[Reader-users] Model B PDA Has stopped Functioning

[Pam Drake]

Beth,  I know about the USB and have checked the connection.  I'll have to 
look for that slide switch.  I didn't know there was one of those.  In case 
I don't find it at first try can you tell me approximately where it is? This 
may be what I need.  Thanks.

Pam

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Beth Wright" <beth.wright at mindspring.com>
To: "Kurzweil National Federation of the Blind Reader user list" 
<reader-users at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Tuesday, February 05, 2008 8:21 PM
Subject: Re: [Reader-users] Model B PDA Has stopped Functioning


problem similar to yours, and what was wrong was that the
PDA had become disconnected from the camera.  There's a little USB connector
on the bottom of the Pda that has to be fitted securely into a slot on the
camera.  There's also a slider switch on the camera that can accidentally be
moved to the wrong position, especially if you've been playing around with
the machine a lot.  Hopefully someone else on the list can do a better job
of explaining this than I just did, or maybe come up with another
explanation.  If not, you can always call tech support tomorrow, and have
someone walk you through the problem.

Beth
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Pam Drake" <pamdrake at drakelroy.com>
To: "Kurzweil National Federation of the Blind Reader user list"
<reader-users at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Tuesday, February 05, 2008 10:02 PM
Subject: [Reader-users] Model B PDA Has stopped Functioning


>I sure hope someone knows of and can help me fix the following problem
>which
> took me completely by surprise.
>
> Yesterday I was reading some documents.  The PDA battery was at 96 or 97
> percent, far from low.  I had had to reset the unit a few times, but had
> gotten no low camera battery warning.  Usually a reset brings the     PDA
> back to rights.  I reset the unit a couple of times after the picture had
> been taken.  Finally the unit announced for a final time that the image
> was
> being processed.  No clicks, no nothing.  I reset.  Again, no clicks, no
> nothing.  A couple of times I pressed the camera button and got the
> familiar
> tones.  I reset the PDA    several times before giving up and plugging it
> back in.
>
> This morning I tried once again to get a response from the PDA.  I used
> the
> proper F1 followed by F2 command in a time sequence which usually worked.
> Nothing.  I even tried the second, and I guess primary reboot of F4,
> release, followed by F3.  Nothing.  I have been able to get sound from the
> camera; but with no speech I can't tell now whether the camera is on or
> off.
>
> I called a sighted friend in hopes of getting him to come over and look
> for
> any message on the screen, and found him not to be answering the phone.  I
> left a message but have yet to hear from him.  He is retired and so may
> not
> even be in town.  We don't have many close friends, especially close
> geographically, who know enough about PDAs to help, whether they know
> anything about digital cameras or not.
>
> I hope to find someone to look at the unit for any possible warning
> message
> or perhaps the absence of any Reader information.  As with the
> Trekker/Maestro, absence of any Reader-related info might indicate that
> somehow the programming has been lost and I may need to re-install the
> software.  Once again, this is the B version, so no re-calibration should
> be
> needed, and the unit had been plugged in prior to my starting to check
> documents.  I have kept the reader plugged in almost constantly over the
> past few weeks in response to heavy discussion on the list.  battery .
> Tones from the camera would indicate to me that the entire problem is with
> the PDA.
>
> Has anyone ever experienced this situation?  If I can find no sighted help
> should I re-install the software?
>
> Thanks in advance for all help.
>
> Pam