[
    {
        "role": "user",
        "content": "Ihave%20a%20mantis%20Q40%20Braille%20display%20is%20there%20a%20way%20to%20tell%20all%20the%20pins%20to%20pop%20up%20and%20stay%20up%20checking%20to%20see%20if%20there%20are%20any%20issues%20for%20cleaning"
    },
    {
        "role": "assistant",
        "content": "I couldn\u2019t find any officially documented way to force *all* 40 pins on the Mantis Q40 to rise and stay up continuously (as a test mode), in the most recent manuals or user guides. However, several details in the user manual and related sources may help you check for stuck or non-functioning pins during normal update, start-up, or diagnostic routines.\n\nHere\u2019s what I found, along with some suggestions and risks:\n\n---\n\n## What the Manuals Say\n\n- When performing a firmware **update**, the user guide notes that at the *end* of the update process, *all 8 dots of the 40 braille cells* will rise one column at a time (i.e. each cell in turn upward) and then the device will shut down. ([seeitourway.org](https://seeitourway.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Mantis-User-Guide_Oct2023-accessible-UA.pdf?utm_source=openai))\n\n- The Mantis has a **diagnostic menu** (also called the \u201cterminal only mode\u201d in some places). In lay terms, this mode is intended to make the Q40 behave like just a braille terminal: menus display in grade 1, only one Bluetooth connection is allowed, etc. It may help test braille output. ([aph.org](https://www.aph.org/app/uploads/2024/08/Mantis-Q40-EN-UG-2.3-accessible-UA.pdf?utm_source=openai))\n\n---\n\n## Can You Make All Pins Pop Up and Stay?\n\nThere is *no* confirmed \u201call pins up constantly\u201d mode listed in the public documentation as of October 2025. The only routine that temporarily cycles all pins is the firmware update indicator that sequentially raises them. ([seeitourway.org](https://seeitourway.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Mantis-User-Guide_Oct2023-accessible-UA.pdf?utm_source=openai))\n\nThat means:\n\n- The update\u2010sequence is temporary and sequential: each column (i.e. one braille cell) is raised in turn rather than *all* being held up simultaneously. ([seeitourway.org](https://seeitourway.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Mantis-User-Guide_Oct2023-accessible-UA.pdf?utm_source=openai))  \n- Terminal/diagnostic modes affect display behavior but do not explicitly mention holding all pins up. ([aph.org](https://www.aph.org/app/uploads/2024/08/Mantis-Q40-EN-UG-2.3-accessible-UA.pdf?utm_source=openai))\n\n---\n\n## What You Can Try to Check for Issues\n\nWhile there's no official \"pins up hold\" mode, you can use the following to check if any pins are stuck or weak:\n\n1. **Update check / firmware install**  \n   Initiate a firmware update (via USB or SD card). The \u201cindicator line\u201d at the end of the update raises all pins one column at a time. As it happens, you can feel each one and test if a pin doesn\u2019t respond. If a pin does not raise when its turn comes, that\u2019s a fault. ([seeitourway.org](https://seeitourway.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Mantis-User-Guide_Oct2023-accessible-UA.pdf?utm_source=openai))\n\n2. **Use Terminal Only or Diagnostic Menu**  \n   Boot into the diagnostic/terminal mode. The device will prompt \u201cbraille display\u201d and should give you fuller access to output. You can display a full line of text that uses all 40 cells (like 40 identical characters, or a repeated pattern) which should push all pins down/up in each cell. Any cell with missing or weak pins will stand out. Note: in this mode, menus are limited to grade 1 braille. ([aph.org](https://www.aph.org/app/uploads/2024/08/Mantis-Q40-EN-UG-2.3-accessible-UA.pdf?utm_source=openai))\n\n3. **Normal operation with long texts**  \n   Open a document or use the editor app and type or open a long string (long word, repeated character), enough to fill all 40 cells. Then leave it static\u2014not scrolling or panning\u2014for a few seconds. That gives a chance to hear, feel or detect any unresponsive pins.\n\n---\n\n## Risks & Warnings\n\n- Using a mode that pushes parts of the display hard (like cycling all pins) might strain faulty pins but is unlikely to cause damage\u2014it\u2019s part of normal operations like updates.\n\n- Always ensure device is fully charged or plugged in when doing diagnostics or firmware updates.\n\n- If you discover pins that aren\u2019t moving, do *not* try to manually force anything\u2014this may damage the mechanical components.\n\n---\n\nIf you want, I can try to find internal (service) manual info or check if there\u2019s a hidden test mode that APH or HumanWare only includes for service technicians. Would you like me to dig for that?"
    },
    {
        "role": "user",
        "content": "i%20thought%20there%20was%20a%20test%20mode"
    },
    {
        "role": "assistant",
        "content": "Yes \u2014 there *is* a diagnostic mode on the Mantis Q40, which can be used for testing and troubleshooting. However, the publicly available documentation doesn\u2019t indicate an existing official feature to have *all* pins raised and held up permanently for a full-display test. What is clear is that when you're in diagnostic/terminal mode, or using firmware update procedures, you can run certain tests or view behavior that can help check for broken or stuck pins. Here\u2019s what the manuals confirm, plus some possibilities to explore and workarounds.\n\n---\n\n## Diagnostic / Terminal Modes\n\nFrom the most recent user guides:\n\n- The Mantis Q40 has a **Diagnostic menu**. This mode is used to test internal components, export/import configurations, and access a \u201cTerminal Only\u201d mode. ([aph.org](https://www.aph.org/app/uploads/2024/08/Mantis-Q40-EN-UG-2.3-accessible-UA.pdf?utm_source=openai))  \n- To access the Diagnostic menu:\n  1. If plugged in or running, shut the device down (via \u201cShutdown?\u201d prompt). ([manualslib.com](https://www.manualslib.com/manual/3573095/Aph-Mantis-Q40.html?page=50&utm_source=openai))  \n  2. Then press and hold the **Power** and **Home** buttons simultaneously until the device indicates \u201cRecovery mode,\u201d then release. It will shutdown again. ([manualslib.com](https://www.manualslib.com/manual/3573095/Aph-Mantis-Q40.html?page=50&utm_source=openai))  \n  3. Power on normally; on restart, you should be in the Diagnostic menu. ([manualslib.com](https://www.manualslib.com/manual/3573095/Aph-Mantis-Q40.html?page=50&utm_source=openai))  \n\n---\n\n## Terminal Only Mode\n\n- Once in the Diagnostic menu, there\u2019s a setting called **Terminal Only mode** (sometimes just \u201cTerminal mode only\u201d) which you can toggle on or off. ([aph.org](https://www.aph.org/app/uploads/2024/08/Mantis-Q40-EN-UG-2.3-accessible-UA.pdf?utm_source=openai))  \n- Terminal Only mode limits the device to being a braille display/terminal\u2014menus show only in Grade 1 braille; reduced connections; and other limitations. Sleep mode is disabled automatically, etc. ([aph.org](https://www.aph.org/app/uploads/2024/08/Mantis-Q40-EN-UG-2.3-accessible-UA.pdf?utm_source=openai))  \n\n---\n\n## What About a Full Display Pins\u2010Up Test?\n\n- The documentation does not explicitly describe a test that raises **all 40 braille cells\u2019 pins simultaneously and holds them up** as a dedicated \u201call up test.\u201d  \n\n- The one place where something like that *almost* happens is at the *end of firmware updates*. The update process includes an animation where *all 8 dots in each cell* rise **one column at a time**, moving across the full display, before shutdown. That gives you a chance to detect pins that fail during their \u201cturn.\u201d But again: that does *not* hold them all up at once. ([aph.org](https://www.aph.org/mantis-q40/?utm_source=openai))  \n\n---\n\n## What You Can Try to Detect Issues\n\nGiven that there\u2019s no built-in \u201call pins up\u201d continuous mode, here are practical things you *can* try to locate weak or stuck pins:\n\n1. **Use Firmware Update Indicator**  \n   Start a firmware update (or initiate checking for updates). The final indicator animation cycles through each cell raising its dots. Feel the pins as each cell comes up. If a pin doesn\u2019t rise in its cell during this sequence, it may be faulty.\n\n2. **Terminal Mode + Static Full Load**  \n   Put the device into Terminal Only mode (via Diagnostic menu). Connect to a host device. Send a long line of characters so that all 40 cells are in use with non-blank content. Leave it static (no scrolling) so that the braille display remains steady. Then, manually inspect/feel across all pins for any that are low, stuck, or inconsistent.\n\n3. **Built-in Diagnostic Tests**  \n   In the Diagnostic menu, sometimes there are internal test tools (though I did *not* find a reference in the public manual to one that explicitly cycles all pins up together). It may help to explore any \u201cDisplay tests\u201d or \u201cHardware tests\u201d available there. \n\n4. **Contact Support or Service Manual**  \n   If you have a device with pin issues and need a deeper diagnosis, contacting APH / HumanWare support (or accessing service technician manuals) might reveal \u201chidden\u201d or service-level test modes not in the regular user guide.\n\n---\n\nIf you like, I can try to dig up any service or tech-support documentation to see if there *is* a way to force *all* pins up continuously (maybe something only technicians know about). Do you want me to search that specifically?"
    }
]