Connecting a computer

Your SMART Board interactive whiteboard has a high-power USB 2.0 high-speed peripheral interface that runs at speeds of up to 12 Mbps. The unit works with USB 2.0- and USB 1.1- compliant interfaces.

Your interactive whiteboard’s main USB connection is a captive flying lead cable. The connector is a USB Type-B receptacle.

This captive cable provides convenient access to the USB receptacle without you having to remove your interactive whiteboard from the wall. You can also place the flying lead and USB cable in the channel on the back of your interactive whiteboard so that they aren’t visible.

To connect using a USB cable

1. Connect one end of the included USB cable to the captive connector suspended from your interactive whiteboard’s lower-right corner.

   

   Note 

   You must apply approximately 10 oz. (300 g) of downward pressure to unplug a USB cable from the captive USB receptacle. Because an entire 16' 5" (5 m) USB cable weighs approximately 7 oz. (200 g), you don’t need to tape or otherwise secure the USB cable to the captive connector. The design ensures that if someone trips on the cable it will disconnect rather than cause injury or damage to the controller module.

2. Connect the other end of the USB cable to a USB receptacle on your computer.

3. Press the power button on your computer to start your interactive whiteboard.

4. Log on to your computer if required. If your computer doesn’t require you to log on, allow your computer to reach its default start screen.

   If you’re using a Mac computer, or if you already have the appropriate USB driver installed on your Windows computer, the Ready light on the lower-right frame immediately turns red, and then flashes green. If this happens, see Installing SMART software.

If the appropriate driver isn’t installed on your Windows computer, a Found New Hardware wizard helps you locate the driver for the newly connected USB Human Interface Device (HID), that is, your interactive whiteboard. Refer to the following procedure to install the USB driver.

Windows only

To install the USB driver

1. Click Next to direct the wizard to search for an appropriate driver.

2. Click Next again to direct your computer’s operating system to search the driver database on your hard drive for the appropriate driver.

   Note 

   If the Windows operating system doesn’t find the correct driver, insert the Windows CD in your CD drive, and then install a USB HID driver. Because USB HID is a subclass of USB devices, the drivers aren’t always included in a default installation. You must install these drivers on your computer before the included USB cable will work properly.

3. Click Finish after the driver search or driver installation finishes.

   The Ready light turns red and then flashes green, indicating that the controller is receiving power from the USB connection and is operating in HID mouse mode.

You must install SMART software on the computer connected to your interactive whiteboard system to access all of its features.

Download SMART software from smarttech.com/software. These pages list the minimum hardware requirements for each software version. If SMART software is already installed on your computer, take this opportunity to upgrade your software to ensure compatibility.

USB extender cables and hubs

The 16' 5" (5 m) USB cable included with your interactive whiteboard conforms to the USB 2.0 standard for maximum length. If the included USB cable isn’t long enough, use active USB extender cables, USB extenders or hubs to extend the connection.

Notes 

• Passive USB extension cables aren’t supported.

• Some computers use internal active hubs to provide more USB receptacles. The computer’s operating system might recognize these internal hubs as external devices, limiting the number of USB extenders that you can use.

Alternatively, USB extenders with Cat 5 cabling enable you to extend your cable to approximately 325' (100 m).

Note 

When you use these units, your cables and connectors must meet the vendor’s specifications. Impedance mismatches and poor connections can cause signal degradation and performance problems with your interactive whiteboard.

A USB hub should also work well with your interactive whiteboard. If you also use streaming audio through the USB hub, ensure that the Microsoft USB drivers are up-to-date so that your interactive whiteboard’s performance doesn’t become choppy, intermittent or otherwise unacceptable.

Important 

• If you use a USB extender or hub with your interactive whiteboard, it must comply with USB 1.1 or USB 2.0 interfaces to work correctly. It must also provide at least 300 mA to your interactive whiteboard.

• Some self-powered extenders and hubs provide only up to 100 mA to a connected device and therefore won’t work with your interactive whiteboard.

For more information about extending your USB connection, see Extending USB Connections (docs.smarttech.com/kb/099641).

For optimal configuration, use the following recommended settings for the computer supporting your interactive whiteboard.

Recommended settings

Configure your computer’s power management settings to turn off the monitor after one hour of inactivity and to put the hard disks into standby mode after two hours. This extended period prevents the computer from shutting down unexpectedly (for example, during presentations or meetings that have gaps in computer activity).

Your computer will stop sending an RGB video signal to your projector after a period of idle time, which also triggers the projector to go into standby mode. Similarly, you can put your projector in standby mode by following the manufacturer’s instructions included with your projector. To change the settings, see the instructions included with your operating system.

Matching your computer’s resolution to your projector’s resolution

Ensure that the resolution settings for your projector and computer match. If your computer’s resolution doesn’t match the projector’s resolution, the image won’t properly fill your interactive whiteboard’s screen, and might shimmer or be distorted. See Getting the Best Image Quality on Your SMART Board Interactive Whiteboard for more information.

Determine your projector’s native resolution, indicated in your projector’s user’s guide, and then set your computer’s resolution to match. You can change your computer’s resolution in Windows Control Panel or in the Apple System Preferences. If you need further help changing your computer’s resolution, see the instructions included with your operating system.

You might also need to adjust your computer’s refresh rate to obtain the best results. Set the computer to an initial refresh rate of 60 Hz, and then adjust this rate up or down until you determine the ideal refresh rate. For more information on changing your computer’s refresh rate, see the instructions included with your operating system.

Perform the orientation procedure (see Orienting your interactive whiteboard) to ensure the interactive whiteboard interprets the location of your touch accurately.

If you don’t have a projector for your SMART Board 600 series interactive whiteboard, you can use your interactive whiteboard in Non-Projected mode. You can write on the interactive whiteboard in Non-Projected mode with dry-erase markers and save your notes.

To enable Non-Projected mode

1. In Windows operating systems, press the SMART Board icon () in the notification area, and then select SMART Settings.

   OR

   In OS X operating system software, press the SMART Board icon in the Mac menu bar, and then select SMART Settings.

   Note 

   • If your computer isn’t currently connected to a SMART interactive product, the SMART Board icon includes an X in its lower-right corner ().

2. Press SMART Hardware Settings.

   If your computer is connected to more than one SMART interactive product, the upper area of the SMART Settings window displays an image for each SMART interactive product. Press the image of the SMART interactive product you want to change settings for.

3. Select Orientation/Alignment Settings in the drop-down list.

4. Select Non-Projected (Whiteboard Mode).

   Note 

   Alternatively, select Projected (Mouse Mode) to disable Non-Projected mode.

5. Press OK.

If you want to connect a guest laptop without installing SMART Product Drivers on it, disconnect the USB cable from your resident computer, and then connect it to the laptop. You’ll immediately have touch control of your interactive whiteboard. However, you’ll need to connect a video cable between the laptop and your projector.

You must also install SMART Product Drivers (see Installing SMART software) on your laptop if you want to use all the features of the interactive whiteboard.

You can connect more than one interactive product to your computer. For example, you can have two SMART Board interactive whiteboards connected to one computer and have touch control of each product.

After you set up your equipment, configure SMART Product Drivers. Start by deciding how you want the displays to work together.

You can present the same desktop on all products, enabling people in different locations to view the same image. To achieve this effect, daisy chain the projectors or use a distribution amplifier to send the computer’s video signal to more than one display or projector.

You can also present different views of the same desktop across interactive products. With this option, you have the flexibility of opening one window on each screen, or splitting one application across multiple screens. To set this up, you must send the video signal from the computer to each display or projector. To do this, your setup must include one of the following:

• A separate video card in your computer for each projector or each display

• A video card that splits the video signal and sends it to multiple displays

• A video distribution amplifier between your computer and the projectors or displays

If you’re stretching your computer’s desktop across more than one interactive screen and you’re using an older operating system, you must tell SMART Product Drivers how your products are arranged. To do this, open the SMART control panel, press SMART Board Settings, and then select Arrange Video Output from the list. Depending on your setup, you might need to change your computer’s display settings. For more information, read the documentation for your computer’s video card.

You must orient each interactive product separately so that the pointer is properly aligned when you touch the product. To do this, open the SMART control panel and select Orient/Align the SMART Product. Refer to the Help Center for the specific procedure to orient each display. To access the Help Center, press the pen tray’s Help button. For more information on the pen tray buttons, see Pen tray buttons.

After you set up your multiple displays, each display has touch control. However, some applications are unable to accept cursor commands/mouse input from more than one source at a time. To enable the multiple touch setting, refer to the topics in the Help Center for instructions.

For more information on setting up multiple SMART products, see Connecting Multiple SMART Board Interactive Whiteboards to One Computer (docs.smarttech.com/kb/000315).