Dotris FAQ

This section will grow as Users ask more questions. Every time I update it I’ll announce it on my twitter feed at http://www.twitter.com/N_A_Soft

Q: which Braille displays are supported by Dotris?

Dotris uses the same technology that the Dolphin range of screen readers uses so the simple answer is that if it’s supported by Dolphin then it’s supported by Dotris. If any Braille display manufacturers would like to be included on this list and their displays are supported by Dolphin products then please get in touch and I'll link to your product page. At time of writing the list of supported Braille displays includes but is not limited to:
  • Alva: Series 3, 4 (Delphi), 5 (Satellite), all sizes. This includes all the 20, 40, 44, 70, 80 and 84 cell models and includes the Traveller.
  • ALVA Braille Controller
  • ALVA USB 640
  • Braille Ex: EL 2D-40, EL 2D-66, EL 80, EL 2D-80, 2D Screen, Compact 2, Tiny, 2D Lite, 2D Lite Plus.
  • Braille Focus: Blazie Engineering Focus Series Braille displays, including the PacMate.
  • Braille Lite: Blazie BrailleLite 18,40, Millennium.
  • Braudi: Braudi Pro.
  • Ecobraille Braille display series - Ecobraille 40, 80 and Ecoplus Braille displays.
  • Eurobraille Iris Braille display.
  • HandyTech: Braille Window Classic 44, 84, Modular 44, 84, Bookworm, Braille Wave, Braille Star 40, 80 and Easy Braille.
  • KTS: BrailloTerm. Note driver must be started within 10 sec of KTS being powered on.
  • KTS: BrailloTerm32.
  • Papenmeier Braillex refreshable Braille display.
  • Pegasus.
  • Pulse Data: Braille Note 18, 32. Note Configure Braille Note to Braille Terminal mode before using driver.
  • Sensotec: Euroscope.
  • TeleSensory PowerBraille: PowerBraille 40, 66, 80, Navigator, (also Baum Vario/Rabbit).
  • Technibraille: Zephyr. Note (1) too many buttons to be supported by SAM thus 11 are disabled, (2) configure Zephyr to Windows mode before using SAM driver.
  • Tieman Braille Voyager 45 and 85. Please note drivers for the Braille Voyager displays should be installed using the installation media containing the SAM drivers supplied by Tieman.
  • Tieman CombiBraille 45, 85, with or without speech.
  • Tieman/Optelec EasyLink Braille pen.
  • Tieman MultiBraille.

Q: how do I get support?

Instructions on how to set up Dotris, SAM and your Braille display can be found in the Dotris Help file installed when you install Dotris. The best guidance on how to play Dotris is found in the in game tutorial which uses the connected Braille display to show examples of game play which has been found to aid understanding.
If the provided instructions don’t resolve your problem then there are two ways to get support. If you are a twitter user then follow @N_A_soft and send me a message. Alternatively use the contact us link at this website.
Please note that support and development is done in my spare time. I’ll endeavour to answer support requests with in a couple of days however there is only one of me so please leave at least 7 days before contacting support again.

Q: what happens to the donations received, does N A Soft keep any donations received?

N A soft does not keep any funds received, in fact we don’t handle any transactions. We use a 3rd party donation website to handle all donations received. The 3rd party website pass donations directly to the clear vision library. In some cases the My Donate website we use will be charged a transaction fee by the card issuer. In this case the small transaction fee will be taken away from the donated amount.

Q: is it necessary to register with the My Donate website to make a donation?

No. you are given the option however there is a link to donate with out registering.

Q: What to do if the display is not detected?

Thanks to Valiant8086 for this information.
It is possible that SAM isn't considering the port that the display is connected to when using automatic port selection. There is a way to access a list of possible ports as checkboxes and check or uncheck the port or potential ports your display or displays connect on. To access this launch "Configure SAM" and follow these suggestions:
  • 1. Move down the list of devices until you locate the item that matches your Braille display such as Super Vario/Brailliant 0. Keep in mind that if it says anything other than 0 your display is most likely already properly detected and starting Dotris at this point would probably yield successful communication with the display. If this is not successful then continuing to follow these steps may still be a good idea.
  • 2. Press enter on the item in the list view that matches your Braille Display. You will end up in the configuration dialogue.
  • 3. Shift tab until you reach the Serial ports... button and press space on it. A new dialogue will appear called Serial Ports.
  • 4. Shift tab off the already focused Ok button until you land in a list view. This list view shows several port numbers as checkboxes that you can select or deselect to adjust whether SAM will support that port in auto configuration and also whether that port will be available as a choice when doing manual port selection.
  • 5. Arrow through the list searching for the port your Braille display is connected via and, if found, ensure that it is checked using the space bar to check or uncheck it. If the port is not listed there is an edit field that allows you to enter the specific port that the display is connected on. Shift tab once from the list view should put focus in the edit box where you can type 22 or what ever the port number is. If you don't know the port number, you should be able to find it in device manager, which can be accessed by pressing the windows key and the pause key if you have one, and if not typing dev in the start menu edit box and down arrowing to device manager if on windows vista or 7. The easiest way to find device manager on Windows XP or Windows 8 is through the control panel.
  • 6. Having selected the correct port, tab to and hit space on the ok button. Now, if using auto selection SAM should include the newly selected port or ports when trying to locate displays, and if using manual port selection the newly selected port or ports will be in the list of available ports to choose from.

      • If your display is still not detected try quitting SAM:
      SAM may be glitched. The easiest way to check this is to quit SAM and then either open SAM again or just launch Dotris. In Windows Vista or Windows 7, typing SAM in the start menu search edit box should yield "Quit SAM" as one of the search results. If needing to navigate to it, the shortcut should be located in all programs/dolphin/SAM/quit SAM.

      Try restarting the computer:
      Restarting the computer may resolve issues with failure to detect the display or work with it. This is a common fix if SAM is actually showing a 1 next to the item that matches your display in its configuration dialogue but Dotris either runs but does not run the display or Dotris gives an error about no display.

      Ensure a properly configured connection:
      If you’re still having trouble, Ensure the display is actually connected to the computer properly. If using Bluetooth, the best way to troubleshoot this other than testing to see if another program, such as a screen reader that you use the display with, works with the display is to delete or unpair the Bluetooth profile with the display and pair it again. Keep in mind that the port the display is connected with may change when doing this. Trying a screen reader to make sure it works with the display may be a good idea. Also keep in mind that Dotris may not work very well with the display if a screen reader is driving the display at the same time Dotris is trying to. Dotris is self voicing so you don't need to run a screen reader while playing.