Braille Trainer

thingiverse

This is a braille trainer powered by an Arduino nano that folds up to show both the layout of actual braille and a braille keyboard layout. The folding mechanism saves space when not used, thanks to four magnets inside that hold the two parts folded or unfolded. All wires are carefully hidden inside the hinge, so they won't wear out from exposure or folding. To make it easy for young kids to press buttons with minimal strength, I used micro switches instead of push buttons. These can also be easily bought and replaced if they fail. The Arduino nano is powered directly by a power bank that uses a 18650 cell. This power bank can be charged using a built-in micro USB slot. If the cell dies and can't be recharged anymore, users can simply buy a new 18650 cell and replace it themselves. This trainer also features a built-in 3.5mm audio jack. When headphones are plugged in, the speaker turns off automatically. This version is designed for the Chinese Chuyin(Bopomofo) System braille used in Taiwan. The audio files have been downloaded from the Education Ministry of Taiwan. Users can easily replace the corresponding mp3 files on the micro SD card to suit their own language. The project is still a work in progress, but I plan to add a volume controller and a language switcher in the next version.