Use this space for general Monarch discussions.
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Will our black Monarch t-shirts be mailed to us? Just askin…
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v-neck. medium. 
Ok, so I’ve encountered a problem with my Monarch. It has completely frozen and gone unresponsive. It’s frozen with the screen of the Eiffel tower in tactile images. I have tried refreshing it and charging it, but nothing is working.
Prior to it freezing, it said it had 33% battery life. When I plugged the charger in, the red light appeared and that is all. Still nothing. Any help please!
Thanks,
Katie
Eid you hold your power button to get to the power off option?
I did. The monarch will not even hold a charge. It sounds like it tries to come on and stops. Just a red light on top where the power cord plugs in on the side.
Hi,
My colleagues and I have been asked if we can discuss the monarch at a conference for other TVI’s in our state. I could not recall what the protocols were for presenting this device to a larger audience. I know we can share it with students and teachers individually I just wasn’t sure what the Process looked like, nor who to contact to make sure this sort of thing is OK. Thanks!
I’m checking on the official answer to this.
So after hearing back on this, yes, that is fine as long as it’s not a recorded presentation. We’d love to hear back about the experience!
Hi, I took pics of the presentations but would really love a copy of the slides used during the recent training in Orlando because I need to train my Braille transcriber and paras. Is that slide deck something that could be posted here or elsewhere on the HIVE, please? It would save so much time for those of us who need to train others. I also would like to use it when I present to other TVIs. Thanks so much for considering this.
I’ve noticed that when using Word Processor: KeyWord, it only displays three lines on the attached portable screen display. Is this a setting I could adjust? Also, I’ve noticed that it is difficult for my young students to find the dot 3-5-6 symbol (line indicator/cursor). When not at the beginning of the line, it is it’s three dots underneath, which is very difficult for them to find. Is it possible to develop a “pulsing” cursor on the tactile braille display to make it easier for the students to find their place?
Hey,
Does anyone on here know where the release forms are that they mentioned at the training for our students parents to sign are? I looked back through our handouts and didn’t see them. I have some amazing videos that I would LOVE to share but I need to have permission first.
Thanks!
Hi Regina. I didn’t see an answer to your first question. I believe that the portable display shows what is on the braille screen. You can, however, hit Enter V which will give you a preview of several lines. You can then scroll through the preview to get to where you want to be for braille. I hope that makes sense.
I agree that a pulsing cursor would be helpful on the braille display.
Jeanne
Does anyone have any information on a timeline for the development of eBRF? How long before actual textbooks would be able to be produced? As a transcriber and a TVI I have so many questions about it. What translation software will be compatible? How will transcribers be trained? I guess I want districts to understand that even if the Monarch is available in the fall that doesn’t mean you can run out and buy a Geometry textbook or something.
Hello,
When a student finds a TGIL file that they would like to emboss like the greeting cards, how do we interface with aTiger embosser so the student can independently choose a file and embossit? Are there directions on how to emboss posted somewhere?
Thanks!
Hello Team Monarch,
My students, Braille transcrier and I need step by steps to create a tactile image in word and then save as a PDF on the thumb drive to open and display on the Monarch. We are trying everything and can’t get a PDF to display on the Monarch.
Also does anyone have any resources of line drawings that can be inserted into Word for tactile graphic creation?
Also I need step by step instructions on how to add braille labels to a tactile graphic in Word that we create.
Thanks everyone!
Hello
Currently direct embossing from the Monarch is not supported yet. This is on our roadmap.
Good afternoon, Carol! This is a HUGE topic, and often a conversation or a series of conversations is the best way to approach answering your questions, but I will get you started.
These four resources will help a lot - I can’t upload them here because the discussion board only takes certain file types, but I will be happy to email them to you:
- Braille font download
- Word drawing space (a tactile template document with preset parameters)
- File with line drawing elements that I have saved so that they don’t have to be continually recreated
- List of ASCII symbols for typing in braille (see below)
These are the items that are useful to know in getting started:
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If you use the Braille29 font that I will share with you and anyone else who would like to have it, the font size throughout your document must be 29 point. This includes both font in inserted text boxes and font that you type directly in the document.
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Use the Insert tab on the Microsoft Word ribbon to find and add shapes and other drawing elements to your graphic.
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If you click on drawing elements that you have added, you can then use the Shape Format tab that appears to manipulate those elements. You can also right-click on an element, choose “Format shape,” and then use the menu or dialog box that appears to make changes to it. Just a note - I like to use a 2-point line or curve, black only, for most drawing elements.
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To add a text box, click on Insert, then Text box, then inside your drawing space. Change the font to Braille29, 29-point (if that’s the font you’re using). You can enlarge the text box by clicking on its edge or corner and then dragging your mouse to the right or left.
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If you type in uncontracted braille without capitals, you don’t have to do anything special - you can just type using the letters on the computer keyboard. If you want contracted braille, you have to use ASCII symbols. ASCII is basically a code where every key on the computer keyboard is assigned a value that corresponds with computer braille symbols, and if you know these, you can use a braille font to type in contracted braille in a Word document.
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The specific path for saving a PDF file is going to vary from Word version to version, but here are the steps: a) Go to Save As. b) Choose PDF in the dropdown list of file types. c) Click on Save, or tab to Save and press Enter. d) To transfer your file to the Monarch, save the PDF file on a USB drive.
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Here are the steps for opening the graphic image on the Monarch: a) Insert the USB drive into the Monarch. b) From the Home menu, open the File Manager. c) Press Space + D to select your drive. d) Navigate to USB drive and press Enter to open it. e) Navigate to your file and press Enter to open it. f) Find “Open with Tactile Viewer,” then find “Just Once button” and press Enter. g) Your document should open in the Tactile Viewer. Use your Zoom and panning keys, and also your navigation commands, to move around the image.
This is the perfect place for you and all of our other Monarch trainers to continue to ask questions about tactile drawing, and I will stay close to it while you are working through this process - this way, everyone will be able to see the questions and answers and learn together. If you get stuck anywhere, this is also a great place to share what happened and we will work together to resolve any challenges. For anyone who needs the files or resources that I listed above, my email address is jwheeler@aph.org and I would love to hear from you.
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When connecting to my campuses Wifi today I had to connect a Bluetooth keyboard to my Monarch in order to get IT support. In doing so I discovered that using Tab and Shift+Tab to navigate did not work. I’m sure this issue will be resolved once the full list of keyboard commands have been rolled out. While getting the Wifi connected I also discovered that a USB mouse can be connected and fully operated on the Monarch. I share this in the event that your IT team is unsure how to help. With a monitor, HDMI cable, Bluetooth keyboard, and a mouse they should have no problem.
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