Using Apex with your iPhone or Mac computer
Using Apex with your Mac computer
Setting up the Apex as a Braille Display for your Mac computer
Connecting via the USB client port:
1- From the Apex main menu, follow the steps described in the section "Set your BrailleNote Apex to Terminal mode".
Set your BrailleNote Apex to Terminal mode:
| On the BrailleNote, press Space with Braille keys 1 to 6 to go to the Main Menu. You will be prompted “Main Menu”. |  | |
| From KeySoft’s Main menu, press T to select the Terminal for screen reader option. |  | |
| You will be prompted “Braille terminal port?”. Press U to select USB client. You will be placed in the Braille Terminal mode. |  |
2- Insert the larger end of the cable into one of the Mac's USB ports. If the Apex does not display the item on the Mac, then reset the Apex. Again, choose "terminal for screen reader" from the main menu, and press the Enter key. Items from the Mac should then be displayed on the Apex.
Connecting your Apex Braille display via Bluetooth
To use the BrailleNote with a screen reader via Bluetooth, you will first need to add the BrailleNote as a Braille display within your screen reader.
Follow the described steps:
To establish the connection, do the following:
1- Before attempting to pair the Apex with the Mac, you will need to ensure that Bluetooth has been turned on for the MAC and that it is discoverable by other devices.
From the Mac's desktop, open the menu bar; move the VO cursor down through the menu and select System preferences. Interact with the scroll area of the Preference panes. Move to the Bluetooth button and press it. Make sure that the check box for Bluetooth on as well as the box for discoverable are both checked. Then, close the window.
2- From the Apex main menu, make sure Bluetooth is turned ON. See the section Turn ON Bluetooth on your BrailleNote:
Turn ON Bluetooth on your BrailleNote:
| On the BrailleNote, press Space with Braille keys 1 to 6 to go to the Main Menu. | | |
| From the Main Menu, press Space with O to open the Options Menu. |  | |
| In the Options Menu, press C to open the Connectivity Menu. |  | |
| In the Connectivity Menu, press B to select Bluetooth. |  | |
You will be prompted “Bluetooth on? Currently x”, where “x” is the current Bluetooth status. Press Y for yes. |  | |
You will be prompted “Search for devices?” Press Space with Braille keys 1 to 6 to go to the Main Menu. | |
3- After you have completed the above steps on the Mac, you will need to set the Terminal mode on the Apex. Change your terminal port to Bluetooth, then, exit to the Main Menu. Those procedures are described in the section "Connecting your Apex via Bluetooth".
On your MAC, from the desktop:
1- Open Voiceover Utilities by pressing the VO keys with F8. Interact with the table of categories and move to Braille.
2- Stop interacting with the table and move the VO cursor to the Displays tab and press the VO keys with Space to activate that tab.
3- Move the VO cursor to the right until you find the "Add Braille Display" button and select it.
The Mac will search for Bluetooth Braille displays.
4- When you hear that the Mac has found a display, move the VO cursor to the right to the table of discovered displays and interact with the table. Move the VO cursor down and find the Apex.
5- Stop interacting with the table.
6- When you no longer hear "busy" from the progress bar, move the VO cursor to the right, find the "select" button and activate it.
7- A secure edit box, the type of input control that is present when a password is needed, will then appear, along with a prompt for a pairing code. Type in "0000," and press the Enter key.
8- If the pairing is successful, the Apex will display the contents of the VO cursor.
Using Apex with iPhone iOS 4
The Apex can be paired with the iPhone running iOS 4 as a Bluetooth Braille display and provides Grade 2 Braille input and output.
The pairing has to be initialized from the phone, just as you would to pair with any other keyboard or Bluetooth device.
To make the connection do the following:
1- From the Apex main menu, make sure Bluetooth is turned ON. See the section Turn ON Bluetooth on your BrailleNote.
2- Enter Terminal mode. Change your terminal port to Bluetooth. The procedure is described in the section "Connecting your Apex via Bluetooth".
On your iPhone, from the Home screen, navigate to settings:
1- Navigate to General
2- Navigate to Accessibility
3- Double tap Voice Over
4- Double tap Braille
5- If your phone's Bluetooth is not turned on at this point, it will prompt you to do so.
6- Give it a few seconds to scan.
7- Once scanning has completed, you should see Apex as an option. Simply double tap it and the pairing will begin.
8- Enter 0000 on the phone as the pairing code
You will hear a chime sound when the pairing has completed and both keyboard and display functionality will be available.
