PTR1 QUICK GUIDE QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE CONTRIBUTED BY RNIB These instructions are for starting only. Please refer to User's Guide CD and Manual in details. Plextalk Portable Recorder PTR1 Please retain these instructions for further use. @Table of Contents For Your Safety 3 Battery Care 4 Getting Started Guide 5 Box contents 5 Player orientation 5 Insert the battery 5 Connect to power source 6 Power on 6 Button layout 6 Key lock/key describer function 7 The Users Guide (DAISY) CD 7 Changing the general volume or guide volume 7 Changing the tone and playback speed 7 Check your position in the DAISY book 8 Navigating within the DAISY book 8 Recording 10 Using the built-in microphone 10 To Turn off Play Guidance 10 Using an external microphone 10 Using an external sound source 11 Recording tips 11 Choosing a setting for the recording 11 Recording on to disc 12 Pause during recording 12 Stop recording 12 Adding to the recording 12 Check the recording times 12 Set a heading while recording 13 Cancel a heading setting 13 Set a page while recording 13 Cancel a page 13 Overwrite at a specific location 14 Editing Tips 14 Create a new title 14 Erase a title 14 Preparing to edit 14 Setting Headings, Groups and Pages in Recorded Material 15 To create a new heading 15 To cancel a heading 15 Finalizing a Recorded disc 15 Finalize a disc 16 Contact information 16 @For Your Safety Important note: Failure to observe the following warnings may invalidate the guarantee and could cause serious injury. * If the recorder's operation seems impaired or damaged in any way, please contact Plextor at info@plextalk.com as soon as possible. * If you hear a strange noise, smell smoke or an odor coming from the recorder, turn off the power immediately. * Use the recorder in a horizontal position only. * Do not allow sand or dust to come in contact with the recorder as this may lead to a malfunction and could make repair impossible. * Do not use your recorder in locations where strong radio waves are emitted or where there is radiation. * Do not use the recorder near electrical equipment such as TVs, radios, or tuners as it may pick up additional noise from these devices. * Do not use a power supply not made for use with the recorder or "electronic transformers" designed for overseas travelers. * Do not use or store the recorder in any of the following places, as this may cause damage. Inside cars with the windows closed in the hot sun, in direct sunlight or close to heaters, radiators, etc. Locations subject to severe vibration such as on top of a washing machine. Locations subject to strong magnetism such as near speakers. * Wipe dust and dirt from the recorder with a soft cloth dampened with a diluted neutral detergent, then wipe dry with a cloth. * Always remove the power cord from the player's outlet when cleaning your recorder. * Wipe CD-ROM discs with a clean, soft cotton cloth to remove surface dirt such as fingerprints. * When cleaning, use a straight-line motion, wiping from the center outwards. * Do not wipe the disc in a circular motion. * Do not use your player during thunderstorms. * Do not use your player near water, such as in a bathroom. * Do not insert or remove the power plug with wet hands. * Do not expose the battery to fire. * Do not disassemble the battery. * Do not heat the battery in a microwave oven, on a cooker, or anything similar. * Do not put the battery with metal objects such as coins, hairpins, or necklaces; these can cause a dangerous short circuit in the battery. * Do not leave the battery in hot locations such as direct sunlight, or in a hot car. * Do not use the battery if the battery becomes wet. * In the event of a fluid leak from the battery, remove it immediately and keep away from any source of fire. There is a danger of the leaked fluid or vapor igniting, causing a fire or explosion. * If battery fluid gets into your eyes, bathe them with water and consult a physician immediately. * If the fluid gets onto your body or clothing, wash the area well with water. * Only use the specified battery that was included with recorder. Replacements are only available from Plextor. * Do not subject the battery to shocks, such as dropping or stepping on it. * Install the battery as instructed, with the terminals placed in the correct orientation. * Never disassemble, attempt to repair, or modify your player yourself. * If liquids or metal fragments should enter your player, remove the power plug immediately. * Do not listen at high volumes for extended periods as this can lead to impaired hearing especially when using headphones. * Do not pull the plug out by its cord when removing the power plug from the recorder. * Make sure that the recorder, main wall adapter, power cord and plug are securely connected. * The CD rotates at a high speed, do not glue anything that is particularly thick, such as a Braille label, onto the surface. * The recorder is only compatible with round CDs. Irregularly shaped CDs, such as the business card type, will cause a malfunction and should not be used. @Battery Care When using your recorder for the first time or after one month of storage, connect to a main power source for at least 24 hours to recharge the internal clock. If the recorder is not used for over a month, remove the battery and store the battery in a cool place with low humidity. The battery life depends on how frequently it is used and recharged. Its capacity to store charge reduces over time. When the usable time following a charge becomes too short, replace the battery with a new one. The usable time may be affected by the ambient temperature and working environment. The battery will normally take 4 hours to fully charge. In order to maintain battery performance we recommend the following procedure every six months: * Fully charge the battery * Use on battery power until dead * Recharge for 24 Hours @Getting Started Guide This document describes only the main functions needed to operate the recorder. For more detailed information refer to the manufacturer's user guide DAISY CD or user guide print manual enclosed in the box. @Box contents * Plextalk portable recorder * Power cord * Battery * Audio cable for recording * USB cable * Travel case * User guide print * User guide CD (thin case) * Blank CD-RW (thick case) * Key description decals (stick-on dot labels) @Player orientation Place the player on a desk in front of you with the buttons facing you (uppermost). Rotate the player so that the metal grill is at the top of the player, the rounded edge is to the left and the concave side is to the right. In this position the CD insertion/ejection slot is at the front of the player. The side opposite this is referred to as the back. @Insert the battery Remove the battery cover on the top left-hand side of the bottom of the recorder by pressing the two clips towards the rear and then open the cover. Insert the battery with the indented side of the battery to the right and underneath. The battery should slot in easily without needing force. Once the battery is in place, replace the cover. @Connect to power source The main power/charging unit (power cord) for the player consists of two cables. One cable has a 2-pin (or UK 3-pin) main plug to a small oval connector and the other is a large transformer block to a small round plug. Insert the small round plug into back of the recorder. Connect the oval connector to the large transformer block and then the 2-pin (or UK 3-pin) main plug into an electrical outlet. @Power on The power switch is found farthest back on the left side of the player. Push it towards the back to switch the recorder on (audible tones will indicate the recorder is on and it will say "disc, please wait, no disc"). Note: This switch will pop back when released, to its normal position. To turn the recorder off, move the slide towards you. You should feel a click and the recorder will say "shut down". @Button layout The recorder has 20 buttons on the top. There is a vertical column of five buttons on the left (four small, blue, diamond shaped buttons and one large, red, round button at the bottom). The four small diamond buttons are: * Information key * Heading key * Page key * Bookmark key The large, red, round button is the Record key. The number pad is located towards the right with 12 buttons (4 horizontal rows of 3), like a push button telephone. The number 5 has a small raised dot. Some of the buttons have secondary functions and these are described in brackets. From the top left these are: * Top row: 1, 2 [arrow up or cancel], 3 * Second row: 4 [arrow left = reverse], 5 [Menu], 6 [arrow right = forward] * Third row: 7, 8 [arrow down or enter], 9 * Fourth row: star/cancel, 0, pound/enter Underneath the number pad there are 3 additional buttons: * Rectangular button in the middle (play/stop key) * Triangular button to the left (back key) * Triangular key to the right (forward key) The headphone jack can be found at the left side of the recorder, closest to the front, (there are three jacks). @Key lock/key describer function The key lock/describer slider switch can be found at the front of the recorder (about 5 cm or 2 inches from the right hand side). Key lock is on when it is switched to the right and off when switched to the left. With the key lock/key describer on, press and hold any key to get a verbal description of the key function. Use the key lock/key describer function to help you learn about what the recorder keys can do. @The Users Guide (DAISY) CD Insert the CD into the slot at the front of the recorder. This can be found just below the smooth indent on the front edge. Make sure the CD is placed the right way up, otherwise an error message: "improper or damaged disc", will be announced. The disc should say, "Disc please wait, DAISY title PTR1, Plextalk portable recorder users guide". To eject the CD, press the button at the front far right of the player. Press the heading key. Then press the pound/enter key. This ensures the CD moves to the front and plays from the start. In a moment an explanation of the configuration of this CD is provided. Press the rectangular play/stop key to pause the CD, press again to play. @Changing the general volume or guide volume The general volume/guide volume control, is located third from left on the front of the recorder, and switches between controlling the general volume (e.g. the DAISY book text) and the volume of the guide instructions. To toggle between the volume and the guide volume, press the volume/guide volume control. The volume can be adjusted from 0 to 20 in increments of 1. If you keep pressing it to the right, the volume increases, pressing it to the left, decreases the volume. @Changing the tone and playback speed The play speed/tone dial, located second from left on the front of the recorder, switches between controlling playback speed and audio tone. To toggle between controlling play speed and controlling audio tone, press the play speed/tone dial. To increase the speed, turn the play speed/tone dial to the right and to decrease, turn the play speed/tone dial to the left. You can select playback speed in 11 stages: from -2 to +8. (-2 is half speed, +4 is double speed and +8 is triple speed.) You can adjust the tone in thirteen stages: from -6 to +6. Turn the control to the right to select higher pitched sounds and turn it to the left to select lower pitched sounds. @Check your position in the DAISY book To check the current heading and total number of headings whether the recorder is playing or not, press and hold the heading key. To check the current page and maximum (total) page number, press and hold the page key (the third from the top in the vertical column at the left). To check the current bookmark and total bookmarks, press and hold the bookmark key. To check the duration of the current title, press and hold the play/stop key. @Navigating within the DAISY book To move forward or back slightly when a CD is playing, press and hold the forward key. The CD begins to play from the position where you release your finger. To move back slightly, use the back key in the same way. Note: The speed will gradually increase as you continue to press the key: to 4 times, 8 times and 16 times. At 4 times (Music CD) or 16 times (DAISY, MP3 CD), you can release the Rewind or Forward Keys and the Plextalk will continue to rewind or fast forward. Voice separations due to intervals, such as breathing spaces during recording, are referred to as phrases. You can use phrases to repeat passages so if you failed to hear something press the back key once to go back a phrase, or skip a phrase by pressing the forward key once. Heading numbers are numbers assigned in sequence to all the level headings in a DAISY book. You can use this procedure to move whether the recorder is playing a CD or it is stopped. Press the heading key once, select the heading number then press the pound/enter key. Play begins from the specified heading. Note: If you have pressed the wrong key, press the star/cancel key to cancel it. At the end of the CD, the voice guide indicates "End of title," and the CD stops. Using the navigation keys (2 and 8, 4 and 6 keys) allows you to move through the CD according to headings classified as level 1, 2, or 3. In the User's Guide CD, level 1 represents chapters (for example, Chapter 2), level 2 represents a second level of headings (for example, heading 2.5 or the fifth item in chapter 2) and level 3 represents a third level of headings (for example, heading 2.5.6). Change the level by pressing the 2 and the 8 key until you've reached the desired level. Move backward through a level by pressing the 4 key and move ahead in a level by pressing the 6 key. Note: In this User's Guide CD, you can move by media, title, level 1, level 2, level 3, group, page and time. Moving by group enables you to move through the CD according to items classified as groups. In the User's Guide CD, a group is either a note or a caution, or both. When you create a DAISY book, you can classify almost anything as a group. To move to a page number, press the page key, then the number followed by the pound/enter key. To move by previous page or following page, press the 8 key or the 2 key until you reach "page", then press the 6 key to move forward to the next page, or the 4 key to move to the previous page. Note: If a DAISY title has no page marks, the page command is not available. To move by specific time, first press the 2 or 8 key until you hear the time. Then press and hold the 4 or 6 key. Youfll jump one minute at a time to reach a desired position. The 4 and 6 keys also allow you to move in jumps of 10 minutes to by pressing and holding these keys. The undo (7 key) allows you to quickly move to the location before the last move. You can successively undo up to 20 movements made with heading, page, bookmark and redo. Redo (9 key) lets you quickly reverse an undo operation. You can reverse up to 20 movements made with Undo. Adding Bookmarks allows you to mark passages of text with numbers, so that you can refer to them later. Once you have marked passages of text with bookmarks, you can search by bookmark number. Up to 10,000 bookmarks can be stored in the recorder's memory. If changing discs, your recorder remembers bookmarks and other information for up to 1,000 DAISY disc titles. Voice bookmarks and memos both use memory space, with a total of about 30 minutes available. To add a simple bookmark, press the bookmark key twice to select set bookmark, then press the pound/enter key. To add a numbered bookmark, press the bookmark key twice to select set bookmark, then the number followed by the pound/enter key. Note: A numbered bookmark can be assigned any number from 1 to 65,000. To add a voice bookmark, press the bookmark key until you reach voice bookmark (number of times you press the button is dependent on where you are in the menu) then select a number and press the pound/enter key. You can adjust the recording level until you are happy with it, (the internal microphone is located under the grill at the top). To record, press and hold the record key while recording your message. Release the record key to stop. To retrieve bookmark information, press and hold the bookmark key. To jump to the simple bookmark press the bookmark key and then the pound/enter key. To jump to a numbered bookmark, press the bookmark key to select go to bookmark, then press the number followed by the pound/enter key. Note: If you jump to a numbered bookmark that is also a voice bookmark, you hear the voice comment immediately, before the book begins playing. To remove a bookmark, press the bookmark key to select remove bookmarks, select the number then press the pound/enter key. (Recorded voice messages will also be removed) To remove all bookmarks in a title, press the menu (5) key, select bookmark with the 4 key and 6 key, then press pound/enter key. Select remove all bookmarks with the 4 key and 6 key, then press the pound/enter key. @Recording @Using the built-in microphone If you are using the built-in microphone, we recommend you turn off the voice guide, so it is not included in the recording. There are several ways of doing this: * Connect the headphones to the headphone jack. You will hear: "Headphones". * Adjust voice guide volume to 0 (press the Volume & Guide Volume dial, for guide volume and adjust as required.) * Use the menu to turn off "Setting of play guidance while recording". @To turn off play guidance: * Press the 5 key. * Select Control panel with the 4 and 6 key then press the pound/enter key. You will hear: "Enter. Select control item." * Select "Setting of playing guidance while recording" with the 4 and 6 key then press the pound/enter key. You will hear: "Setting of playing guidance while recording. Enter." "Select: Setting of playing guidance while recording." * Select No play with the 4 and 6 key then press the pound/enter key. You will hear: "No play. Enter. Set." @Using an external microphone Note: For better sound quality an external microphone is often best for recording conferences, lectures, presentations, and concerts. (Select a suitable microphone that has a mini plug.) If you use a stereo microphone, it will only record on the left input creating a mono recording. Note: You cannot use an external microphone, line input and a built-in microphone at the same time. To connect the external microphone: * Connect the external microphone to the external microphone jack, which is the middle jack on the left side of the player. You will hear: "External microphone". Note: Use headphones to monitor recording or to avoid creating a howling noise between external microphone and built-in speaker. @Using an external sound source To record using sources such as a CD or cassette player: Connect to the Line In accessory audio jack of the recorder, the third from you on the left side. You will hear: "Input Line In". Note: Use the audio cable supplied for the best quality recording. If the recorder is connected to both an external microphone and the line input, it automatically records the sound from the input terminal that was connected last. @Recording tips For the best recording quality, avoid any vibration during recording. Set the player on a level surface and a towel or other soft material to absorb any vibration. If you delete recorded data using the Edit menu, the data is not actually erased from the CD. For this reason, your recording time may be shorter than expected. To check the remaining time for recording, press the Information key during recording. If you are using the battery as a power source, we recommend using an optional PC memory card for recording to save power. You can write CD-R media only once and it cannot be erased (although you can add to the disc in different sessions until it is full). If you use CD-RW media, you can erase and rewrite many times. Whenever you erase CD-RW media using a PC, be sure to select "Full erase". PC memory card: If you have a PC card (this is optional), you can record directly to it. You can also backup your recording on the CD-R or CD-RW disc. @Choosing a setting for the recording Insert in new CD-R or CD-RW disc into the slot drive on the front of the player. You will hear: "Disc: Please wait. Blank CD. Title does not exist. Press Record key to prepare for DAISY recording." Visual Guide: Busy red LED flashes. * Press the 5 key. You will hear: "Menu. Edit" * Use the 6 and 4 keys to select recording setting then press pound/enter key. * Select built in microphone or another input with the 4 key or 6 key then press the pound/enter key. You will hear: "Select recording type". * Select Reading, Analogue cassettes with standard recording, Analogue cassettes with double speed recording, Conference, Custom setting, or Music then press the pound/enter key. You will hear: "Enter. Set". Note: Previous recording settings can be memorized, so make sure to check the current setting before you start recording. You can only select external microphone when a microphone is connected to the external microphone jack. @Recording on to disc With all settings chosen, you can begin to record. * The 1 key switches between insert mode and punch in mode. For recording ensure you are in insert mode (refer to Adding to the recording.) * Press the record key on the recorder. You will hear: "Volume setting. Record to disc", followed by the current recording settings. Visual Guide: Red record LED is lit. * Adjust the recording level by use of the recording level/monitor dial at the front or the position of the microphone until the level is good. * Press the record button to start the recording. @Pause during recording Use the Record key to pause or to restart the recording. * Press the record key during recording. You will hear: "Pause." Visual Guide: Red record LED flashes. @Stop recording * Press the Play & Stop key. You will hear: Some tones from the player. Visual Guide: Red record LED is out. When you need to edit your recorded contents, refer to the section on Editing by the Edit menu in the main manual. @Adding to the recording Use the Insert Mode or the Punch-In Mode by using the 1 key to switch between these modes. Insert mode preserves all recorded material where punch in mode replaces specific phrases. Check the main manual for punch in recording. @Check the recording times and free space. Use the information key to check the available recording time and free space by pressing and holding the information key while playing back. You will hear: "Current time, Date, Available recording time and Battery level". For the actual recorded time along with the recording time left: * Press and hold the Information key while recording or while paused. You will hear: "Recorded time, Available recording time, free apace and battery level." @Set a heading while recording When you set a heading during recording, it is automatically numbered from the beginning of the title. While the recorder is recording: * Press the Heading key. The heading is automatically inserted. You will hear heading number. Note: You can set a heading while the recording is paused. @Cancel a heading setting If you change your mind after setting a heading, you can cancel the last heading set while the machine is paused. * Press the Heading key twice to cancel the last heading you set. You will hear heading number cancelled. Note: When you cancel a heading, the numbers are re-numbered in sequence from the beginning of the title. @Set a page while recording Use the Page key to create a page while recording. While recording: * Press the Page key. You will hear page number. When you add a page, the numbers are re-numbered in sequence from the beginning of the title. Note: You can also create a page when paused during recording. @Cancel a page If you change your mind during a recording pause, while the machine is paused, you can cancel the last page set. * Press the page key twice to cancel the last page you set. You will hear page number cancelled. Note: Pressing the Page key alternates between Page and Cancel Page Setting. @Overwrite at a specific location You can overwrite to correct a portion of a recording during a recording pause. * Press the Record key to pause recording. You will hear: "Pause." * Use the Back key to find the mistake. * Press the Record key. * Start recording your replacement phrase. @Editing Tips Multiple DAISY titles can be created on a single CD. For example, you might specify the January issue of an audio magazine as the first title and the February issue as the second title. @Create a new title * Press the 5 key, select edit with the 4 and 6 keys then press the pound/enter key. You will hear: "Select editing items. Save editing information". * Select create new title with the 4 and 6 keys then press the pound/enter key. You will hear: "Create new title. Enter." * Press the pound/enter key. You will hear: "Create new title. Are you sure?" * Press the pound/enter key. You will hear: "Prepare for DAISY recording" followed by some busy tones, then "Finished." followed by "Current title: number." and "Total titles: number." @Erase a title When you erase a title, you delete the title and all the audio from the title. * Move to the title that you want to delete. * Press the 5 key, select Edit with the 4 and 6 keys and press the pound/enter key. You will hear: "Menu. Edit. Enter." * Select Erase Selected Title with the 4 and 6 keys then press the pound/enter key. You will hear: "Erase selected title. Enter." * Press the pound/enter key. You will hear: "Erase selected title. Are you sure? Finished." "Disc please wait. Current title: 1. Total titles: number." @Preparing to edit If you are adding to or editing a CD-R disc that has been "finalized", you need to make some editing preparations with the Prepare to edit command. When the recorder writes a CD, it uses its own writing format. To make that CD playable on other players, you need to "finalize" the disc. Once a disc has been finalized, you can no longer edit it on the recorder unless you first use the prepare to edit command. This command changes the CD back to the recorder format and allows you to edit the CD. If a CD has not been finalized, you can go ahead and edit it without using the Prepare to edit command. @Setting Headings, Groups and Pages in Recorded Material While playing a phrase and you want to insert a heading, you can quickly set a heading by pressing the Heading key twice. The heading numbers are automatically re-numbered from the beginning of the title when the recording ends. @To create a new heading * Find and move to the spot where you want to set a heading. * Press the Stop key when the phrase for which you want to set a heading plays. * Press the Heading key until you hear, "Set heading setting" then press the pound/enter key. You will hear: "Enter. Finished." @To cancel a heading * Find and move to the heading that you want to cancel. * Press the Heading key until you hear, "Cancel heading setting" then press the pound/enter key. You will hear: "Enter. Finished." Note: The actual recorded content is not deleted; only the heading specification is. @Finalizing a Recorded disc Finalization converts the recorded CD into a disc that can be played on other DAISY players besides the Plextalk recorder, and on a computer using software. If you do not finalize a CD after recording it, you will not be able to play it on any other players. CAUTION: If the battery runs down during CD finalization, you may get a disc that is not playable. Be sure to connect to a main power source before performing CD finalization. Note: You can add recording to a DAISY disc that has been finalized. During finalization, you choose from two options: * Disc closed: You cannot add recording after finalization. * Disc recordable: You can record by performing the Prepare to edit command. Note: For music CDs you can not add any additional recording. If you are only going to use a CD-R on the Plextalk Portable Recorder, it is not necessary to finalize it. This means you can always add to the recording later. @Finalize a disc * Press the 5 key and select Media management with the 4 and 6 keys then press the pound/enter key. You will hear: "Select Media management" * Select CD finalization with the 4 and 6 keys, then press the pound/enter key. You will hear: "Select disc option after CD finalization" * Select Disc closed with the 4 and 6 keys, then press the pound/enter key. You will hear: "Are you sure?" * Press the pound/enter key to proceed or the star/cancel key to abort. Visual Guide: Recording LED is lit if proceeding. After a few minutes the disc is finalized, you will hear the following: Some Tones, followed by "Finished. Disc please wait. DAISY title. Title." Visual Guide: Recording LED is out. Note: If the disc option is "Disc Closed", you cannot add to or edit the disc. @Contact Information To find out more about our products, please visit our website: http://www.plextalk.com Compiled May 2003. Contributed by RNIB. Audio produced by RFB&D. End of document