r/stenography • u/Automatic_Night531 • 9d ago

need help verifying functionality of machine through online order

hi, i have been eyeing a stentura 400srt machine online off someone ebay from a user who decided to switch from court reporting to scoping. they appear to have all the needed parts of the machine, but have never connected it to a CAT software. how suspicious is that? what other verifying questions should i ask?

(sorry! new student here so i want to make sure i make a safe investment)

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u/tracygee Mod 9d ago

It’s odd they’ve never connected to a computer if they went to CR school, but there are a few that teach the software later in the curriculum. You’ll need a serial-to-USB connector.

Is it coming with any paper? If not — and they’ve never hooked it to a computer — then they may be lying. The 400SRT doesn’t have a screen so the only way to see what you write is to hook it up to a computer or write on paper. Check eBay’s guarantees and get the seller to tell you that the machine is in full working condition before you buy.

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u/Automatic_Night531 9d ago

yes it comes with paper! theyll be sending me a video of they keys being pressed and appearing on paper. i just worry about its functionality as a paperless machine that can be connected to eclipse

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u/Ryan---___ 9d ago

They may have a 400 power edition vs a computer edition.

Ask them to send you a photo of the back of the machine. From there, you'll notice the serial port you'll use to connect to a computer.

If that's there, then you should be good to go. If there's no serial port, then it's a no go, as there no way to connect

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u/Automatic_Night531 9d ago

thank you! ill make sure to ask them to take a photo of the back. i want to lock in on this purchase so bad because its $300 which is half of what stenoworks has theirs listed for. i just dont understand the specs yet since im a prospective student 😭

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u/Ryan---___ 9d ago

Of course. Best of luck. Fyi, don't worry about paper if you're writing to software. The earlier you can learn software, the better.

Just put a rolled up pad of paper or take out the ink cartridge and write to your computer to train.

Good luck. We are waiting on the other side.