SMART Board Model 780 Interactive Whiteboard

The SMART Board requires 3 components to operate:

• the SMART Board itself
• the laptop (or any computer with the SMART Board software)
• and the data projector.

A fourth component, the wired cart, is not required but will make your life much simpler. All items can be plugged into the cart; the cart itself is then plugged into an electrical outlet. The directions assume that you will use this cart.

Connecting the Parts

The Laptop

The laptop that accompanies the SMART Board in the T3 Mini Lab is stored in the locked cabinet in the mini lab. The necessary software has already been installed. Remove it from its black carrying case along with the AC adaptor. Although the laptop will work with the SMART Board while running on battery power, it is strongly recommended that the laptop be plugged in during the presentation to avoid running out of power in the middle of a lecture.

Place the laptop on the cart and plug it into the cart.

Do not turn it on!

The Projector

The projector is in the locked cabinet in the mini lab; it is in a gray case. All of the necessary cables and the remote are in the carrying case. Please note the “pouches” where each cable and the remote are stored and return to the same locations.

Remove the projector unit, cables, and remote from the bag, and set the projector on the cart. You should be able to place both the laptop and the projector next to one another on the top of the cart.

There are two cables that need to be hooked up:

• a power cable which should be plugged into the cart then connected to the three pronged port on the left side of the projector (the side with all the other ports; opposite the handle)
• and the other cable, which needs to be hooked to the blue “monitor” port on the back of the laptop, then hooked to the middle of the three similar looking ports on the projector (the one labeled “RGB 1 in”)

  The Connections on the Projector

Do not turn it on!

The SMART Board

The SMART Board draws its power from the computer, which is another reason that if you are using a laptop that it should be plugged in and not running on battery power.

The only cord you need to connect should already be connected to the SMART Board on the bottom right corner (if you’re facing the board) and should NOT be unplugged when you finish. The other end of this cord has two connections; one that hooks to the mouse (PS/2) port of the laptop, and the other to the serial port. Note: the mouse hookup looks like it has two choices, but one is a plug (male end) the other is a port (female end) so only one will plug into the port on the laptop. If a PS/2 mouse is available, it may be plugged into the additional port so that you don’t have to use the touchpad on the laptop.

The Connections on the Laptop

Do not turn it on!

Turning Everything On & Initial Setup

Once everything has been hooked up, turn on the laptop and the projector (the power button for the projector is located on top). Once the laptop and projector have both booted up, there are a couple of setup steps that need to be done:

• STEP #1 If the laptop reaches the log on screen but the projector still isn’t showing anything, then the laptop needs to be set to output to the projector (or, perhaps the lens cap needs to be removed from the projector …).
  • Pressing Ctrl + F3 will cycle through:
    • output to the laptop LCD only
    • output to the projector only
    • and output to both.
    • It is most beneficial to output to both, but not necessary.
• STEP #2 Once the projector is displaying what the laptop is showing, press the “auto setup” button on the projector remote. This will sync the laptop to the projector.
• STEP #3 Finally, the projector output size, its focus, and the height of the image may need to be adjusted.
  • The size of the projection is changed by rotating the tab located around the lens of the projector (this accomplishes the same thing as physically moving the projector closer or further from the screen).
  • To adjust the focus, simply rotate the ring (not the tab) located around the lens.
  • The height of the projection can be raised by using the tabs located on the front, bottom corners to adjust the legs of the projector. Press up on the tab to allow the legs to slide in and out of the projector, then raise the projector to the correct height. Release the tab to lock in the height.

Now You’re Ready … Almost

The SMART Board must be oriented before use. If the SMART Board or the projector is moved even the slightest, the orientation will be changed and you must repeat the orientation process

• Log on to the laptop.
  • The default log on is SmartUser with password smartboard
• You now need to “orient” the SMART Board to synchronize the touch-sensitive white board with the projected display.
  • This is done by clicking “orient” on the SMART Board tools
    • the default location for the tools is the lower right of the screen
    • if they are not already open, they may be accessed by double clicking the SMART Board icon in the system tray
    • or by using the shortcut on the desktop
  • The orientation process will display 9 targets on the screen. Touch the center of each target, either with your finger or one of the SMART Board markers.
  • The first target is located in the top left of the screen.
  • Once the SMART Board has been oriented, you may use it just as though you were clicking the mouse wherever you touch.
  • If the projector or SMART Board is bumped even the slightest bit, this can throw off the alignment so it may need to be reoriented.

The SMART Board Pens and Eraser

The SMART Board is not a true white board. Use of standard dry erase markers will ruin the SMART Board!

• You may also pick up any of the SMART Board markers and draw on the screen as if it were a real marker.
  • Picking up a marker will change your touches from mouse clicks to drawn points of the chosen color.
  • The marker’s “color” can be changed through the SMART Board tools.
    • Click “control panel” on the SMART Board tools
    • then click the “pen tray” tab.
    • Select the marker you wish to change on the left
    • and then choose the color you desire on the right.
• You may also choose the eraser size this way.
• If you draw on the screen with one of the markers, a floating toolbar will appear.
  • The leftmost button will capture the entire screen and save it in the “smartboard notebook,” which I will get to later.
  • The middle button works the same way, except it only captures a selected area, as opposed to the entire screen.
    • Something seems to deactivate this button rather quickly, so to use it you must click the button (remember, this can be done via the SMART Board, but not if you’re holding one of the SMART Board markers or eraser) then rapidly click and drag the area you wish to capture.

The SMART Board Notebook

This is where all screen captures or presentation saves are stored. Incidentally, this is one of the most important tools of the SMART Board.

• On the left side of the program is a button entitled “blank.” Clicking this button will make the SMART Board function exactly as a dry erase board, minus the need to ever erase.
• Once you click the “blank” button, you can click “full screen” in the bottom right corner to make the program take up the full screen.
• When the program is made to go full screen, another floating toolbar appears (default is to the upper left). The buttons are, from left to right
  • Previous Page (Useful only after the “Next Page” button has been used)
  • Next Page (brings up a new, blank screen)
  • and Normal View (takes off full screen mode)
• Once the presentation is finished, you may export one or all of the pages created/captured. This is done through the “File” menu. Export options include
  • Image files (.jpg, .gif, .bmp, etc.)
  • HTML files (web page)
  • or PDF files (Adobe Acrobat).

SMART Board Tools … the Floating Tools Option

Another really handy tool available through the SMART Board tools is the “floating tools” option. This brings up a toolbar that can be used in ANY application, whether you’re giving a demonstration on PowerPoint, or using the SMART Board notebook.

Some of the more useful of the tools are as follows (most of the symbols are rather obvious, but if you’re confused, hover the mouse over one of the buttons for the name to pop up)

• Highlighter, does just that, highlights things in traditional highlight yellow
• Restore Cleared Page, brings up anything you’ve written with the SMART Board markers
  • if you write something with one of the markers, then put it down and touch the board, the “annotation” mode is turned off, and the marker writings disappear
  • this button toggles “annotation” mode on and off)
  • A special note: if the floating tools are turned on and you bring up annotation mode, be it by writing with one of the markers or by use of the button, the annotation toolbar (the one containing the screen capture and capture area buttons) is added to the floating tools.

The Onscreen Keyboard

Yet another handy tool available through the SMART Board tools is that of the onscreen keyboard, accessed through the appropriately named “keyboard” button. This will bring up, amazingly, an onscreen keyboard which will let you enter any letter by pressing the appropriate key on the screen. It’s a standard keyboard, with the addition of the “write” key. This key brings up a box which should be very familiar to any palm pilot users: it’s the Graffiti box! Just write (cursive or print) in the box, and the text will be transferred to whatever you have selected. For example, if you pull up Microsoft Word, then use the “write” option of the onscreen keyboard, the text will be inserted wherever the cursor is currently at. Once you have completed writing, use the “commit” button to insert the text (alternately, the keyboard symbol will bring you back to the onscreen keyboard).

When You Are Finished

• To shut down the projector, press the power button twice, once to initiate the shut down process, the second time to confirm that you wish to shut it down.
• Remove all cords the same way they were plugged in, and store them in the same location and manner that you found them in.
• Place all equipment in the same location in the same condition that you found it in.

Questions? Contact the Help Desk

Copyright©2003
last updated June 02, 2003