Orbit Writer Support

The dimensions (W x H x D) are 6.3 x 2.6 x 0.3 inch (160 x 65 x 8 mm). It weighs 0.198 lbs. (90 grams).

You can purchase the following accessories

• Lanyard
• Leather Carrying case
• Synthetic Carrying case

It has the eight high-quality, Perkins-style keys and a space bar.

It has a cursor pad with four directional buttons and one select button for navigation.

It has one Micro-B USB port (USB 2.0) with support for HID class.

The battery typically lasts 3 days with normal use.

No, it can be charged with any kind of USB compliant charger. If you have the Orbit Reader 20 display then it can be also charged with the charger supplied with the Orbit Reader 20.

After turning on the Orbit Writer you have to enable the pairing on the desired channel by pressing appropriate key commands.

Five Bluetooth devices can be connected to the Orbit Writer. However, only one Bluetooth device will be active at a time. To switch between connected devices, you can switch active connection from Orbit Writer by pressing Space + Left/Right + Dot 1 to 5 without touching host devices.

Yes, you can wake the mobile from the Orbit Writer keys but only when it is connected with the mobile through Keyboard-HID protocol, it cannot be done when it is connected with the mobile through SRP protocol but can be used to enter a password to unlock the screen for iPhones.

Android phones with Google’s BrailleBack does not support this functionality.

Note that iOS is paired through,

When SRP protocol is activated you can pair the Orbit Writer from

Settings → Accessibility → VoiceOver → Braille → Choose A Braille device

When Keyboard-HID protocol is activated you can pair it from Settings → Bluetooth → Devices.

It is possible to pair and connect the Orbit Writer with five Bluetooth and one USB smartphone or PC or laptop or tablet and switch the connection between different devices. Pressing Space + Left in conjunction with Dot 1 through Dot 3 quickly switches from first to third Bluetooth connections. Pressing Space + Right in conjunction with Dot 4 through Dot 5 quickly switches from fourth to fifth Bluetooth connections. Press Space + Right + Dot 6 to USB connection.

The Orbit Writer resumes connection when you unlock the previously connected device from standby, provided Orbit Writer has the same channel activated on which the host was paired.

If the connection was lost when the Bluetooth device is active, then the connection needs to be re-established manually.

There are some simple ways to do this. They are as follows:

• Lock the screen of the phone and unlock it.
• For Android, go to Settings → Accessibility → BrailleBack → Setting and click on the status or turn off the BrailleBack and turn it on again.
• For iOS, go to Settings → General → Accessibility → VoiceOver → Braille and double click on the name of the braille device, or turn off the voice-over and turn it on again.
• If nothing works, unpair the braille device and pair it back.

Yes, you may feel typing latency while typing JAWS connected over Bluetooth from the Orbit Writer. However, the Orbit Writer works fine with the JAWS over USB

The following issues have been noted while working with Apple devices –

• After a fresh pairing of the Orbit Writer with the VoiceOver, if you power cycles the Orbit Writer while keeping the iPhone unlocked/awake, the Orbit Writer never automatically connects to the VoiceOver. You have to perform lock and unlock on iPhone once after fresh pairing for the Orbit Writer to be able to reconnect automatically to the VoiceOver when the Orbit Writer turns on after power cycles.
• Sometimes the Orbit Writer may take up to 10 seconds to be reconnected to VoiceOver when you power cycles the Orbit Writer while keeping the iPhone/MacBook unlocked/awake.
• Turn off the Bluetooth of previously paired iOS/Mac devices after selecting/switching to the Keyboard-HID protocol over any Bluetooth channel before enabling pairing on that channel.

The following issues have been noted while working with Android-

• Once the Orbit Writer pairs and connects to BrailleBack/VoiceView, if the Orbit Writer turns off and on again, while keeping the smartphone/tablet unlocked, it doesn’t re-connect to the BrailleBack/VoiceView automatically. It requires a user to lock and unlock the smartphone by pressing the power button.
• When you type text messages on the Android device, it does not get displayed on the device.
• It is not possible to enter the ‘screen unlock’ password of the phone from the Braille keypad of the device.

All the key commands for the VoiceOver are available in section ‘13.3.3. iOS commands’ in the user guide. The latest user guide can be found at https://www.orbitresearch.com/support/orbit-writer-support/

For more commands please refer this link Common braille commands for VoiceOver navigation using iPhone, iPad, and iPod® touch

Yes, it can be done through a windows utility through the USB connection.

Reset the device (press dot 8 + right lower pan key) and follow again the upgrade procedure.

Not yet.

No.

You can email us the details at techsupport@orbitresearch.com. You can also post your queries on our forums available on our website here.

Orbit Research warrants the Orbit Writer hardware product against defects in materials and workmanship under normal use for a period of ONE (1) YEAR from the purchase date, by the original purchaser (“Warranty Period”). If a hardware defect arises and a valid claim is received by the Orbit Research, within the Warranty Period, at its option and to the extent permitted by law, the defective hardware will be repaired or replaced. Extended one-year warranty can be purchased for $25.00 at the purchase time of the Orbit Writer by the original purchaser.

For technical support, you may contact your local distributor of the Orbit Writer. You can email the details at techsupport@orbitresearch.com

Or post your queries on our website here.