Software User Manual

V3.0
Table of Contents

1. Navigating Around the System ......................................................................1

2. Creating a New Time Set ................................................................................4
3. Applying a Time Set to the Schedule Planner ..............................................6
4. Creating a Schedule for the Year...................................................................8
5. Uploading the Schedule to the BellMinder Controller ...............................11
6. Printing the Schedule ...................................................................................12
7. Saving the Schedule .....................................................................................14
8. Understanding the BellMinder Controller Display .....................................15
9. Deleting Individual Times.............................................................................17
10. Copying Time Sets......................................................................................18
11. Creating an Alternate Plan .........................................................................21
12. Using the BellMinder Alert Features .........................................................25
12.1 From the Planner..............................................................................25
12.2 From the Controller ..........................................................................26
12.3 Automatically from the Planner.........................................................27
13. Using the Tools Options Menu ..................................................................29
14. Disabling and Enabling the Bell from the Controller ...............................32
15. How to get the Most Accurate Time ..........................................................34
16. Issues that can occur with the Time in Schools.......................................35
17. Using the Atomic Clock Synchronising Program ....................................36
18. Running Multiple BellMinders On One PC…………………………………..38
19. Copyright Notice …………………………………………………………………40
20. Limited Warranty ………………………………………………………………...41
20.1 Acquiring Software Upgrades ……………………………………….41

i
1. Navigating Around the System

BellMinder has one Main screen that contains several different parts to it.
Different extra options are available in the toolbar and using the buttons. The
different areas and uses of the BellMinder software system are given below.

Item Description
Main Screen The Main screen for BellMinder is shown below. The screen
consists of buttons, a planner, an alternative plan tab, time sets
and bell timing sections. The main menu is also available
containing extra options and tools.

Schedule The planner section consists of two year planners each

Planner containing 14 months. Each planner is on a separate tab. The
Section Base plan is the main year plan and the Alternate plan is the
optional year plan that can be implemented only when required.
Dates can be selected and deselected with different time sets
using the mouse. The dates will become highlighted in the
corresponding colour of the time set selected.

1
Time Sets There are 15 time sets available for use within the schedule.
Section Time sets can be applied to one or several days. They
determine the time of the bell ring. The purpose of time sets is
to simplify the use of different timing of the bell. For example
exam dates will have different bell times to normal days.

Ring Times The ring times section show the times contained in each
Section corresponding time set. When you click on a time set this
section will show the corresponding times associated with the
time set and the ring duration of the bell. Times are entered
into this section using a 24 hour clock format.

Buttons Buttons are used in the software to induce an action. There are
several buttons in the software system. The buttons and

2
descriptions of what they do are shown in the table below.

Button Description
The Send button is used to send Schedule
plans to the Bell to program the bell rings.

The Alert button is used to activate the

emergency bell.

The Bell button is used to ring the bell

manually. The bell will ring for as long as
the Bell button is held down using the
mouse.
The Alt button is used to toggle between
the Base plan and Alternate plan.

The Rename Time Set button is used to

enter a name or rename the selected time
set.
The Time Set Colour button is used to
change the default colour of the selected
time set.
The Delete Selected Ring button is used
to delete a ring time that is selected.
The Copy Selected Time Set button is
used to select a time set and copy it to a
new time set. This saves time if only
minor alterations need to be done.

3
2. Creating a New Time Set

A time set is created before applying the time set to a schedule. A time set
contains the times the bell will ring and the duration of the ring. The purpose of
having several time sets is to enable the schedule to contain special events that
will have different times the bell should ring.

Step Action
1. Click on Time Set A in the Available Time Sets section.

2. Click the Rename Time Set button.

3. Enter a Name into the textbox. A good starting point would be to

create a Monday to Friday time set.

Figure 1 Rename Plan screen

4. Click the OK button. The Ring time section will now display the
corresponding name as shown below.

Figure 2 New Time Set

5. Enter the time of the bell ring by typing the hour in the HH column,
the minutes in the MM column and the seconds in the SS column.

Note:
1. All times should be entered in 24 hour time format.

4
 2. The AM/PM column is generated automatically by the system.

6. Enter the duration of the ring in the Duration cell. Other rings can
also be selected, like the Parent Interview ring.

Note:
Bell duration can be set between 1 - 252 seconds.

7. Continue entering bell times for the time set until you have
completed the entire days bell times.

Figure 3 Completed Time Set

Note:
1. The Ring time set display will show the times the bell will ring
in order of time even if they are not entered in order.
2. The Ring time set section will automatically show whether the
time is AM or PM, morning and afternoon times are shown in
different colours.
3. After the Parent Interview the “Off” is used to stop the
repeating ring.

8. Continue entering time sets for special events such as parent

teacher interviews by clicking on the next time set (Time Set B) and
following Steps 2 – 8.

5
3. Applying a Time Set to the Schedule Planner

The Schedule planner consists of 14 months, from January of the beginning year
to February of the following year. This allows you to program the bell rings of the
first few weeks of school in advance before preparing a whole new year. In the
14th month the BellMinder will beep to remind you that the schedule is close to
running out.

Step Action
1. Select the desired time set from the Time Set section.

Figure 4 Available Time Sets

2. Click on the days you would like the time set to apply to on the
planner.

Note:
1. Whole rows and columns can be selected with the time set by
clicking on the month row title or the day column title.

6
 Figure 5 Selecting Rows and Columns

2. The entire planner can be selected by clicking the top left

corner button. By clicking on the main time set and applying it
to the entire year this will save time and other time sets can
be then be applied over the selection.

Figure 6 Selecting the Whole Planner

3. A Time set can also be dragged along the dates to select

them by clicking the first date and holding down the left mouse
button and dragging the selection over the required dates.
Release the mouse to select the dates.

4. The planner can be cleared in the same ways by clicking No

Time Set from the Available Time Sets section and selecting
the days you wish to clear.

7
3. Click on the next time set you wish to apply from the Time set
section and click on the days you want the time set to apply to. The
same process in Step 2 Notes can be used for each time set.

Note:
Once there are several time sets on the planner you do not have to
keep clicking the Time set section to select the required time set.
Instead you can right click the desired time set applied to the
planner, the time set will automatically adapt and you can continue
clicking on the dates you require with the new time set.

8
4. Creating a Schedule for the Year

The following steps show the most efficient way of creating a year schedule. The
time set names may be different for but the same principle is used.

Step Action
1. Select the Monday to Friday time set from the Time set section.

Figure 7 Available Time Sets Section

2. Click on the top left hand corner button to select the entire year.

Figure 8 Selecting the Entire Year

3. Click No Time Set in the Available Time Sets section.

Figure 9 Available Time Sets Section

9
4. Select the weekend days by holding down the left mouse button,
dragging across each weekend and releasing to apply.

Figure 10 Selecting Weekends

5. Select the school holidays and public holidays by clicking on each

date required.

Figure 11 Selecting School Holidays

6. Select the Exams time set from the Available Time Sets.

Figure 12 Available Time Sets Section

10
7. Select the dates you require exams to be held.

Figure 13 Selecting Exam Dates

8. Repeat Step 6 and 7 for other time sets that represent special events
in your school year.

11
5. Uploading the Schedule to the BellMinder
Controller

The Send button will flash red when the schedule has changed and has not been
sent to the BellMinder controller for updating.

Step Action
1. Click the Send button.

2. Click the Yes button.

Figure 14 Confirm Plan Download Dialog

3. The controller will beep twice to notify that the schedule was sent
without error.

Click the Close button.

Figure 15 Sending Data to the Minder Controller Dialog

12
6. Printing the Schedule

The bell schedule can be printed and pinned up on a notice board for reference.

Step Action
1. Click File and select Print plan.

2. The first page shown below displays the 14 month schedule base
plan and alternate plan of time sets allocated. The first letter below
each allocated date is the base plan time set key and the second
letter is the alternate plan time set key.

Figure 16 Print Preview Screen

3. Click the Next button to display page two of the print preview.

This page shown below displays the time sets and the corresponding
times allocated for each set.

The time sets are identified by the displayed letter which

corresponds to the allocated time set letter on the plan in page two.
The number beside each time in the time set represents the number
of seconds the bell will ring for at the corresponding time.

13
 Figure 17 Page 2 of the Preview Screen

4. Click the Print button to print the two page plan.

5. Configure the Print Options screen as required and click the Print
button.

Figure 18 Print Options Dialog

14
7. Saving the Schedule

The bell schedule can be saved using the following steps.

Step Action
1. Click File from the main menu and select Save Plan As.

2. Select the file you wish to save the plan under from the Save As
screen.

Figure 19 Save As Dialog

3. Type a name for the plan in the File name textbox and click the Save
button.

15
8. Understanding the BellMinder Controller Display

The BellMinder controller display shows information about the bell and the time
plan. The following steps will assist your understanding of the BellMinder
controller display screen.

Step Action
1. The top line of the controller display shows the current time on the
left hand side and the current time set.

The time may be displayed in 12 or 24 hour time, if the time has an

am or pm at the end of it then it is in 12 hour time.

The time set display show the current time set with a letter as the
key. The first letter is the base plan time set and the second letter is
the alternate plan time set, a hyphen indicates no time set as been
allocated.

Time displayed Time set displayed.

in 12 hour time Time set A is the base
in this figure plan and the alternative
plan has not been set in
this figure.

Figure 20 BellMinder Controller Screen

Note:
If Not Set is displayed instead of the time sets then no time set has
been sent to the controller.

2. The second line on the controller display shows the date at the left,
the power mode in the centre and the bell status to the right of the
display.

The date can be displayed in American format if necessary.

The power mode symbol ~ indicates the controller is running on AC

power and the symbol – indicates the controller is running on DC

16
mains.

The status of the bell can be either on or off, if the bell status is on
then this means that the bell is ringing.

The date The power mode The status of

displayed in symbol. This the bell. This
NZ format in figure ~ shows the figure shows
this figure. AC power mode the bell is
symbol. – Means Waiting
DC power Mode.

The status of
the bell. This
figure shows
the next bell
ring

Figure 21 BellMinder Controller Screen

17
9. Deleting Individual Times

The following steps will show you how to delete time sets in the plan.

Step Action
1. Select the time set you wish to alter from the available time sets.

Figure 22 Available Time Sets Section

2. Select the individual time you wish to delete from the time list by
clicking any of the cells in the time you wish to delete.

Figure 23 Time Sets Times Section

3. Click the Delete Selected Ring button.

4. Click the Yes button in the Confirm Time Delete dialog box.

Figure 24 Confirm Time Delete Dialog

18
10. Copying Time Sets

The following steps will show you how to copy time set times in the plan to a new
time set.

Step Action
1. Select the time set you wish to copy from the available time sets.

Figure 25 Available Time Sets Section

2. Click the Copy Selected Time Set button from the time set times
area.

Figure 26 Time Set Times Section

3. Select the destination time set you want the times of this time set to
be copied to by clicking the Copy To Schedule dropdown box and
clicking the desired time set.

19
 Figure 27 Copy Schedule Times Dialog

4. Click the Copy Now button in the Copy Schedule Times dialog box.

Figure 28 Copy Schedule Times Dialog

5. Select the time set the times where copied to from the Available
times sets area. The times will be present in the time set times area.

Figure 29 Time Sets Section

6. Click the Rename Time Set button.

7. Enter a time set name in the text box and click the OK button.

20
 Figure 30 Rename Plan Dialog

8. Alter the times of the new time set if necessary by overtyping the
incorrect time in the time set times section.

Figure 31 Time Set Times Section

21
11. Creating an Alternate Plan

The following steps will show you how to an alternate plan.

Step Action
1. Click the Alternate plan tab to view the alternate plan calendar.

Figure 32 Alternate Plan Tab

2. Select a Time Set to alter from the Available Time Sets section.

Figure 33 Available Time Sets Section

3. Click the Copy Selected Time Set button.

Figure 34 Time Set Buttons

4. Select the Time Set to Copy to from the Copy To Schedule

dropdown box.

22
 Figure 35 Copy Schedule Times Dialog

5. Click the Copy Now button.

6. Select the Copied Time Set from the Available Time Sets.

Figure 36 Available Time Sets Section

7. Click the Rename Time Set button.

Figure 37 Time Set Buttons

8. Enter a new name for the time set into the textbox provided.

Figure 38 Rename Plan Dialog

23
9. Click the OK button.

10. Alter the copied Time set times by overtyping and deleting the
required bell times.

11. Apply the Time Set to the Alternate Plan by clicking the top left hand
square.

Figure 39 Select Entire Alternate Plan

Note:
The Time set can also be applied to single days.

12. Click the Send button to send the Time set to the controller.

Figure 40 Send Button

13. Activate the Alternate plan by clicking the Alt button.

Figure 41 Alt Button

This can also be done by pressing the Alt button on the controller.

Figure 42 Controller Alt Button

24
 Note:
The E or your alternate plan time set will be the first letter and the
base plan time set will be the second letter.
Press the Alt button to switch back to the base plan.
The Base plan will automatically be reactivated at the end of the day.

14. Click the Yes button.

Figure 43 Confirm Toggle Plan Dialog

25
12. Using the BellMinder Alert Features

12.1 From the Planner

The following steps will show you how to use the alert features.

Step Action
1. Click the Alert button.

Figure 44 Altert Button

2. Click the button of the Alert ring you wish to activate.

Figure 45 Alter Activation Dialog

Note:
The descriptions of the alert rings are displayed on this screen.

3. Click the Close button on the Alert Activation screen to stop the alert
bell ringing. This can also be done by pressing any button on the
controller.

26
12.2 From the Controller

The following steps will show you how to use the alert features.

Step Action
1. Press and hold the Bell button to ring the bell continuously and
release the button to stop the bell ringing.

Figure 46 Controller Bell Button

2. Press and hold the Bell button and Press and release the Alt button
repetitively to scroll through the alert rings.

Figure 47 Alert Rings

3. Release both buttons when the required alert is displayed on the

controller screen.

4. Press any button on the controller to cancel and stop the alert ring.

27
12.3 Automatically from the Planner

The following steps will show you how to use the alert features automatically from
the time set times.

Step Action
1. Select the Parent Interviews time set and enter a new time for the
alert bell to ring.

Figure 48 Available Time Sets Section

Note:

Figure 49 Time Set Times Section

2. Enter a new time for the alert ring to deactivate in the time set
section. A duration of “Off” should be entered, which indicates the
bell deactivation.

28
 Figure 50 Time Set Times Section

Note:
The alert can be also be deactivated by pressing any button on the
controller or clicking the bell button on the planner interface.

29
13. Using the Tools Options Menu

The following steps will show you how to use the tools menu.

Step Action
1. Click Tools from the Main Menu and select Options.

Figure 51 Tools Menu

2. The COMM port can be manually set in this screen by entering the
port number into the Controller Comm Port textbox.

Figure 52 Minder System Options Screen

3. The year can be altered by typing the required year in the Year
textbox. This is useful if you would like to create a plan for a year in
advance.

30
 Figure 53 Minder System Options Screen

4. Change the format of the display on the controller by clicking the

corresponding radio buttons for Time format and Date format.

Figure 54 Time and Date Format

5. Click the Change Colour button to change the printout colour of the
planner.

Figure 55 Print Option Section

6. To alter the controller time management settings click the

corresponding radio buttons.

31
 Figure 56 Reset Options

7. The Parent Teacher Interview ring settings can be altered by

entering values in the two textboxes to change the ring and stop
times.

Figure 57 Custom Ring Settings Options

8. The CrazyMan ring can be altered by entering values in the two

textboxes of once started and don’t ring for times.

Figure 58 CrazyMan Ring Setting Options

9. Click the Send button to send the new information to the controller.

32
14. Disabling and Enabling the Bell from the
Controller

The Disable Enable switch will electrically disconnect and connect the controller
from the school bell circuitry. This could be used for testing purposes like testing
new rings or alerts without actually ringing the school bell. This could also be
useful to disable the bell when a disaster occurs or it is not appropriate for the bell
to ring. When the BellMinder switch is set to “Disable” the red LED light will come
on, plus the BellMinder will flash on the screen “Disabled”. When in this mode if
the Bell was activated the internal Beeper will sound. This will allow you to test the
Schedules without activating the Bells.

Step Action
1. Push the Disable switch to disconnect the controller from the bell.

Figure 59 Disable Switch

33
15. How to get the Most Accurate Time

The BellMinder synchronises the time using the computer clock time during the
upload of the schedule. If the computer does not keep good time then it is good
to load an Atomic clock synchronising program. The BellMinder install CD has a
freeware, windows based, Atomic clock synchronising program. This requires
internet access to synchronise the computer clock with accurate Atomic clock time
servers located on the internet. Other computers may already synchronise their
time with a central server on the local network. The BellMinder controller, if
permanently connected without interruption to mains power, is accurate to within a
few seconds per year.

The BellMinder clock runs most accurately if the unit is running on AC mains
power. Most power companies will adjust the mains power frequently to an
Atomic clock reference; this gives accurate timing to clocks using the AC mains
power. If you intend to power the BellMinder using DC power, then the BellMinder
time will need to be updated monthly, by using the atomic clock and upload the
plan. If the unit is reset with the power off, it will assume that DC power is used.
The power status symbol will show a hyphen. If it is not intended to run on DC
power, ensure that the AC power is attached, reset the controller and resend the
plan.

34
16. Issues that can occur with the Time in Schools

When BellMinder replaces a “Manual Bell Ringing System”, an issue may arise
from school staff.

Staff may become conscious of the time and remark that the timing of the school
bell is incorrect. This is because the staff may have different times and they may
think they have the correct time.

The BellMinder clock when running on AC mains power is very accurate and can
be more accurate than watches, cell phones and computer quartz clocks. Quartz
clocks are not accurate over a year and require small adjustments to stay in time.

The procedure to solve the problem:

1. Use an atomic clock program to synchronise the computers clock, this will
negate the incorrect time arguments.
2. Set the atomic clock program to the “Auto synchronise daily” option.
3. Set the BellMinder to “PC managed time” in the tools options menu.
4. Upload the time to BellMinder, by sending a plan.
5. Set the staff room clock to the BellMinder time.
6. Inform the school staff that BellMinder times are very accurate and they
should adjust their watches etc…

35
17. Using the Atomic Clock Synchronising
Program

The following steps will show you how to the atomic clock synchronising program.

The install program is on the BellMinder install CD called atomic.exe.

Step Action
1. Run the program by double clicking the .exe file.

2. Follow the default setup options.

3. Click the Ping Now button.

Figure 60 Atomic Clock

4. Click the OK button.

Figure 61 Atomic Dialog

5. This will manually synchronise with the atomic clock server. Current
time zone information is shown.

36
6. Click File and set to Auto Start with Windows, set to Start Minimised,
set to Auto Synchronise Daily. This will ensure reliable time is
available.

Figure 62 File Menu

7. Click File, select Time Servers and click the address 132.163.4.102.

Figure 63 Time Servers Selection

37
18. Running Multiple BellMinders from One PC
The BellMinder software is capable of running multiple bellminders
from the one PC. This is achieved by specifying the Comm port that
is to be used from within a shortcut. Below is the steps required to
make this work on a windows xp machine – the process is pretty
much the same on all other variants of windows. Firstly navigate to
the bellminder shortcut that should be on your desktop – if there is
not one there then create a new shortcut and point it to the
bellminder software – the default install target is "C:\Program
Files\BellMinder\BellMinder\Minder.exe"
Once the shortcut is located right mouse click on it and select
properties. This will show the window below

38
You need to edit the ‘target’ line and add the following to the end “ /port=6”
NOTE: This is telling this shortcut to use com6 for communications, you
need to specify the correct com port number based on what com port the
bellminder is connected to (you can check what comports exist by looking
at device manager). Once you have added the /port =6 option you can press
“OK” to save the new configuration. If you want to add another bellminder
on say COM5 then you would create another shortcut (using the same
process) and then modify the target to be /port=5. You can do this for as
many bellminders as you like…its only limited by the number of com ports.
Recommended practice is to rename the bellminder shortcut to be
meaningful – e.g. “Senior School” and “Junior School” would be better
names than having 2 shortcuts with almost the same name.

Figure 64 File Menu

39
19. Copyright Notice

Techenz Limited and BellMinder, All rights reserved.

Under the copyright laws, this manual and the software described within can not
be copied, in whole or part, without written consent of the manufacturer, except in
the normal use of the software to make a backup copy.

The same proprietary and copyright notices must be affixed to any permitted
copies as were affixed to the original. This exception does not allow copies to be
made to others, whether or not sold, but all of the material purchased (with all
backup copies) can be sold, given, or loaned to another person.

Specifications and descriptions can change without notice.

40
20. Limited Warranty

Techenz Ltd warrants the BellMinder appliance (the product) for one year from the
date of purchase against defects in materials and workmanship. If there is a
defect in the hardware, Techenz Ltd will repair, replace or refund (Techenz Ltd
discretion) the Product, provided that it is returned to Techenz Ltd with
transportation prepaid. A Return Materials Authorisation (RMA) number must be
included with the product or the product will be refused. The RMA number can be
obtained by calling or emailing Techenz Ltd support.

Phone: New Zealand (64) 9 274 9008

New Zealand free dial 0800 BELLMINDER (235 564)
Australia free dial 1809 14657
Fax: New Zealand (64) 9 299 2294
Email: [email protected]

This warranty does not apply if the product has been damaged by accident,
abuse, misuse, misapplication or has been modified without written permission of
Techenz Ltd.

In no event shall Techenz Ltd or its suppliers be liable for damages whatsoever
(including without limitation, damages from misapplication of the product,
damages for loss of profits, business interruption, loss of information, or other
pecuniary loss) arising out of the use of or inability to use the product.

By using the product, you agree to these limitations of liability.

20.1 Acquiring Software Upgrades

Software upgrades will be made available at www.techenz.com.

Upgrades will resolve any issues that arise and extend the functionality of the
system.

Bug fixes for any major bug will be available as a free download. Upgrades to
increase functionality may incur an upgrade charge if you choose to upgrade.

41