Payson-Smith 301A - Classroom

This will outline the details and basic tips and tricks for operating the equipment in classroom 301A in Payson-Smith.

Details

Room 301A in Payson-Smith is a smart classroom located on the USM Portland Campus. You can operate most of the audiovisual (AV) equipment from the touch panel connected to the lectern. Other pieces of in-room equipment include:

• Computer
• Computer Monitor
• Wall-Mounted Monitors (TVs)
• Blu-ray player
• Laptop Connection (HDMI & VGA)
• Speakers
• Gooseneck (Podium) Microphone
• Document Camera

Operating the Touch Panel

Most of the room's equipment is controlled by a touch panel located on the lectern. This section describes how to use that panel, step by step.

Turning the System On

When you first arrive, the touch panel may appear as a black screen, but should turn on automatically once it senses movement in front of it. You should be presented with the following screen. Touch it and to begin the start-up process.

As part of this process, the touch panel should briefly change to a loading screen.

Operating the System

Once it has loaded, you should be presented with the following screen.

Here is a list that details what each section of the screen allows you to do:

• In the center of the screen, you will see a list of displays, each labeled 1 through 8. This corresponds with each of the labeled monitors around the classroom. From this touch panel. you can choose which monitors will display which inputs.
• On the top part of the screen, you will see a list of Inputs. When selecting an input, the button will turn green to indicate that it has been selected. From there, you can either choose an individual display to send it to by selecting one of the monitors in the center of the screen, or you can choose to Send to All Displays as described further below.
  • Instructor PC: This is the in-room PC. The PC itself is located on the black box near the window in the back of the classroom and will need to be turned on. If you are using the in-room PC, it is best practice to shut down the PC before leaving the classroom.
  • Instructor Laptop: The device currently plugged in using the lectern's HDMI or VGA cable.
  • Blu-Ray: The blu-ray player, located on the black box near the window in the back of the classroom and will need to be turned on. If you are using the Blu-Ray player, it is best practice to turn it off before leaving the classroom.
  • Doc Cam: The classroom's document camera, located on the lectern.
  • Tables 1-8: Each table in the classroom should have a number posted on it. Each of these inputs correspond to the device currently plugged in at each table using the table's HDMI connection.
• The left sidebar allows you to control the room's Displays.
  • Mute allows you to mute displays either by selecting a specific display to mute in the center of the screen or by sending it to all displays (more details on both of these options below). By muting a display, you mute both the audio and video without having to turn the monitor off.
  • 1 to 1 will make it so each monitor in the room displays its own unique input. For example: Table 1 will display the device currently plugged into the Table 1 HDMI connection. If any connections either do not have a device connected to it or the device is turned off, it will only display a black screen.
  • When you select an input, as described above, you can then select Send to All Displays to have your chosen input display to all the monitors in the classroom.
  • Clear All Displays works the opposite way and will clear the inputs of all eight displays. Unlike Send to All Displays, you do not need to select any inputs before doing this.
• The sidebar on the right allows you to control the Volume of the room's speakers. You can use the top button to increase the volume, the middle button to decrease the volume, and the bottom button to mute it.
• The bar at the bottom provides you with a variety of options and different menus. Each of this menus are described in more detail below, starting from left to right.

Display Control

This menu allows you to individually control each of the wall-mounted monitors in the room by turning them On or Off. You can also choose to Mute the monitor, which will turn off both the display and the audio without turning off the monitor itself. It is best practice to always Mute.

Camera Control

This menu allows you to control the room's wall-mounted camera, located near the door to the classroom.

• Auto-Tracking will set the camera so that it automatically follows a subject moving around the classroom. While this mode is active, the camera cannot be controlled manually. To turn this mode off, simply hit the button again.
• Pan/Tilt allows you to rotate the camera using the arrow buttons.
  • You can also press the Home button to return the camera to its default position.
• Use the plus and minus buttons to Zoom the camera in and out.
• Presets refer to saved camera positions and are numbered 1 through 3.
  • You can hold a given number for 3 seconds to override the previous preset and assign a new camera position to that number. Please contact Media Services before doing this, as the preset will be saved to the system for all future classroom use.

Blu-Ray Control

From this menu, you can control the Blu-Ray player remotely.

Mic Control

This menu allows you to control the microphones in the room. For each microphone, you can use the top and middle buttons to raise and lower the volume of the microphones, respectively, and you can use the bottom button to mute the microphone.

• Wireless allows you to control a microphone with a wireless connection to the system, such as a handheld or LAV microphone.
• The Podium microphone allows you to control the microphone connected to the lectern, located to the left of the touch panel.

Audio Control

This menu allows you to select an Audio Source to play through the room's speakers.

• Instructor PC: This is the in-room PC. The PC itself is located on the black box near the window in the back of the classroom and will need to be turned on. If you are using the in-room PC, it is best practice to shut down the PC before leaving the classroom.
• Instructor Laptop: The device currently plugged in using the lectern's HDMI or VGA cable.
• Blu-Ray: The blu-ray player, located on the black box near the window in the back of the classroom and will need to be turned on. If you are using the Blu-Ray player, it is best practice to turn it off before leaving the classroom.
• Doc Cam: The classroom's document camera, located on the lectern.
• Tables 1-8: Each table in the classroom should have a number posted on it. Each of these inputs correspond to the device currently plugged in at each table using the table's HDMI connection.

Power Down

It is best practice to always Power Down the system before you leave the classroom. When you select this option, you will be presented with a confirmation menu, as depicted above. If you are sure that you are done using the classroom, press the green Power Down button to confirm. If you are not done, you may also press Cancel to return to the previous menu.

As the system powers down, it will turn off all monitor displays and cameras.

Basic Troubleshooting

• Mouse and Keyboard
  • Neither are working.
    • Make sure both power switches are in the on position.
    • If both are turned on and still not operating, could be bad batteries. Give us a call and we'll come to you.
• Computer
  • In-room computer isn't displaying.
    • Confirm computer is turned on.
      • Computers power button will be illuminated.
    • Make sure PC is selected on the touch panel.
• Monitors
  • Device isn't displaying.
    • Has the display been turned on via the touch panel?
    • Make sure proper input is selected. Try the other inputs as well.
      • Try changing inputs, then switch back to the "proper" input.
      • Some rooms have a projector mute button, make sure this isn't selected (if red, press the mute button again to turn off).
    • Make sure device is powered on.
    • Make sure device is awake by clicking the mouse, moving the mouse, and or pressing the space bar on the keyboard.
    • Double check device connections.
      • If using an adapter, try unplugging and re-plugging the connection.
      • If using HDMI or VGA directly, try unplugging and re-plugging the connection.
    • If above steps have been followed and your device is still not displaying, give us a call.
• Audio/Speakers
  • Can't hear sound.
    • Check the volume on the touch panel. The volume levels should be displayed on the right of the touch panel, including buttons that allow you to mute the speakers or adjust the levels to your preference.
    • Check volume control of the device. Is it turned up all the way/muted?
    • If connected VGA
      • Is the headphone jack properly plugged in your computer?
      • Make sure proper audio output is selected within your audio settings of your device.
    • If connected HDMI
      • Is the HDMI properly plugged in?
      • Make sure proper audio output is selected within your audio settings of your device.
  • Crackling sound.
    • Make sure the connection is properly seated.
• Microphones
  • Not picking up sound.
    • Make sure the microphone is not muted on the touch panel by going into the Mic Control menu. If the bottom button is highlighted in white, the device is muted. Press the button to unmute it.

Environment

• Payson-Smith 301A
• USM