Note: InputStick is compatible with Android 5 and higher and is available for purchase from PRC-Saltillo. To purchase InputStick, go to store.prc-saltillo.com/product/inputstick.
InputStick is a USB accessory that gives you wireless control over a Windows®-based PC or a Mac® or Chromebook™. The InputStick will connect your NovaChat 5, NovaChat 8, or NovaChat 10 device via Bluetooth, allowing you to access the web, create documents, send emails, watch videos, connect on social media, and more. It can be used with any Access Method, such as touch or scanning.
InputStick works as though it is part of your device and makes a seamless typing experience. Using your vocabulary and such features as Word Prediction for fewer hits makes creating schoolwork, email, or documents much more efficient.
As you select words from your vocabulary, they will appear in the Speech Display Bar (SDB) and in a document open on the computer. To make your job faster and easier, you can also set up vocabulary buttons to send keyboard commands to the computer.
Plug the InputStick into the Computer
Plug the InputStick into a PC, Mac, or Chromebook. You do not need to set up anything on the computer. The Input stick has a USB-A connector. If your computer has a USB-A port, simply plug the InputStick into the port.
If your computer has a USB-C port, you will need a USB-A to USB-C adapter that is compatible with your computer. Plug the adapter’s USB-C connector into the computer’s USB-C port and connect the Input Stick to the adapter’s USB-A port.
Connect Your NovaChat to the InputStick
The InputStick communicates via Bluetooth®. Your device and the InputStick must be within Bluetooth connection range of each other—approximately 32 feet (10 meters). The range may vary according to environmental factors such as metal wall supports or electromagnetic activity.
With the InputStick plugged into a computer, go to Menu > Application Settings > System > Bluetooth Settings. Select Use with InputStick.
Your device will search for the InputStick and display “InputStick” with its Bluetooth device address.
Select InputStick. Three asterisks *** appear after the address. Your device and the computer are connected. For example: InputStick (X0:00:XX:00:0X:XX)***
Note: To break the connection, select the Bluetooth address again.
Bluetooth Connection Notes
Once you set the connection from your NovaChat to the InputStick, the device will continue to recognize the InputStick and reconnect automatically as long as the NovaChat and computer are within the Bluetooth connection range.
Even if you shut down either the device or the computer or unplug the InputStick from the computer, they will reconnect immediately when you restart the device or computer or plug the Input stick back in.
Connection Mode Icon Descriptions
On the NovaChat, icons appear in the notifications area of the Speech Display Bar (SDB) to indicate the current connection mode. See the key below for an explanation of each icon.
Icon | Mode | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Connected and in computer mode | Text entered in the SDB will be sent immediately to the computer that has the InputStick attached. |
| Connected and in communication mode | A Bluetooth connection has been established. |
| Bluetooth disconnected and in computer mode | The connection between your device and the InputStick is turned off or broken, and text will not be sent beyond the SDB. |
Use the InputStick with Multiple Computers
You could unplug the InputStick from one computer, plug it into another computer and immediately type in a document on that computer. If you then unplug the InputStick and plug it into a third computer or back into the first computer, you could type immediately.
If you want to connect to two computers at the same time, you could use two InputSticks. However, the computers must be located far enough from each other to be outside the Bluetooth connection range. Otherwise, your device won’t know which computer to connect to.
Select a Keyboard Layout
You must select a keyboard layout on the device that matches the language of your computer. This allows your device to act as though it is a keyboard connected to the computer.
To select a keyboard layout, go to Menu > Application Settings > System > Bluetooth Settings > Keyboard Layout. A list of available keyboard layouts opens. Select a layout that matches your computer’s language.
Create a Computer Control On/Off Button
You can quickly connect and disconnect your device and the computer by using a button action. Create a button in your vocabulary that you can tap anytime you want to quickly toggle the connection on or off.
To create the button:
Add the button action Computer Control - On/Off to a button in your vocabulary.
Select Menu > Edit Mode.
Press and hold the button you want to modify. A list of button options opens.
Select Edit Button. The Button Properties are displayed.
Add a label to the button.
Select the Actions tab.
Select the dropdown menu
to open a list of actions.Select Computer Control - On/Off.
Select Save.
To use the button:
Select the button you created.
A message near the bottom of the screen will briefly show “Connecting” and then “Connected”. The 
icon will be displayed in the SDB to indicate the connection mode is On.
When you select the Computer Control On/Off button again, the icon in the SDB will disappear and a message near the bottom of the screen will briefly show “Disconnected”. No icon in the SDB indicates the connection mode is Off.
Toggle between Talking and Writing
Select the icon in the SDB to quickly toggle between talking on your device and writing to your computer. The ABC icon indicates writing mode.
When you select the ABC icon, it will change to 
. The speech bubble icon indicates talking mode.
Add Computer Commands to Buttons
Important Notes:
Be sure to create computer commands that will work with the computer. This section uses a simple Print command as an example.
If you plan to use different computers at different times, you could set up a page of commands for one of them or label your command buttons to show which computer they apply to.
Go to Menu > Edit Mode. Press and hold the first button you want to use to open a list of options.
Select Edit Button to display the Button Properties. Add a label and select an image—for example, a picture of a printer.
Select the Actions tab. Select the dropdown menu
to open the list of actions.Select the button action: Computer Control - Command. The Commands window will open.
Modifiers and Characters:
Enter combinations of Alt, Control, Shift, and Windows/Command (Windows/Mac) with characters. For example: Alt + E, Ctrl + P, Ctrl + Shift + =, Windows/Command + C
To print a Word document from a Windows-based PC, you would select Ctrl and then tap the Character box to open a keyboard and type the letter P.
To add a delay after the Ctrl+P command, choose Next on the keyboard. A numerical keyboard will open, allowing you to enter the delay period.
Special Keys:
To select a Special Key, select the dropdown menu
to open the list of special keys. When you select a key, the key name will be displayed after “Special Key”. Available keys include Enter, Backspace, Tab, Caps Lock, FI-F12, Print Screen, Delete, paging and arrow keys, Number Lock, and number pad keys.
If you change your mind while editing, remove the special key currently selected (showing after “Special Key”), tap the dropdown menu
, scroll to the top of list, and select the empty row.
Delay after command:
After entering a command, you can set a delay period before the command takes effect. The delay can range from 0.0 to 5.0 seconds.
Select the first number in the Delay after command setting to open a numerical keyboard. You can then set the number of seconds by using the keyboard or selecting the + and – symbols on the setting.
Select Save. The action will be saved with the command and delay displayed in parentheses.
Select Save again to save the command to the button.
Add keyboard commands to additional buttons as needed.
When you finish adding commands, exit Edit Mode.
Change a Command
To change a command that you previously assigned to a button, select the action and select Set. The Commands window will open with the existing command set. Remove the existing command, enter the new command, and select Save.
Writing in a Computer Document
On your device, go to the vocabulary page on which you added the computer control actions.
Turn Computer Control On
Open a document (Microsoft Word, for example) on the computer.
Confirm that the computer document is active—ready to receive text from your device. For example, the cursor should be blinking in document.
Begin entering words on the vocabulary page on your device. As the words appear in the SDB, they will also appear in the computer document.
Note: When backspacing or clearing text, the computer only recognizes tools it also has—for example, Backspace.
Selecting Backspace on your vocabulary page will backspace in the SDB and on the computer.
But your vocabulary page might include a Clear button. This is not a tool a computer recognizes. So, it will clear your SDB but not the text previously sent to the computer document.
To save the computer document, set up another button on your device with the computer’s Save command (for example, Control + S).
Note: Be sure to set up a command that works with your computer’s operating system.
You can now print or distribute your document.