Flint, It is braille only, though system beeps are used for system indication.
-----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Flint Million Sent: Friday, December 15, 2006 6:48 PM To: Braillenote List Subject: Re: [Braillenote] BN acting up again! Does the bootloader speak? Just curious... Or is it Braille-only? I'd imagine that being pre-boot the speech synth wouldn't be loaded yet. flint On 12/14/06, Joseph Lee <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Flint, > Yes, there is. This is when the Bootloader becomes handy. A possible > explanation goes something like this: If your BrailleNote freezes, you > can press Reset with Record to start with hardware-based Hard Reset, > and then immediately press Reset with dots 4-6 > (j-k) to boot to the Bootloader and start from there. I'm not going > to go into more details on Bootloader (please consult the list > archive), but if you or anoone are interested, please write to me so I > can answer it for you (off list might work). > > > ----- Original Message ----- > >From: "Flint Million" <[EMAIL PROTECTED] > >To: "Braillenote List" > <[email protected] > >Date sent: Thu, 14 Dec 2006 04:46:15 -0600 > >Subject: Re: [Braillenote] BN acting up > again! > > >I'm an IT and computer specialist so this is > a good one, plus I enjoy > >answering questions. Sorry for those who > find it OT. > > >--technical lecture follows. > >The braille note runs on software contained > in internal memory called flash > >memory. This is because the memory is on > chips, and works similarly to > >permanent "ROM" (read only memory) however it > can also be "flashed" back to > >a blank state and then reprogrammed with new > content. People encounter flash > >memory often in the form of a USB flash drive > (thumb drive, usb key, etc) > >which contains a large amount of this flash > memory and is used for storing > >user data. On the braille note, the actual > system software itself is > >contained on a flash memory chip. > > >Reflashing is the process of writing new > information to flash memory. Most > >often however it pertains to system software, > or "firmware", of various > >devices. A computer's BIOS is often > contained on flash memory allowing it to > >be updated by the user. In the past, you > would have to open your computer, > >physically remove the old memory chip, and > install the new one. Now you can > >simply "flash" the chip and write new > information to it. Most devices that > >are portable or specialized have their system > software in flash memory as > >well. The game system you refer to has flash > memory for all of its internal > >software, and additional software is added by > way of discs, cartridges, or > >whatever. > > >Whenever you update your Braille note's > Keysoft software, you are infact > >"reflashing" the Braille note's memory on > your own. The file you download > >from the Internet or receive on a Secure > Digital card (which, by the way, is > >another form of flash memory) contains all of > the data that needs to go onto > >the flash memory chip inside your Braille > note. Your Braille Note's flash > >memory chip also serves as the "Flash Disk" > which is why it's always a good > >idea to back up information on the flash disk > before doing any sort of > >software upgrade. > > >When the Braille Note completely freezes (as > mine has), it's impossible > >however to run the software that starts the > update. Flash memory is > >"reflashed" by special software written > expressly for this purpose. If you > >can't get your Braille note to start up, you > won't be able to run any > >software to reflash the memory yourself. > Many consumer devices today have > >some sort of "last resort" backup method to > allow the end user to reflash > >the unit in the case of a huge catastrophe. > PC's today sometimes ship with > >two completely separate BIOS chips; if you > ruin one by incorrectly > >reflashing you can use the other to boot up > again to try reflashing the main > >chip again. The Braille Note however has no > such escape route. If the flash > >memory is reflashed wrongly, or if it simply > is a faulty chip and can't > >"remember" information well, it dies, and > goodbye. It's going back to HW. > > >If I were asked about how to make enduser > flashing possible, I'd suggest HW > >introduce another chip to the Braille Note > that has just enough program on > >it to get the unit to where it can read an SD > card and reflash the main > >memory using that card's contents. For > example, if your main flash was > >completely messed up, you could simply get > the current Keysoft, put its file > >on an SD card, and reboot your Braille Note > while holding down a certain key > >combination or some other trick. The Braille > Note would read the SD card, > >and write the contents of the file to main > flash automatically. You could > >prhaps have some beep feedback during this > process. Afterwards your main > >Flash would be restored and you could > continue working. > > >There's absolutely no technical reason HW > can't implement such an emergency > >restore feature. If there is such a feature > I want to know about it! If > >there is not, the only reason I can think of > is QC: which to answer the > >other lister's question means Quality > Control. Hw wants your unit back so > >they can examine it. Perhaps it is like a > car dealership even; they fix your > >flash but go "By the way we saw a bent pin in > the serial port. We can fix > >that for $xxx." I'm not trying to suggest HW > is trying to pull a fast one on > >its customers, but it seems routine these > days to technologically prevent > >customers from repairing their own equipment. > > >--end technical discussion > > >well there you have it. For those who I > completely lost after five words, my > >apologies :-) Anyway, off for now, will post > to let you all know what > >happens with the unit, but I'm going to push > as hard as I can for a > >replacement unit, since I do depend on my > Braille note for work and being > >without it for me is just about as bad as a > sighted person being without > >their pen and paper, appointment book, watch, > address book, leisure reading, > >and (yep, you guessed it) their handheld game > console! > > >Flint > > > >On 12/13/06, Alex Parks <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > wrote: > > >> I tried to do that. It took two or three > times of sending my BN > >> in for repair (which is why I wanted the > replacement) and asking > >> for a new one each time before HW finally > replaced mine. I am > >> glad they did, but you should be extremely > insistent because it > >> is hard, at least in my experience, to > convince them to replace a > >> machine. Good luck. > > >> Oh, a question: exactly what does reflashing > do? My friend > >> reflashed the BIOS on my computer, and I > heard of a guy who tried > >> to flash the BIOS of a gaming system. What > does flashing, or > >> reflashing, do and why would it be so nice > to be able to do > >> independent of a tech support person? > > >> Have a great day, > >> Alex > > >>> ----- Original Message ----- > >>>From: "Flint Million" <[EMAIL PROTECTED] > >>>To: "Braillenote List" > <[email protected] > >>>Date sent: Wed, 13 Dec 2006 00:55:25 -0600 > >>>Subject: Re: [Braillenote] BN acting up > again! > > >>>It was sent in for repair. My guess is they > just reflashed the > >> system. I > >>>have to think there's a way for endusers to > reflash the system > >> even if it's > >>>completely dead, but Humanware would rather > us send it in. I > >> understand the > >>>whole QC thing, but being without the unit is > a strain on work, > >> and > >>>Humanware (as do many other companies) seem > to forget that... I'm > >> gonna give > >>>them a call tomorrow and see if I can get it > straight. I'm pretty > >> much going > >>>to say I want a completely new replacement > unit, not just the > >> same unit > >>>reflashed. > > >>>Flint > > > >>>On 12/12/06, Brian Lingard > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > >>>> Ottawa Canada > > >>>> Dear Flint: > > >>>> After your BrailleNote died last time, how > did you coax it back > >>>> to health? > > >>>> Sounds like you need to have a serious talk > with Humanware Tech > >>>> Support. > > >>>> Brian > > >>>> -- > >>>> No virus found in this outgoing message. > >>>> Checked by AVG Free Edition. > >>>> Version: 7.5.432 / Virus Database: > 268.15.16/582 - Release Date: > >>>> 11/12/2006 4:32 PM > > > > > >>>> ___ > >>>> To leave the BrailleNote list, send a blank > message to > >>>> [EMAIL PROTECTED] > >>>> To view the list archives or change your > preferences, visit > >>>> > http://list.humanware.com/mailman/listinfo/br > aillenote > > > >>>___ > >>>To leave the BrailleNote list, send a blank > message to > >>>[EMAIL PROTECTED] > >>>To view the list archives or change your > preferences, visit > >>>http://list.humanware.com/mailman/listinfo/br > aillenote > > > > >> ___ > >> To leave the BrailleNote list, send a blank > message to > >> [EMAIL PROTECTED] > >> To view the list archives or change your > preferences, visit > >> > http://list.humanware.com/mailman/listinfo/br > aillenote > > > >___ > >To leave the BrailleNote list, send a blank > message to > >[EMAIL PROTECTED] > >To view the list archives or change your > preferences, visit > >http://list.humanware.com/mailman/listinfo/br > aillenote > > > ___ > To leave the BrailleNote list, send a blank message to > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > To view the list archives or change your preferences, visit > http://list.humanware.com/mailman/listinfo/braillenote > > ___ To leave the BrailleNote list, send a blank message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To view the list archives or change your preferences, visit http://list.humanware.com/mailman/listinfo/braillenote ___ To leave the BrailleNote list, send a blank message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To view the list archives or change your preferences, visit http://list.humanware.com/mailman/listinfo/braillenote
