An equipment manual is only useful on site if you can find the relevant section and confirm that it applies to the machine in front of you. OGAD (Off Grid AI Desktop) can help search a local set of manuals on your laptop. After downloading the app, models, and documents, you can ask questions without internet. Use the answer to locate the manufacturer’s instructions, then check those instructions directly.
| Download OGAD | Desktop releases |
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Want help with this workflow, or a feature you would like us to add? Email support@offgridmobileai.co with your devices and the task you want to improve.
Build the reference pack before the visit
Start with the equipment you expect to encounter. Collect the correct model manual, revision, service bulletin, and any approved local procedure you are authorised to use. Store complete copies on the laptop; a cloud placeholder will not help when the connection is unavailable.
Suppose a small service business maintains several generations of the same controller. The front panels look similar, but the manuals describe different menus. A broad search across every manual can return a plausible answer for the wrong generation.
The first useful step is therefore narrowing the source pack. Local AI search does not remove the need to match the documentation to the actual equipment.
Check whether the documents contain usable text
Use readable PDF, DOCX, TXT, or Markdown sources. Try selecting and copying a sentence from a PDF. If the pages are scans, obtain a searchable copy or a checked text version before the visit.
The desktop document extractor reads PDF text. It does not automatically turn every scanned diagram, warning label, or wiring image into searchable instructions.
Keep the original manual available beside the AI chat. Tables, diagrams, and layout can carry information that a text extract does not preserve correctly.
Set up an equipment-specific project
Install OGAD and download a local text model that fits your laptop. Complete local search setup while connected. Projects and document search are core features; this reference workflow does not require a meeting recorder or background capture.
- Choose the downloaded local model in Models > Text.
- Open Projects > New project and name it for the equipment family and revision.
- Open Knowledge & settings > Knowledge base > Add files.
- Import the checked manuals and wait for indexing.
- Enable only the sources relevant to the planned work.
- If Include captured memory is available, turn it off for a manual-only search and save.
- Start Chats > New chat inside the project.
Separate projects can help keep different equipment contexts apart. They are an organisational aid, not a guarantee that an answer applies to a physical asset.
Ask for the relevant section, not an improvised repair
Use a question that includes the model and the subject:
In the manual for controller model X, revision Y, locate the section that explains how to view the event history. Name the source file and quote the relevant instructions. Include stated prerequisites and warnings. If the retrieved text does not establish the answer, say so. Do not combine instructions from another model.
This example concerns finding information, not a universal controller procedure. Substitute the exact identity and task from your work.
Check the filename and passage. A reference labelled as a text part is not necessarily the original PDF page number. Open the manual and locate the section before following it.
Make each question specific enough to verify
A useful query names the equipment, the document revision, and the information needed. Questions such as “Why is it broken?” encourage a model to fill gaps with general knowledge.
Better reference questions include:
| Need | Source-focused question |
|---|---|
| Find a setting | Where does this manual describe the named menu item? |
| Understand a message | What does the manual say about this exact message code? |
| Locate a prerequisite | What conditions are stated before this documented task? |
| Check a revision | Does the supplied bulletin change the older instruction? |
| Find a diagram | Which manual section refers to the named connector? |
For a physical task, use the approved procedure, training, and required safeguards. Do not treat generated text as authority to bypass a warning or perform work outside your competence.
Test the complete offline workflow
Before leaving, disconnect the laptop and ask a question whose answer you already know. Confirm that the local model loads, document search returns the expected source, and the original manual opens.
Then test the reference pack, not only the chat. Can you open every attachment? Are the diagrams readable? Is the equipment identifier clear? Does the laptop have enough power for the planned use?
This is a check for your own setup, not a promise about runtime or battery life. The result depends on the hardware, selected model, and files.
What should you do when the answer is weak?
If a model returns the wrong manual, disable unrelated sources and ask again with the exact file name and section. If a passage is missing, open the original and create a checked text extract for that section where permitted.
Project retrieval supplies a selection of relevant passages within a context limit. It does not guarantee that every warning, exception, or cross-reference is included in one answer.
If the question concerns a diagram or a safety-critical condition, inspect the original source directly. If the source pack is incomplete, stop at the information gap instead of asking the model to guess.
Keep service observations separate from manual instructions
Your past notes may help recall what happened during a previous visit. They should not silently become manufacturer instructions. Keep them in a separate source set, or clearly identify them when asking a question.
Likewise, a local procedure may add requirements beyond the manual. Preserve the distinction and follow the applicable approved process.
When a newer manual or bulletin arrives, review the source pack before the next visit. Offline access preserves what you downloaded; it does not automatically establish that the files are current.
Start with one equipment family
Download OGAD and build a small, checked reference project. Ask one question with a known answer and confirm it offline. The useful result is quicker access to the right source while keeping the final technical judgment tied to the actual equipment and approved instructions.