theopenstenoproj_Plover/Stentura-Protege-Setup-and-Usage-Instructions.md

Congratulations on getting a Stentura Protege. This page will show you how to connect it to your computer and setup Plover. 

[Photo of my Protege. Note: My face plate is missing.](https://imgur.com/vKbiTOJ)

## What you need

You will need two cables:

1. **Data Cable:** 
USB to RS-232 DB9 Male Serial Cable. (Make sure the cord has a male serial with 9 pins)
- [Amazon link](http://a.co/9KWXIMP)
2. **Power Cable:**
USB 2.0 Cable - A-Male to B-Male. (The Stentura Protege can be powered either by USB or by a proprietary A/C charger. Your machine may come with a power chord. Mine did not.)
- [Amazon link](http://a.co/fQDbqWD)

Note: Both of those Amazon links are for 6 foot cables. Make sure you get a cord long enough for your setup.

**Why can't we just use the USB to transfer data?**
Ideally, the USB cable could carry both power and data, but this is not possible because modern drivers are not available for the Protege and the USB link was only designed to work with Stentura software. Using a Serial-to-USB cable solves this problem. This cable carries the data and the cable has drivers that work with modern computers and Plover. So it really doesn't matter that Stentura no longer supports the Protege. 

## Setup

**Step 1.** 
Connect power cord: Connect USB A-to-B cable to Stentura machine and computer. Your machine now has power. On the front of your Stentura is a row of 6 grey buttons. Press and hold the 1st one to turn it on. 

**Step 2.**
Connect data cord: Connect serial-to-USB cable to Stentura machine and computer. 

[Photo of both cables connected.](https://imgur.com/wGc9y4p)

**Step 3.** 
Download the latest version of Plover for your OS.

**Step 4.**
Open Plover. Click the configure button. A new configuration window will open. Click the tab for machine. Select Stentura from the drop down menu. Go back to the window where you clicked the configure button. Click the radio button "enable" to enable output. Click the reload button (arrows going in a circle) until the dot turns green and it says "Stentura: Connected"

**Step 5.**
Thanks to Plover, your Stentura can now type on your computer. Start learning Steno with Plover [lessons](https://sites.google.com/site/ploverdoc/lesson-1-fingers-and-keys) and [interactive drills](http://stenoknight.com/plover/haxeploverlearn/). 

## Something went wrong

I ran into a problem because I was using an older Serial-to-USB cable and Windows was not able to load the correct Prolific drivers for the cable. I found a solution. [This site](http://www.totalcardiagnostics.com/support/Knowledgebase/Article/View/92/20/prolific-usb-to-serial-fix-official-solution-to-code-10-error) explains the problem and gives you a link to download the right drivers. 

## Stentura Protege Manual

[Link to user guide PDF](http://www.stenograph.com/content/files/documents/Stentura%20Protege%20User%20Guide.pdf)

## Stop The Beeping

My Stentura Protege did not come with a battery. As long as it has power it runs just fine, but it makes an annoying little beep every minute. I searched through the manual and did not see a way to disable this. It should be possible to desolder the chirp maker. I will post photos if I attempt this.