using a braillenote apex as a braille display for IPhone?

Category: accessible Devices

Post 1 by battle star queen (I just keep on posting!) on Monday, 24-Apr-2017 0:21:29

Hi all. I recently was given a loaner braillenote apex. The one thing I can't seem to figure out is how to pair it with my IPhone, even after watching a video on youtube. I have an IPhone SE, running the latest version of IOS. The phone sees the braillenote as a display, but every time I try to pair it, I'm prompted for a pin, which I do not have. What is the pin to pair the braillenote with my IPhone and how do I pair it in the first place?

Post 2 by Hongsen (Zone BBS Addict) on Monday, 24-Apr-2017 10:21:28

The pin is specified by you. Basically, both the BrailleNote and the iPhone needs to verify that you would like to pair the two devices so it needs a pin to be entered on both devices for authentication. When the iPhone asks you for a pin, enter (usually) 4 digits (eg. 1234 or 1111). If I'm not wrong, the BrailleNote will ask for a pin too. Enter the same pin you entered on the iPhone. Hope that helps.

Post 3 by starfly (99956) on Tuesday, 25-Apr-2017 16:09:54

sometimes you can use four zeros, like the poster above me pointed out depends
on display.

Post 4 by battle star queen (I just keep on posting!) on Wednesday, 26-Apr-2017 23:09:10

I've tried using the four zeros as suggested, and I'm still unable to pair the apex with my phone.

Post 5 by maddog (I'll have the last word, thank you!) on Friday, 28-Apr-2017 18:17:33

You might need to check the help manuals for the braille note. All companies that make their devices requiring pins for Bluetooth connections kinds of things usually give them a default pin. As others have said, sometimes it's 1111, sometimes it's 1234 etc. Do a bit more research, look for the help manual online or something. Though the device by all rights should have a help manual built in. Search that for your answers.

Post 6 by forereel (Just posting.) on Saturday, 29-Apr-2017 11:16:18

Or simply email the folks that make your device and ask them. You can find contact info on the website I'm sure.

Post 7 by sjtaylor (I can't call it a day til I enter the zone BBS) on Monday, 01-May-2017 1:23:25

The pin is 0000. Make sure you are in terminal mode on your BrailleNote, and that the port is set to Bluetooth. Make sure also that you are pairing via voiceover/Braille, rather than the bluetooth settings area of your iPhone. You do not have to enter a code on the braille Note itself, but you do have a very short period of time in which the devices have to connect, so you do have to be quick on the 4 0's. I suggest a bluetooth keyboard if you have one.

Post 8 by battle star queen (I just keep on posting!) on Thursday, 04-May-2017 23:39:15

I finally got the apex to pair with my phone. In a last ditch effort before calling humanware, I reset the apex while holding down dots 4, 5, and 6, which reinstalls kaysoft. This seemed to fix whatever the issue was. Now that I have the braillenote paired with my phone, how can I use it to type out something in an edit box, such as when sending a text message?

Post 9 by forereel (Just posting.) on Friday, 05-May-2017 6:48:29

Seems you hate reading manuals. You're not alone.
Smile.
The Zone here is a good place to ask, but, these books can tell you much.

Post 10 by battle star queen (I just keep on posting!) on Sunday, 07-May-2017 1:28:20

I have looked in the user guide, and so far, I haven't found anything about using the braillenote as a keyboard with an Iphone.

Post 11 by Hongsen (Zone BBS Addict) on Sunday, 07-May-2017 10:01:18

I have not actually used the Apex as a Braille display despite using the Apex for quite a while in school. However, I have tried to connect several other displays to iOS as a Braille display. The way it works should be the same.

What you do is to focus on the edit box. Press the cursor routing key above the edit box, VoiceOver should say "editing", similar to when you do a double-tap. Then, just type with the Braille keyboard, it should work. The Braille grade is set in the Braille section of the settings for VoiceOver.

Hope that helps.

Post 12 by Raskolnikov (I'll have the last word, thank you!) on Sunday, 07-May-2017 11:32:10

Google common braille commands to use with IOS, or something similar and you will get results. I also found a long list of braille display commands on the Apple support website. The information is out there. When I first paired my Apex to the iPhone, I found this page from Humanware useful:

http://support.humanware.com/en-usa/support/braillenote_apex/braillenote_apex_as_a_braille_display#voiceover