Boards and cards in the "System Sensor Y" program

🧩 Boards and cards

System Sensor Y is an "open" program for full control of the computer. It works as a side panel with modules: writing text, mouse, shortcuts, multimedia, messaging apps. The core of the interface are virtual boards and cards, which can be adjusted to the needs of the user.

🔹 What are boards and cards?

• Boards - sets of cards in a grid; they can form multi-level menus (for example "Writing" → "Phrases" → "Quick replies").
• Cards - single fields with text or an icon, which run an action: insert text, click/mouse, keyboard shortcut, open an application/website, control the volume, run a macro.

Cards in Y are selected with a sensor or with head movement through System Sensor Mysz. Eye control (Tobii) is intended mainly for the PIC program.

⚙️ Selection and navigation modes

• Scanning with 1-2 buttons - rows/fields are highlighted automatically, selection with a button.
• Direct selection - a sensor or the cursor from the System Sensor Mysz program (head movement).
• Macros - a card can combine several actions (for example paste a phrase → Enter → switch to another board).

🎛️ Personalization

• Board editor - adding/removing cards, colors, sizes, order, pictograms.
• Profiles - different layouts for writing, learning, work, entertainment; quick switching.
• Import/export - backups, moving the configuration between computers.

🖥️ Requirements and compatibility

• Windows 8/8.1/10/11 x64-bit.
• New 64-bit version from 09-02-2026 /4.0.1.64/ or newer.
• Location of image files, settings and others: C:\Users\Public\Documents\System Sensor Y\... .
• Supported inputs: touch/proximity/air-flow sensor, switches, System Sensor Mysz (head movement, web).
• Integrations: messaging apps (for example Messenger, WhatsApp Web), browser, media players, Windows shortcuts.

🆎 The Caps Lock function - capital letters

Since the latest update System Sensor Y (just like System Sensor PIC) supports a full Caps Lock on the keyboard cards. It works the same way as the physical key on a normal Windows keyboard and has three states, which you switch with each click on the card with the Caps Lock action (the ABC with a pencil icon):

1. Off (white icon on a dark background) - you write in small letters.
2. Shift (green icon) - the next letter will be one capital, then the card returns to small letters by itself. Perfect for the first letter of a sentence or a proper name.
3. Locked (pink/purple icon) - all the following letters are CAPITAL, until you click the card again. Useful for headings, acronyms (PFRON, NFZ, ALS) or words you want to emphasize.

The board in Y itself shows the letters in only one graphic variant (small), but the text that is entered is exactly as the current state of the icon indicates - just look at the color of the card to know how it writes.

1. Off (white icon) - small letters

2. Shift (green icon) - one capital letter

3. Locked (pink icon) - all CAPITAL

⚙️ How to add Caps Lock to your card?

In Edycja karty (Card editing) the Inne (Other) section contains the field Akcja Sensor Y (Sensor Y action) - this is a new list of actions specific to the Y communicator. Just open the list and choose the item Caps Lock. The card will start switching the three writing states right away and change the color of the icon by itself.

Step by step:

1. Go into Edycja karty (Card editing) (from the board editing mode).
2. In the Inne (Other) section open the Akcja Sensor Y list.
3. Choose the item Caps Lock and confirm with OK.

You can also add a Tytuł (Title) and an Obrazek (Image) (for example the ABC with a pencil icon), so that the card is recognizable at first glance. You repeat the same procedure on any board of your own - if you are creating a layout suited to a person with ALS, it is enough to add one card with the Caps Lock action and you have full support for capital letters.

🎮 The Przytrzymaj (Hold) function - computer games and holding keys down

The Przytrzymaj (Hold) function is especially useful during computer games, where you have to press and hold a key for a longer time - for example moving a character in a 2D/3D game with the W, A, S, D keys, jumping with the space key or sprinting with the shift key. With one touch of the sensor it lets you simulate holding the chosen key down continuously - without having to physically hold the sensor for the whole time the movement lasts.

How Hold works - the three states of a card:

1. Off (normal card color) - the card works in the standard way: a click sends the key once, just like any other card with a keyboard action.
2. On, ready (green color) - the Hold function is active, the key is not pressed yet. The green color makes it easy to tell which cards work in this mode.
3. Pressed (maroon color) - the first touch of the sensor "presses" the key and keeps it in that state. The next touch of the same card "releases" the key - the color goes back to green.

⚙️ Where to turn Hold on?

Step by step - how to turn Hold on for a card:

1. Go into Edycja karty (Card editing) (from the board editing mode).
2. In the Sterowanie komputerem (Computer control) section set the Klawiatura (Keyboard) field to the key you want to hold (for example w, a, s, d, space).
3. Tick the Przytrzymaj (Hold) checkbox (next to the Alt, Ctrl, Shift fields).
4. Confirm with OK. The card will change color to green right away - this is the signal that the Hold mode is active.

From the mouse control board there is also a built-in GRA (GAME) card, which quickly leads to a ready-made board with a key layout for computer games.

⌨️ Example: a WASD board for computer games

The classic configuration in computer games is moving the character with the keys W (forward), A (left), S (back), D (right). If each of the four cards has the Hold function turned on, the person playing can run, sneak and turn the character with one touch of the sensor - without having to hold it for the whole time of the movement.

Stage 1: A, S, D already green (Hold active), W not yet

Stage 2: All four cards W, A, S, D green - the full WASD set

Once the board is configured, the game looks like this: one touch of the W card makes the character start running forward and it runs for as long as it takes the person playing to touch the same card again (the key is "released"). With the same sensor you can handle movement forward-back-left-right, jumping (space), sprinting (shift) or any other key - it all depends on the number and configuration of the cards on the board.

📌 Window docking - the communicator pinned to the edge of the monitor

The System Sensor Y communicator works as a vertical side panel on the Windows screen. It can run in two modes:

1. Docking on - the Y window is permanently pinned to the edge of the monitor (usually the right one). All other applications (Word, a browser, an editor) automatically reduce their width to leave room for Y - it works exactly like the Windows taskbar. This is the best mode for everyday writing and communication.
2. Docking off - the Y window is floating (like any other Windows application) and lands in the bottom right corner of the screen by default. Other applications "do not see" it - they can cover it. This mode is useful when you want to watch a film or a presentation full screen and Y should get out of the way.

1. On - window pinned to the edge (ticked in the menu)

2. Off - the menu (docking not ticked)

3. The effect - a floating window in the bottom right corner

The position of the floating window (without docking) can be changed with the action Akcja Sensor Y (Sensor Y action) → Przesuń okno (Move window) in card editing - the window then moves between the edges of the monitor or even onto another screen. Details in the section Moving the window below.

🔄 Moving the communicator window along the edges of the monitor

The special action Akcja Sensor Y (Sensor Y action) → Przesuń okno (Move window) makes the System Sensor Y communicator window move from one edge of the monitor to the other with a single click of a card - or even onto another screen if the computer has two monitors connected. This is useful when the Y window covers something important on the screen (for example a program menu, a login box, or the controls you are working with by eye through Tobii).

⚙️ How to set up the "Przesuń okno" (Move window) card?

1. Setup - Akcja Sensor Y → Przesuń okno

2. The list of actions - Przesuń okno among the other Y actions

3. The effect - the Y window jumps to the other edge

The action works in a cycle - each further click of the same card moves the window to the next edge of the monitor in turn (right → left → right → ...), and with two monitors it also alternates between them. This is a faster way to get the window out of the way than dragging it by hand with a mouse - especially for a person who controls the computer by eye or with a sensor.

🎨 Themes - changing the colors of the communicator

A theme sets the graphic look of the communicator - in particular the colors of the background, the cards and the remaining parts of the interface. The right choice of theme improves readability and comfort of use, which matters a lot in everyday use - especially for people who are sensitive to contrast, who use the communicator in different lighting conditions, or who control it by eye through Tobii.

The System Sensor Y communicator has four themes:

• Czarny (Black) - white icons and letters on a dark background (chosen most often with weaker eyesight).
• Biały (White) - dark letters on a light background (good in a brightly lit room).
• Szary (Gray) - the in-between option, gentle contrast.
• Domyślny (Default) (recommended by the manufacturer) - optimized for eye control and for typical conditions at the home of a person with ALS.

The theme can be matched to the user's individual preferences and to their needs of visual perception. For special needs the manufacturer can prepare a dedicated theme, fitted to the specific requirements of the user or of an institution.

⚙️ The Ustawienia (Settings) board - where is the theme switch?

On the Główna (Main) board of the communicator there is a card with a cogwheel icon - it leads to the Ustawienia (Settings) board. That is where you find all the configuration actions, among them the tulip icon, which changes the color theme.

What you find on the Ustawienia (Settings) board:

• The top row - making the window bigger and smaller + the Pilot card.
• The "window/monitor/pencil/green bar" row - docking and window size, choosing the monitor, editing boards, controlling the control unit.
• The row with the tulip - changing the theme, the wait time after a choice, stopping scanning (the red bar).
• The bottom rows - quick wait time settings and the Główna (Main) board card (the house icon).

The whole board is only the manufacturer's proposal - every card can be modified freely, you can change the order, add your own actions or put in more icons, fitting the working environment to the user.

🌷 The tulip icon - the theme switch

The card with the tulip icon in the middle row of the Ustawienia (Settings) board works as a cyclic theme switch. Each further click changes the colors to the next one available: Czarny (black) → Biały (white) → Szary (gray) → Domyślny (default) → Czarny (black) again.

The neighboring cards in the same row have supporting functions:

• Clock + plus / minus - make the wait time after a choice longer or shorter (how quickly a card is ready to be clicked again).
• The red bar - stop the current scanning and go back to the resting mode.

🧩 The other rows of the Ustawienia (Settings) board

The remaining rows of the Ustawienia (Settings) board hold icons for managing the window, the monitor and the sensor control. Below are screenshots from the documentation showing which cards belong to which groups of functions.

The second row - window, monitor, editing, start of scanning

The middle row - wait time, theme, stop of scanning

The bottom row - cyclic wait time + back to the Główna (Main) board

All these cards can be freely moved, copied or replaced with your own - the Ustawienia (Settings) board is an ordinary board, not a closed system menu. If the person using the communicator only uses some of these functions, you can build a simplified settings board with a minimum of cards, so that nothing distracts them.

⌨️ Writing with an ordinary mouse - MyszKlik boards

System Sensor Y can work like the Windows on-screen keyboard. You click a letter with an ordinary mouse and the character goes where the cursor is: a text editor, a browser, e-mail or a messenger. Boards prepared for this have MyszKlik in their name and do not scan - a white frame under the cursor shows which key the mouse is over.

Writing with the mouse needs no control unit and no sensor - the program and a mouse are enough. It is the simplest way to start, or to try the software before buying a sensor.

Compared with the Windows on-screen keyboard the keys are large and scale to the screen, colours and contrast are set by you, the layout is your own (it may hold whole words and phrases), and the program reads aloud what has been clicked.

Both ways work side by side: the user works with the sensor and scanning on their own boards, while a carer or therapist writes with the mouse on theirs - with no settings to switch. Touching the sensor returns to the Main board.

How to start

• In the program pick a board with the MyszKlik tag.
• Click the window you want to write in - where the caret should blink.
• Click the letters with the mouse. A white frame follows the cursor.
• If a sensor is connected, touching it returns to the Main board.

What the card leading to a MyszKlik board looks like

A card that switches to a mouse-writing board has a dark yellow background - you can see at a glance which card leads to writing with the mouse. Every other card keeps the colours of the theme.

The shade depends on the theme of the program:

• default and grey theme
• dark theme
• light theme - a lighter shade, because card labels are dark there

A word suggestion bar at the top of the screen. While writing with the mouse the program shows a bar with ten suggested words matched to what has already been written - you click a suggestion and the whole word goes into the text, instead of typing it letter by letter. The bar takes its own strip at the top of the screen, so it covers nothing: a window that moves under it is pushed down and put back once the bar is hidden. The bar can also be switched on or off with a card of your own (the „Otwórz/Zamknij Okno Górne Słownika” action - open or close the top dictionary window), and the program remembers the choice: it starts the way it was closed. Works from version 43.

Note: the feature works from version 42 of the program. With an older one the program will offer an update at start-up.

🖱️ Mouse control - the mouse navigation window

The System Sensor Y communicator can fully replace an ordinary Windows mouse - with the cards on the Mysz (Mouse) board the user moves the cursor around the screen, clicks with the left and the right button, uses the scroll wheel, scrolls pages, moves windows and adjusts the system volume. For people with ALS who have lost control of their hands, this is a complete way of operating the computer while keeping the ordinary Windows desktop.

The Mysz (Mouse) board is wider than the Główna (Main) board (Okno / Window 420 instead of 240-300 px) - it holds about 40 function cards in a grid of 6 columns by 7 or more rows. You can open it from the Główna (Main) board with the Mysz card or with the shortcut Akcja Sensor Y (Sensor Y action) → Otwórz tablicę myszy (Open the mouse board).

🧭 The whole Mysz (Mouse) board in one view

Groups of cards on the Mysz (Mouse) board:

• Direction arrows - up/down/left/right + diagonals + double arrows (faster movement of the cursor).
• Mouse clicks - left, right, double left, double right, holding and releasing.
• Scroll wheel and scrolling - up / down, page up / page down.
• The Windows clipboard - Kopiuj (Copy), Wklej (Paste) - system actions.
• The system speaker - louder, quieter, mute.
• Moving windows - move the active window to the left / to the right.
• Back - the house card → the Główna (Main) board.

📋 A detailed list of the actions of every card

The manufacturer's documentation holds a complete description of what every card does on the Mysz (Mouse) board - including the difference between slow and fast movement, the left and right click, the double click, holding a button, the scroll wheel, the speaker actions and going back to the Główna (Main) board. The speed of the cursor movement can be adjusted in Ustawienia (Settings).

🛑 The STOP MYSZ (STOP MOUSE) card - a quick stop

In the mouse control mode the cursor keeps moving - that works well as long as the user knows exactly where they want to land. If the cursor runs away or the movement has to be stopped suddenly (for example to avoid an accidental click), there is a special STOP MYSZ (STOP MOUSE) card for that - with a large red stop sign icon on a yellow background that is easy to hit.

One click of this card stops the continuous movement of the cursor at once and goes back to the normal mode of choosing cards. The card is deliberately the largest one and has contrasting colors - so that a person who is playing or working with the mouse can hit it even when the cursor has already disappeared out of sight.

💬 Messaging apps window - WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram

The System Sensor Y communicator has a built-in quick access board for messaging apps - WhatsApp, Messenger (Facebook), Instagram. A single click on a card opens the chosen app right away in full-screen mode - with no need to look for an icon on the desktop or in the Start menu.

📞 The way in - the phone card on the Tablica Główna (Main Board)

From the Tablica Główna (Main Board) the messaging apps are opened by the card with the phone (handset) icon - you will find it in the bottom, system row of cards (between the @ icon and the WWW card).

This is a navigation card - in the Otwórz tablice (Open board) field of Edycja karty (Card editing) it is set to go to the Tablica Komunikatorów Społecznościowych (Messaging Apps Board) (see below). If the person does not use messaging apps, the card can be removed or replaced with another one - in typical sets, however, it is one of the most frequently used.

📱 The Messaging Apps board - WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook + empty slots

The top row of the board holds three ready messaging app cards: WhatsApp (green phone icon), Instagram (colorful camera), Facebook / Messenger (blue f). A single click on a card starts the matching app on the computer.

The middle row holds three empty slots ready for adding your own messaging apps - for example Skype, Microsoft Teams, Telegram, Signal, Discord, Zoom - whatever is installed on that computer.

Requirements:

• The app must be installed and set up beforehand on the computer.
• Recommended: apps already logged in (saved sign-in details) - this speeds up starting them a lot.
• If the app is not installed, clicking the card will redirect to the installation process.

The Messaging Apps board is a manufacturer proposal - the layout and the list of apps can be changed freely, to match who the person with ALS wants to talk to and how.

🌐 Browser control - the Strony Internetowe (Websites) board

The System Sensor Y communicator has a built-in board of quick jumps to the most popular websites - YouTube, Facebook, Onet, WP, wlkp24, and to the Edge browser and other web apps. A single click on a card opens the chosen website directly in the browser - with no need to type an address or look for a bookmark.

📋 The Websites board - ready links

What you will find on the board:

• YouTube - films, music, family channels.
• Facebook / Messenger - social contact.
• Onet - news, mail, portal.
• Edge - the default Windows browser.
• WP - news, mail, portal.
• WhatsApp Web - chats with family and friends.
• wlkp24.info - an example of a local portal (Wielkopolska region).
• ProArt - an example of a trade app.

Every card can be copied and given a new address and icon - this way you will quickly build a personalized list of websites that the person with ALS visits most often (for example the parish website, a local paper, a hobby service, a pharmacy shop).

⚙️ How to add your own website to the board?

Step by step - your own www card:

1. Open Edycja karty (Card editing) - for example on a card copied from the existing YouTube card.
2. In the Wygląd (Appearance) section set Tytuł (Title) and Obrazek (Image) - the logo or icon of the website.
3. In the Sterowanie komputerem (Computer control) section → in the Otwórz plik (Open file) field type the full URL - for example https://www.wp.pl/, https://www.youtube.com/, https://web.whatsapp.com/.
4. Confirm with OK. The card is ready.

After a single click on the card, System Sensor Y will start the default browser of Windows and open that address in it. This works with any website - all you need is a correct URL.

📐 The wide variant - the Okno szybkiego startu (Quick start window)

The same links can be placed on a wider board (Okno / Window 420 instead of 260) - then the cards are larger and easier to hit with the eyes (Tobii) or with a sensor.

The choice of width depends on what the particular person needs - the detailed window size settings are described in the section Communicator window size below.

📏 Communicator window size - from 240 to 500 pixels

In the Okno → Rozmiar okna (Window → Window size) menu, the System Sensor Y communicator offers six predefined widths of the program window: 240, 300, 360, 420, 480, 500 pixels. The right size depends on:

• The size and resolution of the monitor - on a small laptop 240 px is comfortable, on a large 27" screen it is better to go up to 420 or 500.
• How precise the person's gaze is - with weaker vision or imperfect Tobii calibration, larger cards (480/500) are easier to hit.
• The type of board in use - the Mysz (Mouse) board has more columns than the alphabet board, so it often needs a wider window.

⚙️ The Okno → Rozmiar okna (Window → Window size) menu

1. Okno (Window) 300 px - the standard (narrow alphabet board)

2. Okno (Window) 480 px - large alphabet board, comfortable zoom

3. Okno (Window) 480 px - the Mysz (Mouse) board (needs a wide window)

The window size can be changed while working - for example widened quickly to 500 px when someone is tired and needs larger cards, or narrowed to 240 px when they want to leave more room on the desktop for another app. After a size change, window docking still works - Windows automatically recalculates how much room to leave for the other apps.

🔎 Changing card size - for people with low vision

Whatever the window size is set to (240-500 px), the System Sensor Y communicator offers one more option, a key one for people with low vision - enlarging the cards themselves inside the chosen window. You reach it with the gear icon laid over a card on the Tablica Główna (Main Board) (bottom right corner). The function works independently of the Rozmiar okna (Window size) menu and new users often do not notice it - although for people with weakened vision it can decide how comfortable writing is.

Two layouts are available:

• The classic layout (the previous one) - leaves free space under the cards. The cards do not fill the whole area of the board. Smaller tiles, a bigger margin at the bottom - readability is good, but the screen is not used to its full potential.
• The enlarged cards layout (the new one) - removes the free space under the cards. The cards fill the whole area of the board, making the most of the available room. Every card is larger, easier to hit with the eyes (Tobii), with the cursor or with a sensor - especially important with weakened vision, imperfect calibration or a trembling hand.

⚙️ Where will you find the gear icon?

Step by step:

1. On the Tablica Główna (Main Board) find the card with the gear icon in the bottom right corner.
2. Click it - the Tablica Ustawień (Settings Board) will open.
3. On the Settings Board look for the card with the icon of two overlapping cards (the size switch - it looks like a copied card).
4. Each further click switches between the classic and the enlarged layout.

The change works right away - the Main Board and all the other boards (alphabet, mouse, www, messaging apps, keyboards) will automatically redraw in the new layout.

📐 Comparison - the classic layout vs the enlarged one

The difference is clearest on the Tablica Główna (Main Board) (the Polish alphabet with the bottom system cards). Below are the same two sets of cards in the same window (Okno 360 / Window 360), but in two different layouts:

The CLASSIC layout - empty space under the cards, smaller tiles

The ENLARGED layout - the cards fill the whole window, larger fields

The Zmiana wielkosci kart (Changing card size) function works together with the Rozmiar okna (Window size) menu - you can set the window to 500 px (as wide as possible) and choose the enlarged layout at the same time, to get the best readability possible. It is also worth trying this together with changing the theme to white (dark letters on a light background) or black (white on dark) - for some people with low vision one of these contrasts is clearly better than the default.

🎛️ Copying the remote control buttons - one learned remote for many control units

Teaching a remote means 28 buttons, so it takes a long time. That is why the buttons learned by one control unit can be saved to a file and then loaded into further control units - every next one is ready in a dozen seconds.

Requirements: the new Mysz-USB1286 control unit with program v1.03 or newer. With other control units this section does not appear in the Settings window, because they do not have this option.

Where to find it

In System Sensor Y: menu Settings (Polish: „Ustawienia”) → section Remote buttons (Polish: „Przyciski pilota”) → button Copy of the remote buttons (Polish: „Kopia przycisków pilota”). A window opens with two large buttons:

• Read from the control unit to a file - takes the buttons off the connected control unit (about 10 seconds) and asks where to save the file.
• Write a file to the control unit - writes the chosen file (a dozen seconds; the control unit glows blue while writing). After writing, every button is read back and compared, and finally the checksum is verified.

Where the files are kept

The files have the .ssir extension and live in the folder Public Documents → System Sensor Y → Piloty. The window opens there by itself, and ready-made remotes of popular brands are installed there together with the program. The same file also works in System Sensor PIC, in the Programator tool and in our web applications - the format is shared.

While copying, the program hands the control unit port over to that window - this is normal, the port comes back by itself when the work is done.

📚 Gallery of the remaining user guide graphics

Below you will find the remaining screenshots from the documentation of the System Sensor Y communicator - board layouts, card editing, settings, alternative keyboards, typing demos in various applications (Word, Notepad++, YouTube, Google) and other parts of the interface. Every image can be opened enlarged with a click. The most important functions (Caps Lock, Przytrzymaj (Hold), Dokowanie (Docking), Przesuwanie (Moving), Motywy (Themes), Mysz (Mouse), Komunikatory (Messengers), www, Rozmiar okna (Window size)) are described in detail in the sections above.