Category: Geeks r Us
Last year, I got a Braille Blazer embosser from Ebay. Everything on it works except the serial port. I highly doubt it, but is there a way for me to use the machine as a synthesizer and as a printer through the parallel port at the same time? If so, how is this done? If not, then is there a way or a program that could help me figure out what's wrong with the serial port? I know it's none of the settings because they're all set to the manual's recommended specifications and I've even changed them to see what would happen and nothing worked. Also, I've read that there's a way to load the paper so that you don't have to waste a sheet each time you load it. How is this done? The manual confused me a bit. Thanks.
What is the problem with it? The truth is, you use it like a regular printer, that is, use the parallel port.
Yes, I know I can print with it from it's parallel port. But the speech synthesis usually comes from the serial port on the embosser and that one isn't working. I want to see if I can figure out what's wrong with it and I'm trying to see if I can use the parallel for printing and for speech at once. Like I said, I don't think it's possible, but maybe, there's a trick to it.
could it be possible the serial port is dead? if it's been that way since you bought it that may be why the seller sold it in the first place
Maybe. Strange reason to sell a printer, though, when everything else works. In any case, I didn't know that this could happen. I wonder if it can be replaced. It's standard not like the one on the Braille Lites.
Okay, I just got an answer on Klango about this one. It seems that I can't use the parallel port for a synth and for embossing at the same time. I didn't think that I could, so it's no real surprise. They said that I should send it to Freedom Scientific to have it fixed, but I'm not even sure if they'll do it since it's so old or how much they'll charge. Perhaps, a regular computer place could do it.
Guess I never used the synth; it's been so long I don't remember.
some see a quick way to get money of someone, but forget to mention that something doesn't work for fear it'll lose them the sale. and all ports die after a while, it's just the nature of things
FS will still repair them, though it's not the cheapest thing it's $265, plus $18 for shipping for flat rate repairs for a braille blazer.
Um... Wow! That's probably more than half the price of my new computer! I think I'll take it to a regular place.
Hmm, I might even ask the tech who's making my new machine to take a look at it... Couldn't hurt.
I can tell you it's not a typical serial card in the machine, so if it's necessary to replace the port, FS will be the only game, trust me, I've been down this road recently for a client.
Nooo! Why couldn't Blazie Engineering ever just use normal standard ports like everyone else? Of course, I trust you, since you're experienced. But someone on Klango said that it could be used for speech and printing at once but that the speech would be very slow. I wasn't intending on having it talk while it printed, but it would be nice to have the option of using it as a printer and synth on the parallel port so that I don't have to have another synthesizer on the serial. It's not necessary, just a neat option to be able to use. Still, wouldn't having the same device on one port cause confusion between the screen reader and a program like WordPerfect? That is, would it see that the port is already being used?
Not if it is designed for that purpase.
Okay, time for some new questions. If I've asked them in another post, please forgive me. I love the portability, speed and small size of my Blazer. But one of the few things that I don't love is the fact that I have to waste a page each time I put a new stack of paper in it. I've heard that there is a way, called the push out method, to load the embosser so that this doesn't happen. But I'm not sure how to do it. Can anyone help me? Also, how do I test the various strengths of the braille output? I'm currently using standard printer paper and don't want to put holes in it due to having the embosser braille with the strength needed for plastics or regular braille paper. I know that I've done this before but forget the command, and maybe, I'm missing something. Whenever I tested it, I really couldn't see a difference in impact and there was no speech explaining the setting.