Atechability Number 15: The Screenless Ally

Introduction

Welcome to another Atechability article! On this one, we will tell you about a recent new discovery! We unofficially named it, “The Screenless Ally!”

What is it?

This is basically a Me-le Quieter 3 PC,  without a screen. The device is the size of the Apple iPhone 14, with a few inches to spare. No joke, you can LITERALLY, put it in your pocket or a backpack in a tiny compartment. Another blind individual came up with the idea of this computer with a braille keyboard called, the Notey. Basically, it’s the  Quieter module, with the Orbit writer keyboard velcroed on top of it, using custom JAWS for Windows screen reader configuration files to operate Windows using only this keyboard. You can find what all it has right here. But, What if you don’t have enough money for JAWS for Windows, or a braille keyboard? Fear no more, we are going to use this SAME PC model and will even show you that you can customize it in many different ways!

Requirements

The following is a list of things you’ll need to assemble this setup that we, the Screenless Allies team have for this device. Of course, you can customize it to whatever suits your needs, but this is what WE have.

If you have all this setup, then you are ready to move onto the next couple of headings! Any keyboard will do when using the Screenless Ally, (wired keyboard for initial setup highly recommended) the only important thing is the portable charger that we linked above. You MUST, either use this, or the 12 volt charger that comes with the PC. Alternatively, if the portable charger supports charging up to 12 volts or greater, that’s even better!

IMPORTANT NOTE ON THE PC

You will notice, that the PC unit we are using can get hot, since it is fanless. This won’t burn you, and it may scare some users. We recommend you use the heat sink we linked above if you are afraid the computer will shut down, but PLEASE NOTE, Me-Le (pronounced “may lay”), the company behind this module have made sure no overheating occurs. Simply put this heat sink on top of the unit, with the thin ridges facing up. They look similar to an air vent. This will blow some of the heat off the PC so it will not overheat. If you still feel insecure about this, simply shut down the computer for a while after an hour. Alternatively, you can purchase this neat fan we linked above. Simply connect it to one of the USB ports, and bend the wire of said fan to blow air onto the PC, which keeps the computer from heating entirely! A good rule to follow, DO NOT, play any video games on this device. You can use it for word processing, surfing the web, or anything else business related. This being said, this device was marketed at the business community, so it is perfect for us blind people that want something VERY tiny for productivity.

Orientation of the PC Module

Before we start any kind of assembly, let’s take a look at what all this device has on it in regards to connectivity. We’ll start from the front, and work our way from front, to right, to back, then left. Place the PC to where all the ports on the long end are on the back.

Front

On the front of the unit, towards the right side, you will find the power button. Press this button once to turn on the PC. If you have a braille device, or headphones connected, you should be able to get confirmation that it has been turned on and booting into Windows. You can then configure windows to shut down when “Power” is pressed again.

Right Side.

On the right side of the unit, you will find 3 USB host ports. You can use these to connect keyboards, speakers, mice, or any other standard USB accessories. In my case, I have a keyboard, and a USB hub connected.

Back of the Unit

On the back, going from right to left you will find a USB C data port, a 3.5 mm headphone jack with a Micro SD card slot above it, 2 HDMI ports, a USB c charging port, and an ethernet port. Yes, you will need to connect headphones, or speakers to operate this device. The USB C charging port is EXCLUSIVE to the PC’s charger or a portable charger. You can connect anything else to the USB C data port, whether it’s a USB hub, or a braille device, in my case.

Left Side

On the left side you will only find a Kensington lock port, where you can connect this unit to a stationary object such as a desk. Think of it, as a bike railing and no one can take it. Now that we know the orientation, let’s start building things!

Building the Screenless Ally

Now that we know where everything is, let’s begin building the Screenless Ally so you can REALLY be portable! Here, is where you can get creative. You can either use a portable charger, or the wall charger. For input, you can use a braille display, or a standard keyboard. In this case, let’s show you MY, Jose’s, setup! This consists of the portable charger attached to the bottom.

Adding the portable charger

Let’s familiarize ourselves with the charger we linked on the equipment listed. Of course, you can use any portable charger you wish, but we highly recommend this one, since it can power the PC properly without issues. Point the portable charger where the ports are on the right short end of the rectangle. Above those ports, you will find the “Power button. We want the 2 “Power” buttons to line up with each other on both units when velcroing them together. Turn the rectangle around where the “Power” button faces away from you. If you purchased the velcro we put on the equipment list, take a set of strips and peel them off each other. One of them will go on the charger, and the other one will go on the underside of the PC. Make sure these go horrizontally on the units. Before removing the tab that covers the adhesive portion, practice lining up each piece with the respective surface. Try to be as close to the middle as possible. If somehow you make a mistake when attaching after you have removed the adhesive protectors, you can still remove it and try again. DO NOT, press down on the velcro if you did it incorrectly. Also, don’t remove it more than twice to correct any errors. If you did it correctly, simply press down and wait approximately 4 hours for the adhesive to stick properly to the charger. Repeat the same process for the PC. The power button would be on the back, while the ports would be on the front of the device for this process. Use the unit’s rubber feet as a guide to put the velcro rectangles horrizontally on the unit. Once you have waited for the adhesive to stick, attach the 2 pieces together. Remember, both power buttons must be lined up to where they’re in the same place on the front of the unit.

Connecting the Charger

Now, it’s time to pull out one of the small cables we suggested you obtain. Connect one end of the cable to the charger. The USB C port is on the bottom right corner, the first port going up on the right side of the charger. Then, on the PC, connect the other end to the USB C port on the back left side. You’ll notice that the cable will form a loop. Try NOT to hold the computer using this loop. In a way, it for sure keeps the cable out of the way. Now that you’re connected, power on the charger first. If you did this setup correctly, that power button would be on the bottom right of the Screenless Ally. Then, once you’ve done that, press “Power” on the PC. You should now be up and running, in a standard Windows environment!

IMPORTANT Notes on the Portable Charger

ALWAYS turn on the charger first before using the computer. The charger can give about 3 hours of charge to the PC, so we highly recommend, if you’re not sure of the battery status, charge over night before you leave. The portable charger is NOT accessible, so this is another guarantee you will have power for the computer. You can always unplug the cable from either end and just use the wall charger that came with the PC itself.

Windows Setup

Now that you powered on the units, time to wait one minute or so until you hear the Windows 11 startup chime! Once you hear this, you can press “Control, Windows, and Enter” to activate Narrator, the built-in windows screen reader. Follow the instructions and use “Tab and shift+Tab” to move forward and back, and “Space or Enter” to activate buttons. Use the Arrow keys to move through lists. As mentioned before, setup is self explanatory. It is recommended to have a direct ethernet cable connected to the computer to make things MUCH easier. When finished, you can then connect to Wi-Fi. Once you’re done setting up, you will be on the desktop, ready to run your computer like you normally would.

Installing a Screen Reader

While Narrator is a good screen reader, we recommend either JAWS or NVDA for the best results! In this case, we’ll go over how to install both of these, just so no one feels left out. It is assumed that you have the installers on a thumb drive, for this to be much quicker.

Installing JAWS

When you connect the flash drive or external hard drive to the computer, listen to the drive letter that Narrator gives you. For instance, it will say, “New notification from AutoPlay. Removable disk, e.” Once you have the letter, press “Windows+R” to open the “Run” dialog. Type the letter you heard, followed by a “Colon (:)” symbol, which is “Shift” and “Semicolon (;)” together. Then press “Enter.” The drive should open, and you should see your installer file you will use. Press enter on that, and follow the instructions. If all goes well, you should hear JAWS speaking after restarting your computer. From there, you must activate your license or, if you downloaded the installer file through the license portal for the annual edition, you do not have to do anything extra.

Installing NVDA

This, my friends, is Screenless Allies’ screen reader of choice, hands down! We use it on all our computers, as we stated in a previous article. The advantage to this is, you can copy your NVDA configuration from another computer to a thumb drive, and install that copy on your computer. And here’s how to do it!

Creating a Portable Copy

On another computer, once you connect the thumb drive you’re going to use, in NVDA, press “Insert and N” together to open the NVDA menu, or you can also use “Caps Lock” depending what you have set up. Once you are in that menu, press T” for Tools, then “C” for “Create Portable Copy.” Once you are in there, you can either type in where the copy will go, or, you can tab to “Browse,” then find the directory in the usual way you’d open or save a file. Once you find the directory, press “Enter” and then tab to, “Copy current user configuration.” You can either leave this box unchecked, or check it to transfer your settings over as well. This also includes ad-ons you have installed previously. Once you’re done here press “Tab” again and you will hear, “Start portable copy after creation.” You can check or leave that unchecked. In this case, we don’t want to do that yet, so we will leave it unchecked. Now, “Tab” one more time until you hear, “Continue.” Press enter, and you will hear, “Creating portable copy.” This takes about 3 to 5 minutes to complete. Once finished, it will say, “Successfully created copy in directory.” The word  “Directory” would be where you put the copy on the drive. Once finished, disconnect the drive from the computer, because it’s time to load it on the new Screenless Ally!

Installing the Copy on the Screenless Ally

Connect the drive to the PC, using one of the 3 USB ports on the right. Again, pay attention to the drive letter. Activate the “Run” dialog by pressing “Windows+R,” and type in the letter, followed by a “Colon,” (:) then the “Backslash” () key, which is above the “Enter” key on most keyboards, followed by the folder name, if any, then another “Backslash” () then “NVDA.” For instance, It could look like: “e:\nvda\nvda” Press “Enter.” After a few seconds, you should hear NVDA’s startup sound, followed by “Taskbar.” Now, you’re ready to install it! Repeat the same process of going to the tools menu in NVDA. The only difference, is that you would press “I” for “Install” NVDA. In this dialog, you can check or uncheck boxes to start NVDA after sign in, copy your current user configuration and settings, create a desktop and keyboard shortcut of “Control+Alt+N” to start NVDA. Once you’re happy with your setup, find “Continue.” This again can take from 3 to 5 minutes to install. This PC is VERY quick, it takes about 1 minute to install! It will then say, “Successfully installed NVDA. Press OK to run the installed copy.” Once you hit the “Okay” button, you can now use NVDA on the unit with NO interruptions such as  40 minute modes. And that, my friends is how you get a screen reader installed! Once you do this, you can now go get your favorite apps and customize the computer to your liking!

Some quick adjustments.

There are 2 settings that we must change immediately to make life easier when using the Screenless Ally. They involve the power button and a setting that would disable the USB connection after 20 minutes of stand-by. This means, let’s say you left the PC on, after 20 minutes, you lose power to any USB devices, including input methods. These can be accessed using the Windows control panel. The easiest way to access it is to type “control panel” in the run dialog. You will then be presented with a search box.

The Power Button

First, let’s make sure the power button will shut down the computer when pressed. This is especially useful when your input method fails and you do not have anything else to use. Or, if the computer freezes. Of course, you can always hold down said button for 10 seconds, and it will force shut down the system. In the search box, type “Power button” and then down arrow to, “Change what the power buttons do.” Press enter and you will be in a dialog that has a few options. We only care about 2 options. Tab until you hear, “When I press the power button, plugged in.” Select “Shut down” using the arrow keys. Tab one more time to “When I press the sleep button, plugged in.” In here, select “Do nothing.” We don’t have a sleep button, only a power button. While we’re here, let’s make the final adjustment.

USB Selective Suspend

After customizing the power buttons, let’s find, “Change Advance power settings.” Press “Enter” here, and a dialog will open where you pick your power plan, let’s leave it at “Balanced.” Tab one more time and you will hear, “Setting tree view off.” We want to go all the way to the very first level of the tree by pressing left arrow till you hear, “Hard disk collapsed.” Once there, let’s “Down arrow” to “USB settings.” Press “Right” to open these settings, and then hit “Down” until you hear, “Usb Selective suspend setting.” Press “Right” again, and then “Down arrow” to “Setting: enabled.” Press “Right” again, and you will land in a list box, where you up arrow to “Disabled.” Once there, press “Enter,” and you’ll be back to the power options dialog. From here, tab to “Save changes.” You should now be all set with the power and USB fixes!

Using Bluetooth Headsets and devices

If you are wanting to use a bluetooth headset with your computer, there are a couple of things we must enable for these to work each time you start the unit. From the run dialog, type “services.msc” and press “Enter.” You should hear, “Tree view local computer.” Tab once, and you are presented with a TON of services in a list that you really don’t want to mess with unless you know what you’re doing. in this list, type in the word, “Blue.” We are focusing on the first 2 items. “Bluetooth support service,” and “Bluetooth audio service.” On each one, hit “Alt+Enter” for properties, and tab to “Start-up type.” Find “Automatic” and then find “Okay.” Once finished, close out of the window and you’ll be set!

Conclusion

By now, I’m sure your brain hurts after all the assembling and setup procedures, but we hope, this will be worth it! Again, this was not an original idea, we just were able to make a more mainstream device out of it. Best of all, NO MONITOR! We really hope you do enjoy this new setup, if you like to purchase it. This setup is just one of MANY you can do. Our web developer has gone even further by putting a piece of cardboard underneath everything. He has BOTH a braille display and QWERTY keyboard velcroed to the top of the PC, along with the portable charger on the underside of it. This Quieter 3 PC can benefit those people who are on the go and are braille users. In total, you will spend about 400 dollars on all of the materials needed, plus if you have a braille display such as the Mantis, it’s going to be a GREAT combination! If you’d like to know more, or if you have any questions, feel free to drop us an email! Happy computing!

Jose