Untangling the Wires: Why Connecting and Charging your Braille Display with USB Doesn’t Always Work (Extra 79)

Braillecast

USB, or Universal Serial Bus, has been a feature of braille displays for over twenty years. Originally a standard for connectivity, it has evolved over time to also provide power and charging capabilities. However, if USB is supposed to be Universal, why are some chargers faster than others, and why won’t some chargers and cables work at all?

On Tuesday 29 October 2024, we unravelled the answer to this far from straightforward question. Along the way, we covered:

• A brief history of USB
• Common USB connecters and how to tell the difference between them
• How and when the USB cable you use may impact performance
• What happens behind the scenes when you connect your braille display to a USB charger
• What to look for when buying replacement cables and chargers
• Whether or not a power bank is a viable solution for charging your braille display on the go
• Things to try if your braille display won’t charge

The session was presented by Mobeen Iqbal from Taira Technology, an independent provider of bespoke and specialist hardware, software and support solutions. Mo has over fifteen years’ experience working with hardware of all shapes and sizes, from custom-built desktop and laptop computers to TV set top boxes and remote controls, and has a passion for improving the ease of use of technology for blind and partially sighted people.

Links from Mo

• About Taira Technology
• Energrid Accessible Power Banks

Comments in the Chat from Andrew Flatres

There are trade offs with having replacements batteries. In addition most braille displays have to have a medical certification which also plays a big role on deciding a replacement battery.

EU parliament has voted on a law that will require User replaceable batteries. I believe this should be in force by 2027. From a HumanWare perspective, we want to ensure products have a good life battery span and made light. An approach like the BI 20x where the battery is replaceable but held with two Phillips screw. We also have to consider battery collaboration. To respond to the medical certification, I will try and get a response from our team on this. This is a really good discussion.