Rotary Un-Smartphone
USER REFERENCE
Turning on:
Switch the power switch on. The white LED behind the bell will stay illuminated during the boot process. Once the “bell LED” turns off, the phone is ready for use.
Turning off:
Switch the power switch off. The words “Turning Off” will appear on the OLED display until the phone clicks off.
Interesting note about the power switch: Unlike any other cell phone, the RUSP’s electronics fully disconnect from the battery when powered off. This is generally not possible because cell phones need to detach themselves from the cellular network before powering down, so complete removal of power from a mechanical switch isn’t viable. The RUSP circumvents this by using a “proxy relay”: When the power switch is turned to the OFF position, the RUSP goes through the normal cellular network detachment process, but when this is complete, the phone completely disconnects its own power by tripping the relay OFF. In this state, the only thing connected to the battery is a big capacitor. Then, when the power switch is turned back on, it discharges the capacitor back through the relay, reconnecting the battery to the electronics. |
The Dial:
When using the dial, remember to rotate it all the way to the fingerstop’s limit of travel. The white status LED on the front of the dial will flash every time this happens, and the blue status LED will pulse as the dial spins back. Don’t dial too fast! Wait until the digit you dialed appears on the Front Display before dialing the next digit.
Clearing:
To clear the string of numbers dialed, as shown on the Front Display, hold the CLEAR Button for a moment.
Calling:
The RUSP has three calling modes, set by the Mode Switch:
- Local: The dial is used to input phone numbers. Place a call by holding the CALL Button down. Your personal area code is automatically prepended to any number dialed when a call is placed. Set the area code in “config.txt” on the microSD card.
- Non-Local: The dial is used to input complete phone numbers. Exactly what you dial is what will be called when you hold down the CALL Button.
- Contacts/Alt: The dial is used to display your contacts list on the rear (ePaper) display. Contacts can be added to “contacts.txt” on the microSD card using the example format. Dialing 1 in this mode will display the first 9 contacts, dialing 2 will display the next 9 contacts, and so on. To call a certain contact, hold the CALL Button while dialing the contact listing (1-9) currently displayed on the rear display.
Answering a Call:
To answer an incoming call, press the CALL Button.
Hanging up:
To end a call in progress, press the CALL Button.
Star and Pound:
- To dial star (*), hold the Fn Button while dialing 1.
- To dial pound (#), hold the Fn Button while dialing 2.
Bell Demo:
To test ringing the bell without a call coming in, hold the Fn Button while dialing 3.
Bell Tone:
The quality and responsiveness of the mechanical ring quality is sensitive to the position of the bell. Use the Bell Tone Lever to fine tune the bell position.
Charging:
To charge, simply plug in with a USB-C cable like any modern phone. The RUSP will charge whether on or off. The amber Charge LED stays on while charging.
Check Battery Level:
Press the BETA Button to display the current battery charge on the Front Display. Whether this displays in mV or % depends on the value of “battDisplay” in “config.txt” on the microSD card.
Check Signal Strength:
Press the LAMBDA Button to display signal strength when connected to a cellular network provider.
Refresh the Splash Message on the Rear Display:
Press the ALPHA Button to reset the message on the Rear Display.
TBD: Receive a text, send a text, change electronic call volume, change speaker volume, switch between speakerphone and normal volume.
Troubleshooting: If the RUSP goes into an unresponsive state, which may occur due to yet-to-be resolved software bugs, the best way to reset it is to flash the firmware again. Barring this, it may be necessary to leave it on until the battery dies, after which time it can be turned off, plugged in to charge, and turned on again. |