How to Make
Your Gooseneck Mount Really Sturdy
Please note that TetraLite Products has discontinued the sale
of gooseneck mounts.
Is your gooseneck mount too easily bent? Does it sag all by itself? Here is
a way to fix it! Get a piece of 1/4 inch diameter round aluminum rod from the
hardware store, cut it with a hacksaw (or have the guy at the hardware store
cut it) to a length that fits inside the hollow shaft of the gooseneck while
allowing clearance for the end of the gooseneck to still be threaded onto your
mounting flange. In general, cut the aluminum rod about an inch shorter than
the specified gooseneck length, for example, cut the rod at 12 inches for a
13-inch gooseneck or 18 inches for a 19-inch gooseneck. Insert the rod inside
the gooseneck and remount everything. This rod will keep your gooseneck in place
much better than before, eliminating sagging and displacing when bumped.
How to enable the standard ClickLock function in Windows XP (without
the Intellipoint software):
From the Start Menu go to Control Panel, open the Mouse Properties dialog box
by clicking on the "Mouse" icon. Under the Buttons tab, turn on the
ClickLock option by checking the box. This allows the user to perform a left-click
and hold operation for dragging and dropping or for selecting text or graphical
areas. With this option turned on, you hold the left mouse button (or in the
case of the TetraMouse, you hold the "clicker" joystick in the left
position) for a short period of time on the object that you want to drag. If
you hold it for the required period, it is the equivalent of locking the left
mouse button down. You may then drag the object to a new position and drop it
by doing another normal left click, or you can highlight text by dragging. The
amount of time it takes to activate the ClickLock function is adjustable using
the "Settings" button in the same dialog box where you enable ClickLock.
Summary of how to set the ClickLock function: Click on Start, Settings, Control Panel, then double-click on Mouse (Mouse Properties), click on Buttons tab (or Actions tab), click on the "Turn on ClickLock" box to put a check mark in it, click on Settings (to the right of the checked box) to adjust the length of time the left clicker stick (or left mouse button) should be held before the click is locked.
Microsoft IntelliPoint Mouse Drivers
The ClickLock option is standard in Windows XP. To acheive the same function in other versions of Windows you may choose to download the Microsoft Intellipoint mouse software for your version of Windows (links listed below) or use the Point-N-Click program included on the TetraMouse CD which allows the user to perform many advanced mouse operations. It is recommended that you read the help files for the Point-N-Click program if you decide to use it. The IntelliPoint software is preferred to Point-N-Click for achieving the ClickLock function due to its simplicity of set up and use.
Note: The only versions recommened for use with the TetraMouse are IntelliPoint
4.01 and 4.12.
Installing versions 5.0 or 5.2 retains the standard "left-click and wait
a sceond" ClickLock feature but does not give you an option to assign "instant"
ClickLock to any of the mouse buttons. For some reason Microsoft omitted or
forgot to provide this feature in the newer releases. The older releases (4.01
and 4.12) do not work in Windows XP.
Download Links for ClickLock functionality using IntelliPoint:
Intellipoint version 4.12
For the TetraMouse this version is recommended for Windows 2000, Windows 2000
Service Pack 2, Windows 2000 Service Pack 3, Windows 98, Windows 98 Second Edition,
Windows ME and Windows NT. Note that installing IntelliPoint 4.12 in Windows
XP does not seem to change the mouse driver so there is no point in installing
this version in Windows XP.
You may download version 4.12 at: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&familyid=4348502a-61be-4072-abe2-e3fc3aa0eee6
Intellipoint version 4.01
This version is designed to run on Windows 95 and is recommended for that operating
system. It also works on Windows 98, Windows ME and Windows NT.
You may download version 4.01 at: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=775c1f67-d80f-4b3b-8b00-d4496c706d4f&displaylang=en
Direct (no instructions) Microsoft Intellipoint downloads and downloads in other languages:
Intellipoint 4.01
http://download.microsoft.com/download/intellimouseex/Install/4.01/W9XNT4Me/EN-US/IP4_0EngALLMsi.exe
Intellipoint 4.12
http://download.microsoft.com/download/4/8/c/48ca781f-a1be-4cdc-8d97-dfc33535d4da/IP4_12EngALLMsi.exe
The following versions of IntelliPoint work on Windows XP and are recommended for use with the TetraMouse if you want to assign other functions to the mouse buttons, however, the programmable button "instant" ClickLock functions are not provided:
Intellipoint 5.0
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=85D871BB-EEBC-4E34-B87D-41E1A493965B&displaylang=en
Intellipoint 5.2
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=D3B2C863-2F8A-4339-9542-18F90B69128D&displaylang=en
IntelliPoint for other languages
If you need to download the Intellipoint software in another language go to
the Microsoft Mouse Download Page at:
http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/mouseandkeyboard/Download.mspx
On that page, under "Select your product" pick "Wheel Mouse"
then select your Windows version under "Select your operating system",
then select the language under "Select your operating system language",
then click on "Go".
Mouse Pointer
Speed
This setting in Windows will affect all four speed settings on the TetraMouse.
If another user or care-giver will be using a regular mouse on the same computer
as the TetraMouse this setting should be first adjusted for the other user or
care-giver. The settings on the TetraMouse can then be set to the desired speeds
for the TetraMouse user without affecting the speed settings for the regular
mouse. Any futher changes to the Windows speed adjustment will then affect all
four speeds on the TetraMouse.
To change the pointer speed setting in Windows, open the Control Panel ( click
Start, Settings, Control Panel) then double-click on the "Mouse" icon
to open the Mouse Properties dialog box. Click the Pointer Options tab. Set
the pointer speed by dragging the slider left or right to decrease or increase
the speed setting. Click the Apply button to test the speed before closing the
window.
"Snap To" Option
In the same window as the Motion speed adjustment described above (in Windows
XP) you also have the option of turning the "Snap To" option on or
off by checking or un-checking the box. This option, if selected, will automatically
place the mouse cursor on the default button in a dialog box. This option can
save you some time, but may not be desired depending on user preferences.
Easy Computer
Shutdown or Restart
Icons can be placed on the desktop that allow the user to easily turn off or
restart the computer.
For the shutdown function:
In Windows XP, right-click on the desktop, select "New..." and click
on "Shortcut". A new icon called "New Shortcut" is placed
on the desktop and the "Create Shortcut" wizard appears. Enter the
following line exactly (including the 3 spaces):
%windir%\system32\shutdown.exe -s -t 00
then click "Next". In the next window, type a name for the shortcut, such as "Shutdown Computer" and click "Finish" and you're done.
For the restart function:
In Windows XP, right-click on the desktop, select "New..." and click
on "Shortcut". A new icon called "New Shortcut" is placed
on the desktop and the "Create Shortcut" wizard appears. Enter the
following line exactly (including the 3 spaces):
%windir%\system32\shutdown.exe -r -t 00
then click "Next". In the next window, type a name for the shortcut,
such as "Restart Computer" and click "Finish" and you're
done.
Resizing the Keyboard
Increasing the size of the keyboard makes it much easier to position the mouse
cursor over the desired keys and is highly recommended. Once resized, the keyboard
will retain that size even after closing and opening the program until you choose
to resize it again (all other settings are saved also). The keyboard may be
resized at any time by placing the cursor on the border of the keyboard window
and performing a left-click and hold to drag and resize the window. If you are
using Windows XP you can select the "ClickLock" option in "Mouse
Properties" which is available in the Control Panel in order to perform
a click, hold and drag operation. If you don't have the ClickLock option, for
example, if you are using Windows 98, you will most likely want to use the Point-N-Click
or ClickAssist software in order to perform the click, hold and drag mouse function.
Upper Case Letters
You don't need to use the shift key to capitalize letters. To type upper case
letters use a right-click when hovering over the desired character. To type
lower case letters use a left-click.
Macros
You don't need to click the Alt key in order to type a macro that has been previously
stored. Just use a down-click (equivalent to a middle button click) on the letter
assigned to the desired macro. Be sure to read about macros in the help file.
Program Options
It is worthwhile to examine the options for Click-N-Type under the "Options"
menu. View the help files for descriptions of the all options.
Some options worthy of special note are:
Under "Options", "Program Preferences..."
"Drop and Hide when not in use"
This option drops the keyboard down on the screen so that just a sliver of it shows. This happens after an adjustable period of time when the focus is changed to another window (when the keyboard window is not "active"). The size of the visible "sliver" is also adjustable. This option is really handy when visiting websites to keep the keyboard from obscuring the web pages. To get the keyboard back on the screen, just move the mouse over the visible sliver and the keyboard pops back up.
Under "Options", "Program Preferences..."
"Start the keyboard at Boot Up"
This option saves you the trouble of starting the keyboard manually, although it is easy to start by double-clicking the icon on the desktop like any other program.
Word Prediction
Be sure to study the Click-N-Type help files regarding the Word Prediction feature.
This can be quite a time-saver and several options are available.