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Comment by Shirley Koch on October 15, 2012 at 11:19

I'll take all the help I can get.

Comment by dkmety on September 29, 2011 at 20:01

Okay.  I have a problem with my USB mic from Martel.  Does anyone have one? I am on Eclipse and Windows 7.  The mic works great but lately when I go in chambers and come out, I have to wait for my RT to boot up to the screen and when that happens the mic does not reconnect.  

 

It is flashing like it is working, but the Stat screen on Eclipse where the audio bar is shows it stopped recording.   Martel support sent me instructions for Eclipse set up, but all my settings are correct.

 

Help.  Any suggestions?  Thank you.

Comment by Tricia McLaughlin on September 18, 2011 at 19:36

Allan,

Thanks for starting this group.  It is well needed!

Comment by Allan Dyer on September 24, 2009 at 11:15

We can make any steno machine paperless - even the Smartwriter. As a matter of fact we can make the stroke very short, shorter than any other machine. Also the Smartwriter was the best machine ever for not stacking.

Smartwriter batteries usually last about a year, unless you cycle charge them monthly. Then you'll get several years out of batteries. Writing with the charger plugged in all the time shortens the life of the batteries. Most people write with the charger plugged in anyway, since the batteries won't usually last all day. So either cycle charge your batteries or buy a new set each year. We sell them for $80.

The machine won't operate with a completely shot set of batteries, even with the charger plugged in. Court reporters usually find this out in the middle of a deposition.

To cycle charge a Smartwriter, turn on the machine holding down the L key. Blocks will display showing the Battery Level on the machine. Put a disk in the disk drive and the motor in the disk drive will run constantly until the batteries are dead (4 hours or less). The machine turns itself off when done. Make sure you don't use a disk with notes on it, this puts a lot of wear on the floppy disk and it could be ruined. After the machine turns off then charge it for 16 hours.

A quick battery test: Hold down the L key while turning on the machine with the charger plugged in. Count the Battery Level blocks. Unplug the charger. If the blocks drop one block the batteries are OK. If they drop more than one block then replace the batteries before your machine quits on you in the middle of a job.

Emergency use of six C cell batteries. A Smartwriter will run on six C cell batteries for several days. Keep a set in your case for emergencies. DO NOT CHARGE THESE BATTERIES IN YOUR MACHINE. Do not plug in the charger if there are non-rechargeable batteries in your machine or they will burst. You'll get Alkaline (Liquid Drano) dripping out of the battery compartment of your machine.

Smartwriter batteries come in sticks of two C cell type batteries welded together. This keeps them from bouncing, losing contact, and turning off your machine while you're writing. You can also put some thin foam or paper in there to hold the batteries tight.

Some people use store bought C rechargeable batteries. These are not the correct batteries for the machine. They are the wrong size and voltage. Do not use nickle metal hydride batteries. They are the wrong type. We sell the correct Nicad batteries for $80.

You can put a Smartwriter in Diskless mode. NO DATA WILL BE WRITTEN TO THE DISK. Turn on the machine while holding down all four vowel keys, AOEU. Go through the options until you get to the DISK/DISKLESS option.


Allan Dyer
OTEC
206-284-7492