as the Microsoft functionality of the device To give access to the Microsoft software a button must be modified to open the specified application To do this e Edit or Create a new button e Choose the Action tab e Choose the Open PPC application action and add it to the button ALT Chat Rev 1 55 e Choose the appropriate Windows application e Add a label or icon to the button and choose OK Note ALT CHAT DB has had the access to the PocketPC software removed This is in order to meet Medicare Medicaid specifications of a dedicated speech device 7 3 3 Style By using the Style controls you can adjust the image appearance on buttons and the button modifiers shape and size e Navigate to the Edit menu e Choose General Settings a pop up screen will present the Timing Style SDB Speech and the Voice settings Tap on the Style tab Check Use entire button area box if you want the image to be displayed on the entire button Yo
8. Volume up Description available with ALT CHAT D model Plays audio files These are recordings of someone speaking or sounds Records audio files These are recordings of someone speaking or sounds Repeats the last spoken message Saves the text currently showing on the Display to a text file Shift modifier activates the Shift modifier field in the Button Sets Pronounces the SDB Speech Display Bar content Repeats the last spoken text Speaks the Label Speaks the Message doesn t display the text Types the button message in the SDB and pronounces it Displays the most probable character in compliance with the current character displayed in the SDB the assigned prediction order and the static character list used by the dictionary complier The Prediction Style and the Prediction Order can be adjusted additionally See Button tab features Library Editor User s Manual Displays the most probable word in compliance with the current characters displayed in the SDB the assigned selected prediction order and the static word list used by the dictionary complier up to 60000 words The Prediction Style and the Prediction Order can be adjusted additionally See Button tab features Library Editor User s Manual Ceases the pronunciation of the Display content If the device is currently speaking a long message selecting this button will not stop the speech but stop the speech from being spoken aloud Selecting the same butt
9. 8 Using Abbreviations to Speak Words 8 1 ALT CHAT Abbreviation Editor Abbreviations can be used instead of writing the whole word For example you can use a speak button to pronounce an abbreviation typed in the SDB e To create an abbreviation e Tap on the Edit menu e Choose Abbreviations a new pop up dialog will appear You can use this dialog to create edit and delete abbreviations To create an abbreviation tap on the New button The Abbreviation screen will be triggered Use the keyboard to type abbreviation which you want to be expanded in the slot labeled Abbreviation Then spell out the whole word in the slot labeled Expand to Tap the OK button The new abbreviation and its expansion will appear in the list If you want to change the abbreviation you can edit it using the Edit button Save the created abbreviation by tapping the OK button on the upper left corner of the screen To edit an abbreviation already in the abbreviation list tap on it to select it in the abbreviation list and then tap the Edit button The same popup dialog used for entering a new abbreviation will appear with the Abbreviation and Expand to fields already filled in You will be able to change both the Abbreviation and Expand to fields When you are done editing the abbreviation tap the OK Button The modified abbreviation will appear in the abbreviation list You can remove an entry from the abbreviation list by first selecting the abbreviation in
10. Bar To add a grammar action to a button Enter Edit Mode Tap and hold the button for the Grammar action Choose create new button Choose the Actions tab Choose from the listing of Grammar actions 1 e ed Finish modifying the button with either an icon or label ALT Chat Rev 1 62 10 Switch Scanning As an alternative to directly selecting each button on the screen ALT CHATF offers single switch and two switch scanning Options for customizing a scanning technique are in the Edit gt Switch Settings menu 10 1 Scan Settings Scan Settings Description Input Defines the Selection method 1 Switch 2 Switch Scanning mode destination Scanning options Latched Scanning Skip Empty Cells Active on Release Reverse Direction Timing Defines the Switch Timing Scanning Timing and the Initial Delays Options Defines Feedback Beeps for scan amp activation and volume and color of scanning cursor Patterns Defines the scanning patterns scan SDB option Prompts Defines the prompt destination speaker earphone Prompt type Prompt Substitution and Earphone Volume 10 2 Switch Input If external switches are required for a selection site plug the switch in either the switch A or switch B connector on the right side panel of the device Another option would be to use the screen of the device as a switch see below The Switch is not automatically detected therefore the Menu items need selected to match the switch
11. Start with activating the Edit mode See section Going into Edit mode e Open the page you want to duplicate e Tap the Edit menu e Choose Modify Vocabulary gt Create gt Duplicate Page e Type in anew name for the Page and choose Save The duplicated page will be added to the library resource list under this name 5 27 Creating page from template Saltillo has provided some keyboard page templates available in your library you can create a new page using a one of these templates or you can create templates of your own to use To create a template e Create page to use as a template this may contain just the common buttons wanted on each page e Right click on the page push and hold if using the device e Choose Page e Choose Set Page As Template ALT CHAT provides two similar ways to create a page from templates e In Edit mode simply tap on the Edit menu DesktopChat File Edit View Help w Edit mode Modify Vocabulary j New Page eda Edit Duplicate Page Abbreviations Rename d New Page from Template E S Import Pages Pronunciations New Button l New Button from Template General Settings Advanced Settings Switch Settings Speech off w Add space Automatic Capitalization e Choose Modify Vocabulary gt Create gt New Page from Template After about a second you ll see the popup resource browser with the currently available page templates e Select a page template and t
12. and combine it with a navigation action that will send the system to a page with beverage items Tap on a Speak Message button and hold the stylus to open the button menu options Choose the Edit Button option a pop up window will display the current button properties Type your message i e Would you like some in the message box Select the Actions tab in the Button properties window Use the drop down list to select the action Choose Clear Display and select Add Use the drop down list to select the action If you set this action to Navigate or Visit you can then set the destination page using the pop up Pages list In our beverage example we might have preferred to use a Visit action rather than Navigate after selecting the beverage item we d be sent back to the page we started on the page with the Would you like some button Tap OK in the bottom left corner of the button properties window Other combinations of actions may eliminate the amount of hits a device user needs to use and other combinations could eliminate some cognitive load required when navigating through the vocabulary pages ALT Chat Rev 1 50 6 Library Management and Backup e Export Import to ALT CHAT if using DesktopChat e Backing Up Your Vocabulary Files 6 1 Export Import to ALT CHAT if using DesktopChat gt The DesktopChat allows you to create and modify vocabulary files on your Windows PC To exchange vocabulary files
13. are available e Screen Calibration adjusts the touch screen if your device is not responding accurately to screen taps To do so tap the Screen Calibration button Choose Screen Calibration tab Recalibrate the touch screen by following the on screen instructions e Backlight set the screen brightness e Input configure the on screen mini keyboard the word completion options writing and recording options e Clock adjusts time and alarm settings e Power displays the remaining capacity of the battery Automatic dimming and power down times can be set under this option ALT Chat Rev 1 57 7 6 Hardware Keys The ALT CHAT has some hardware keys along the top of the front of the device While running ALT CHAT they can provide additional buttons for performing system functions Setup of the Hardware Keys is done in the Advanced Settings menu o Choose Edit gt General Settings Choose the Advanced tab Check Advanced Settings Choose Edit gt Advanced Settings Scroll to the right and choose the Hardware Keys tab O O O The T O button is dedicated to powering on and off the device The Tools button is dedicated to entering and exiting full screen view Buttons 1 and 2 can be set to perform any of the following actions No operation Clear Display Navigate to Home Navigate Back Stop Volume Up Down Toggle Resume When finished setting the Hardware Keys choose OK in upper right corner ALT Chat Rev 1 58
14. button that speaks You can place a new button on the page in two ways Make sure the Edit mode is active Select the Edit menu from the menu bar Choose Modify Vocabulary Choose the Create menu item Choose New Button DesktopChat File Edit View Help w Edit mode i C Modify Vocabulary d Mew Page inm Abbreviati Edit t Duplicate Page reviations Rename d New Page from Template Import Pages New Button from Template General Settings Advanced Settings Switch Settings Speech off w Add space Automatic Capitalization ALT Chat Rev 1 25 or e Tap on the page and hold the stylus or right click anywhere on the page if using DesktopChat to call up the menu options e Choose Create New Button option DesktopChat File Edit View Help spaghetti Create New Button macaroni rigatoni Create New Button from Template Add Button From Library Change Button Size Paste Button Use Same Button Both ways will call a general properties dialog to pop up Add Cancel General Style Actions General properties Wessage mage search Browse Remove Import __Name_ Visible I7 Enabled This dialog screen will request information about the new button To create a Speak Message in the General tab specify the following properties of the button gt Enter Label to be displayed on the button If there is a picture on the button the label text will appear at the bottom o
15. device uses NeoSpeech for speech synthesis so speech will sound differently on your PC Any of these can be chosen and explored by highlighting one and choosing it Explore the page and button organization by choosing the buttons Buttons with arrows in the corners will move to new pages As you explore the page layouts consider if one of these might work as a starting point for the intended device user PalmChat 4x9 is a Word based layout using 36 buttons per page 16 Basic is set up with 16 buttons per page and intended to be very generic Primary 3x6 has 18 buttons and is intended for school age individuals Saltillo Sampler is just a sample of possible button layouts and not intended to support anyone s language needs A description of the Vocab PC is included in the back of this User s Guide different colored paper This tour guide describes the users the author was working with and provides rationales and teaching support for VocabPC myCore is a clever fusion of core and phrase based vocabulary geared toward literate AAC users myQuickChat is an introductory communication system geared toward child and adult AAC users with complex communication needs myQuickChat is available for both kids and adults in 4 8 and 12 locations each with an identical 16 location Support Master Home Page myQuickChat was created to offer a high frequency phrase based communication system in a easy to use yet very engaging format The progressive system offe
16. file page button etc Renaming a Vocabulary File or Page e Open the vocabulary file or page needing renamed The machine assumes you are renaming the currently open Vocab File or Page e Activate the Edit mode See section Going into Edit mode e Tap on the Edit menu e Choose Modify Vocabulary gt Rename gt Vocab File or Page DesktopChat File Edit View Help w Edit mode vee Edit Abbreviation a vocab file Pronunciations Button General Settings Image Advanced Settings Switch Settings Speech off w Add space w Automatic Capitalization oF a ALT Chat Rev 1 48 e Enter the new name in the text box by using the keyboard of your ALT CHAT e Tap on the Save button to finish the operation Renaming a Button Picture or Sound e Activate the Edit mode See section Going into Edit mode e Tap on the Edit menu e Choose Modify Vocabulary gt Rename Choose a resource e Select a resource to rename by browsing through the listing of folders e Tap on the Choose button A Rename dialog will pop up and request the new resource name e Enter the new name in the text box by using the keyboard of your ALT CHAT e Tap on the Rename button to finish the operation The resource name will be changed only in the resource library list 5 35 Deleting a resource vocab file page button etc You can delete buttons and pages through the context menu options To delete a button thro
17. has popup menus to help you with editing In Edit mode simply right click DesktopChat or tap on a button and hold the stylus de vice against the screen without moving After about a second you ll see the popup menu Remember not to move the stylus or you Il start a drag and drop operation Once the popup menu is open select Copy Button to copy the contents of the current button into a clipboard Once you ve copied a button you can move to another button or to another page and select Paste Button As you d expect the contents of the button general properties style actions you copied will appear Be careful there s no way to undo a paste operation 5 21 2 Copy Use Same Button When using the Copy Paste function a copy of the original button is made When using Copy Use Same Button the same button is used in both places This feature allows for the same button to be used on multiple pages and changing one of the buttons changes them all 5 21 3 Button Templates No Button Templates have been provided But a button template can be created and used over and over Create a button and do the following to set it as a template Right click push amp hold on the button Choose Set Button As Template To reuse the button Right click push amp hold on the location to place the copy of button template Choose Create Button from Template both the original and the reference 5 22 Copying and pasting button style If
18. image Browsing for Icons is also available Choosing Browse from the Image area provides a listing of categories to choose from as an alternative way to find the most appropriate icon for the button Open the category with a single tap and then tapping on the icon name provides a preview of the icon prior to making your selection W Resource browser Choose Close Resource browser a Celebrations and Events 48 Clothing and Accessories SS apron 1 MJ 3 backpack MJ gy bathing suit MJ a2 belt MJ Se belt MJ D belt MJ ee Bih kdi ALT Chat Rev 1 28 A button preview will be presented in the preview slot of the General Properties screen Select the OK button to save the image to the button or if this button appearance does not meet your expectations tap the Remove button to remove the image from the button If you find that the symbol you need is not available within the existing ALT CHAT symbol library you can create your own symbol using a graphics program on your PC and then importing that image directly into your configuration Using the DesktopChat program it is possible to use your own digital pictures scanned pictures downloaded images or homemade symbols on any button To include a picture not in the ALT CHAT library e The DesktopChat program must be pre installed on the computer you plan to use to import the picture section 3 The picture or pictures you want to use must also be on this same computer O
19. position Use the Choose Switch Settings from the Edit Menu Set the Selection Method to One Switch Choose the mode of scan that is most appropriate Row Column will scan down through the rows and then scan the selected row with a tap of the screen Linear starts scanning left to right across each row and Circular starts in the upper left toward the right and then starts the next row in the right and goes to the left Check Scanning On Check any other options that may be appropriate o lLatched scanning requires a switch activation to start the scan and then it continues to scan through each item until the next switch activation makes a selection With Latched Scanning Off a switch activation is required to move the scan through each button one at a time o Skip Empty Cells will skip over a cell without a button o Activate on Release makes the actual activation when the switch is released instead of activating immediately upon the push o With Reverse Direction selected the direction of the scan will be from right to left instead of left to right Choose Switch Setup and check the corresponding jacks The jacks are labeled on the edge of the device If using an external single switch choose the corresponding letter If using two switches check the corresponding jack of the switch you want to use to Advance the scan and to make a selection other tabs to modify the scanning options to meet the device user s specific needs ALT
20. properties will appear e Tap the Remove button to remove the currently set action Speech Message OK Cancel General Style Actions Button action Add Message to Display Add TimeDate to Display Battery status Backspace key Cancel Visit Caps Modifier e Choose the Speak Message Only action from the drop down action list This button will only pronounce the button message and will not display it e Tap the Add button next to the action list The action will appear in the preview slot e To complete the operation tap on the OK button Now the Speak Message button is transformed into a Speak Message Only button Perform the same steps to transform the new Speak Message Only button into a Speak Label Only The Speak Label Only button will only pronounce the button label Speech settings in General Settings Menu also determine how buttons are spoken see sections 7 4 amp 9 6 5 11 Modifying the way a button works with text Backspace key Add Message to Display Go into Edit mode to enable button modifications See section Going into Edit mode e Tap amp hold right click on a button you want to modify to open the menu options e Choose Edit Button A General Properties screen will appear e Tap on the Actions tab The button action properties will appear e Tap the Remove button to remove the currently set action ALT Chat Rev 1 31 Now you can modify the way a button works with text by setting a new button a
21. stored on the button Prompt Substitution If prompts are set to Label and the button doesn t have a label it will use whatever substitution is chosen here The Substitution is also used for Rows when Row Column Scanning Earphone Volume Determines how loud the prompt is when using an earphone or headset ALT Chat Rev 1 66 11 Troubleshooting 11 1 I don t have any Speech Sound The following items may be causing speech problems e Check the Edit gt Speech Off option and make sure it is not checked e View the speech options bring up the speech tab under the General Settings dialog from the Edit menu select General Settings e Review the voice settings to ensure they are correct and be sure the volume is towards the loud setting 11 2 Restarting the ALT CHAT If for any reason you don t see ALT CHAT running perform a soft reset 11 3 Finding and Loading Your Vocabulary File If the device user s vocabulary is not in place choose File gt Vocab File gt Load Vocab File and choose their vocabulary file from the listing If it isn t in the listing the vocabulary file will need to be copied from the thumb drive where it has been backed up 11 4 Soft Reset There may be times when the ALT HATF needs a soft reset If the software finds itself confused or if the touchscreen doesn t seem to be activating a soft reset may be needed To perform a soft reset e Turn the device On if it isn t already e Unbend a p
22. the list then tapping on the Delete button This abbreviation exception will be permanently deleted from the system so use caution when using this option To use the abbreviation open the keyboard page type the abbreviation followed by a period The abbreviation should automatically be expanded ALT Chat Rev 1 59 9 ALT CHAT Tools for Literacy 9 1 ALT CHAT Dictionaries ALT CHAT uses a Static Word and Character Prediction system You can choose among 10 000 30 000 amp 60 000 word dictionaries We have plans to include a Dynamic Word amp Character Prediction but it is not available at this time The dynamic word character dictionaries will keep a history of SDB words characters usage and create a library as it goes Some of the ALT CHAT keyboard pages are set up with pre defined Word Prediction buttons These buttons predict the next most probable word The prediction result is displayed in the display by tapping on any of the word prediction buttons see section 5 15 for setting up word or character prediction buttons 9 2 ALT CHAT Dictionary Editor ALT CHAT allows you to change some dictionary settings by using the Prediction settings menu e Activate the Edit Mode See section Going into Edit mode e Tap on the Edit menu e Choose Advanced Settings e The Prediction Settings properties will be displayed e Check the Enable Static Prediction box if you want to use a static word prediction dictionary Then check
23. the menus and the tool bar Allows the Display bar to resize with the keyboard Navigates you to a page of the current vocabulary file Forwards to the previously used page of the current vocabulary file Forwards to the next page of the current vocabulary file e Forwards to the very first page of the current vocabulary file the home page Navigates you to a registration dialog screen The registration number for the ALT HATF device can be found on the back of the device The registration number for DesktopChat can be found on the CD case that the DesktopChat software came in ALT Chat Rev 1 74 14 Care and Maintenance Your ALT CHAT device is intended for use in normal communication situations Your device is not waterproof so use extreme caution when using it around water As with most electronic devices you should never use ALT CHATF when you are actually in the water for example a pool or bath If you wish to clean the plastic and glass portions of your device use a cloth dampened with water or diluted window cleaning fluid Do not spray or splash liquid directly on the device For additional cleaning power moisten a clean cloth in a mixture of one part water and one part vinegar The ALT Chat batteries are designed specifically for this device If you have to replace your batteries they must come from Saltillo Call Saltillo to order new batteries or if you think you have a proble
24. the size of the static dictionary you choose to use e Not available at this time Check the Enable dynamic prediction box if you want to use a dynamic word prediction dictionary Enter number of words in the History field for example 10000 words Enter seconds in the Compile every field to set the time of compilation for example every five seconds In our example the dynamic word prediction dictionary will work with 10000 words and will update them every 5 seconds e Tap OK to apply the prediction settings 9 3 Character Prediction Dynamic Character Prediction is not available at this time The Static Character Prediction button will display the most probable character in compliance with the current character displayed in the SDB the assigned prediction order and the static character list used by the dictionary The dynamic character prediction uses the history created while you are using your ALT CHAT The Dynamic Character Prediction button will display the most probable character in compliance with the current character displayed in the SDB the assigned prediction order and the history used by the dictionary 9 4 Choosing to use a different Keyboard Saltillo has provided a number of keyboards throughout the system All of the Saltillo Keyboards are provided as a Template To use one of these keyboards e Go to Edit Mode and document the keyboard s name e Edit the button that currently navigates to the old keyboard e Choose
25. will close it This keyboard has been removed in ALT CHAT D models Note This keyboard is not intended for the device user to use Pages created with various keyboard layouts can be used for the device user 4 5 The Saltillo Provided Vocabulary Files ALT CHAT includes a variety of vocabulary files provided by Saltillo Corporation These may be used as a starting point for your own Vocabulary File or simply used as demonstration They are all labeled with Original in their file name myCore is a clever fusion of core and phrase based vocabulary geared toward literate AAC users Variations on the Alt Chat include various myCore options myQuickChat is an introductory communication system geared toward child and adult AAC users with complex communication needs myQuickChat is available for both kids and adults in 4 8 and 12 locations each with an identical 16 location Support Master Home Page myQuickChat was created to offer a high frequency phrase based communication system in a easy to use yet very engaging format The progressive system offers a variety of topics for everyday needs and conversation and provides AAC users immediate and more successful communication exchanges within a variety of settings Take some time to explore each of these files and see if one might be appropriate for the device user or get some ideas for creating your own Also in the very back of this binder gray pages there is a tour guide from the aut
26. you don t want to copy the graphics or text of a button but just want to copy its appearance body color border color font color and font the features you can set on the Style tab of the Button Properties Dialog you can use the Copy Button Style option ALT Chat Rev 1 42 e In Edit mode See section Going into Edit mode tap on a button and hold the stylus or your finger against the screen without moving After about a second you ll see the popup menu e Select Copy Button Style The style of the current button will be copied into a clipboard e Move to another button and open the popup menu and select Paste Button Style e As you d expect the style of the button body color border color font color ect you copied will apply to the target button 5 23 Changing the size of a button If you want to change the size of a button go into Edit mode to enable button modifications See section Going into Edit mode Now you can change the button size by e Tapping on the desired button and hold the stylus to open the context menu options e Choosing the Change Button Size option a pop up window will display the button Cell properties E Cell propeties OK Cancel Cell span Span Horizontal Vertical e Use the Cell Span dialog to change the size of the button The horizontal and vertical span sizes of the selected cell are in compliance with the button box size e Finally tap the OK button in the bottom le
27. ALT CHAT User s Guide Powered by NeoSpeech Text to Speech Technology N Saltillo Saltillo Corporation 2143 Township Road 112 Millersburg OH 44654 Phone 1 800 382 8622 Fax 330 674 6726 Email service saltillo com Copyright Information ALT CHAT and VocabPC are trademarks of Saltillo Corporation Macintosh is registered trademark of Apple Computer Inc Microsoft and Windows are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and or other countries Neospeech is a trademark of Neospeech Inc PCS Symbols illustrations are copyright of Mayer Johnson Co SpringBoard Lite is trademark of Prentke Romich Company Storage Card is a registered trademark of SanDisk Corporation All other product and company names mentioned herein may be the trademark of their respective owners Palmchat is copyright of Inman Innovations Mycore is copyright of Talk To Me Technologies My QuickChat 12 Adult is copyright of Talk To Me Technologies My Quickchat 12 Child is copyright of Talk To Me Technologies My QuickChat 8 Adult is copyright of Talk To Me Technologies My Quickchat 8 Child is copyright of Talk To Me Technologies My Quickchat 4 Child is copyright of Talk To Me Technologies DesktopChat CD Saltillo s DesktopChat software CD contains three applications DesktopChat owned by Saltillo Corporation Microsoft Voices owned by Microsoft Corporation Microsoft s agree
28. Chat Rev 1 63 Using the Touchscreen to Scan There are times when a device user isn t capable of activating specific areas on the screen 1 e maybe doesn t have the pointing skills to hit one button Using the touchscreen to scan allows the device user to tap anywhere on the front of the screen to initiate a scan of the buttons Scanning is typically only used if the device user can t activate a specific button on a page and needs one specific target In this scenario the front screen of the device can act as a single switch To set up the Touchscreen to Scan e Choose Switch Settings from the Edit Menu e Set the Selection Method to One Switch e Choose the mode of scan that is most appropriate Row Column will scan down through the rows and then scan the selected row with a tap of the screen Linear starts scanning left to right across each row and Circular starts in the upper left toward the right and then starts the next row in the right and goes to the left e Check Scanning On e Check any other options that may be appropriate o Latched scanning requires a screen tap to start the scan and then it continues to scan through each item until the next screen tap makes a selection With Latched Scanning Off a screen tap is required to move the scan through each button one at a time o Skip Empty Cells will skip over a cell without a button o Activate on Release makes the actual activation when the finger or stylus is rel
29. Copy Button Style Save to file Paste Button e Use Same Button lear Faste Button Style Stop Set Button As Template Re record Sound Remove Button From Page Delete Button Permanently E You can access menu items using the touch screen either with the stylus or your finger Tap on the menu name Once the menu appears tap on the selection you want Fage b Note If the menus do not appear at the bottom of the display of the device the ALT CHAT has been set to full screen mode To exit Full Screen mode press the tools button on the front of the device ALT Chat Rev 1 19 4 4 Toolbar The tool bar to the right of the menu bar provides a quick way to access some of the more common menu items as well as providing additional functionality The Left Arrow button allows you to go back in the vocabulary file The Right Arrow button performs a forward action in the vocabulary file The Home button navigates you to the home page of the vocabulary file Finally to stop speech while still speaking tap the Stop button a Edit View Help oO ey a LS Meru Ls Speaking e Back Horre Go Forward While in Edit Mode there are various times when the programmer needs to use a keyboard for naming pages naming buttons or typing in vocabulary The Editing keyboard can be opened and closed by tapping on the small picture of the Keyboard Tapping it once will open the keyboard and tapping it again
30. Duplicate Page Dboreviatons Rename d Mew Page from Template E Import Pages fs Pronunciations New Button l Mew Button from Template General Settings Advanced Settings Switch Settings Speech off w Add space W Automatic Capitalization Or you can tap and hold the stylus in your Vocabulary Window current page to see the Editing Menus e Choose Page e Choose Create New Page ALT Chat Rev 1 23 DesktopChat File Edit View Help spaghetti Create Button Change Button Size Copy Button Copy Button Style Paste Button Use Same Button Paste Button Style Set Button As Template Re record Sound Remove Button From Page Delete Button Permanently Button Box Layout Set as Home of the Current Vocab File Create New Page from Template Delete Set Page As Template Load page A dialog will pop up and request information about the new page Page names are important for vocabulary files with multiple pages since they provide a way to navigate from one page to another If you want to give the page a more descriptive name like Food or Medical care enter this name in the Name box Create Close Create a new page Name ED eerie Rows 4 Columns 4 ALT Chat Rev 1 24 You will also have to select the number of rows and columns that appear on the page The available grid sizes range from 1x1 up to 19x19 Most pages are designed for use with pic
31. HAT to shut down w p Modify Vocab Create Creates a new page in the current vocabulary file Duplicate Creates a copy of a selected page If the selected Page page is linked to other resources they will be duplicated recursively Files New Page If any templates have been created this option allows from you to make a copy of the template Template Duplicate Creates a copy of a selected button If the selected Button button is linked to other resources they will be duplicated recursively New Button If any templates have been created this option allows from you to make a copy of the template Template Rename Vocab File Renames a selected vocabulary file in the list of Neen aale ie aaa E ALT Chat Rev 1 72 ii all abbreviations pronunciations Navigates you to a dialog for managing Timing Style SDB and Voice settings Cursor Show Determines a delay after the release of a button optional menu will appear when selecting the speech An option to enable disable the advanced settings menu Pronunciations General Settings before the next one will be selected Activate on In Selection Release mode you can touch anywhere Release on the screen and drag your finger or stylus around until you are on the button you want Releasing on the desired button will select it Button Modifiers are the small arrows in the corners Modifiers these options modify their appearance Gradient F
32. Maker Beep_L wav MSBuild d Beep_N wav i Been wa d Napster _ ChatPC3 c4l db NCH Software z Ji NCH Swift Sound DesktopChat SE exe dJi NetWaiting Se d Norton AntiVirus a ut NortonInstaller ia ie ict d O2Micro Flash Merr x j d Parallax Inc Li Nrege lj Is 1 Real _ irregular ls d Reference Assembli a main lua J Saltillo MSIMG32 dll d Saltillo Corporation sf pron det jo a L lal DS ADT U 28 items e Open DesktopChat Views i Burn W Compatibility Files M 6 18 2008 12 54 PM 6 18 2008 12 06 PM 6 18 2008 12 06 PM 6 18 2008 12 06 PM 6 18 2008 12 06 PM 6 18 2008 12 06 PM 6 18 2008 12 06 PM 2 26 2009 1 28 PM 4 13 2008 7 11 PM 2 20 2009 9 12 PM 2 25 2009 1 29 PM 2 25 2009 1 42 PM 2 25 2009 2 08 PM 6 18 2008 1 13 PM 6 18 2008 12 07 PM 6 18 2008 12 07 PM 6 18 2008 12 39 PM 4 13 2008 7 11 PM 6 18 2008 12 54 PM AS12 2008 7 12 DKA me JF J Q004682V03 C Program Files Saltillo Corporation DesktopChat SE gt Wave Sound Wave Sound Wave Sound Wave Sound Wave Sound Wave Sound CAL File Application Extens Application DICT File DICT File DICT File Rich Text Format LS File LS File LUA File Application Extens Adobe Illustrator Annlication Evtenc 1 KB 117 KB 117 KB 117 KB 2 KB 2 KB 2 KB 21 931 KB 271 KB 1 972 KB 3 496 KB 13 228 KB 26 953 KB 23 KB 1 KB 9 KB 1 KB 5 KB 1 KB 232 KP e Go to File gt Vo
33. Original 8 52 67 69 Pages 23 25 39 41 43 47 Creating 23 25 45 46 Deleting 49 Editing 47 Resizing 43 PalmChat 8 end of this manual Paste buttons 20 42 43 45 47 Picture 27 29 44 69 Adding 27 29 Digital 69 Background 44 PocketPC 55 56 Power 6 9 12 15 16 57 58 68 Auto Power Down 57 68 Batteries 6 12 16 Button 9 16 On Off 15 Troubleshooting 68 Printing Pages 52 Pronunciations 57 Recordings 9 34 36 Registration 7 Remove 49 Rename 48 49 Reset 10 67 Run Mode 17 22 Saltillo contact 71 Scanning 63 66 Auditory 66 SDB 14 17 18 31 33 56 67 Secure Digital Card Slot 12 ALT Chat Rev 1 78 Shift 54 Size 8 30 43 56 73 Buttons 43 Desktop 8 Display 73 Font 30 56 Sounds 65 67 Speech 56 61 Speech Display Bar SDB 14 17 18 31 33 56 67 Stand 10 Strap 13 Style 30 56 Support 71 Switch Connectors 11 Technical Support 71 Templates 45 46 Text Window 14 18 Time Date 39 Timing 65 73 Toolbar 14 19 20 67 Touchscreen 14 55 57 68 Screen Calibration 57 Transfer 46 51 69 Troubleshooting 67 70 USB Port 11 Visit 41 42 Exceptions 42 Vista 70 Visual Scene 44 Vocabulary File 17 20 22 50 67 72 Create 22 47 48 Delete 49 72 Saltillo provided 20 Open 22 Modifying 22 50 Volume 37 Windows 55 56 70 Wheelchair Mounting Plate 10 Word Prediction 37 38 60 61 Warranty 76 ALT Chat Rev 1 719
34. akes voices thick and harsh e High makes voices thin and high e Soft Loud adjusts the volume loudness of the synthetic speech ALT Chat Rev 1 56 7 4 2 Pronunciation Editor To change the way a word is pronounced by the speech synthesizer select Edit gt Pronunciations and the Pronunciations dialog will be displayed ALT CHAT uses Neospeech speech synthesis to provide you with your voice The program knows how to pronounce most words but you ll occasionally find words that are mispronounced To modify pronunciation of these words you can use the Pronunciation editor which stores information on their correct pronunciations in a pronunciation list You can create edit and delete the word pronunciation list using the Pronunciation Editor To access the Pronunciation Editor e Tap on the Edit menu e Choose Pronunciations To create a new pronunciation for a word tap the New button A new pop up dialog will appear Tapping the Pronounce slot will trigger the keyboard Use the keyboard to type the word for which you want to specify a new pronunciation in the slot labeled Pronounce The word cannot contain any spaces or punctuation other than hyphens or apostrophes Then spell out the pronunciation in the slot labeled Pronounce As i e enter ALT CHAT in the Pronounce box and enter Chat P C in the Pronounce As box Adding spaces between the word chat and the letter P and the letter C corrects the pronunciation or you could enter Cha
35. and other important information between your DesktopChat and your ALT CHAT device you will need the USB thumb drive that came with your system To Export a Vocabulary File from your PC to your ALT CHAT device e Choose DesktopChat shortcut and open the program Connect the USB thumb drive to your computer Go to the File Menu on the DesktopChat and choose Export Choose to save the vocabulary to the USB drive Choose a PC vocabulary file you want to export from the drop down list The vocabulary file you selected will be highlighted e Then click the Export button All of the vocabulary files components including custom images and sound files will be exported to the ALT CHAT device This may take some time e When finished remove the USB drive from the computer and attach to the device e Within 90 seconds the ALT CHAT will start receiving the file You will see a progress bar on the screen e When finished choose File gt Vocab File gt Load Vocab File Depending upon the size of the vocabulary file and number of custom images and sounds it uses the import can take just a few seconds or it can take several minutes When the import is complete the exported vocabulary file will appear in the ALT HAT under the File gt Load Vocab Files list on the device You can use the DesktopChat to modify vocabulary files created on your ALT CHAT device but there are times that changes need to be made directly to the device I
36. ap on the Actions tab Use the drop down list to select the Record Audio action Hit the Add button next to the actions list A dialog for selecting the sound file in wav format will Pop up WAWY properties WAWY resource Choose the Use a Resource option Choose the sound file that has been created for the Play Audio button that will play this recording it will be listing the My Sounds folder Highlight the sound file and select Choose Choose Apply Finish creating your Recording button by adding a picture label or both Test the button action by selecting the Record button and making a recording Then move to the page with the Play Audio button and when selected it should play the new recording ALT Chat Rev 1 36 5 15 Controlling speech and audio Volume Up Volume Down Toggle mute unmute Volume control actions and a mute unmute action can be added to buttons within pages Use section 5 4 to navigate to the button properties dialog Choose the Actions tab and select an action and choose Add Brief descriptions of each type of action are provided below e Choose a Volume Up button to increase a system volume when the button is tapped e Choose a Volume Down button to decrease a system volume when the button is tapped e Choose a Toggle mute unmute button to temporarily mute speech and unmute with second button activation OK Cancel General Style Actions Button action Add 2d h Add
37. ap the Choose button Or e In Edit mode tap on your current page and right click or hold the stylus device against the screen without moving The popup menu will appear ALT Chat Rev 1 45 DesktopChat File Edit View Help Create New Button Create New Button from Template Add Button From Library Change Button Size Paste Button Use Same Button FA l ES Add to Current Vocab File Set as Home of the Current Vocab File Create New Page Create New Page from Template Delete Set Page As Template Load page Select Page gt Create New Page from Template A Resource browser will list the available page templates Select a page template and tap the Choose button Both operations will return you to edit mode on the new page In addition the new page will be added to the library resource list as a copy of the template 5 28 Importing a page to a Vocabulary file There are times that borrowing already created pages could be a time saver and quite advantageous for the device user s vocabulary file To bring pages from one vocabulary file to another Start with going into Edit Mode See section Going into Edit mode 5 2 Select Edit gt Modify Vocabulary gt Import Pages A list of the vocabulary files will appear Open the folder where the pages are stored Select the page or pages you wish to import then tap Choose 5 29 Setting a home page of a Vocabulary file
38. aper clip and poke it into the reset button located on the back of the device SSS Reset Button Fi E H You will then see the system step through a variety of screens No activations should be necessary during this process It will take some time but the ALT CHAT software will re load on its own 11 5 Toolbar and Menus are missing If the Toolbar and Menus typically at the bottom of the screen are missing and the vocabulary pages are still in place the device has been put into a mode called Full Screen This is typically done to eliminate the device user from accidentally choosing Menu items To exit Full Screen Mode Push the Tools button on the top front of the device 11 6 Text Window is missing or how to hide it The ALT CHAT is shipped with a text window SDB showing at the top of the screen This typically displays the text as it is being spoken This display can be hidden with a menu setting in the General Settings To make it visible again Choose the Edit Menu Choose General Settings Choose the Speech Display Bar tab Check the Visible Box ALT Chat Rev 1 67 If the Visible option is checked and you still don t see the display it may have been resized to a very small size To resize the Display e Make sure you are in Edit Mode e Choose Edit gt General Settings gt Speech Display Bar tab and change the SDB height default is 26 pts 11 7 The ALT CHAT turns Off by itself There is a featur
39. by a qualified person Failure to install the mounting system according to the manufacturer s instructions may result in an injury to the user Saltillo Corporation assumes no responsibility for any loss or claims by third parties which may arise through the use of this product Saltillo Corporation assumes no responsibility for any damage or loss caused by the deletion of data as a result of malfunction repairs or battery replacement Be sure to back up all important data on other media your computer to protect against its loss ALT Chat Rev 1 2 Table of Contents Welcome to your new ALT CHAT Charging the battery of your new ALT CHAT 2 1 Checking Battery Status Installing DesktopChat Ball Wihivalsetihe Desktop lat csenaceean serum sekeer conser E ant anes ae ees Installation Instructions 3 3 Ensure Proper Installation 3 4 Differences Between the ALT CHAT Device and the DesktopChat Getting Started 4 1 Turning on Power on your ALT CHAT 4 2 About the Terminology 4 3 Menus 4 4 Toolbar 4 5 The Saltillo Provided Vocabulary Files Modifying a Vocabulary File on the ALT CHAT 5 1 Open an existing Vocabulary File 5 2 Going into Edit mode 5 3 Creating a new page 5 4 Button Properties 5 5 Creating a button that speaks 5 6 Change button label message 5 7 Adding or editing a button s image 5 8 Modifying accessibility of a button Enabled Visibility 5 9 Modifying a button s style 5 10 Modifying the way a bu
40. cab File gt Load Vocab File Now the Saltillo provided vocabulary files should be in place ALT Chat Rev 1 70 12 Saltillo Tech Support Please feel free to email us at any time For general support of any kind use support saltillo com Contact us by phone Monday thru Friday 8 00 am 5 00 pm at 1 800 382 8622 Or visit our website any time at www saltillo com ALT Chat Rev 1 71 13 Reference Section 13 1 Cleaning Up and Deleting Vocabulary Files ALT CHAT provides two options for removing unused vocabulary files e The Clean Up option permanently deletes all unused unlinked resource items in a vocabulary file This option does not delete the vocabulary file itself but provides your device with a valuable storage space Use caution when using this option it will delete items Permanently e The Delete option removes permanently the selected vocabulary file and all resources linked to this file This is found by choosing File gt Vocab File gt Delete Vocab File 13 2 Table Based Description of all Menus and Menu Options Menu Menu Option Sub Menu Description Option Vocab File Load Vocab Loads a selected vocabulary file File New Vocab an Creates a new Vocabulary file Save Vocab Saves the current Vocabulary File with a new name File As File Delete Vocab Deletes a Vocabulary File permanently May take File more than an hour to do Exports manually the current vocabulary file to another computer Cause ALT C
41. cating that the software is in Edit Mode along with the name of the vocabulary file and the name of the current page yes no and Edit Mode Indicator 16 Basic Vocabtpa Important Note Always make sure that you have the current vocabulary from your ALT CHAT unit prior to making changes on the DesktopChat gt ALT Chat Rev 1 272 Editing Keyboard While in Edit Mode there are various times when the programmer needs to use a keyboard for naming pages naming buttons or typing in vocabulary The Editing keyboard can be opened and closed by tapping on the small picture of the Keyboard at the bottom of the screen Tapping it once will open the keyboard and tapping it again will close it File Edit View Help O m Key Board oOo Note This keyboard is not intended for the device user to use Pages created with various keyboard layouts can be used by the device user 5 3 Creating a new page Pages are levels of specific vocabulary linked together to create a vocabulary file specific to the device user There are two options for creating new pages duplicating an existing page or creating a new page from scratch To create a new page Go into Edit mode See section Going into Edit mode Select the Edit menu from the menu bar Choose Modify Vocabulary Choose the Create menu item Choose New Page DesktopChat File Edit View Help w Edit mode 4 fa Modify Vocabuiory PY Create gt NewPage i PEPE Edit
42. ction Choose the Backspace key action from the drop down action list This button will delete characters from the display text If you choose Add Message to Display action the button will type the message text on the display and won t speak it e Tap the Add button next to the action list to add the selected button action to the current button properties The action will appear in the preview slot e Tap on the OK button to complete the operation 5 12 Using buttons to modify the display Speak Stop Speak last Clear Display Clear last word You can use buttons to control the speaking options of the SDB You can either edit an existing button See any modifying section above or you can create a new button See section 5 4 with the following button actions e A Speak button will pronounce the display content e A Stop button will cease the pronunciation of the display content e lt A Speak last button will pronounce the last display content e A Clear Display button will delete the display content e A Clear last word button will delete the last word displayed in the text window 5 13 Loading and saving display text from and to a file Load Display Save Display This feature is handy when you want to save the display content and use it later Simply navigate to the Button properties window See section 5 4 e Tap on the Actions tab Use the drop down list to select the Save Display action e Hit the Add button next to the ac
43. e Tap and Hold in the Show Menu section of the menu Simply tap on your display and hold the stylus to call up the menu options Then choose Load from file or Save to file Speak Speak all Speak last Speak cursor Load from file Save to file Clear Stop ALT Chat Rev 1 33 5 14 Recording and playing audio Play audio Record Audio Play record audio buttons allow you to record and play digital sounds on your ALT CHAT device A button that contains the action Play Audio will speak the recording when selected from a page A button that contains the action Record Audio will now provide an opportunity for the device user family or professional support to record a message without Exiting Full Screen Mode and without entering Edit Mode This is often used by a teacher at the end of the day to record a message quickly to be replayed later by the family The microphone is located on the front of the ALT HAT The voice of the individual doing the recording needs to be directed toward the Microphone If you are unsatisfied with the recording using the built in microphone there is a jack on the right edge of the device for plugging in a remote microphone of your choosing There is a limit of 45 seconds per recording To record the best digitized speech you may want to practice a bit with different speaking volumes and distances from the microphone Create a Play Audio button e Navigate to the button properties window see section 5 4
44. e that automatically shuts the device off after a set amount of time with no activations to conserve the battery in the system To adjust this time e Choose Edit Menu Choose General Settings Choose Advanced Tab Check Advanced Settings Choose OK Choose Edit Menu Choose Advanced Settings Choose System tab Choose Power Adjust the Power Settings 11 8 The screen is too dark e Choose Edit Menu Choose General Settings Choose Advanced Tab Check Advanced Settings Choose OK Choose Edit Menu Choose Advanced Settings Choose System tab Choose Backlight Adjust the backlight settings 11 9 The screen is not responding Sometimes a crumb can be stuck between the casing of the ALT CHAT and the front screen and it can keep the touchscreen from activating To free the crumb take a corner of a piece of paper and slide it between the case and the touchscreen Do this around all four sides The paper should slide freely the entire way around the screen If the screen continues not to respond perform a soft reset see above 11 10 If the vocabulary buttons don t activate but the menus do ALT CHAT has been provided with settings to modify how the touchscreen responds whenever a button is pressed This is necessary to eliminate accidental double activations etc Prior to making any changes to the settings make sure that they haven t been intentionally set up in this manner by an Occupational or Physical Therapist To change the touchscreen
45. eased from the screen instead of activating immediately upon the push o With Reverse Direction selected the direction of the scan will be from right to left instead of left to right e Choose Switch Setup and check Use as a switch in the Touch screen option Use the other tabs to modify the scanning options to meet the device user s specific needs Scan Mode Row Column The scan highlights each row of buttons beginning with the top row and moving down the screen When the row that contains the button you want is highlighted activate your switch The scan will highlight the separate columns in the row you selected moving from left to right across the screen When the button you want is highlighted activate your switch Linear Step through the keys from left to right across the rows Circular Step through the keys from left to right across the top row and then right to left across the next row Scanning On Check this option to turn the scanning option On Uncheck Scanning On to turn scanning off Note The keyboard is accessible by direct select regardless if Scanning is On or Off as long as Use Screen as Switch isn t checked in the Switch Setup menu Latched Scan If Latched Scan is On the scan will continue to scan after the switch has been chosen and released Latched Scanning off requires the switch to be held to keep the scan moving Skip Empty Cells Empty cells are buttons that haven t been created yet I
46. ent Control modifier activates the Control modifier field in the Button Sets Not available at this time Displays the most probable word in compliance with the current characters displayed in the SDB the assigned prediction order and the dynamic word list used by the dictionary complier The Prediction Style and the Prediction Order can be adjusted additionally See Button tab features Not available at this ttme Displays the most probable character in compliance with the current character displayed in the SDB the assigned prediction order and the dynamic character list used by the dictionary complier The Prediction Style and the Prediction Order can be adjusted additionally See Button tab features Recalls text that had been saved to a text file and adds it to the Display Forwards to a previously predefined page Forwards to the previously used page Forwards to the very first page of the current CM the home page Performs no operation Num modifier activates the Num Lock modifier field in the Button Sets Opens the specified Microsoft Application 1 e Word viewer Solitaire Not ALT Chat Rev 1 53 Button name Play audio Record Audio Repeat Last Spoken Save Display Shift modifier Speak Speak Last Speak Label Only Speak Message Only Speech message Static Character Prediction SCP Static Word Prediction SWP Stop Store text to button Toggle mute unmute Visit Visit Exception Volume down
47. ever turn Off unless you press the I O button on the top of the case If you forget that you turned Auto Power Down to Off and the device never goes Off the batteries will eventually go dead Troubleshooting Tip If your device does not turn off or come back on as you expect it to charge your battery and then push the reset button if the power button still doesn t work ALT Chat Rev 1 15 About the Batteries ic use the battery charger that came with your device Any other charger may damage your batteries At the end of each day the device should be plugged in to ensure that the batteries are fully charged for the next day A complete recharge only takes about 4 hours but since it is impossible to overcharge the batteries you can safely leave the device plugged in whenever you are not using it Checking Battery Status To check the current status of the battery e Choose Edit Menu e Choose Advanced Settings if not highlighted choose General Settings gt Advanced tab and check Advanced e Choose System tab e Choose Power Learn to create a button that checks the battery status in section 5 17 Low Battery Warning When the batteries in your device get low a Low Battery message The remaining battery capacity is low Please charge the batteries soon appears on the screen While Low Battery you can no longer do any editing When the batteries are dead the device powers down completely and you cannot
48. f Skip Empty Cells is checked the scan will skip over these cells to save time when scanning ALT Chat Rev 1 64 10 3 Scan Timing Acceptance Time The amount of time you must hold your switch down before the button you have scanned to is accepted For example if you set acceptance time for 50 seconds you must activate and hold your switch for 1 2 second before the key will be selected Release Time This determines how long to wait after the switch 1s released before it will accept another activation with the same button or switch For example if you set the Release Time for second you must wait one second after you release the switch before you can continue to scan or activate your switch If you release your switch and then accidentally activate it again before the release time has passed your device will not activate This feature helps eliminate inadvertent double hits Scanning Speed This is the amount of time it takes for your device to move from one button row or column to the next in a scan The default scanning speed is one second This means it takes one second from the time one key is highlighted until the next key is highlighted Number of Rescans Select the number of times you want your device to automatically scan the page The default is 3 times then the scan will stop until a switch is activated again Initial Delays Initial delays happen after the switch activation starts the scan but before the area defined I
49. f an initial delay is set for Rows prior to the system starting the scan of rows the system will delay the set amount Activation Delay This gives a chance to change your mind when you have selected a button This 1s automatically set to your Scanning Speed For example let s say your scanning speed is set to one second 1 0 You scan to and select a button then realize it s not the button you want You have one second to activate your switch again to de select the button and then scan to a new button 10 4 Scan Options Activation Beep and Scan Beep The Activation Scan Beep is the beep you hear when you press or scan to a key The default is On You can select the volume Checking or unchecking the box turns the beep on or off If On checked then the volume can be set to quiet normal or loud Scanning Cursor The Scan Cursor highlights the scan position The color of the button outline defaults to red but can be changed by choosing the color palette in the Scan Box option and choosing the preferred color Invert Selection will be a future option Auto Repeat This lets you choose how fast a key will repeat itself when you hold it down ALT Chat Rev 1 65 Checking or unchecking the box turns the auto repeat function on or off If On checked then the timing can be modified from betw 1 to 10 seconds Auto Repeat Delay is how long the button must be held prior to it starting to repeat and then the Auto Repeat Rate determi
50. f the button If there is no picture the text will be centered in the button label position can be changed in the Style tab gt Ifthe spoken message is different than the label type the message into the message box ALT Chat Rev 1 26 See Section 5 7 for adding images to buttons Each new button defaults to contain an Action of Speech Message Tap OK and a Speak Message button is added to the page These steps apply to all types of buttons 5 6 Change button label message Regardless of a button s action you can always edit it s label or message text Simply go into Edit mode See section Going into Edit mode and tap amp hold on the button right click if using DesktopChat This evokes the context menu options Choose Edit Button option The General Properties will appear so that you can edit the button Now you can edit the current button label and or message by entering text in the Label slot and the Message slot respectively Tap the Ok button to apply your changes to the button 5 7 Adding or editing a buttons image In an attempt to make the ALT HAT device perform as efficiently as possible Saltillo has only a limited number of symbols available for programming Using the DesktopChat for programming is suggested whenever possible The DesktopChat provides most Mayer Johnson PCS sets and the Imagine Symbols Button images can be added or edited only in Edit mode e Tap and hold the stylus on the Speak Message but
51. f this happens prior to making additional changes to your vocabulary file on DesktopChat transfer the vocabulary files from your ALT CHAT to your PC To Export a Vocabulary File from ALT CHATF device to your PC e Connect the USB thumb drive to the right side of the device e Goto the File Menu on the ALT CHATF device e Goto Export e Choose a vocabulary file you want to export from a drop down list The vocabulary file you selected will be highlighted e Then click the Export button All of the vocabulary files components including custom images and sound files will be exported to the thumb drive e When finished unplug the thumb drive from the device and plug it into your computer e Within 90 seconds the DesktopChat will start receiving the file e When finished choose File gt Vocab File gt Load Vocab File The exported vocabulary files will be imported into your DesktopChat gt Important Note Although we have tried to make ALT CHAT as reliable as possible there is always a possibility that your customized vocabulary files could be lost Please always keep a copy of your vocabulary on your DesktopChat ALT Chat Rev 1 51 6 2 Backing up your library ALT CHAT provides a means to keep a back up of the systems library on the device itself It is recommended that you always keep a back up on a separate computer in addition to this backup Once you ve made changes to your library choose File gt Library
52. ft corner of the screen The button cell is spanned to fit the new size 5 24 Moving through pages ALT CHAT provides multiple ways for moving through pages e By using navigation buttons See section Navigating through pages using buttons Icons e By using the tool bar options The left arrow button of the toolbar allows you to return to the page that you were on previously The right arrow button forwards you to the next page The House navigates you to the home page of the vocabulary file ALT Chat Rev 1 43 Menus Choose the Go To option from the View menu You can then select among DesktopChat File Edit View Help Screen F Print Back Forward B f Home page o Page a pop up page browser will open and you can choose a page from the Pages list to determine the page to which a Choose button will transport you This listing has all pages in ALT CHAT listing alphabetical order o Back navigates you to the previously used page o Forward forwards you to the next page of the current vocabulary file o Home page navigates you to the home page of the current vocabulary file Push and hold anywhere on the page Choose Page then Choose Load Page This listing includes all the pages in your vocabulary file Select the page you wish to load and tap Choose 5 25 Creating a Visual Scene or Background Picture on a Page Visual Scenes are becoming an alternative way to display vocabulary on a page S
53. gt Backup Library This put a copy of the library on the storage card on your device File Edit View Help language Vocab File cA nlea e Backup Library Restore from Backup Export 6 3 Restore from Backup If for any reason your library is mistakenly erased or corrupted if a backup had been made it can be restored from the devices storage card This will clear the current library and replace it with the last one backed up To do this e Choose File e Choose Library e Choose Restore from Backup 6 4 Revert to Factory Default If the ALT CHAT belongs to a facility that loans the system to multiple clients there is the need to reset the system back to factory defaults between clients Saltillo has provided a way to replace the entire library back to the factory default with a menu setting To replace the custom library with the default library e Copy any vocabulary files that need saved to the PC e Choose Advanced Settings from the Edit menu e Choose the Library tab e Choose Revert to Factory Default o Confirm that you really want to replace the existing library with Saltillo s default 6 5 Printing Vocabulary Pages Printing vocabulary pages can be a great way to create a manual board Manual boards are recommended as a back up to the ALT CHAT device Printing of pages is only available from the DesktopChat software To print vocabulary pages e Open Desktop Chat e Open the page that
54. guide Please feel free to make copies of the Quick Reference Guide and this User s Guide and provide it to all parties working with the system We hope you enjoy your new ALT CHAT Contact Saltillo Corporation 8 00 am to 5 00 pm Monday thru Friday Phone 1 800 382 8622 Email support saltillo com ALT Chat Rev 1 5 2 Charging the battery of your ALT CHAT Since the device runs on rechargeable batteries it 1s important to plug in the AC adapter immediately after unpacking it to charge the device back up to full power some power will be drained during shipping The AC adapter plugs into the jack on the left side of the device When the device is charging an orange light at the top of the ALT CHAT will flash Rapid flashing indicates fast charging Slow flashing indicates that the battery is charged but it will continue to trickle charge as long as the charger is plugged in a wa i At the end of each day the device should be plugged in to ensure that the batteries are fully recharged for the next day A complete recharge only takes about 4 hours but since it is impossible to overcharge the batteries you can safely leave the device plugged in whenever you are not using it It is recommended to keep the device on charge when the device is not in use 2 1 Checking Battery Status To check the current status of the battery e Choose Edit Menu e Choose Advanced Settings if not highlighted choose Ge
55. he Choose button o ALT CHAT will display the selected page 5 19 Navigating through pages using buttons Navigate Visit Navigate back Navigate to home There are times that a new vocabulary page needs added to an existing vocabulary file In order to access the new page a button must be created to Link to that new page Assigning a Navigate or Visit action to the button will link the new page to your existing pages Use section 5 3 to create another new page While you are still in Edit mode you can link the two pages by using navigation buttons e Tap anywhere on the new page and hold the stylus right click to call up the menu options e Choose the Create New Button option a pop up window will present the button s properties e Select the Actions tab in the Button properties window e Select a navigation action for the button from the drop down list For example a Visit action is similar to a Navigate action but means go to the indicated page but come back to the current page after you ve selected a button on that page The Visit action is used to set up temporary pages that behave like pop up pages A button with a Navigate or Visit action is represented visually with a small right pointing arrow in the upper or lower right hand corner depending on where the button label is A Visit button has a white arrow on a black background to differentiate it from a Navigate button that has a black arrow on a white background
56. hich button displays which word i e you may want the most frequently used word 1 to be in the upper left button and the second most frequently used word in the lower left e Choose Apply e There is no need to add a label or icon to the prediction buttons 9 5 Creating sentences quietly and speaking entire sentence at once The device user may get to the point where there is not a need for immediate feedback when pushing buttons and would like to generate their message quietly and speak it all at once If the vocabulary pages have already been created you will want to go to the Edit Menu gt General settings gt choose the Speech tab and uncheck all options All buttons regardless of their action will not speak when selected To speak the message from the display tap the display Some options for the way the display is chosen can be modified in the Edit Menu gt General Settings gt Speech Display Bar tab e Instead of having all the text spoken immediately when the display is chosen there is an optional menu to choose specific options when the display is selected To turn on this option choose Tap and Hold in the Move Cursor Show Menu option at the bottom on the Speech Display Bar tab These options will empower the device user when determining what and when things are spoken ALT Chat Rev 1 61 9 6 Creating buttons that include Grammar actions Grammar actions provide an option for changing the tense of a word currently in the Speech Display
57. hor of VocabPC Gail Vantatenhove PA MS CCC SLP describing her vocabulary Prior to that is a smaller section dedicated to the Primary 16 vocabulary file and PalmChat To view the provided vocabulary files choose File gt VocabFile gt Load Vocab File and choose one of the Available Vocabulary Files and explore The Saltillo provided vocabulary files are all created as read only files This means that these particular vocabulary files cannot be modified A copy of the file needs to be made and then any modification appropriate for the device user can be made to the new file This maintains the original default vocabularies in case they may be needed at a later time To create a copy of an existing vocabulary file e Choose the File Menu e Choose Vocab File ALT Chat Rev 1 20 e Choose Save Vocab File As e Type ina name to represent the file 1 e Jane4_08 e Select Save this may take a few minutes The new vocabulary file is ready to be modified to meet the device user s needs The remainder of this User s Guide describes how to modify buttons how to create new pages and how to modify the settings for the most effective access technique ALT Chat Rev 1 21 5 Modifying a Vocabulary File on the ALT CHAT 5 1 Open an existing Vocabulary file ALT CHAT allows you to load a variety of pages that have different button layouts Each set of pages or vocabulary set is called a vocabulary file ALT CHAT includes a variety
58. ies 5 94 Renaming aresonrce vocab Tile pase DUUON CIC ccicassccscsstesasiveucccesssdessteasconsssvoveroneeusedessedesdesceeasseSeccssacasss Io Deletins a Resource vocab file pase Dutton IC scsre tsvsscscccctesnccescccssstessuucstesssuscsseussstecessteccaseeieseisesistescustss 5 36 Combining button actions ALT Chat Rev 1 3 6 Library Management amp Backup 6 1 Export Import To ALT CHAT If Using DesktopChat 6 2 Backing Up Your Library 6 3 Restore From Backup 64 Revert To Factory De taulisien arte cues ce a E EE EEEE EEE Ea 6 5 Printing Vocabulary Files 7 Useful Options on the ALT CHAT 7 1 Button Action Options on the ALT CHAT 7 2 Touchscreen Settings To Display Ophion on thie ALT CHAT a a a E e E A Aaa aa a 7 3 1 Full Screen 7 3 2 Microsoft Applications Access 7 3 3 Style 7 3 4 Speech Display Bar 7 4 Speech Options 7 4 1 Voice Options 7 4 2 Pronunciation Editor 7 5 System Settings 7 6 Hardware Keys 8 Using Abbreviations to Speak Words 8 1 ALT CHAT Abbreviation Editor 9 ALT CHAT Tools for Literacy 9 1 ALT CHAT Dictionaries 9 2 ALT CHAT Dictionary Editor 9 3 Character Prediction 9 4 Choosing to Use A Different Keyboard 9 5 Creating sentences quietly and speaking entire sentence at once 9 6 Creating buttons that contain Grammar Actions 10 Switch Scanning MONIES CATS Elin GS Airoraa es teaiesectascccassaasssssctecssatacctssaarcescsaudccsudctesestatecsascces tsseusoecaisaccsavecestaccusesessacsousalavess N 10 2 Swi
59. ight click ALT Chat Rev 1 8 4 Getting Started The Front of the ALT CHAT w BATTERY CHARGING When you plug in the charger the Charging light flashes A rapid flash indicates fast charging A slow flash indicates that the battery is charged but it will continue to trickle charge as long as the charger is plugged in BATTERY LOW When the battery is low a low battery message will appear on the touch screen Plug in the battery charger when this happens I O 170 ON OFF Turns the device ON or OFF If you turn the device off with this button you must use it to turn the device back on TOOLS Hides or shows the Menus used for customizing Go to Home Page This button can be modified to perform various actions defaults to Go to Home Page Clear Display This button can be modified to perform various actions defaults to Clear the Display 10 RECORDING MICROPHONE face this area when recording messages ALT Chat Rev 1 9 The Back of the ALT CHAT a s Reset Button Den Inmirt rentke Romich Company y TIES Battery Door The device batteries are underneath this door There is also a card slot at the top of the battery door that holds the system software card You can remove the battery door by unscrewing it from the case should you need to Reset Button Unbend a paper clip and poke it into the hole to press the reset button If your ALT CHAT stops working for some reas
60. ill Adds color and an appearance of depth to a button Speech General Determines where and how the text appears in the Display Bar speech display bar Speak cursor Determines if the display will speak when tapped or not ae Menu display bar Speech Speak Determines which buttons are automatically spoken when selected Advanced Navigates you to a dialog for managing Prediction Settings Abbreviations Pronunciations Import Drag and Drop System and Full Screen settings Prediction Static Turns Static prediction on off and offers different dictionary sizes to choose from Determines the amount of time it takes for the ALT CHAT to accept a location and activate the key Move Instead of automatically speaking when selected an Voice General Choosing the voice the speed volume and pitch the voice is spoken NOT Dynamic Turns Dynamic prediction on off and determines AVAILABLE how many words it keeps track of and how often it s updated Turns abbreviation expansion on off Manage Set up abbreviation expansions here Pronunciations General Turns on off pronunciation exceptions Voice Manage Setup pronunciation exceptions here Guidelines for importing process a T resolution settings while editing pages ed icing E without leaving ALT CHAT oe ote RL Keys machine Symbols Changes the size of pictures being imported Caution This option will Cleanup aka DELETE ALT Chat Rev 1 73 Menu Vie
61. it does for the device itself Note Having the vocabulary on a second computer is always recommended by Saltillo Corporation as a backup in case of any loss of data on the ALT HAT mobile device 3 2 DesktopChat Installation Instructions The DesktopChat CD includes not only the DesktopChat software but also Microsoft Voices The Microsoft Voices provide a voice for the DesktopChat software to use If you already have a ChatPC Editor application on your computer from a ChatPC you will not need to install the Microsoft voices again if not you will want to also install the Microsoft voices This will place the DesktopChat application into your Programs folder This process will not need to be repeated Installing e Insert the DesktopChat CD into your computer e You should see a Saltillo CD Installer Screen appear this may take a few moments If not you will need to navigate to your CD through Windows Explorer and choose setup exe e The Saltillo CD Installer screen gives you two options of applications to load DesktopChat and Microsoft Voices for SAPI 5 1 e If you want the DesktopChat to have synthetic speech and you have a compatible sound card you probably do you ll also have to install the Microsoft voices If so check the voices option Choose Install Microsoft Voices for SAPI installs first then the DesktopChat gt Step through the installation by choosing Next at each screen and fol
62. ks you to name the new vocabulary file otherwise by default the new vocabulary file will be named Untitled Vocabulary File Create Close Create a new Yocab File ia Name Untitled Vocab File e Enter a more descriptive name in the Name box e Tap the Create button The new vocabulary file will be added to your library 5 32 Save a Vocabulary file as After exploring Saltillo s vocabulary files it is necessary to save the file with a new name in order to Edit it e Tap on the File menu Choose VocabFile Choose the Save Vocab File As option A Rename dialog will appear Type the name of the new vocabulary file in the text box e Tap the Save button The selected vocabulary file will be saved under the name you provided ALT Chat Rev 1 47 5 33 Editing Vocabulary file properties Once you create a vocabulary file you can always edit its properties e Go into Edit mode to enable modifications See section Going into Edit mode e Tap on the Edit menu e Choose Modify Vocabulary gt Edit gt Vocab file to evoke the vocabulary file properties window Now you can edit the Button style and the Page style properties of the selected vocabulary file See section Modifying Button s style OK Cancel General Style Actions General properties te Name PCHblank_Copy Label sample Next Message sampe Image Search Remove Import Name FF Visible F7 Enabled 5 34 Renaming a resource vocab
63. ld be easily transported alongside the user We are quite excited about the potential the new 7 dynamic display provides With the introduction of the ALT CHAT we continue to improve upon and expand our product family We are excited not only for the update to PalmChat that the larger screen provides but also about the introduction of AACcelerate with myVoice AACcelerate is a new unique suite of AAC vocabulary sets being introduced on the Alt Chat It is targeting the communication needs of a broad spectrum of child through adult AAC users The expansive collection incorporates the AAC vocabulary research of Dr David Beukelman Dr Diane Bryen and Barbara Collier which is intuitively woven into the several different core vocabulary sets and phrase based sets The ALT CHAT has all of the features of the PDA based ChatPC products and features digitized recorded and synthesized computer generated speech The ALT HAT offers NeoSpeech a high quality American English speech that performs admirably on the ALT CHAT The ALT CHAT and the ALT CHAT D have built in static word prediction software The scanning system should also allow users to use their unique capabilities to customize the most accurate scanning options for them Saltillo encourages all programming to be done on the PC using our DesktopChat software and then exported to the ALT CHAT The Compact Disc for installing the DesktopChat software can be found in the back of this
64. low the instructions Take the CD out of your computer once the installation is complete Open the DesktopChat software e Open the program using the DesktopChat shortcut that was placed on your computers desktop during installation e Choose Help gt Registration and enter the registration number that has been provided on the label that came with the DesktopChat CD You only need to do this the first time DesktopChat should now be open on your computer and should look very similar to the ALT CHAT software running on the device ALT Chat Rev 1 7 Note DesktopChat may look larger on your computer screen than it is on the device Choose View gt Screen to set the screen to match your device The ALT CHAT uses a 800 x 480 WVGA landscape screen If you still can t see all of DesktopChat Menus go to the Control Panel gt Display and choose the Appearance tab and change the font size to Normal 3 3 Ensure proper installation To ensure that the DesktopChat application and its library installed properly onto the computer Choose File gt Vocab File gt Load Vocab File In the listing of available Vocab Files there should be listed the Original Saltillo supplied vocabulary files 16 Basic my Core my Core Alpha myQuickChat 12 Adult myQuickChat 12 Child myQuickChat 4 Child myQuickChat 8 Adult myQuickChat 8 Child PalmChat 4x9 Primary 3x6 Saltillo Sampler Spelling and Vocab PC Note Your ALT CHAT
65. m with your batteries Fak C Use only the battery charger that came with your device Other chargers may damage the batteries in your device If you plan to store the ALT CHAF for a month or more without using it Charge the batteries to Full Turn the device face down on a flat surface Unscrew the two screws that hold the battery door in place Remove the battery door Disconnect the batteries Replace the battery door and reattach the screws Remember You cannot store when the batteries are low If you discard all or part of your device dispose of all electronic components according to local regulations Replacement and repair of the electronic components of your device should only be done by qualified service personnel Contact Saltillo for instructions on how to get your ALT HAF device repaired 1 800 382 8622 ALT Chat Rev 1 75 15 Warranty Saltillo warrants the ALT CHAT and ALT HAT to be free from defect in material and workmanship under normal use for a period of one year from date of purchase ALT CHAT DB is covered for three years from date of purchase Saltillo Corporation considers bending of the unit or any breaks or cracks in the LCD screen to be misuse but will consider a one time replacement of touchscreen display during the warranty period Extended warranties are available by contacting Saltillo Corporation at 1 800 382 8622 All warranty and service should be arranged through Saltillo Corporati
66. ment states 1 INSTALLATION AND USE RIGHTS You may install and use one copy of the software on each computer on your premises that you use to exchange data and software with portable devices powered by a Microsoft operating system Their two items are also available from the Microsoft web site in the Downloads and Trials sections at no charge Saltillo grants permission for the use of DesktopChat on each computer used to exchange data with the ALT CHAT 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 Yo
67. n considered for scanners as a rate enhancement tool 5 17 Check system information by using buttons Battery status Add date time to SDB You might occasionally want to check some system information so that it s better suited to your needs For example you might want to check the battery status of your device In ALT CHAT you can do this easily by creating a Battery status button Use section 5 4 to navigate to the button properties dialog This dialog screen will request information about the new button To create a Battery status button e Tap on the Actions tab Use the drop down list to select the Battery status action e Hit the Add button next to the actions list e Tap OK on the button properties window ALT Chat Rev 1 38 The Battery status button will display the current battery status in the SDB Perform the same steps to create an Add date time to SDB button The Add date time to SDB button will display the current date and time in the SDB Battery is 38 charged 2 PalmChat l 3 Version 1 0 i Yol Down 2 E 5 18 Load open a page ALT CHAT provides two ways for loading opening pages They are handy when you would like to edit page properties 5 18 1 Using the context menu option e Activate the Edit mode See section Going into Edit mode e Tap on your currently opened page and right click push amp hold to call up the menu options LTS tl i ail Create New Button Create New Button from Tem
68. neral Settings gt Advanced tab and check Advanced e Choose System tab e Choose Power Learn how to create a button that checks the battery status in section 5 17 Warning Use only the battery charger that came with your device Other chargers may damage the batteries in your device ALT Chat Rev 1 6 3 Installing DesktopChat In your package you received a CD labeled DesktopChat back of this user s guide DesktopChat is the ALT CHAT software that is able to be run on a Windows Desktop or Laptop computer 3 1 Why use the DesktopChat Ease of Use Design and test vocabulary files right on your desktop or laptop machine Maintain a backup of your device Transfer vocabulary files between the DesktopChat program and the device Transfer text files to the PC for printing Add Photos and Other Images Print pages to create manual boards for backup or for places the ALT CHAT can t go File Management and BackUp Supporting Multiple ALT CHATs Saltillo recommends doing all programming on the DesktopChat software if possible Developing vocabulary files in this way can be much quicker than doing so on the ALT CHAT device itself It also allows you to work on vocabulary files when the device itself isn t available Although the dialog boxes will appear slightly different and a couple of the options are modified for the PC this User s Manual will serve just as well for the DesktopChat as
69. nes at what rate it will continue to repeat 10 5 Scan Patterns Scan Start The Scan Start option is only available when using two switches to scan with Scan Pattern determines where the scan will re start after each selection Scan Speech Display Bar Scan Speech Display Bar is an option with 1 amp 2 switch scan checked it will scan the Speech Display Bar unchecked it won t Choosing the Speech Display Bar will speak all text 10 5 1 Auditory Scan Prompts Scanning with Auditory Prompting on provides not only a visual cue but an auditory cue to indicate where the scan is currently If you are scanning simply activate your switch To retrieve a message activate the switch again after you have heard the prompt Prompt Destination You can hear prompts through the device s speaker You can also plug stereo headphones into the Headphone jack on the side of the case This allows you but not others to hear the prompts If you are using headphones choose the Earphone option Prompt Type When Auditory Prompts are turned On your device defaults to speaking the label of any button you activate This is whatever the label is that has been assigned to a specific button If you changed a label during the storing process the prompt will be whatever you changed the label to For example you may have changed the UMBRELLA label to Weather The prompt will be Weather in that case Content tells your device to speak whatever message is
70. of Default vocabulary files Saltillo Supplied vocabulary files can be used as a starting point for a configuration or simply used as demonstration To see the vocabulary files included with ALT CHAT e Tap on the File menu e Choose Vocab File e Tap on Load Vocab File Saltillo s files are followed by Original e Simply select the one you want to load and tap Choose DesktopChat File Edit View Help Language F Vocab File Load Vocab File New Vocab File Save Vocab File As Profile Delete Vocab File Export Exit health Complicated configurations with many pages may take up to 2 minutes to load but most will load more quickly Once loaded the ALT CHAT can be left running and your chosen vocabulary file will always be ready for you to use Just start tapping the onscreen buttons to explore the vocabulary school Saltillo Supplied vocabulary files can not be modified To make a copy of the file to be customized for your client see previous page 5 2 Going into Edit mode To make any changes to a vocabulary file the system must be in Edit Mode To edit a vocabulary file or any resource linked to it pages buttons go into Edit Mode by e Tap on the Edit menu e Check Edit Mode The Edit Mode will be activated automatically Note The Modify Vocab File of the Edit menu becomes active only while in Edit Mode In Edit Mode a line of text will appear at the bottom of the screen indi
71. ome are finding benefits to having a background picture on a page Saltillo has provided a way to provide a background picture creating a visual scene To do this Choose to create a new page With the new page open choose Edit gt Modify Vocab gt Edit gt Page Choose the Page style tab In the Background Image area choose to Import a picture not already in the library or Browse to search through the existing icons You must be using DesktopChat to import a background image that is not a Saltillo provided icon Choose to either Center the picture or to stretch the picture to fill as much of the page as possible Once you have a background picture on your page you will need to create the buttons that will speak when selected e Right click on the area to add a message e Choose Create New Button e Insert a label and message e Go to the Style tab and check the transparent option to remove the background color of the button to see the page background icon through the typical button area ALT Chat Rev 1 44 5 26 Duplicating a page This feature is handy when building symbol configurations where you would like the same buttons to be displayed on every page Create a page with the buttons that will be on every page and duplicate that page as many times as you would like Then go back to each page and fill in the remaining buttons Instead of creating a blank page you can create a copy of the current page by using a Duplicate Page option
72. on ALT Chat Rev 1 76 16 Index Abbreviations 59 Access 63 66 73 Actions 50 53 56 Combining 50 Windows 55 56 Alphabet 14 20 23 60 61 Background Pictures 44 Backlight 57 68 Backup 52 Battery 6 9 12 16 38 75 Charging 6 9 12 75 Status 6 16 38 Buttons 25 39 43 Creating 25 Disable 29 Hide 29 Label 27 Message 27 Modifying 30 32 Picture 27 29 Properties 25 Size 43 Speaking 25 30 Charging 6 9 12 75 Clean 75 Clock 57 Color 30 56 Copy 20 42 43 45 47 Buttons 42 43 Pages 45 Vocabulary Files 20 47 Date Time 39 Delete 49 DesktopChat gt 7 8 70 Installing 70 Open 7 Sizing 8 Digitized recording 34 36 Display 14 17 18 Duplicate 20 42 43 45 47 Buttons 42 43 Pages 45 Vocabulary Files 20 47 Edit Mode 17 22 Export 51 Factory Default 52 Font 30 56 Full Screen 9 55 Functions 50 53 54 Grammar Actions 62 Hardware 9 13 58 Headphones 11 Home Page 46 ALT Chat Rev 1 T1 Icon 27 29 44 69 Image 69 Digital 69 Import 46 51 69 Pictures 69 Vocab Files 51 Page 46 Keyboards 14 20 23 60 61 Programming 14 20 23 60 61 Language 72 Library 17 69 Link pages 41 42 Maintenance 75 Menus 9 14 19 20 67 72 74 Hide 9 Microphone 9 11 Navigate 41 42 On Off 6 9 12 15 16 57 68 Auto Power Down 57 Batteries 6 9 12 Button 9 16 On Off 9 15 Troubleshooting 68
73. on push the reset button to see if that solves the problem Wire Table Stand The wire table stand allows the ALT CHAT to sit on a table in a more vertical position rather than flat on a surface Just pull it out from the bottom edge of the case Wheelchair Mounting Plate The optional wheelchair mounting plate allows the ALT CHATF to be attached to a wheelchair mount This plate is compatible with the Prentke Romich Quick Release Mount which then attaches to most mounting systems ALT Chat Rev 1 10 The Right Side of the ALT CHAT External Microphone Switch Connectors Headphone Line out USB Connectors Connectors from Left to Right Headphone Line Out Plug stereo headphones in here for auditory scanning External Microphone Plug an external microphone in here as an alternative to the built in microphone on the front of the device Switch Connectors Plug single switch into Switch A or Switch B ports Rectangular USB Connector A USB flash drive plugs into this port Use it for transferring vocabulary files Square USB Connector Provides typical USB connection ALT Chat Rev 1 11 Left Side of the ALT CHAT secure Digital Card Slot Secure Digital Card Slot This will accept a Secure Digital storage card Battery Charger Plug one end of the battery charger in here Plug the other end into a working wall outlet Asia Use only the charger that came with your ALT CHAT Other charger
74. on again lets the text be heard Forwards temporarily to a previously predefined page Such button activates different operational mode visit mode The Visit mode records the pages and their sequence of loading Termination of the Visit mode is caused by activation of a different type of button and returns the user to the initial page If you have one button on a Visit Page that you don t want to return to previous page use a Visit Exception action to leave it on the page for one additional hit Turns down the volume Turns up the volume NOTE Modifier buttons are used to activate buttons assigned to the button sets ALT Chat Rev 1 54 7 2 Touchscreen Settings Filtering is an adjusting of the touch screen settings To control the touch screen input navigate to e Tap the Edit menu e Choose General Settings a pop up screen will present the Timing Style SDB Speech and the Voice settings e Tap on the Timing tab e Check the Acceptance time and the Release Time to enable any further adjustments e Set the minimum time that a key must be depressed before it registers the Acceptance time The default delay time is 0 3 seconds By using the drop down lists next to the Acceptance time check box you can change the delays in increments of 0 1 seconds 100 milliseconds up to 3 0s e Set the minimum time that a key must be released before it activates the Released time The default delay time is 0 3 seconds By using the d
75. pen a copy of the device user s latest vocabulary file using the DesktopChat software Go to the View menu Choose Edit Mode Right click on the proper key Choose Import OK Cancel General Style Actions General properties k Name 16Beating Label leating Neat Message leating Image Search Browse Remove Import pe eat MJ Name FF Visible 7 Enabled You can now browse your computer s hard disk for the pictures you want to use When you find the image you want to use double click on it to select it You will see a preview of it scaled to fit the button Once you have selected the image you wish to import click on OK and the image will appear on the button If your image doesn t fit the button properly see 11 11 Troubleshooting Adjusting Imported Image Size 5 8 Modifying accessibility of a button Enabled Visible The accessibility of buttons can be controlled by using the Visible Enabled options on the button properties screen These functions may be useful when initially presenting the vocabulary to the device user Presenting all buttons at once may be overwhelming Hiding some of the buttons will enable the device user to more easily focus on specific vocabulary being presented ALT Chat Rev 1 29 e Enter Edit Mode then tap and hold right click the button to be modified e Select Edit Button to bring up the General Properties tab e Unchecking the Visible box makes a but
76. plate Add Button From Library Change Button Size Paste Button Use Same Button nat Button Box Layout Add to Current Vocab File clean up Set as Home of the Current Vocab File Create New Page Create New Page from Template Delete 16 Basc Vocableati Set Page As Template Load page e Choose Page gt Load page A resource browser window will open to a folder containing all the pages in the currently open vocabulary file e Select a page and tap the Choose button ALT Chat Rev 1 39 W Resource browser Choose Close Resource browser 8 16 Basic Yocab 2nd Activities 2nd Classroom About Me 0 Activities 0 BABC Bnumbers body parts Casual Greeting M n Lili e ALT CHAT will display the selected page 5 18 2 Open a page in Run mode e Tap on the View menu DesktopChat File Edit view Help E Screen f Print Back Forward Home page e Choose Go to gt Page The popup resource browser lists the pages from the currently open vocabulary file ALT Chat Rev 1 40 ES Resource browser Choose Close Hesource browser I 16 Basic Vocab 2nd Activities 2nd Classroom About Me Activities BABC Bnumbers body parts Casual Greeting Te ow e Select a page you want to open and tap t
77. rop down lists next to the Acceptance time check box you can change the delays in increments of 0 1 seconds 100 milliseconds up to 3 0s e Check the Activate on Release option if you want to activate the button s action by releasing the button 7 3 Display Option on the ALT CHAT 7 3 1 Full Screen If you find that the menus and toolbar are taking up too much screen space you can hide them either by selecting View menu gt Screen gt Full Screen menu item or by pressing the Tools button on the front of the device To bring the menus and toolbar back just press the Tools button again You also have the option to specify a Full Screen password if you wish to protect the user from exiting full screen mode This password will be required to exit the full screen mode To set a password e Select Edit lt Advanced settings then tap the Full Screen tab e Check the Password protect Full Screen Mode box then tap the set password button e Enter and re type your password in the appropriate text boxes e Tap the OK button then tap OK in the upper right corner If no password is entered the protection is turned off In the case of a password being entered that can t be remembered Saltillo has provided a default password of BOSCO Use this to exit full screen when the original password can not be found In Normal mode you will see the Display on top and the Menu Tool bar on bottom By default the ALT HAT device is set to Normal screen mode
78. rs a variety of topics for everyday needs and conversation and provides AAC users immediate and more successful communication exchanges within a variety of settings The Original vocabulary files are not able to be modified If one of the files would be appropriate for the device user a copy will need to be made by choosing File gt Vocab File gt Save Vocab File As The device user s vocabulary file can all be created using DesktopChat and then exported to the ALT CHAT for use If the default vocabulary files are NOT listed see Loading the Default Library Manually to DesktopChat in the troubleshooting section 3 4 Differences between the ALT CHAT Device and the DesktopChat gt You can use DesktopChat to do just about anything that you can on your actual ALT CHAT device The only difference is that the dialog boxes will appear slightly different and a couple of the options are modified for the PC Menus are placed at the top of the screen on the Desktop and at the bottom of the ALT CHAT device This user s guide uses pictures interchangeably throughout its instruction When editing and accessing menus on the ALT HAT device pushing and holding the screen opens context menus On the DesktopChat right clicking on the vocabulary window will open the context menus for editing The menus work primarily the same in both systems regardless of where the menu is placed or how it is accessed with a push and hold or a r
79. s e Choose the File menu e Choose Vocab File gt Save Vocab File As e Give the file a new name 1 e Susie s Vocabulary You can now modify the new file 11 13 Loading the Default Library Manually to DesktopChat There are times that the library files may not be allowed to install automatically and need to be copied manually to your computer to do this e Open My Computer to view the contents of the DesktopChat CD e Open the Default Library folder e Drag the Desktop folder to the desktop of the computer should see files copying e Open the folder once it s on your computer Select and Copy the file e Paste the file in the following path Local Disk gt Program Files gt Saltillo Corporation gt DesktopChat e Choose to Replace existing file e Go back up to Ensure Proper installation and make sure things have copied properly ALT Chat Rev 1 69 11 14 Installing DesktopChat on a Windows machine running Vista When starting DesktopChat you may not have the Saltillo provided vocabulary files showing If this 1s true e Goto Program Files gt Saltillo Corporation gt DesktopChat SE e Choose to copy the ChatPC3 c4l file e Paste it to the Compatibility Files folder orn B Organize Favorite Links F Documents L Profiles Pictures d SSProfiles I Music abbrev dct More 2 ActBeep_L wav Foliis 2 ActBeep_N wav 2 ActBeep_Q wav d Movie
80. s may damage the batteries ALT Chat Rev 1 12 The Bottom of the ALT CHAT Clip Shoulder Clip Shoulder Strap here Strap here There are two shoulder strap clips located on the bottom and top of the device behind the handle for the optional shoulder strap Clip Shoulder Strap here Clip Shoulder Strap here ALT Chat Rev 1 13 About the Touchscreen SN 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 damage the screen Although most times fingers are used to access the touch screen a stylus or other smooth pointing device can also be used ALT CHAT Window The appearance of the ALT CHAT window will vary depending on the settings and needs of the device user Speech Display Display Window HELPING VERBS Menu Bar Tool Bar Key Board The ALT CHAT window is divided into three regions At the bottom of the screen there is a Menu Bar on the left and a Tool Bar to the right of it These controls are used to configure the software By default at the top of the screen is the Speech Display Bar SDB This is the area where text will appear as you type it Below the Speech Display Bar is the Vocabulary Page
81. se the Static Word Prediction action for the button from the drop down list This button will display the most probable word in compliance with the current characters displayed in the SDB the assigned selected prediction order and the static word list used by the dictionary complier 10 000 30 000 or 60 000 ALT Chat Rev 1 37 OK Cancel General Style Actions Button action Add ed Speak Label Only Speak Message Onhy Speech Message Static character predictior Static word Stop Store text to button Toggle mute unmute Visit Visit Exception Volume Down Volume Up e Tap the Add button on the right of the drop down list A popup Prediction Order window will appear and a prediction order number should be specified Prediction Order ranges from one to ten predicted words and determines in which order the words are displayed 3 or i 3 e Tap the Apply button to assign the prediction order e The action will be added to the preview action list e Tap the Ok button to insert the button into the page Note No label and message are necessary for SWP and SCP buttons Perform the same steps to create a Static Character Prediction button The Static Character Prediction button will display the most probable character in compliance with the current character displayed in the SDB the assigned prediction order and the static character list used by the dictionary compiler Character prediction is ofte
82. settings choose Edit Menu gt General Settings and modify the Button Timing settings as needed ALT Chat Rev 1 68 11 11 Adjusting Imported Image Size DesktopChat There are times when importing a picture that the image doesn t fill the button area There are a number of options to adjust the size of the image being imported choose Edit menu gt Advanced Settings choose the Symbols Options tab Note the size of the image currently being imported is 200 x 200 To determine the size of your button go to Edit gt General Settings gt Style and check Show Button Size in Edit Mode Then the size will appear in parentheses on the buttons e Enter these numbers as the new width and height e Choose Apply e Choose OK and re import your picture Resize with button allows either all images no images or just transparent images to be adjusted The system defaults to selecting images with transparency Note Saltillo always keeps the pictures ratio so depending on the size of the original picture it may not fill the entire button area There is an option to have the icon use the entire button area if having the label area open is not needed To do this Choose Edit gt General Settings Choose the Style tab Check Use Entire Button Area Choose OK in the upper right corner 11 12 Resource _ is Original and can not be modified The default vocabularies supplied by Saltillo can not be modified To use one of the file
83. tPeeSee in the Pronounce As box Once you re ready tap the OK button The new word and its pronunciation will appear in the list If you want to change the pronunciation you can edit it using the Edit button To edit the pronunciation of a word already in the pronunciation list tap on it to select it in the pronunciation list then tap the Edit button The same popup dialog used for entering a new pronunciation will appear with the Pronounce and Pronounce As fields already filled in You will be able to change both the Pronounce and Pronounce As When you are done editing the pronunciation tap the OK Button The modified pronunciation will appear in the pronunciation list You can remove an entry from the pronunciation list by first selecting the word from the pronunciation list then tapping on the Delete button This pronunciation exception will be permanently deleted from the system so use caution when using this option 7 5 System Settings You might occasionally want to change the settings of the system hardware so that it s better suited to your needs For example you might want to change the brightness of the screen Changes of the system settings are performed in Advanced Settings To modify the System Settings e Choose the Edit menu e Choose Advanced Settings if Advanced Settings is not highlighted choose General Settings gt Advanced tab and check Advanced Settings e Choose the System tab The following hardware dialogs
84. tch Input ccccccccceees 10 3 Scan Timing 10 4 Scan Options 10 5 Scan Patterns 11 Troubleshooting 11 1 I don t have any Speech Sound 11 2 Restarting the ALT CHAT 11 3 Finding and Loading your Vocabulary file 11 4 Soft Reset 11 5 Toolbar and Menus are missing 11 6 Text window is missing or how to hide it I7 TIe ALT CHAT CULTS OFF VISE Taranee a a a e a a a e a a S 11 8 The screen is too dark 11 9 The screen is not responding 11 10 Vocabulary buttons don t activate but menus dO sesssseseeeeeessssseossossocceecescccesssssosooscecccccccesssssossssossseceeseseesseo 11 11 Adjusting Imported Image Size DesktopChat 11 12 Resource _ is Original and cannot be modified 11 13 Loading the Default Library Manually on the DesktopChat csccsscssccssesccsscceseescescceseseesceess 11 14 Installing DesktopChat on a Machine Running Vista 12 Saltillo Tech Support 13 Reference Section 13 1 Cleaning up and deleting Vocabulary files 13 2 Table based description of all menus and menu options 14 Care and Maintenance 15 Warranty 16 Index ALT Chat Rev 1 4 1 Welcome to your New ALT CHAT Thank you for purchasing ALT CHAT a revolutionary dynamic display communication device The ALT CHAT is a unique product combining the software of Saltillo s ChatPC with the durability of Prentke Romich s Springboard Lite device It was developed to weigh under 3 lbs so that the powerful communication software cou
85. the Action tab ALT Chat Rev 1 60 e Tap on Navigate to highlight the action e Choose Set e Choose the new keyboard open vocab file Now the button should navigate to the new keyboard Modify any of the buttons by changing their color or appearance action or whatever it is that is needed Create a button that links to the keyboard e Choose the Page that you would like a link to your keyboard from Enter Edit Mode Push and maintain right click if using the DesktopChat the button to add the link to Choose an action of Navigate Choose the new keyboard page to link it to Finish modifying the button with a picture or label to represent the key Using various sizes of buttons on keyboards Often times on a keyboard page the sizes of buttons vary To modify the size of one button on a page e Enter Edit Mode Tap and hold one of the buttons that you would like to resize Choose Change Button size Choose how many cells wide horizontal and tall vertical the button needs to be Choose OK Adding Word Prediction and Character Prediction Buttons to a keyboard e Enter Edit Mode Tap and hold the button that you would like to create Choose Create New Button Choose the Action tab Choose the needed prediction button from the listing You will be prompted to add a prediction order The ALT CHATF software keeps track of the words chosen and keeps them in order when setting up the prediction keys you will need to determine w
86. tions list to set the button action e Finally tap OK OK Cancel General Style Actions Button action Save Display Parameter or Save Display ALT Chat Rev 1 GP The Save Display button saves current display text in your storage card in a subfolder called Logs Simply tap on the Save Display button and a file dialog will be displayed You will see the default file name where the display will be saved If you choose to change the default folder tap on the Change folder button and provide another navigation path for a saving destination When finished tap the Save button Perform the same steps to create a Load Display button The Load Display action button can be used to load files only in text format in the display A file dialog will be displayed by tapping on a Load Display button Browse your system folders and select a text file you want to load Hit the File menu and then tap the Choose option You will be back on your current page and the selected text file will be loaded in the display File dialog File dialog mir l Application Data l Recycled 4 profiles My Documents H A Program Files ee im Temp Ftd Yini s While still in Edit mode you can load and save the display text from and to files by using the display menu options instead of using buttons as an optional way to save display text To set up this option go to Edit gt General Settings gt Speech Display Bar and check th
87. ton invisible in standard mode and automatically disables the button action e Check the Enabled box to activate a button If unchecked the button will be deactivated Import l import eat MJ Name W Visible I Enabled 5 9 Modifying Button s style Button style can be modified only in Edit mode e Tap on a button and hold the stylus to open the menu options e Choose Edit Button option A General Properties screen will appear e Tap on the Style tab The button style properties will appear OK Cancel General Style Actions otyle properties Font Tahoma 12 pts gt i Bold Transparent talic if Label on top Underlined Shape Round Border width pt e Simply use the pull down lists to select the Font color Body color Border color Font Size Shape and Border width you want for the button e Check the Label on top box to define the label position on the button e Check the Bold Italic Underlined boxes to modify label text ALT Chat Rev 1 30 5 10 Modifying the way a button speaks Speak Message Only Speak Label Only The way a button speaks can be modified by simply editing the button action All button modifications are performed only in Edit mode See section Going into Edit mode e Tap on the Speak Message button and hold the stylus to open the menu options e Choose Edit Button option A General Properties screen will appear e Tap on the Actions tab The button action
88. ton to open the menu options e Choose Edit Button option A general properties screen will appear DesktopChat File Edit View Help spaghetti Edit Button Create Button d Change Button Size Copy Button Copy Button Style Paste Button Use Same Button Paste Button Style Set Button As Template Re record Sound Remove Button From Page Delete Button Permanently Page lil lil lI Use the Image region in the General tab controls to add or edit a button s picture You can add a new icon by following these steps ALT Chat Rev 1 27 OK Cancel Select Cancel ea Style eau Find image General properties Name 16Beating S Ga apple green IM Label eating ent 2 apple green IM F Message feating lt apple green IM f EN te apple red IM Ge apple red IM Remove Import Ea eat MJ Name F7 Visible 7 Enabled e By tapping the Search button ALT CHAT performs an automatic search on any text in the Label box first After that search a Find Image dialog will pop up If the appropriate icon wasn t found in the original search enter a new item to search on in the text box and tap the Find button The ALT CHAT will search for that word and list all icons found that have that word included in their name To see the options just tap on each one and they will be previewed in the box to the right e Use the preview box to decide which image to use e Tap the Select button to add the
89. tton speaks Speak Message Only Speak Label Only 5 11 Modifying the way a buttons works with text Backspace key Add Message to Display 5 12 Using buttons to modify the display Speak Stop Speak last Clear Display Clear Last Word 5 13 Saving and Loading Display text to and from a file Load Display Save Display 5 14 Recording and Playing audio Record Audio Play Audio 5 15 Controlling speech and audio Volume Up Volume Down Toggle mute unmute 5 16 Using character and word prediction 5 17 Check system information by using buttons Battery Status Add date time to SDB 5 18 Load Open a page 5 18 1 Using the context menu option 5 18 2 Open a page in Run mode 5 19 Navigating through pages using buttons Navigate Visit Navigate Back Navigate to home 5 20 Using an existing button in multiple places in the Vocabulary file 5 21 Copying Pasting Duplicating and Creating buttons from template 5 21 1 Copy Paste buttons S21 Copy Use Samo BUO NS AAT aae e eaaa EES aae aaea e eaa aia 5 21 3 Button Templates 5 22 Copying and pasting button style 5 23 Changing the size of a button 5 24 Moving through pages 5 25 Creating A Visual Scene or Background Picture On A Page 5 26 Duplicating a page 5 27 Creating a page from template 5 28 Importing a page to a Vocabulary file 5 29 Setting a home page of a Vocabulary file 5 30 Editing page properties 5 31 Creating new Vocabulary file 5 32 Save a Vocabulary file as 5 33 Editing Vocabulary file propert
90. tures and icons and have buttons which are more or less square For example the 10x10 configuration has buttons that are too squat to include both text labels and symbols You can mix pages with different grid sizes in a single vocabulary file After you tap on the Create button a blank page will be created in your library and you will be ready to place buttons 5 4 Button Properties The Button Properties pages hold all of the options for changing the appearance and the action of each button To enter Button Properties e Enter Edit Mode by choosing Edit Menu and checking Edit Mode e Push and hold on a button or a blank spot where you would like to add a button right click if using DesktopChat software e If editing an existing button choose Edit Button If adding a new button choose Create New Button This will open up the Button Properties page with the General tab showing The General tab includes the label that gets displayed on the button the message that gets spoken if the button action is set to speak the message the options for finding the picture for the button and the options to show or hide the button and enable or disable the button The Style tab holds all of the options that determine how the button will appear on the page i e font and color The Actions tab determines what the button will actually do when selected A button may contain just one action or multiple actions depending on what is needed 5 5 Creating a
91. u can choose between round and rectangular button shapes Adjust the button size by choosing from 1 to 5 points When ready tap the OK button 7 3 4 Speech Display Bar If you want to adjust the SDB properties Font Letter size Background color Text color etc navigate to e The Edit menu e Choose General Settings e Tap on the Speech Display Bar tab e Use the preview box to sample your changes 7 4 Speech Options ALT CHAT supports speech synthesis through the NeoSpeech Software You can use the synthesizer to speak individual characters words or sentences The Speech menu is accessed by Selecting the View menu Choosing General Settings Tapping on the Speech tab Checking the Character box if you want the Voice to pronounce individual characters as they are selected Checking the Word box if you want the Voice to pronounce words as they are selected e Checking the Sentence box if you want the Voice to pronounce sentences as they are selected e Tapping the OK button 7 4 1 Voice options ALT CHAT uses the Voice menu tab in General Settings to adjust the voice options Neospeech has 2 voice options Adjust the voice speed by entering a number in the Speed box words per minutes Tap the Test Voice settings button to hear a preview sample of the voice that is selected to help you to decide which voice to use The sample says I love my ALT CHAT Use the voice controls to adjust the tones e Low m
92. u 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 e Turn the television or radio antenna until the interference stops Move this product to one side or the other of the television or radio e Move this product farther away form the television or radio e 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 This Class B digital apparatus meets all requirements of the Canadian Interference Causing Equipment Regulations Cet appareil num rique de la classe B respect toutes les exigences du R glement sur le mat riel brouiller du Canada CE ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION Use 0 45 C Storage 20 50 C 95 maximum relative humidity ambient temperatures less than 40 C A Attention Consult accompanying documents Device 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
93. ugh the context menu options e Activate the Edit mode See section Going into Edit mode e Tap on a button and hold the stylus to call up the button menu options e Now you can choose between o Remove Button From Page option removes the selected button from the page You can still find this button in your resource library list and use it o Delete Button Permanently option removes the selected button both from the page where used and from your resource library list The button is no longer available Either of these options will call up a deletion warning message Delete a page through the context menu options e Activate the Edit mode See section Going into Edit mode e Tap on a page and hold the stylus to evoke the context menu options e Choose Page gt Delete A deletion warning message will appear After confirmation the page will be deleted from the vocabulary file However the page will stay in the library resource list and can be used again To delete a vocabulary file this process can take up to an hour to complete and requires a battery charger to plugged in through out the entire process Choose File gt Vocab File gt Delete Vocab File and follow the on screen instructions ALT Chat Rev 1 49 5 36 Combining button actions ALT CHAT now provides the option to combine multiple button actions to a specific button You might for example set up a button to Clear the Display then speak Would you like some
94. uments j3 hy Computer amp File name Mu Network Files of type Sound Files wav Cancel Pl E aces Open at read only Finally hit Apply in the WAV properties window to select the sound that will be played with the Play Audio button Tap OK on the General Properties window ALT Chat Rev 1 35 Record Audio If you are creating a Record Audio button it must be associated with a Play Audio button For example on the main page of a school aged device user s vocabulary there may be a button that is titled from Home and another from school When the device user selects the from Home button it will play a recording that Mom made for the teacher earlier that morning or the from school button may play a message that the teacher recorded at the end of the day for Mom to replay later The easiest way to provide these recordings in a timely manner would be to have the two Play Audio buttons and two Record Audio buttons placed on pages in the device user s vocabulary file In this example there needs to be a Record Audio button for the teacher to use and one for Mom to use or they will be recording over each other s messages There must be a Play Audio button with a sound recording prior to creating the Record Audio button To create a Record Audio button Choose the page that you want the Record Audio button to be on Navigate to the button properties window see section 5 4 T
95. use it ALT Chat Rev 1 16 4 2 About the Terminology A Vocabulary file is a set of vocabulary pages Each vocabulary file consists of a series of pages each with a grid of onscreen buttons These buttons may include text labels graphical symbols or both The number of buttons as well as their appearance can be customized Depending upon the type of button selecting it may speak a word or sentence navigate you to a different page or perform an editing action Buttons are selected by tapping or pressing on the touch screen DesktopChat File Edit View Help l Language F i Vocab File Load Vocab File New Vocab File OOOO Sawe Vocab File As Profile Delete Vocab File Export Exit Y Library is the term used that includes all vocabulary files pages buttons sounds amp all icons including imported pictures The default Library is the original set of vocabulary files supplied by Saltillo along with the original symbol sets Edit Mode refers to a mode set to allow the programmer access to all of the tools needed to Edit or modify the vocabulary pages When in Edit Mode the name of the Vocabulary File and the name of the current Page showing is written across the bottom of the screen Run Mode is set when editing has been completed and the ALT CHAT is ready for communication DesktopChat File Edit View Help w Edit mode Modify Vocabulary Abbreviations Pronuncatons
96. user s guide The DesktopChat software not only provides a backup of the communication device but also provides a place to create and modify vocabulary without keeping the ALT CHAT from its user The ALT HAT machine runs on rechargeable batteries Before using your device for the first time charge the battery with the battery charger provided with the device see next page Install the DesktopChat software onto a separate computer that will be used for programming and keeping a copy of the device user s vocabulary The DesktopChat has been provided on a CD included in your box We encourage all parties working with this system to use the DesktopChat CD to download the program onto their computer system Transferring information between the PC and the ALT CHATF and the use of the USB ports have been altered from our previous lines of products Saltillo has eliminated the need for synchronizing with Mobile Device Center and ActiveSync by allowing USB flash drive units to use importing and exporting features Further explanations of these features will be found in this user manual Please take the time to read this section carefully A USB flash drive can be found in your package for this purpose Note Saltillo recommends using DesktopChat for programming whenever possible To assist in the instruction of the system in addition to this User s Guide we provided a Quick Reference Guide It can be found in the back of this
97. w Help Menu Option ee Settings Speech Off Add Space Screen Go To About Registration Sub Menu Description all items in the Library that are not currently being used in a vocabulary file DE are settings scan Determines what switches or touchscreen will be Setup used to scan with Timing prior to activation Timing Dette tetmcentnoecablay boss Delays between the vocabulary boxes scanning Determines if a button will repeat when the switch is Patterns Prompts Voice Switches PocketPC Normal Full Screen Resize with keyboard Page Back Forward Home Page Auto Repeat held or not or how long the switch must be held prior to repeating Scanning Determines which order the device will scan the Pattern buttons Auditory Determines if the Auditory Prompts are used while Prompting scanning where they will be heard and what will be prompted Auditory Determines which Voice voice will be used for the Prompt auditory prompt Voice Switch Setup Hardware switch setup will determine which switches will be used for each scanning function 1 e select Turns off the speech synthesizer of your ALT CHAT Adds a space to all words when printed to the display Displays MS start menu the SDB the Display bar and the Menu bar not available in ALT CHAT model Displays the SDB on top the Display bar in the middle and the Menu bar and Toolbar on bottom Hides
98. you would like to print e Choose the View Menu e Choose Print To change the size of the printed pages e Choose the View Menu e Choose Screen e Choose a more appropriate size ALT Chat Rev 1 52 7 Useful Options on the ALT CHAT e Button Options on the ALT CHAT e Touchscreen Settings e Speech Options on the ALT CHAT e System Settings 7 1 Button Action Options on the ALT CHAT ALT CHAT allows you to create and use a rich variety of different button actions The table below lists all button actions with the corresponding description Button name Add s add ed add er add est add ing add en Add Message to Display Add date time to Display Battery Status Backspace key Cancel Visit Caps modifier Clear Display Clear Last Word Ctrl modifier Dynamic Word Prediction DWP Dynamic Character Prediction DCP Load Display Navigate Navigate back Navigate to home No operation Num modifier Open PPC Application Description Changes the existing word to the chosen grammatical form Puts text from buttons Message box into the display but isn t spoken Displays the current date and time in the SDB Displays the current battery status in the SDB Deletes the last character in the Display Clears all remaining visits Caps modifier activates the Caps Lock modifier field in the Button Sets Clears the text in the Speech Display Bar SDB Deletes the last word in the SDB cont

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