Quick-start Guide
This guide provides the basic instructions for
using the Orbit Slate 520 Multi-line Refreshable Braille Display. For more
information and complete instructions, consult the Orbit Slate User Guide included on the SD card. The Orbit Slate
520 is the world’s first Multi-line Braille Display. It is the first and only
product in the world to provide multiple lines of true real-time refreshable
braille in a single, compact, tablet-sized device. It enables people who are
blind or visually impaired to seamlessly and intuitively experience spatially
arranged text and information such as spatial math problems involving fractions,
mixed numbers, and matrices, reading and writing braille music, manipulating
spreadsheets and tabular data in real time. The Orbit Slate 520 has 5 lines of
real-time refreshable, signage-quality braille with each line having 20 TrueBraille™ cells, for a total of 100 cells.
The Orbit Slate offers features that include a
book reader, editor, and the ability to connect to a smartphone or computer via
Bluetooth or USB and access all the features of these platforms using popular
screen reader programs. It also includes features for productivity and
convenience such as onboard braille translation in over 40 languages, a clock
with alarms, a calendar, and a calculator.
The Orbit Slate 520 produces braille symbols
using 8 pins that can move up and down to produce braille dots and can show five
lines of 20 such symbols. It features a high-quality 8-key Perkins-style
braille keyboard, a cursor pad and rocker keys for navigation and panning,
cursor routing buttons and a full-sized SD-card slot for loading books and
files for reading and editing. When connected to a computer or smartphone, the
Orbit Slate leverages the extensive screen-reader ecosystem developed for the
Orbit Reader family of braille displays to provide instant access to Windows,
Mac OS, iOS, Android, Chrome OS, Fire OS and Linux systems. Its integration
with all popular platforms means that users have countless ways of interacting
with their favorite apps and software.
The following items are included in
the package.
Contact your distributor if anything is missing or damaged.
·
Orbit Slate 520 unit
·
Charger
·
USB Cable (USB-A to USB Type C)
·
SD Card with User Guide and content
(installed in unit)
·
Printed Quick-Start Guide
The normal operating orientation of the device
is with the space bar closest to you. The Dot 7 input
key is to the left of the Space Bar, and the Dot 8 input key is to the right of
the Space Bar. Moving toward the top there is a navigation pad in the middle,
between the Braille Input keys and Space bar. The navigation pad contains the
four directional arrow buttons (Up, Down, Left, Right) and the Select button. The
navigation pad is used to move within a book or file and through menus.
The
six traditional braille input keys are aligned horizontally along the top edge
of the face of the display, Dots 3 2 1 on the left and Dots 4 5 6 on the right.
These keys are used to type in braille and to enter commands.
As you
continue toward the top you find 5 braille displays. The Panning keys are at
each end of the five braille displays.
For
orientation purposes, there are twenty slightly raised tick marks located above
each five braille displays. Every fifth tick mark is slightly raised than
others. For example, the fifth tick mark from the left is somewhat higher than
the following markers.
There
are cursor routing buttons above each braille cell of first braille display. These
are used to move the cursor to the desired location while editing.
On the left side of the device, is the recessed on-off
switch.
On the right side of the device, from front to
back, is the USB Type-C (front) and USB Type-A (back).
At the front right corner of the device, is the SD
card slot. The SD card is inserted with the card connector fingers facing up
and towards the device. To remove the card, press in and remove your finger to
pop out.
The device shall give
long vibration and buzzer together to indicate power on.
The device shall give
two pulses of vibration and buzzer together to indicate power off.
Your Orbit Slate 520 comes with support for
several languages and more can be loaded from the SD card as needed. You can
select a language by pressing the Select button and one of the Dot keys
together. The Select and Dot 1 keys will choose English US Grade 1 (uncontracted)
braille for reading and writing. All the messages and menus will also be shown
in English US Grade 1 (uncontracted). The Select and Dot 2 keys will choose English
Grade 2 (contracted). The Select and Dot 3 keys will choose the BRF format,
which is independent of language. The Select and Dot 4 keys will choose the
language you have loaded from the SD card. There are many other options that
provide a lot of flexibility. Please refer to the User Guide for more details.
The Orbit Slate 520 comes with an inserted SD
card containing the User Guide and translated braille material already on it. If
the SD card is removed or there is no SD card present when the unit is turned
on, the Orbit Slate 520 displays “SD card [no media]”. To insert a card into
the slot, make sure its contact fingers are facing up and gently push it in
until you hear or feel a click. To remove a card, press and release it.
When you first power the device on, the display
shows the name of the first file or folder on the SD card or opens the
previously opened file starting with the file’s last position.
You can scroll through the list of files using
the Up and Down Arrow buttons on the navigation keypad.
To open a file in the list for reading, press the
Select key. To read a file, use the panning buttons to move forward or back
through the contents of the file. For more details on how panning operations
work please refer to the User Guide. To exit from reading a file and return to
the list of files and folders, press the Dot 7 key.
The Orbit Slate 520
offers several options which are accessed through the menu. This allows you to
do things such as checking the battery status, configuring the way braille is
displayed, etc.
•
To see the menu, press the Select and
Up arrow key.
•
To move through the menu items, press
Up or Down Arrow keys.
•
To see the options for an item in the
menu, press the Right or Left Arrow keys.
•
To select or unselect an option, press
the Select key.
•
To close the Menu, press the Dot 7 key.
The Orbit Slate 520 can connect to
computers and mobile devices to access all of their functions and features
using braille. The connection can be either through USB or Bluetooth. The access to the computer or mobile device’s
features is through a software program called a Screen Reader. This software is
available for all platforms including Android, iOS, Windows, Mac OS, Chrome,
and Amazon FireOS. For further details, please refer
to the User Guide.
For the latest information, specifications,
troubleshooting tips, software upgrade instructions, care and user information,
warranty information, and more detailed instructions, contact us at techsupport@orbitresearch.com.