dtk-bs(1) · carta

NAME

dtk-bs - interface between Emacspeak and a Braille 'n Speak

SYNOPOSIS

DTK_PROGRAM=dtk-bs
export DTK_PROGRAM

DESCRIPTION

dtk-bs is a tcl script that accepts text and commands on its standard input and forwards them to a Braille 'n Speak, Type 'n Speak, or Braille Lite connected to a serial port. It is normally executed as a subprocess by emacs(1) when running emacspeak(1).

The Braille 'n Speak is a handheld computer tailored for use by the blind, with speech output and a serial port. It has a keyboard like that on a braille writer, with a large key corresponding to each of the six dots in a braille cell (numbered from left to right as: 3 2 1 4 5 6), plus a "space bar". Most characters and commands require that two or more keys be pressed simultaneously. The following instructions use the manufacturer's nomenclature, in which "chording" means pressing any combination of braille dots along with the spacebar. Thus "l-chord" means "Press the spacebar together with dots 1-2-3 (the braille letter l)".

To use this driver, set up the serial port on the speech device (9600 N 8 1 with software handshake and duplex of "none") and put it into "speech box mode". These are the commands for the Braille 'n Speak:

        status menu             p chord (3-4 chord)
        next item               4 chord
        previous item           1 chord
        say again               1-4 chord
        next choice             spacebar
        exit status menu        e chord (1-5 chord)

To set just one parameter, the experienced user may find it more convenient to enter the status menu with a p chord (3-4 chord) then issue one of the following commands. Each command also exits the status menu, so to change another parameter, another p chord is required.

        9600 baud               b 9 (dots 1-2, 3-5)
        no parity               p n (dots 1-2-3-4, 1-3-4-5)
        duplex none             d n (dots 1-4-5, 1-3-4-5)
        8 data bits             st-sign-chord, 8 (dots 4-5-6, 2-3-6)
        1 stop bit              s 1 (dots 2-3-4, 2)
        software handshaking    h s (dots 1-2-5, 2-3-4)

Finally, enter speech box mode as follows:

        speech parameters menu  3-4-5 chord
        speech box mode         1-2-3-4-5-6 chord (all buttons down)
        block handshaking       b (dots 1-2)

When you want to leave speech box mode

        speech box mode off     1-2-3-4-5-6 chord (all buttons down)
        exit                    e chord (1-5 chord)

OPTIONS

dtk-bs accepts no options.

ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES

DTK_TCL: Gives the name for the program that Emacspeak should start, to drive the speech synthesizer. The default is tcl, which is appropriate for this driver.

DTK_PROGRAM: Gives the name for the TCL script that implements the speech server. To use dtk-bs, set DTK_PROGRAM to dtk-bs (as suggested under SYNOPSIS above). Emacspeak looks for this file in /usr/share/emacs/site-lisp/emacspeak/.

DTK_PORT: Points to the device where the speech synthesizer is connected. If not set, the default is as follows: /dev/tty00 under ULTRIX or OSF1, /dev/ttya under SunOS. Under Linux, the default is /dev/ttyS0.

DTK_DEVICE: Specifies which speech synthesizer is connected. The value should be one of these strings: Braille 'n Speak, Type 'n Speak, or Braille Lite.

AUTHOR

Jim Van Zandt <[email protected]>

Derived from the tcl program dtk-exp by T. V. Raman <[email protected]>, the author of Emacspeak.