® COURSE BOOK CONTENTS CHAPTER 1 CHAPTER 2 CHAPTER 3 CHAPTER 4 CHAPTER 5 CHAPTER 6 CHAPTER 7 CHAPTER 8 CHAPTER 9 CHAPTER 10 INTRODUCTION ............................... 1 GETTING STARTED ..................... 2-4 THE KEYBOARD .......................... 5-9 ACTIVITIES AND FUNCTIONS .. 9-24 WORD PROCESSING .............. 24-27 BASIC ........................................ 28-83 CALCULATOR ........................... 84-86 TIME LIMITS .................................. 87 SCORING................................... 88-89 HOW TO USE AN EXPANSION CARTRIDGE ................................... 90 CARE AND MAINTENANCE ........ 91 CHAPTER 11 92 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION Thank you for buying the PRECOMPUTER PRESTIGE learning toy by VTECH ! We at ® VTECH are committed to providing the best possible products to activate a child's mind. Should you have any questions or concerns, please call our Consumer Services Department at 1-800-521-2010 in the US, 01235-555545 in the UK or 1-800-267-7377 in Canada. PRECOMPUTER PRESTIGE is our top of the line learning toy featuring 240x100 full dot matrix LCD screen and a standard sized computer style keyboard that gives the user the TM look and the feel of a real laptop computer. PRECOMPUTER PRESTIGE offers 42 activities that include tenses, antonyms, synonyms, grammar, basic mathematics, advanced mathematics, over 1000 trivia questions, logic games, a word processor, basic programming, a daily planner, a telephone directory, a built-in calculator and an 75,000 words spell checker. TM Get ready for hours of learning fun with the PRECOMPUTER PRESTIGE learning unit. TM TM ® LCD DISPLAY LOCK BUTTON CAPS LOCK LED CONTRAST SWITCH VOLUME SWITCH LOCK BUTTON ON & OFF BUTTON ACTIVITY SELECTOR TYPING KEYBOARD MOUSE CARTRIDGE DOOR MOUSE PAD 1 CHAPTER 2 GETTING STARTED The PRECOMPUTER PRESTIGE AC adapter. TM learning unit operates on 4 "C" size batteries or a 9V BATTERY INSTALLATION 1. Make sure the unit is OFF. 2. Locate the battery cover on the back of the unit and open it. 3. Insert 4 "C" size batteries as illustrated. DO NOT USE NiCd RECHARGEABLE BATTERIES. (The use of alkaline batteries is recommended for maximum performance.) 4. Replace the battery cover. 5. Turn the unit ON. BATTERY NOTICE · · · · · · · Install batteries correctly observing the polarity (+,-) signs to avoid leakage. Do not mix old and new batteries. Do not use batteries of different types. Remove exhausted or new batteries from equipment when you are not going to use it for a long time. Do not dispose of batteries in fire. Do not attempt to recharge ordinary batteries. The supply terminals are not to be short-circuited. NOTE : If the unit suddenly stops working, the sound seems weak or the LCD screen fades, it may be a problem of low battery power. Please install a new set of batteries before using. BACKUP BATTERY INSTALLATION · · · · · Make sure the unit is OFF. Locate the backup battery cover on the back of the unit and open it. Insert a CR2025 battery as illustrated. Replace the battery cover. Turn the unit ON. Remove the plastic strip from the backup battery. (During the first time installation only) To avoid damage to the unit from leaky batteries, replace the backup battery at least once a year. 2 NOTE : While replacing the backup battery, the 4 "C" size batteries must be kept in the unit or the unit must be connected to the 9V adapter while the adapter is plugged in. If not, you will lose all the information stored in the following activities: · · · · · · Test Trainer Word Processing Basic 200 Year Calendar Daily Planner Telephone Directory In addition to these activities, players' names and scores will also be lost. AC ADAPTER CONNECTION Use a standard 9V AC adapter. 1. Make sure the unit is OFF. 2. Locate the adapter jack on the-left of the unit. 3. Plug the adapter into the unit's adapter jack. 4. Plug the adapter into a wall outlet. 5. Turn the unit ON. NOTE : Do not leave the adapter plugged in for a long period of time if the unit is not in use. If the unit suddenly stops working or the sound seems weak, it may be the result of the adapter connection. Turn the unit off and unplug the adapter from the unit for 15 seconds. Next plug the adapter back in and turn the unit on. If the problem persists it may be the result of the adapter's wiring or the unit. Please call our Consumer Services Department at 1-800-521-2010 in US or 1-800-267-7377 in Canada or 01235-555545 in the UK. In the U.S.A.:The VTECH® AC adaptor is perfectly suited to operate this product. Many retailers carry the adaptor, however, if you are unable to find one locally, call our Consumer Services Department at 1-800-521-2010 or send $10.00 plus $5.00 for shipping and handling (Illinois residents please add 8.25% sales tax) to: Adaptor c/o VTECH® Industries, LLC. 101 E. Palatine Road Wheeling, IL 60090-6500 In Canada: Please see the enclosed VTECH® adaptor offer coupon. ON BUTTON & OFF BUTTON Turn on your PRECOMPUTER PRESTIGE learning unit by pressing the ON button located at the lower right-hand side of the viewing screen. A welcome animation will play and you can begin. Turn off the unit at any time by pressing the OFF button. 3 TM Automatic Shut Off If there is no input into the PRECOMPUTER PRESTIGE unit for about 8 minutes, the unit will automatically shut off to save power. If you want to turn the unit back on after an automatic shut off, you need to press the ON button again. We recommend that you TM turn the unit OFF when not in use. If you will not be using the PRECOMPUTER PRESTIGE unit for a long period of time, remove the batteries and unplug the adapter. TM CONTRAST SWITCH Depending on your lighting conditions, slide the Contrast Switch to the left or right to allow for better viewing. VOLUME SWITCH Adjust the volume by sliding the Volume Switch toward the right-hand side to increase the volume and toward the left-hand side to decrease the volume. MOUSE CONNECTION 1. Make sure the unit is OFF. 2 Locate the mouse jack on the back of the unit. 3. Plug the mouse into the mouse jack. 4. Turn the unit ON. 5. The mouse will work best if it is kept on the mouse pad. The mouse functions the same as a real computer mouse. Move the cursor on the screen by moving the mouse in the direction you would like the cursor to move. The Left mouse button functions as a select key and Enter key while the right mouse button functions as an Esc key. Left mouse button Right mouse button This "ARROW" shows the unlocking direction. Lock by pushing to the opposite side of the "ARROW" ® 4 CHAPTER 3 THE KEYBOARD The keyboard on PRECOMPUTER PRESTIGE combines the operation of a standard computer keyboard with several other functions described below. TM $ £ Enter SPECIAL KEYS Enter Key: Enter Press this key after typing or choosing an answer to confirm your selection. Shift Key: Press this key to type capital letters or the symbols shown on top of the number keys. Esc Key: Press this key to exit an activity. By repeatedly pressing the Esc key you can return to the main menu. 5 Caps Lock Key: Press this key to make all typed letters appear in upper case. Press the key again to return to normal typing mode. When the Caps Lock function is activated the Caps Lock light will turn on. Symbol key: Press this key to show off the characters which is not on the keyboard. This only apply for some activities only. Answer Key: Press this key to see the correct answer to any question. Left Player/Right Player Keys: Press these keys in games with a 2-player mode. The first person to hit his or her appropriate left or right player button will get the opportunity to answer the question first. Cursor Keys: Press the Press the Press the Press the key to move the cursor to the right. key to move the cursor to the left. key to move the cursor upward. key to move the cursor downward. 6 Help Key: Press this key in the Key-In mode of Trivia activities when you need help and you will be given three multiple choice answers to choose from. In Grammer Quiz, press Help to give you three multiple choice answers for the wrong word to choose from. In Flash Words, press Help to give you a hint on the first letter of the word. NOTE: Since the players are competing against each other in 2-player mode, the Help key is not available. Break Key: Press the Shift and Break keys simultaneously when you want to interrupt a program in BASIC while it is running. Alt key: Press this key and one of the assigned keys to activate the shortcut key function in Word Processing. Repeat Key: Press this key when you would like the unit to repeat a trivia question. This will be useful when you can't see the whole question or a multiple choice window is blocking the question. AC Key: Press this key for an `All Clear' screen in the Calculator activity. Insert Key: Press this key when you want to insert text during file or record editing in WORD PROCESSING, BASIC, DAILY PLANNER, TELEPHONE, TEST TRAINER or CALCULATOR. Delete Key: Press SHIFT and this key when you want to delete the character at the current cursor position. 7 Backspace Key: Press shift and this key when you want to delete the character before the cursor position. Cursor Point: The cursor point is used to move the cursor arrow around. In order to select an icon, move the cursor point to the icon and press the left cursor button. Press the right cursor button in WORD SEARCH to switch between vertical and horizontal words. Press the right cursor button in WORD PUZZLE to close the clue window. ACTIVITY SELECTOR There are 42 activities in the PRECOMPUTER PRESTIGE unit and they are divided into 5 activity groups. Press any one of the five activity group selectors to go into the corresponding activity group menu. TM Player Key: Press this key to change from 1-player mode to 2-player mode and vice versa for activities with 2-player mode only. If you want to change the player mode, press this key first and then select a player mode by typing the number or use the mouse to click one of the player icons. 8 Level Key: The unit provides 4 levels of challenge in most of the activities. If you want to change the level, press this key first and then select a level by typing the number or use the mouse to click one of the level icons. There are 4 levels with the first level being the easiest and the fourth level being the most difficult. Cartridge Key: This key is used to access VTECH® PRECOMPUTER expansion cartridges that connect with the unit. It will not work unless an expansion cartridge has been inserted into the unit. NOTE: Cartridges are sold separately. CHAPTER 4 ACTIVITIES AND FUNCTIONS HOW TO PLAY SELECTING/CHOOSING/HIGHLIGHTING During the course of entering the activities and during game play you will be asked to select, choose or highlight an object, a number, a letter or a word. This can be done in three different ways: Mouse You can move the cursor arrow with the mouse. When the cursor arrow is on the item you want to choose press either the left mouse button, the left cursor point button or the Enter button. Cursor Point You can move the cursor arrow with the cursor point. When the cursor arrow is on the item you want to choose press either the left mouse button, the left cursor point button or the Enter button. Cursor Keys: You can move the cursor arrow with the cursor keys. When the cursor arrow is on the item you want to choose press either the left mouse button, the left cursor point button or the Enter button. 9 ENTERING ACTIVITIES After turning on the power, there is a welcoming animation and the main menu will appear. Use 1 of the following 2 ways to enter into one of the five activity group menus: 1. Press any one of the five activity group buttons from the activity keyboard 2. Choose an activity icon on the screen After choosing the Activity Group (Word Games, Mathematics, etc.), use 1 of the following 2 ways to select an activity: 1 Choose an activity on the screen. Due to the limitation of the screen, you will have to scroll through the activity list by using the UP or DOWN arrow icons located on the right side of the screen. Or you can use the UP or DOWN arrow keys on the keyboard. Press the Enter key to enter the selected activity. 2 Press the number which is shown next to the activity you want to play and the activity will be automatically highlighted. Press the Enter key to enter the selected activity. · · · During any of the activities, press the ESC button to quit the activity and return to the activity group menu. Press the ESC button in any of the activity group menus to return to the main menu and select another activity group. During any of the activities, choose the icon to return to the main menu. 10 PLAYER MODES: The unit will automatically begin in 1-player mode at power up. To enter the 2-player mode, press the Player key first and then type a "2" or use the mouse to click one of the ...