Talking Little Teacher Learning Keyboard (600-2490) Preparation Faxback Doc. # 18772 CONNECTING POWER For portable use, you can power the keyboard with batteries. Using an optional AC adapter, you can also power it from a standard AC outlet. Installing Batteries Your Talking Little Teacher requires four AA batteries for power. For the best performance and longest life, we recommend alkaline batteries, such as Radio Shack Cat. No. 23-552. CAUTION: Use only fresh batteries of the required size and type. 1. To remove the battery compartment cover, press the tab on the cover in the direction of the arrow, then pull it away from the compartment. 2. Put the batteries into the compartment. Match the polarity symbols (+ and -) marked inside the compartment with the same symbols marked on the batteries. 3. Replace the cover and be sure that it snaps into place. NOTES: If you won't be using the keyboard for a week or more, remove the batteries. If the sound weakens or the display dims, replace all four batteries. Do not mix old and new batteries. CAUTION: Dispose of old batteries promptly and properly. Never burn or bury a battery. Using an AC Adapter You can power the keyboard from a standard AC outlet using an AC adapter (not supplied), such as Radio Shack Cat. No. 273-1455. CAUTIONS: You must use an AC adapter that supplies 9 volts and delivers at least 300 milliamps. Its center tip must be set to negative, and its plug must correctly fit the DC 9V jack on the side of the keyboard. The recommended adapter meets these specifications. Using an adapter that does not meet these specifications could damage the keyboard or the adapter. Always plug the AC adapter into the keyboard before you plug it into the AC outlet. Follow these steps to connect an AC adapter to your keyboard. 1. If the keyboard is on, press OFF to turn it off. 2. Insert the AC adapter's barrel plug into the DC 9V jack on the side of the keyboard. 3. Plug the AC adapter into a standard AC outlet. CAUTION: When you are finished using the keyboard, always turn it off and unplug the adapter from the AC outlet before unplugging it from the keyboard. Do not leave the keyboard plugged in when you are not using it. UNFOLDING THE KEYBOARD Your Talking Little Teacher comes in a compact, folded position with a built-in handle, so you can easily carry it with you just about anywhere. To unfold the Talking Little Teacher, set it on your lap or a flat surface (such as a table), then press down on the yellow lock/release key to unlock the screen/cover. Then lift up the screen/cover until it stands straight up. To fold the keyboard back up when you are done, fold the screen/cover down until it locks in place. PLAYING WITH THE KEYBOARD TURNING THE KEYBOARD ON/OFF To turn on the keyboard, press ON. HELLO appears on the display, and the keyboard plays a short melody. Then GAME * appears on the display, * flashes, and the keyboard says "Please enter a game number" (see "Playing a Game") below. To turn off the keyboard, press OFF. BYE appears on the display, and the keyboard says "Bye." NOTE: If you do not press a key for about 5 minutes (or about 2 minutes during game 16 PLAYBACK), the keyboard says "BYE" then automatically turns off to save power. To turn it back on, press ON. ADJUSTING THE DISPLAY CONTRAST You can adjust the contrast (lightness/darkness) of the Talking Little Teacher's display so it is easier for you to read. To adjust the contrast, with the keyboard on, repeatedly press DISPLAY CONTRAST. Each time you press it, the display gets lighter or darker. PLAYING A GAME Follow these general steps to select and play a game on your Talking Little Teacher (except 16 PLAYBACK). For more information about each game (including 16 PLAYBACK), see "Game Descriptions," Faxback Doc. # 18772. 1. Press ON to turn on the keyboard, then wait until GAME * - appears on the display and keyboard says "Please enter a game number." NOTES: If you do not press a key within about 15 seconds after the keyboard gives you an instruction, it automatically repeats the instruction once. To hear an instruction again, you can press REPEAT. The keyboard repeats the instruction out loud. 2. Select a game from the list located below the keyboard's display, then enter the selected game's 2-digit code using the number keys. The keyboard repeats each number out loud as you enter it, then it plays a short melody. The title of the selected game then scrolls across the keyboard's display. NOTE: Any time you enter an incorrect character (letter or number), you can press ERASE to clear it from the display. A tone sounds when you press it, and the last character you entered disappears from the display. The keyboard announces and displays LEVEL 1, 1 PLAYER, then the first problem appears on the display and the keyboard tells you what you need to do to solve it. For example, in the game 01 MISSING LETTER, BEF*RE appears on the display, then the keyboard says "Complete the word." NOTE: The keyboard automatically selects the easiest challenge level (level 1) and 1-player play each time you turn it on. To set the keyboard to give you more challenging problems (levels 2 and 3), see "Changing the Level" below. To set the keyboard so 2 people can play at one time, see "Playing with 2 Players." 3. Press the desired key, then press ENTER. Each time you press a key, the character appears on the display and the keyboard repeats it out loud. To solve the example problem in Step 2, you would press the letter O on the keyboard, then press ENTER. O appears on the display and keyboard says "O". 4. During most games, you get two chances to enter the correct answer. If you enter the correct answer, the keyboard says "Excellent" or "Good." If you enter a wrong answer on the first try, the keyboard says "Uh-oh, try again." If you enter a wrong answer on the second try, the keyboard makes a "boi-oing" sound, the correct answer appears on the display, and the keyboard says, "This is the correct word." NOTES: If you do not know the correct answer to a problem you can press ANSWER (all games except 11, 15, and 16 when 1 player is playing, and 03, 04, and 14 when 2 players are playing). The correct answer appears on the display, and the keyboard says, "This is the correct word." In some games, such as 01 MISSING LETTER and 04 SCRAMBLE, there might be more than one correct answer to a problem, but the keyboard only knows one answer. 5. After you enter a correct answer, or after the keyboard tells you the answer, the next problem automatically appears on the display and the keyboard tells you what you must do to solve it. The keyboard gives you 5 different problems during most 1-player games, and 10 different problems during most 2-player games. After the last problem in most games, the keyboard plays a short tune, automatically displays your score (see "Scoring"), then says "Excellent" or "Keep trying." Then, after a few seconds, it says "Try again." 6. To play the same game again, press any key on the keyboard (except GAME CODE, OFF, ON, or DISPLAY CONTRAST). The keyboard automatically starts the game again and gives you different problems. To play a different game, press GAME CODE, then enter the new game's 2-digit code. Changing the Level You can play all games (except 16 PLAYBACK) at three different challenge levels - level 1 being the easiest and level 3 the hardest. Each time you turn on the keyboard and select a game, it automatically selects level 1. To select a different challenge level during a game, press LEVEL. Each time you press it, the keyboard announces and displays the selected level and the current number of players. Playing with 2 Players All games (except 16 PLAYBACK) can be played by 1 or 2 players. Each time you turn on the keyboard and select a game, it automatically selects 1-player play. To select 2-player play, begin a game then press PLAYER. The keyboard announces and displays the current challenge level then 2 PLAYERS. To return to 1-player play during a game, press PLAYER again. During 2-player play, assign one player the PLAYER A button and the other player PLAYER B. In most games, players must press their player button before they enter an answer. Each player has one chance to enter the correct answer. For example, if PLAYER A is pressed first, the keyboard says "Player A." The keyboard then awards any score for that question (see "Scoring") below. Scoring During most games, the keyboard awards or subtracts points for your answers and keeps a running point total in memory. Points are awarded differently for 1- and 2-player games. 1-Player Play - The keyboard awards 20 points for a correct answer on the first try, and 10 points for a correct answer on the second try. No points are awarded (or subtracted) for incorrect answers. 2-Player Play - Each player receives 50 points at the beginning of the game. The player who presses his/her player button first gets one chance to answer the question, then the keyboard awards 5 points for a correct answer or subtracts 5 points for an incorrect answer. NOTES: If the player presses ANSWER, no points are awarded for a question. During 2-player play in all games except for 03 HANGMAN, 04 SCRAMBLE, 11 TARGET X, 14 GUESS THE NUMBERS, and 16 PLAYBACK, a player must enter an answer within 5 seconds after pressing his/her player button. If not, the keyboard sounds a tone, says "Time's up," then the correct answer appears on the display and the keyboard says "This is the correct answer." At the end of a 1-player game, the score(s) appear on the display. If you score more than 50 points, the keyboard says "Excellent." If you score less than 50 points, it says "Keep trying." At the end of most 2-player games, the keyboard displays a separate score for each player and says "Player (A or B) wins the game." If the game is a draw (tie), it says "Excellent" (more than 50 points) or "Keep trying" (less than 50 points). (PH 12/5/95)