braille display

hardware (Or "refreshable braille display", "refreshable

display") An electromechanical device that renders braille

with tiny, independently controlled pins used to represent the

state of dots in braille cells. Each pin, in its "on" state,

raises above the top of its hole in the screen; in its "off"

state, it drops below the top of its hole. Older systems used

tiny solenoids to control the state of the pins; modern

systems are piezoelectric.

Typical dimensions of a braille display are 1 line of 40

cells, each cell of two-by-eight dots.

(1998-10-19)