Quick Setup & Classroom Use Guide

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For paraprofessionals and K–12 staff. This page mirrors the printable guide, RB_Switch_Paraprofessional_Setup_Guide.docx. Keep the two in sync.

Before you begin: Android and iOS/iPadOS are different here. The RB Switch has three buttons. On an iPad or iPhone, all three can be set up in one pass. On an Android phone or tablet, the built-in setup only walks you through two of the three buttons, and Switch Access itself must be installed from the Google Play Store first. Section 6 below covers the Android steps in full, including the extra step for the third button. Read it even if you’ve set up switches on Android before — this project documents the current Play Store version of Switch Access.

1. What the RB Switch does

The RB Switch is a three-button Bluetooth accessibility switch. It connects to a tablet, phone, Chromebook, Mac, or Windows computer and acts like a standard Bluetooth keyboard. The three physical buttons send three different keyboard commands.

Button	Sends	In a plain text field
SW1 (left)	Left Arrow	Cursor moves left
SW2 (center)	Enter	Enter/Return
SW3 (right)	Right Arrow	Cursor moves right

2. Before you start

Have the student’s device nearby (iPad, iPhone, Android device, Chromebook, Mac, or Windows PC).
Make sure Bluetooth is turned on.
Make sure the RB Switch has power. It can be powered by USB-C or its installed battery.
Keep the RB Switch close to the device while pairing — about 1–3 feet is ideal.
If the RB Switch has already been paired to another nearby device, that device may reconnect to it. If needed, disconnect or turn Bluetooth off on the other device.
If the student’s device is Android, install or update the Switch Access app from the Google Play Store before you start (see Section 6). This is a change from older Android versions, where the feature was bundled in automatically.

3. Connect the RB Switch by Bluetooth

Use the instructions for the student’s device below. Find RB Switch followed by a 3-digit number; it should match the number on the sticker on the bottom of the enclosure.

iPad or iPhone

Open Settings.
Tap Bluetooth.
Make sure Bluetooth is On.
Look under Other Devices for RB Switch.
Tap RB Switch.
Wait until it shows as Connected.

Android phone or tablet

Open Settings.
Open Bluetooth or Connected devices → Bluetooth. The exact wording varies by device.
Make sure Bluetooth is On.
Look for RB Switch in the available devices list.
Tap RB Switch and complete pairing if Android asks you to do so.
Confirm that RB Switch shows as connected.

Windows PC

Open Settings.
Select Bluetooth & devices.
Turn Bluetooth On.
Select Add device → Bluetooth.
Select RB Switch.
Wait for Windows to finish connecting.

Mac

Open System Settings.
Select Bluetooth.
Turn Bluetooth On.
Find RB Switch in the list of nearby devices.
Click Connect.

Chromebook

Click the time in the lower-right corner.
Open Bluetooth.
Turn Bluetooth On.
Select RB Switch from the available devices.
Complete pairing if prompted.

4. Test the three buttons

Before configuring accessibility settings, test the RB Switch in a place where you can see normal keyboard input. For example, open a text field, a simple document, or another application that accepts keyboard commands.

Press the left button (SW1) — The cursor should move left.
Press the center button (SW2) — Enter/Return should be sent.
Press the right button (SW3) — The cursor should move right.

Note: Do this test before turning on Switch Control or Switch Access. If a button doesn’t work here, it won’t start working once accessibility scanning is turned on — see Section 8.

5. Set up Switch Control on iPad/iPhone

Use these steps when the student will operate an iPad or iPhone using Apple’s Switch Control accessibility feature. Unlike Android, all three RB Switch buttons can be assigned here without any extra steps.

Open Settings.
Tap Accessibility.
Tap Switch Control.
Turn Switch Control On.
Tap Switches.
Tap Add New Switch.
Choose External.
When the device asks you to activate a switch, press the RB Switch button you want to assign.
Choose the action you want that button to perform.
Repeat Add New Switch for the other RB Switch buttons you want the student to use.

Suggested mapping: SW1 (Left Arrow) → Move to Previous Item, SW2 (Enter) → Select Item, SW3 (Right Arrow) → Move to Next Item. This uses all three buttons right away.

Full details: iOS/iPadOS Switch Control.

6. Set up Switch Access on Android

Android limits the setup wizard to two switches. Here’s how to add the third. Google’s Switch Access is now its own app on the Play Store, and its guided setup only ever asks for one or two switches — never three. To use the RB Switch’s third button, you finish the two-switch wizard first, then add the third button afterward in a separate settings screen. Steps 1 and 9–10 below are the parts most generic instructions leave out.

Open the Google Play Store app and search for Switch Access. Install it, or tap Update if it’s already installed. (If your device shows Switch Access under Accessibility without doing this, it may be an older, bundled version — check the Play Store anyway.)
Open Settings.
Open Accessibility.
Find and tap Switch Access.
Turn Switch Access On, and tap Allow when asked to grant the accessibility permission.
When the setup wizard runs, choose Bluetooth switch as your switch type, then select RB Switch from the list.
The wizard will ask you to choose One switch or Two switch. Choose Two switch.
When prompted, press the button you want as Next (recommended: SW3 / right button), then the button you want as Select (recommended: SW2 / center button). Choose a scanning method and finish the wizard.
To add the third button (SW1 / left button), leave the wizard and go to: Settings → Accessibility → Switch Access → Settings → Assign switches for scanning → Previous.
Press SW1 when prompted, then tap Save.

If a student only needs two functions (scan and select), you can stop after step 8 and simply not use the third button on that device — nothing else needs to change.

RB Switch button	Sends	Recommended Switch Access action
SW1 (left)	Left Arrow	Previous
SW2 (center)	Enter	Select
SW3 (right)	Right Arrow	Next

Note: Android supports up to five assigned switches once you’re past the wizard (Next, Select, Previous, and more, depending on scanning method), but the wizard itself only ever asks about one or two. Menu wording can vary by Android version and device manufacturer.

Full details: Android Switch Access.

7. Using the RB Switch during the school day

The RB Switch does not need a separate app for basic operation.
Once paired, keep the student’s device within normal Bluetooth range.
If the device stops responding, first check whether RB Switch still shows as connected in Bluetooth settings.
If the student moves between devices, make sure the switch is disconnected from the previous device before pairing it to the new one.
The three buttons always use the same keyboard mapping: Left Arrow, Enter, Right Arrow. What that mapping does on screen depends on how Switch Control or Switch Access is configured on that specific device.

8. Quick troubleshooting

RB Switch is not listed in Bluetooth

Make sure the RB Switch has power.
Wait a few seconds and refresh the Bluetooth device list.
Move the RB Switch closer to the student’s device.
Check whether it is already connected to another nearby device.
If an old RB Switch entry is saved but the device will not connect, choose Forget/Remove this device and pair it again.

RB Switch is connected, but a button does nothing

Press each of the three buttons. The expected mapping is SW1 = Left Arrow, SW2 = Enter, SW3 = Right Arrow.
If all three buttons fail, disconnect and reconnect RB Switch in Bluetooth settings.
If only one button fails, note which button fails and report that information to the person responsible for equipment support.

Only two of the three buttons do anything on an Android device

This is expected unless you completed steps 9–10 in Section 6 (Assign switches for scanning → Previous).
It is not a sign of a broken button — check Section 6 before assuming a hardware problem.
This does not happen on iPad/iPhone, Windows, Mac, or Chromebook.

The switch works in a text box but not in the student’s accessibility app

Confirm the accessibility feature is turned on.
Check that the physical button was added as an external switch in the accessibility settings.
Re-add the switch if necessary and press the requested RB Switch button when the device asks for it.
If the problem continues, record the device type, operating-system version if known, and which button/action is affected.

The student moved to a different device

Disconnect or forget RB Switch on the old device if it keeps reconnecting there.
Pair RB Switch with the new device.
Run the three-button test.
Reconfigure Switch Control or Switch Access on the new device if required.

More: Troubleshooting.

9. Charging and power

The current PCB includes USB-C power and a Li-Po charging circuit. The charge-status LED is a charging indicator; it is not an RGB status light and does not indicate which button was pressed.

Use the USB-C connection supplied for the device.
If the switch is not powering on, try a known-good USB-C power source/cable.
Do not open the enclosure or replace the battery unless you are trained and authorized to service the device.
Do not assume a replacement battery has the correct connector polarity just because the connector fits.

10. Technical support / reprogramming (not normally needed by paraprofessionals)

The current production sketch is firmware/RB_SWITCH_firmware/RB_SWITCH_firmware.ino. The current GitHub project specifies the following Arduino setup:

Install Arduino IDE.
Install the ESP32 Arduino core by Espressif.
Install the NimBLE-Arduino library.
Select an ESP32-S3 target; the project documentation normally uses ESP32S3 Dev Module.
Open the production .ino file, verify it, and upload it using a data-capable USB-C cable.
If the board does not enter download mode automatically, use the PCB’s BOOT and RESET controls according to the ESP32-S3 upload procedure.
Use Serial Monitor at 115200 baud for diagnostics.

Switch	GPIO	Keyboard key
SW1	GPIO10	Left Arrow
SW2	GPIO11	Enter
SW3	GPIO12	Right Arrow

If a button mapping, debounce timing, or device name ever needs to change (for example, to better fit a specific student’s Switch Access or Switch Control setup), see Firmware Customization before asking a technician to make firmware changes.

Need help? Scan the QR code on the enclosure again to return to the latest online instructions.