Encoding & Number Bases
Braille Encoder
Convert text or BRF Braille ASCII to six-dot Unicode braille cells. A one-to-one cell mapping with no contractions or capital and number signs.
This tool runs open-source code from CyberChef by GCHQ (Apache License 2.0). See open-source credits.
Braille Encoder replaces each character with a six-dot Unicode braille cell from the North American Braille ASCII table. Hi becomes ⠓⠊. It maps characters one to one. It does not apply contractions, capital signs, or number signs.
The result is Unicode text made of six-dot braille pattern characters from U+2800 to U+283F. A space becomes the blank cell ⠀, U+2800.
- View the dots of a BRF file line without an embosser: ,ROOM #AJA becomes ⠠⠗⠕⠕⠍⠀⠼⠁⠚⠁.
- Show the braille cell for each letter in a classroom handout or sign mock-up.
- Create Unicode braille characters for a puzzle, label design, or font test.
Instructions
- Enter plain text to see each letter as its braille cell. Upper and lower case give the same cell.
- Enter BRF or Braille ASCII text when you want exact literary braille. In that format , marks a capital and # starts a number.
- Check characters outside the table in the output. Accented letters, line breaks, and the characters { } | ~ ` pass through unchanged.
- Copy the cells into a document or font that displays Unicode braille patterns.
Example
Input: Room 101
Settings: No settings
Result: ⠗⠕⠕⠍⠀⠂⠴⠂
The capital R gets no capital sign, and the digits use lowered Braille ASCII cells. Literary braille writes 101 as ⠼⠁⠚⠁.
Limits
- Braille Encoder is not a braille translator. Plain text gets no capital sign and no number sign, so Room 101 does not match literary braille.
- Digits in plain text use the lowered Braille ASCII cells. 1 becomes ⠂, not the number sign and letter a, ⠼⠁.
- Braille Encoder writes no Grade 2 contractions. the becomes three cells, ⠞⠓⠑; contracted English braille uses one cell, ⠮.
- The output is screen text, not an embosser file. An embosser usually needs BRF text and page formatting from braille translation software.