ELECTRONIC COUNTDOWN USER MANUAL

MODEL: LG1000GB

Page 1 of 42
Lexibook Electronic Countdown Instructions for use Model: LG1000 Table of contents
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. Keyboard layout Key Usage Display and prompts User settings Back view of product Contrast control Battery compartment Volume control 2 player cable link socket Auto power off Starting and playing Game Play Playing the games One player mode Single and contest mode Word Game Editing letters/numbers Number Game Conunrum Game 2 player games a. Word game b. Number game c. Conundrum 21. Viewing Scores 22. Back button 23. Solutions/Expert Button a. Word Game i. Review ii. Solution b. Number game i. Review ii. Solution c. Conundrum i. Review ii. Solution 19 Hall of Fame 20 Viewing Hall of Fame 21 Word verification/word searching 22 Letter distribution 23 Speifications 24 Batteries 25 Care and safety 26 Warranty 27 Returns address 28 Help line 42

Page 2 of 42

Keyboard Layout and key usage

ELECTRONIC

Vowel, Constants, numbers and left/right scroll keys

COUNTDOWN BREMODPAH

Maths, Enter and Up/Down scroll keys

M k E s

Speaker

Page 3 of 42

Key usage
General keys On/Off (Icon) Expert button (Icon) Score buton (Icon) Delete button (icon) keys Vowel (icon) CONS (Icon) 1-10 (icon) 25-100 (icon) ! "# () Switches the unit on and/or off Starts Play/Review/Solution menu and starts word check mode. Starts the Hall of Fame for reviewing top score list. For deleting letters/numbers during game play. Also used for returning to the previous screen at the end of a game. These are used for entry of letters. Each line above the key indicates the position of a letter. For entry of vowels during game play For entry of Constantants during game play For entry of numbers 1 to 10 in the number game For entry of large numbers only (25,50,75,100) For moving left during word entry and for going back one step at the end of a game, normally to a previous menu. For moving right during word entry. For entering parenthesises during number game For entering division during number game For entering multiplication during number game For entering minus during number game or scrolling up lists For entering plus during number game or scrolling down lists Enter and equals key Page 4 of 42

X $ +% ENT/=(icon)

Screen displays and prompts

Screen Display:-

The screen display on the Electronic Countdown consists of 3 lines with some prompts and entry lines. In general lines with ?s require some sort of input by the user and sometimes a cursor will flash indicating that the unit is waiting for data to be entered. For example:-
The cursor at this position will flash.

Page 5 of 42

On some occasions the display will show arrow indicators. When this happens you have the choice of options from the menu displayed and can pick these options by using the arrow keys to move up or down and then press the ENT key when you have chosen your option. For example:-
The Electronic Countdown also has several voice messages to prompt you what to do or when to move on. User Settings The two main user settings available on the Countdown are operated by external dials. These are the volume control and the LCD display contrast. Both these controls are rotating dials located on the top side of the unit:

Page 6 of 42

Back view. Cable link socket to allow two player games.
Contrast control dial Battery compartment.

Volume control dial

Also located on the top side of the unit is the special socket for the cable to allow two player games. Auto Power Off The Electronic Countdown will turn off after 3 minutes of inactivity to conserve battery power. If the unit turns off simply press the ON/OFF (icon) button to turn the unit on again. Any game which has started will be lost and you should start a new game from the beginning again. Page 7 of 42
Starting the Electronic Countdown and playing the games Switch the unit on by pressing the ON/OFF (icon) button. The display will show
ELECTRONIC COUNTDOWN STARTING

! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

and you will hear the part of the Countdown theme. During the starting process the unit will check to see if another Electronic Countdown is connected to it and if there is no other unit connected then you will see screen 1, if another unit is connected then you will see screen 2. Screen 1

SINGLE PLAYER MODE

Page 8 of 42

Screen 2

COMPETITION MODE
After establishing which type of player mode the unit is in it will ask you to either enter a new name or confirm your name, from a previous game play:-

ENTER YOUR NAME PLEASE

If your name has already been entered previously the unit will ask you to confirm your name with the following display:-

Page 9 of 42

PLAYER IS <NAME> Y N
If this name is correct you simply need to press the letter button nd nd corresponding to the letter Y. This is the 2 button in on the 2 row (button 4). If the name is incorrect or you want to enter a new name press the letter button corresponding to the letter N and you will be asked to enter the name details:-
<? ? ? ? ?> A BC D E FG H I
The maximum length of a user name is 5 letters so you can either enter proper names which are 5 characters or less or use an abbreviated name. Page 10 of 42
To pick letters use the corresponding buttons underneath each letter. Letters are shown in blocks of 9. As follows:ABCDEFGHI Block 1 JKLMNOPQR Block 2 STUVWXYZ Block 3 To access each block of letters use the keys which will take ) and left ( ), select letters by pressing the button you right ( corresponding to that letter and when finished press the ENT key to register the name. During entry if you make a mistake you can erase letters by using the DELETE (icon) key and re-enter the correct letter. Press the ENT/=(icon) key to complete the name entry. Once you have completed this step the unit will go straight into game play and in single user mode the display will be:-
SELECT MODE > CONTEST < SINGLE

Page 11 of 42

If you are in the two player COMPETITION mode the display will show:-
WORD GAME SELECT ?? ?? ? ? ?? ?
AND say out load Please select letters. But first The Game Play In Contest mode Electronic Countdown plays the Countdown game in the same way as the original TV game does. In other words, whether in single or dual player mode, the product will take the player(s) through a full competition game which consists of:Three letter games One number game Two letter games One number game and finally. The conundrum If you are playing in single player mode you can pick from a choice of the different games from the following list:Page 12 of 42

WORD NUMBER CONUNDRUM

! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
) and press ENT key to play the
Use the Up/Down arrow keys ( game.

Playing the games

1 Player Mode
The unit offers you the choice of contest or single game mode
Use the Up/Down arrow keys ( ) and press ENT/=(icon) key to play the relevent game. Page 13 of 42
If you choose SINGLE you will see the following screen and you will be allowed to choose the type of game you want to play. If you choose CONTEST you will be taken straight into the WORD GAME and the following screen will not appear.
In SINGLE mode chose the type of game you wish to play by using the ) and press ENT/=(icon) key to start the Up/Down arrow keys ( game. NOTE: If you decide at this point that you do not want to play in SINGLE mode and that you would rather play a CONTEST you can press the BACK ! key to return to the previous menu and then choose the CONTEST game.

Page 14 of 42

Single mode and Contest Mode
Word Game If you select to play the word game or the word game is initiated as part of the contest the unit will show the following display and say out loud Please select letters:-
WORD GAME SELECT ? ?? ?? ? ? ??
At this point you must select the letters to play with by pressing the CONS and VOWEL keys. Every key press will give a letter randomly generated by the computer and each question mark will in turn be replaced by a letter. Hint: It is important that you mix vowels and constanants to have the best chance to solve the word clues and it certainly very important that you ensure that you select some vowels to make the word choice sensible. Choosing all vowels and all consonants will mean you will probably not be able to solve word clues.

Page 15 of 42

Once you have selected the 9 letters available the unit will show on the display, and say out loud Get ready, then pause for 3 seconds and then say Go. At this point the 30 second Countdown timer will commence and you may begin to make your word suggestions by using the keys under the display to enter words made up from the letters shown. The object of the game is to enter the longest word possible from the choice given. For instance if the letter choice was:-
WORD GAME SELECT E DSTI A B O G

! - ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

You can begin to enter possible words by using the keys under the corresponding letters. After letters have been entered a - character will appear underneath that letter indicating that the letter has been used and cannot be re-used. So in the above example if the word STAG has been entered the underline appears under each of the letters, as show above. Pressing the ENT/=(icon) key registers the word choice and stores it into the computer, the display clears and you can enter your next attempt. You can have as many tries as you like in the 30 seconds allowed. Page 16 of 42

If you are in the process of entering a word when the timer finishes this word will automatically be taken by the computer as a word try without the need for you to press the ENT key. When the timer stops the computer will say Time is up and check your word entries to match them against the possible choice of words available in the dictionary. Your best and longest word will be given a score and this will be displayed on the screen after the timer stops. As follows:-
<NAME> THIS GAME: TOTAL:
THIS GAME score is the amount of points scored in the game just completed. TOTAL score is the number of points scored so far in all the games played. Scores are awarded on the basis of one point for each letter in a correct and valid word. If you succeed with a 9 letter word you get the maximum score of 18 points. Page 17 of 42
At this stage you have several choices: Editing During the game and when you are entering letter attempts you may edit your entries using the following process:Move the cursor, by pressing the Left and Right Arrow keys, to the letter you wish the delete or change. To delete a letter make sure the cursor is under the letter, you will know this as the letter will flash. You can then press the DELETE key to delete this letter. To insert a letter move the cursor to right of the desired location then press the selection key under the desire letter. If all the letters have been used then the unit will automatically advance to the next word. No editing of the previous word is allowed because it is much faster to build another word. You can play another game Press the ENT/=(icon) key You can Review your entries Press the EXPERT key and chose from the menu options. (See EXPERT function below). You can see the top 10 possible solutions from the dictionary Press the EXPERT key and chose from the menu options. (See EXPERT function below). You can press the BACK ! key to return to the game selection menu.

Page 18 of 42

NUMBER Game
These instructions for this section apply if you select the number game in single mode or the if game is initiated as part of the contest mode. The game play in the number game is for the player (or players) to create an equation, which achieves the answer generated by the computer, or to get the closest to the target number. Points are scored on the following basis:10 points for exact match, 7 points for answers within 5 and 5 points for answers within 10. Entry of numbers is achieved by using a combination of the 1-10 key and the 25-100 key. The 1-10 key allows for the entry of up to 6 whole numbers between 1 and 10. These are generated randomly by the computer. The 25-100 key allows for the entry of whole numbers of either 25, 50, 75 or 100. The combination of these entries allows the computer to generate a whole number answer for which an equation has to be created to get the closest or match that answer. Note: You can enter single numbers, in the range 1-10 or large numbers, in the range 25,50,75 or 100 in any combination. However you cannot enter more than 4 large numbers but you can enter all 6 single numbers. Best results are often achieved Page 19 of 42

by picking 5 single numbers and one large number or 2 large numbers and 4 single numbers. The computer will only allow ONE of each of the high numbers and will allow up to 2 each of the low numbers. Once you start the game, by either starting it from the menu or as part of the contest mode, the unit will show on the display SELECT and say out loud Please Select Numbers.

NUMBER GAME SELECT

- - - -- -
You should now press a combination of the 1-10 number key and the 25-100 key to enter the numbers. As you pick numbers the numbers will line up over the buttons. It is these buttons you will use to pick the numbers to form the equation during the game play. Press the 1-10 up to 6 times and/or the 25-100 key. This will generate the random numbers required to start the game. If you try to press the 25-100 key more than 4 times (its maximum) the unit will refuse to allow any more entries of the high numbers and you can only use the 1-10 key to enter the last 2 numbers, in order to complete the 6 number set.

Page 20 of 42

When all six numbers are entered then the display shows (for example):

NUMBER GAME TOTAL 3

Note: The numbers are shown in descending order from left to right as soon as the last number is entered. As soon as the last digit is entered the unit will commence calculating the sum for the formula, the 3 zeros will spin for a few seconds and then a 3 digit number will be presented. Once the 3 digit Target number is shown then the display prompts GET READY. and says Get Ready out loud, pauses for 3 seconds and says out loud Go. At this point you may start your enteries and the 30 second Countdown sequence will begin. You now have to enter a formula, within the 30 seconds allowed, which will equal the 3 digit numer, or come as close as possible to it. To enter the formula you use the mathematics keys on the right hand side of the unit and the selection keys underneath the display. When you feel you have completed the formula you press the ENT/=(icon) key to register it. Page 21 of 42
So in the example above if the result was

<728>

Shown by the <728> on the top right of the display. You would begin you formula by pressing say: 100, then the X key, then 8 As you do this the figure on the top left changes to reflect the running total of your formula. So after the key strokes above the sub total would be <800>, shown on the top left of the display:

100 X 3

Page 22 of 42
You may continue the formula until you are satisfied with the result. Then press ENT to register the result and continue. Your formula is always shown on the middle line of the display, as shown below:-

! ! ! ! ! !

Used numbers have a marker underneath them to show that they have been used and marked numbers cannot be re-used until the next try. As with the word game numbers and functions can be edited using the cursor keys and delete keys. Numbers can also be inserted into formulas in the same way. See Editing in the Word Game section. Note: Entries must always follow normal mathematical rules. So the formula is always calculated in the priority of bracketed formulas first, Multiplication/Division second and then Addition/Subtraction last. If your formula fills the display it will move off the display to the left and an arrow will indicate this. As below:-

Page 23 of 42

0 X 8- 50-6-3 - - -! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
You may have as many tries at the formula as you can in the 30 seconds allowed. In between each try press the ENT key. If your last try is still on the screen at the end of the Countdown sequence the unit will automatically accept it as an answer and validate it in the normal way. At the end of the Countdown sequence the unit will say out loud Time is up and the formula is checked by the computer, a score awarded (if any) and this score is shown by the following display:-

NAME THIS GAME: TOTAL:

Page 24 of 42
If you had an exact match formula you will have scored maximum points but if you had not matched the formula correctly then you may wish to review your attempts or see what the possible solution to the formula was. Do this by pressing the EXPERT key and follow the prompts. See Solutions/Expert option below.

CONUNDRUM Game

These instructions for this section apply if you select the conundrum game in single mode or if the game is initiated as part of the contest mode. The Conundrum game is the anagram game. When you play this game you have to guess a 9 letter word from the jumbled words on the display, within 30 seconds. In Single mode pick the Conundrum option and press the ENT key. In contest mode you will be taken to the conundrum game after the word and number rounds. In either case when the conundrum game is initialised you will see the following display and the unit will say out loud Now press enter:-

Page 25 of 42

CONUNDRUM ARE YOU READY ? ? ? ? ?? ? ??

If you now press the ENT key the unit will display a series of jumbled letters, say out loud Go, and start the game. The Countdown sequence will begin and you have 30 seconds to solve the anagram. As in all the other games you pick your letters from the keys under the display and in-between each attempt you may press the ENT button to register your try. If you are still entering letters when the sequence ends the unit will take your entry as an answer and validate it against the dictionary. During the game play editing functions apply, just as in the other games. Refer to Solution mode if you wish to see the correct answer.

2 Player games

In the 2 player game the players can only play in Contest mode and the rounds are dictated by the computer. Page 26 of 42
To play the 2 player game connect the supplied lead to the Cable Link Socket (as shown in the diagram on page 8). Make sure BOTH units are turned off before you do this. Tehn turn BOTH units on at exactly the same time and they will recognize each other and automatically default to the 2 player contest mode. The game rules are the same as 1 player mode, but you are playing against another Player. Both players compete at the same time. For the Word game: scoring is the same as the 1 player game, the player with the longest valid word wins, in the case of both players entering a word of the same length then both players will get the same points. For Number game: both players can score. For Conundrum; points are awarded to the first player to find the correct word and this player wins this round. If a player enters a correct word this stops the other play making any further entries and the round stops.

Viewing Score

The score is shown after each game in the following format.

Page 27 of 42

If you have been playing in Contest mode and after the final conundrum game the unit will say out loud The final score is and display, as above, the score(s).

Back Button

The left arrow is also used as the Back button. The use of the Back button is to escape from certain screens back to the previous screens. This is especially useful if you made a mistake in selecting a menu choice. For instance if you were at this screen message:-

Pressing the back button with take you back to the previous screen :-
SELECT MODE CONTEST SINGLE

Page 28 of 42

Depending upon which screen display you are in you may be able to use the Back key up to a maximum of 3 times.

Solutions/Expert button

The Solution/Expert button is used in the games to give you the chance to review your attempts or to be able to see what the solution to the game could have been. This button can be used in Single mode and 2 player mode. To use this feature at the end of any round press the Expert button (icon) once and you will be shown the following menu:-

PLAY REVIEW SOLUTION

You can now select a choice from the menu by using the ( keys and pressing ENT/=.
Select Play to continue with the game without reviewing previous attempts or looking at the solution. Select Review to see all the entries made during the previous game. The entries are listed in the order that they were made. Select Solution to let the unit find the solutions available. Press the Back (icon) button to go back to the previous display.

Page 29 of 42

The display and information you will get will vary depending upon which game you are in. As follows:Word Game Review:

REAR YEAR REACY

! ! "
The ticks indicate correct choices and an X indicates an incorrect entry. You can review all your choices by using the ( ) keys.
When you have finished reviewing you can press the Back (icon) key to return to the Solutions/Expert menu. Solution

PLEASE WAIT FOR SOLUTION

Page 30 of 42
This display will show whilst the unit is finding the top ten word list for the letters provided during the game play. Be patient, there are a lot of words in the database and it may take the unit a minute or two to find the most suitable words. When the unit does find the top ten choices it will display them in the order of longest word first. As follows:

CAREER ACARA ARECA

) keys or You may scroll up or down the word list using the ( you can press the Back (icon) key to return to the Solutions/Expert menu. Number Game Reviewing:
6X5X4+(3X2X1) 5X6X3/(2X4)+1 3X6+(5X2X4)+1

Page 31 of 42

) keys or You may scroll up or down the word list using the ( you can press the Back (icon) key to return to the Solutions/Expert menu. Solution:-

TARGET (180) 5X3X6X4/1

In this case the top line shows the target. The second line shows the optimum formula and the third line shows the numbers available during the game play. After reviewing the solution you can press the Back (icon) key to return to the Solutions/Expert menu. Conundrum Reviewing:-

SLARSOP SLEARPS

" "

Page 32 of 42

CONUNDRUM DISABUSED ASIBEUDDS
The second line shows the solution and the third line shows the available letters during the game play. You can now press the Back (icon) key to return to the Solutions/Expert menu.

Hall of Fame

At the end of a 2 player contest or single player contest you can enter your name into the Hall of Fame. Do this by pressing the Score(icon) key at the end of a contest. This will bring up the following display and the total score is shown:-

Page 33 of 42

<NAME>S SCORE IS: 102
To enter your score into the Hall of Fame table press the ENT/= key. The display will change to:-
1. <NAME> 2. <NAME> 3. -
You may scroll up or down the hall of fame name list using the ) keys or you can press the ENT/= (icon) key to return to the ( game play screen.
The hall of fame contains the top ten scores of previous contests. When a game has been completed each final score is checked to see if a player has reached the top ten. If so then that player will be asked to confirm entry of his/her name in the Hall of Fame.

Page 34 of 42

If the total score doesnt meet the top ten then you can still view the Hall of Fame by pressing the Score(icon) button at the following times in the game: 1. Before a contest or game, 2. After each game, 3. At the end of a contest or game
Viewing Hall of Fame. To view the Hall of Fame simply press the Score (icon) button and scroll ) keys or you can press the ENT/= up/down the list using the ( (icon) key to return to the game play screen.
Word Verification and word searching
You can check to see if a word is in the database or dictionary of the unit. To do this press Expert button (icon) at the game selection screen:-

Page 35 of 42

The display will change to:-
ENTER WORD BEF ABCDEF GH I
You can now enter a word by using the selection buttons, as you do with name entry. Press ENT/= to search for the word, if the word is correct then unit will prompt CORRECT.

CAFE CORRECT

Page 36 of 42

ABCDEF GH I

If the word is not correct then the unit will give you the nearest match in the dictionary that it can find. If you had for instance entered CAF and press ENT/= then the display will show:-

CAFARD CAFE CAFES

You can scroll up or down the list of available words by using the ) keys or you can press the ENT/= (icon) key to return to the ( game play screen.

Page 37 of 42

Appendix A Letter Distribution The following table is in relation to the actual TV game show, the number represent the number of cards available for selection Consonants B C D F G H J K L M N Vowels A E I O U 5 Qty 6 P Q R S T V W X Y Z Qty 2 1

Page 38 of 42

General Specifications
Hardware Overall Dimension LCD Display Viewing Area Display Dots LCD Contrast Control LEDs Green Yellow Red Power Batteries Game Link Socket Speaker Volume Control Made in China Specifications are subject to change without notice. 149x117x29mm 50x35mm 2 lines of 5x64 dots 1 line of 6x64 dots Rotating potential-meter 8 pcs 3mm Diameter 4 pcs 3mm Diameter 3 pcs 3mm Diameter 3pcs AA (4.5 VDC) 3.5mm Phone Jack (2 meter Cable included) 25mm Diameter Speaker Rotating potential-meter

Page 39 of 42

Batteries The Electronic Countdown uses 3 x AAA Alkaline batteries. If the display becomes too dim to read properly, firstly use the display contrast control to increase the contrast. This is a rotating dial at the top of the unit. If the display is still too dim, this is an indication that the batteries are nearing the end of their life and they should be replaced as soon as possible. To replace the batteries open the battery compartment on the bottom of the unit, take out the old batteries and dispose of carefully. Not the polarity of the battery compartment and replace the old batteries with NEW alkaline AAA batteries. Replace the battery compartment lid and turn the unit on. DO NOT dispose of the old batteries by throwing into a fire. They may explode and cause serious injury. ALWAYS dispose of batteries carefully. DO NOT leave batteries in the unit for extended periods of non use as they may leak and casue irrevocable damage to your unit. This will invalidate your warranty. If in doubt consult your local stockist or ring the helpline for further information.

Page 40 of 42

Care and Safety Keep the unit away from direct sunlight, high or low temperatures, humidity and dust. Do not drop the unit. Do not use detergent, liquid cleaners or solvents to clean the unit. Wipe the unit with a clean, soft dry cloth. Do not twist or bend the unit. Warranty This product is covered by our standard 1 year manufacturers warranty. In the case of any fault please return the unit to the address below for replacement or repair. A copy of your sales receipt must be provided, or other proof of purchase. This warranty does not cover damage or faults occurring through misuse, damage or abuse. This does not affect your statutory rights. If you wish to register your products for our extended 3 year warranty program please enclose a cheque, made payable to Lexibook UK Limited, for 12.50, along with your full name and address details. You will be registered and a warranty certificate will be forwarded to you *

Page 41 of 42

Return/Warranty address:Lexibook UK Limited PO Box 66 Bordon Hants. GU 35 0ZN England *Damage to LCD display not included.

Free Help Line: 3015

Page 42 of 42