Last week, I acquired a used electric Perkins brailler. Although I’m pleased with my purchase, it doesn’t work as flawlessly as I’d like. It tends to add extra dots here and there, which transforms the letter into something else entirely!
Since I have a background repairing flutes and saxophones, I felt brave enough to tear it apart, clean and oil the mechanical parts. Hopefully this will fix the problem.
If you’ve ever wondered what the inside of a braille writer looks like, here’s a peek.
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- housing for the pins, and rods that raise each pin
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- the pins, removed, set in order next to the spacers
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- screws and a faceplate
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- inside of the back plate, and bell
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- keys and extensions, hooked to springs and levers
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- gears and chain
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- underside of brailler and electronics
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- Top of the pins, ready to be inserted into the guide plate
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- Bottom of the pins that produce the dots.
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