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User Guide - System Sensor AAC Boards

A tour of the application window: top bar, boards, full-screen start window, card editing, import/export. Defaults: Magnet/Dwell OFF, Boards panel OFF - every choice is remembered.

The application interface is in Polish. In this guide every button and window is described in English, with the Polish label in quotes where it helps to find it on screen.

🚀 Launch System Sensor Boards - online

1. Top bar

Logo
12:34:56
USB status: Disconnected
Scan: off
  • Logo links to systemsensor.pl. Next to it runs a clock (HH:MM:SS).
  • Training boards - opens the page with training boards.
  • Cursor magnet (OFF by default) - pulls the pointer towards the nearest data-aim element within the Magnet radius. The radius slider is in the left panel.
  • Auto-click (dwell) (OFF by default) - holding your gaze or the pointer on a target for X ms clicks it. A progress bar and a "halo" show the countdown.
  • Full screen - switches the mode. The button is highlighted when the browser is in full screen and the start window option (tick box) is on.
  • Settings panel (left column) - (OFF by default) hides or shows the left panel with the list of boards and the settings.
  • Connect to the control unit (USB) - connects via Web Serial. The status is shown on the right (red or green dot). The same button disconnects.
  • USB settings - opens a window with: Selection code (line or frame), Heartbeat, DC2, Auto-reconnect, Auto-connect, Quiet log.
  • Scan - sweeps rows, then columns; the status is shown on the right (e.g. "Scan: rows"). Space (or a signal from the control unit) confirms the choice. This is how the boards are used with a single sensor.
  • Alarms - alarm settings.
  • USB log - diagnostic console (Copy, Clear, Close). With "Quiet log" on, the panel does not open by itself.
  • Keyboard - opens the on-screen keyboard module.
  • Delete board - deletes the current board after you confirm it in a window with the details (the last board cannot be deleted). See section 2c.
  • Import - loads board settings from a file.
  • Export - saves the boards to a file.
  • Download ZIP - downloads the whole picture package as a ZIP; save it in your pictures folder.
Remembered: the application stores the state of the buttons (including slider values) in the browser, so your preferences survive a page refresh.

2. Boards and the card grid

2a. Settings panel (left column)

  • List of boards - click a name to switch the active board.
  • Magnet radius - slider (px). Used by the Cursor magnet function.
  • Auto-click (Dwell) - time slider (ms); it also sets the speed of the progress bar and the halo.
  • Full-screen start window - tick box "Show the full-screen message at start" - the change works at once and is remembered.
  • Application version - shown at the bottom of the panel (helpful when reporting a problem).

2b. Editing cards

The "Card editing" window

If the name exists, clicking the card opens that board.

The file is stored locally (Data URL) and shown on the card.

None
Meal
Meal - AAC board communicator card - add your own picture here

The preview shows the fields and buttons of the card editor: title, speech, link to another board, remote control (IR) actions, file choice with preview and the action buttons ("Add a new board", "Edit board", "Remove picture", "Clear card"). The board windows are described in section 2c. This is a visual demonstration only - the fields in this guide do not save anything.

2c. Boards - adding, editing and deleting

Each of these actions opens the application's own window with large buttons - easy to use with eye control, a head mouse or a single switch. Close the window with the button, the Esc key or a click on the dimmed background.

  • Add a new board ("Dodaj nową Tablicę") and Edit board ("Edycja tablicy") - in the Card editing window, Actions section.
  • Delete board - in the top bar; deletes the board that is open right now.

New board ("Nowa tablica")

New board window in System Sensor PIC 2.0 - board name, number of rows and columns set with minus and plus buttons, layout preview
  • Type the board name ("Nazwa tablicy"), e.g. "Clothes". If the name is already taken, the application adds a number.
  • Use the - and + buttons to set the number of rows ("wiersze") and columns ("kolumny") - from 2 to 8.
  • The layout preview ("Podgląd układu") shows the card grid of the new board.
  • adds the board and opens it straight away.

Edit board ("Edycja tablicy")

Edit board window in System Sensor PIC 2.0 - choosing a board, changing its name, rows and columns, red warning about cards that will disappear
  • Choose the board from the list - each one shows its layout, e.g. "Tablica Główna (4×4)".
  • You can change the name. Cards on other boards that lead to this board get the new name automatically, so the links keep working.
  • Change the number of rows and columns. Every card stays in its own row and column; new places are empty.
  • Preview: blue squares are cards with content ("z treścią"), grey ones are empty ("pusta"), dashed ones are new ("nowa").
  • If making the board smaller would remove cards with content, the window lists them in red (row, column, name) and the save button turns red. Empty cards are removed without a warning.

Delete the board? ("Usunąć tablicę?")

Delete board window in System Sensor PIC 2.0 - name, layout, number of cards with content and a warning about cards on other boards that lead to it
  • The window shows the name, the layout and the number of cards with content.
  • If cards on other boards lead to this board, they are listed in red - after deleting, those links stop working.
  • Delete ("Usuń", red) removes the board, Cancel ("Anuluj") leaves it unchanged.
  • The last board cannot be deleted - at least one must remain.
Before you shrink or delete a board: this cannot be undone. If you are not sure, first make a copy with the Export button in the top bar.

3. Full-screen start window

When the application starts, a simple window with a large green button may appear.

To leave full screen: the Esc key or the icon in the top bar.

  • The window is controlled by the tick box in the panel: "Show the full-screen message at start".
  • A change works immediately and is saved in the browser.
  • The Full screen button in the top bar is highlighted when you are in full screen and the tick box is on.
Card 1
Card 2
Card 3
Card 4
  • The "Boards" list on the left switches the active board; each shows its name and size (e.g. 4×4).
  • The panel shows the Auto-click (Dwell) slider; the Magnet slider works but is hidden by default.
  • The card grid follows the number of columns of the board; every card has a header with its title and an edit button.
  • Clicking a card runs its properties: Text to speak (TTS) and/or Go to board (navigation).
Dwell indicators: controllable elements show a progress bar (at the bottom) and a "halo" in the middle of the target. The cursor is hidden while you are over a target - this makes eye control easier.

4. Card editing

  • Card title - shown in the card header; also used as the picture's alt text.
  • Text to speak - synthesised speech (Polish). The "Test speech" button plays it without saving.
  • Choose a file - a picture or a video. It is stored locally as a Data URL (bigger files use more memory). Remove picture clears it.
  • Go to "Board" - the name of the target board (with suggestions). Clicking the card opens that board.
  • Preview - a thumbnail of the picture or video; "None" when empty.
  • Actions - Test speech, Add a new board, Edit board (name, rows, columns - section 2c), Remove picture, Clear card, and below them Save / Cancel.
  • Keyboard navigation - in the card grid Enter/Space activates a card; in the editor Esc closes the window.
  • Saving - card data are kept in the browser; export them to a file to move them to another device.

5. Alarms - setting and how they work

The Alarms module schedules reminders with a spoken TTS message and a visible alarm window. The bell icon is in the top bar.

How to add an alarm (step by step)

  1. Click the bell icon in the top bar.
  2. Set the Time in the field.
  3. Type the Text to speak. The message will be read with the TTS voice in use.
  4. Tick the days of the week (Mon-Sun) on which the alarm should go off.
  5. Switch the alarm on with the Status switch.
  6. Save the changes (buttons in the Alarms window) and close the window.
TTS tip: the voice and speech rate are set in the side panel Boards. The alarm reads its message with the same settings.

What happens at the scheduled time?

  • An Alarm window appears with the message.
  • The communicator reads the time and the text from the "Text to speak" field.
  • The bell icon in the top bar stays highlighted until the window is closed.

Snooze and closing the window

  • Use Snooze +5 min or +10 min to postpone the alarm.
  • Close the alarm with OK to silence the message and remove the bell highlight.

Editing, switching off and deleting

Open the Alarms window again to:

  • change the time, text, days of the week or status of an alarm,
  • switch an alarm off for a while,
  • delete an entry from the list of alarms.

Good practice

  • For eye-control users: the buttons in the alarm window are large and labelled - you can confirm with auto-click (Dwell).
  • For carers: the TTS message reads the time first, then the text - it helps to tell which alarm went off.
  • If an alarm "does not ring": check the days of the week, the status, the system time, the volume and the selected TTS voice.
Signal in the top bar: while an alarm waits to be confirmed, the bell icon has a red highlight. This helps you notice the alarm even when switching cards or tabs.

6. Import, export and the ZIP package

  • Export - saves pic20-ustawienia.json with the boards. The file contains boards and currentBoardId.
  • Import - loads a JSON file and replaces the current settings. The boards appear straight away.
  • Default settings - on first start the application tries to download the default file from the server and save it.
  • ZIP package - downloads SSPic_Foto.zip with pictures (e.g. to fill cards quickly).
  • Mind the memory - large pictures stored as Data URL take more space in the browser. It is worth compressing pictures before adding them.
  • Backup - after bigger changes, use Export. On another computer, use Import.

7. Auto-click (dwell) and cursor magnet

Auto-click (dwell)

  • Time - set it with the slider (e.g. 1000 ms). A progress bar at the bottom of the element and a "halo" show the countdown.
  • Movement reset - a larger pointer movement restarts the countdown (prevents "false" clicks).
  • Working with scanning - when Scan is on, dwell is switched off automatically.

Cursor magnet

  • Radius - how far the pointer is "pulled" to the centre of the nearest data-aim element.
  • Slider - Magnet radius is available in the left panel.
  • Tip - a bigger radius makes targets easier to hit, but may pull "too hard" towards neighbouring elements.
Accessibility: large targets, good contrast and simple messages are key for eye control and single-switch use.

8. Additional information

  • Browsers - Web Serial works in Chrome, Edge and Opera (desktop). Support in Safari/iOS is limited.
  • Web Serial - choosing the port needs a user action; the application supports Auto-connect (remembered port) and Auto-reconnect.
  • Heartbeat - optionally sends "55" and waits for a reply; no reply lowers the status.
  • Selection (DC2 / code) - "Space" can be triggered by a frame, a line or the DC2 character from the control unit.
  • Data storage - settings are kept in the browser. Export them to a file to move the configuration.
  • Cache - if something looks wrong, hard-refresh the page with Ctrl+F5.
  • Speech - speech synthesis uses the browser's engine (SpeechSynthesis); language: Polish.
  • Accessibility - clickable elements have data-aim, keyboard support (Enter/Space), highlights and a halo.
  • The communicator includes a control unit with a universal infrared remote for the TV, set-top box or other infrared devices.
  • The control unit is always the link between the device and the sensors.
  • "System Sensor Boards" is operated with touch sensors, an air-flow (puff) sensor, a switch, Tobii Eye Tracker 5 or Tobii Eye Tracker 4C.

9. Copying remote control buttons

Teaching the remote means 28 buttons, so it takes a while. Buttons taught in one control unit can be saved to a file and that file loaded into further control units - each next one is ready in a dozen or so seconds. The file is also a backup of the client's settings: when a control unit is replaced, loading the file brings all buttons back - no need to teach the remote again.

  • Where - the button with the copy icon in the top bar, next to the control unit connect button.
  • Three ways - read from the control unit to a file (about 10 seconds), load a file from disk and load a ready remote chosen from the list of remotes prepared on our website.
  • New control unit only - the button is dimmed and inactive until you connect to the Mysz-USB1286 control unit (firmware v1.03 or newer). Clicking it explains what is missing.
  • Safe writing - while loading, the control unit lights blue and every button is read back and compared after writing; finally a checksum is verified.
  • Common format - .ssir files also work in the PIC and Y programs, in the Programmer and on the Mouse + Keyboard page.
  • The saved file goes where your browser saves downloads.