USB Speaker
A USB speaker on the Zora server sounds alarms and spoken alerts on its own, even with every screen switched off. It plays the same sounds as the screens, so a crew below deck still hears an anchor or depth alarm.
Connect the speaker
Plug a USB speaker into the USB port next to Zora's power button. Zora finds it on its own; there is no device to choose.
Set it up
The same settings are in two places, and both change the one speaker:
- In the Zora Setup app: Connections & Sources, the Connections tab, then the USB Speaker card in the server's group (Zora-3 Server on a V3, Serial & Network on a V2). Its chip reads On or Off.
- In Zora: the Zora logo, Settings..., Cloud & Alerts, USB Speaker.
The speaker starts switched off. Set:
- Enabled: on.
- Volume: 0 to 100 %, 80 % to begin with. The speaker follows the slider as you drag it, even in the middle of a message, so you can set it by ear.
- Voice: Grace or Billy, for the spoken alerts.
- Sound the speaker for: tick Warning, Alarm and Emergency as you want them. Alarm and Emergency are ticked to begin with.
In Setup, Test plays a sample in the chosen voice at the chosen volume, before you save; then tap Save. In Zora each change is saved as you make it, and Test USB Speaker plays the sample.
What it plays
- The same alert sounds and spoken messages as the screens, in the voice you chose.
- Only the kinds you ticked, and only for a notification that makes a sound. One set to show without sound stays silent on the speaker too.
- A warning plays once. An alarm or emergency repeats every 15 seconds until it clears or is silenced.
- If no sound exists for a notification, the speaker plays a short tone, so an alarm is never silent.
When it stays silent
| What you see | Check |
|---|---|
| USB Speaker not found when you test | The speaker is plugged into the USB port by the power button, then test again. |
| USB speaker not connected on Zora's screens after a start | The speaker is switched on in the settings and Zora cannot find it. Plug it in. |
| No sound for an alert | Enabled is on, and the alert's kind is ticked under Sound the speaker for:. |
| Too quiet or too loud | Move Volume; the level changes as you drag. |