This directory contains the BRLTTY driver for braille displays which are manufactured by Handy Tech Elektronik GmbH [http://www.handytech.com/] of Germany. As a component of BRLTTY, this driver is released under the terms of the GNU Public License. It has been tested with the modular displays [20/40/80], the Braille Wave, the Braille Star [40/80], the Bookworm, the Easy Braille, the Active Braille, and the Braillino. This driver was originally implemented by Andreas Gross <andi@andi-bika.de>. It has since been extended, and is being maintained, by Dave Mielke <dave@mielke.cc>. Thanks to Mike Pedersen <mpedersen@mindspring.com> for his help with the design and testing of the Braille Star component. Thanks to Jill Clark <jill@handytech.com> of Handy Tech Elektronik for having graciously lent us a Bookworm so that its component could be tested. Thanks to Mario Lang <mlang@delysid.org> for his help with the development of USB and bluetooth support. A HandyTech display can be used via its serial, USB, or bluetooth interface. If you're using a serial connection then specify "serial:/path/to/device", e.g. "serial:/dev/ttyS0". If you're using a USB connection then specify "usb:" (the trailing colon is important). If you're using a bluetooth connection then specify "bluez:address", e.g. "bluez:01:23:45:67:89:AB". Active Braille: --------------- An external keyboard can be connected to your Active Braille via USB. The keyboard is presented to the host as though it were a true HID (Human Interface Device) in its own right. If you are using USB (not yet supported) to connect your Active Braille to the host, most modern operating systems will automatically recognize and correctly handle the keyboard. If you are using Bluetooth to connect your Active Braille to the host, you will need to do some additional setup to get the keyboard working. For Bluetooth on Linux: Add the Bluetooth device address and the PIN of your Active Braille to the file /var/lib/bluetooth/<host-address>/pincodes so that it will successfully pair with the host. Then, to enable keyboard input from the Active Braille, execute the following command as root: bluez-test-input connect 00:01:02:03:04:05 Note that you will need to replace the sample Bluetooth device address in the example above with that of your Active Braille. Braille Star: ------------- Braille Star models allow the use of an external keyboard for input. It can be used not only while the Braille Star is in "Notetaker" mode, i.e. while not connected to any external PC hardware, but also as a keyboard for the PC itself. Either connect the second PS/2 cable from your display to your PC (that's the old way), or just disable "Ext. keyboard autoselect" in the internal menu. This latter, much simpler, approach causes the keyboard's signals to be sent over whatever interface (serial, USB, or bluetooth) you're using to connect your display to your PC. It's particularly advantageous to use the external keyboard in conjunction with a bluetooth connection since this combination effectively transforms the Braille Star into a completely wireless yet fully functional braille terminal.
