The LeaseyClock.

Introduction.

The LeaseyClock not only tells you the time! It contains very powerful and flexible stopwatch facilities as well as timer functions. It can also be set to play Westminster chimes at varying intervals which are controllable by you. Finally, you can even cause the minutes and seconds to be output to your Braille display regardless of the model of display you are using.

In this Chapter, we will walk you through all aspects of the LeaseyClock. All of the functions can be activated, deactivated and managed globally, so you can easily work within another program running on the computer and still use the LeaseyClock in whichever way you would like to.

Introducing the LeaseyClock.

If using LeaseyBasic, The LeaseyClock can be accessed through the Leasey Main Menu by selecting the item “Open the LeaseyClock”. Alternatively, you can press the Leasey Key then control+Shift+C to access it directly. Moreover, most of the LeaseyClock functions have shortcut keys associated with them so you can access them without working through the menu system. Please refer to this document or the Leasey Hotkey Help, (Leasey Key then H), to get a full list of the shortcuts.

We will work through all of the functions of the LeaseyClock in the order they appear on the menu. Global keystrokes will also be given. In many cases, the LeaseyClock keystrokes can easily be accessed by holding down the ALT+Control+Windows keys, (usually the three keys to the immediate left of the Space Bar), and while doing so, press any one of the function keys from F1 through to F9.

• Hear the Current Time, Insert+F12 or Leasey Key then Down Arrow. Simply causes the current time to be announced. Please also refer to the last item in this list for modification of the time announcement.
• Hear the time including seconds, Leasey Key then Windows+Down Arrow.
• Insert the time into your document or edit area, Leasey Key then Left Arrow.
• Start the Stopwatch, ALT+Control+Windows+F1. Will start the stopwatch counting up. This can run for an indefinite period, weeks if necessary.
• Stop the Stopwatch, ALT+Control+Windows+F2. Will stop the watch, however if it is restarted again using the option above, the watch is not cleared and continues counting from the time it was stopped.
• Insert the Stopwatch total time into your text edit area, Leasey Key then ALT+Control+Windows+F3.
• Hear Elapsed Time, ALT+Control+Windows+F3. Speaks the elapsed time for which the stopwatch has been running.
• Clear the Stopwatch, ALT+Control+Windows+F4. If the stopwatch has been stopped it is cleared. When it is restarted, the count begins at 0.
• Change the Number of Decimal Places, ALT+Control+Windows+F5. Changes the number of decimal places spoken by the stopwatch. It rotates between 0, 1, 2 or 3 decimal places.
• Set recurring sound for the stopwatch, ALT+Windows+F5. This brings into view an edit field so you can specify the number of minutes after which the sound will play. For example, if a figure 5 is typed into this field, and then you press Enter, Leasey will begin playing the sound at 5 minute intervals when you start the stopwatch with ALT+Control+Windows+F1. It will do so until you stop it with ALT+Control+Windows+F2. Note that if figure 0 is typed into this edit box the sound will not play.
• Set Countdown timer by entering the number of minutes, ALT+Control+Windows+F6. When prompted, enter a value between 1 and 59 to represent the number of minutes for the countdown timer. Press Enter to begin. When the desired minutes have elapsed, a chime sound will play. Press this keystroke a second time to stop the countdown timer.
• Set Alarm Time, ALT+Control+Windows+F7. When prompted, enter an alarm time, 2 figures for the hour, then a colon, followed by 2 digits for the minutes. Press Enter to set the alarm. When the alarm time is reached, a tune will play. Please press ALT+Control+Windows+S to stop the alarm sound.
• Hear How Many Minutes Remain on the Countdown Timer or Alarm, ALT+Control+Windows+F8. When the countdown timer or alarm is running, use this option to hear how many minutes remain .
• Customise Chime Sounds, ALT+Control+Windows+F9. Leasey can play Westminster chimes throughout the day. This is a very useful method of being able to keep track of time. If you press this keystroke repeatedly, you will cycle through the available options. These are "Chimes will be heard every 15 minutes", "Chimes will be heard every 30 minutes", "Chimes will be heard every hour", or "None" to disable chime sounds. When the option you would like is spoken, it is immediately set and will remain so even if you restart the computer. You can change it at any time by pressing the same keystroke, ALT+Control+Windows+F9. The chimes can be stopped by pressing either ALT+Control+Windows+S or, if you are listening to (or watching) a YouTube video, press the Leasey Key then ALT+Control+Windows+F9. In the latter case the chimes will stop and the video will continue to play.
• Time Monitor, ALT+Control+Windows+F10. Allows you to monitor for when the next minute point occurs. Please see the below description of the "Time Monitor".
• As previously stated there is one further item on this menu which deliberately does not have a shortcut key associated with it. This is an item which can be activated or deactivated by pressing Enter on it. It is disabled by default. When enabled, from that point pressing JAWS Key+F12 to hear the time will cause JAWS to announce it in hours, minutes and seconds format. This is preferred in rare situations.

If you find that the alarm or chime sounds are not at an acceptable volume, press ALT+Control+Windows+Up or Down Arrow to change the level. If an alarm or chime sound is not playing, you will hear a tune instead so you can adjust the volume to your requirements. When the desired level has been reached, and if the tune is playing, press ALT+Control+Windows+S to stop it, although it will automatically be stopped after one minute. If you reach 100 per cent of the volume level, you will be advised of this. If the lowest level at 0 per cent is reached, you will be advised of this, followed by the words, "Not Recommended".

The Time Monitor.

You may wish to manually synchronise a clock you have access to. Becoming aware of when you have reached the start of a minute can be troublesome. Leasey helps with this by providing information as to when the next minute commences. This is called "Time Monitor".

Press ALT+Control+Windows+F10 to begin the "Time Monitor". This can also be found on the LeaseyClock menu as described above, activated by pressing the Leasey Key then Control+Shift+C. You will hear the words, "It is", followed by the time, such as "It is 10:55".

If only ten seconds or less remain in the current minute, you will be advised of this and that Leasey will begin monitoring the next minute. We assume that if there are less than 10 seconds to run, you will not have time to set the clock correctly.

If you press the keystroke, or activate the menu item, and there is less than 50 seconds to run before the minute point, you will hear how many seconds remain prior to this.

When Leasey is monitoring a minute of time, a soft tick sound will play every second. You will also hear an announcement every 10 seconds to advise you of the progress.

When 55 seconds is reached, you will hear an announcement every second.

When the minute point is reached, you will hear the word "Stop", followed by the new time.

Sending the Time Each Second to Your Braille Display.

You may encounter a situation where you are needing to know exactly when you reach a specific point in time, such as the top of an hour. This may be to end a broadcast precisely or to stop hosting a presentation in a conference.

If you have a Braille display, you can ensure the computer's system clock is sent to it, so as to show the time including seconds. The display is updated each second until you stop it, which can easily be achieved by pressing any key on the keyboard. Note that a Braille display containing status cells is not required. You should be able to use this with any display of your choosing.

1. Press ALT+Windows+F10. Deliberately, no speech output has been put in place when this keystroke is pressed.
2. You will be able to read the system clock output on your Braille display second by second.
3. Press any key to stop it.