Braille Embosser Research, 2016

The purpose of this web page it to research a replacement Braille Embosser.

The following are Braille embosser requirements: Windows 7 and 10 compatible, USB interface, and a maintenance plan. Emily has an action item from the April 25 AT meeting to find out the preference for sheet paper or tractor feed paper. (The Everest uses cut sheet paper the other 2 models do not.) Any others requirements?

• From: Thomas Simpson, Index Braille, regarding the Columbia, "I was the Director of Marketing for ViewPlus and wrote the specifications for the Columbia and helped with the design of the embosser. The specs compare well with the Basic D (it is only available with continuous paper) but the engineering execution was not done to my satisfaction, especially concerning tactile graphics and the Braille dot."
• From Columbia user manual, "Dot quality should be monitored; poor alignment of the hammer tips to the receiving dyes can cause permanent damage to the ViewPlus embosser."
• From: Bjorn Lofstedt, Managing Director at Index Braille "...technology used by Enabling Technologies is almost the same since (2000: the year UMD's ET Brailler was made). Index printers do not face similar print out issues as ET. This simply because we use another technology in which there is no need to lubricate the hammers and in Index embosser the forming process itself absorbs the printing impact. In ET printers the distance between the forming anvil is defined by the relative position of the piston tip and forming anvil. This is more sensitive for dust etc.
• Kyle's question to Holly Stowell at Irie-At, "Are any components field replaceable by technicians we may have on staff? I've seen a video of someone replacing some components on a brailler (I don't recall the brand). One component which was replaced carried either the hammers or the dies - which I thought could really extend the life of a brailler."
  • Answer: "These embossers are very robust, so it’s not common to need to replace parts, in the field or otherwise. If a repair is necessary, that would need to happen at our repair center in Oregon. If you’re purchasing an extended warranty for the embosser, a cleaning and maintenance service is included once per year during the extended warranty period. During this service, we inspect the embosser for any signs of wear, verify the quality of the braille and realign or replace braille punches as necessary, among other things. Our technicians are very skilled at spotting signs that any part of the hardware might need replacing, and we’ll notify you if we need to replace anything during service (though you will not be charged for parts, since the extended warranty covers parts and labor for repairs during the extended warranty period). Please let me know if you have any other questions regarding the embosser hardware or warranty."
• Laura's question to Holly Stowell at Irie-At, "How long does the annual cleaning and maintenance service usually take? What is the procedure?...Does IRIE-AT pay postage both ways?"
  • Answer: "The annual service usually takes about two business days, but depending on the work load for our repair shop can sometimes take less or more time. It's rare for a service to take more than three business days though. The procedure to send your unit in is just to give us a call for an RMA number. We issue you the RMA, which you include with the embosser when you send it in. When we receive it, we perform the full inspection, cleaning and maintenance service and notify you if we've replaced any parts. We ship the unit back as soon as service is completed. "..."We pay return shipping after the service is complete..."
• Duxbury Info from Irie-AT
  • "Import documents from Word, Open Office, HTML, DAISY, NIMAS and more!, Display ink text along with braille for easier proofing Spell-check with 300,000+ word dictionary"
  • Learn how to set up DBT with your INDEX embosser (video)
• Duxbury DBT: Braille Translation Software web site
  • Duxbury Systems Braille Translation (video)
• Tiger Software Suite 5- Overview (Video)
• On February 3, 2016 Laura contacted Philip Kragnes, Manager, Computer Accommodations Program, at University of Minnesota, Twin Cities and asked his advice. Phil recommended the View Plus VP Max, an older scanner model. See Older Scanner Models Comparison Table.
• From Kyle's report at the March 28, 2016 AT meeting:
  • Drivers for the older View Plus VP Max model that Philip Kragnes had recommended are now available.
  • The new models are beginning to be demoed at conferences but specs are not on vendor websites yet.
  • Index Braille seems to have the easiest maintenance as Kyle viewed in their video demos. They may have better technology too.
  • Laura will contact Index Braille and View Plus sales reps and ask about dates for when the new models and their specs will be available.

Kyle reported a problem (RT ticket 107921) with the ET Braille Embosser. The verdict from Dan Ellis, "...every pin I’ve adjusted or moved still leaves weak indents. Seems the relays are not strong enough to give good motion to the pins, so we are probably due for a new Braille unit."