I’ve discussed the Braille device in detail, but until now there’s been no running examples – so I thought I’d upload a video of it in action. The video shows the stepper motor in action, and how the gears move from Braille rod to rod (removed to show the gears underneath). One thing you might notice right away – the speed. Working with Acrylic, while visually pretty, is not good for fast movement as it flexes too much. Also, since … Continue reading →

In a nutshell, the gear train in the Audrey Braille display is THE machine. Although the mechanics are simple – move a rack gear forward/backward to position, then move over to the next one, repeating until all are set – the details of this gear train are rather involved. For example, why this particular gear design – and why so big? The design of the display is an inverted rack and pinion gearing, with the racks moving over the gear, … Continue reading →

No project exists in a vacuum – and as I’ve gotten to know (and be known) by others, I’ve been hearing of other Braille projects I missed in my initial research. I thank Paul Kronenberg of Braille Without Borders for putting me in touch with these others: N.Krishnaswamy of Vidya Vrikshah. produces a Braille kit for Blind children to learn. He also is the designer of a wheeled Braille display, called the Natesan. The Natesan in turn has spawned a … Continue reading →

I had an interesting email recently, and in answering it I thought the responses would benefit other visitors – so here it is a mini FAQ of the project so far: How will this display be marketed? Currently, it’s design only, not marketing. Once I have a design I like, I plan to manufacture it if I can raise the funds. However, since I will be publishing all details online, and will be available (time permitting) to answer questions, I … Continue reading →