And don't forget the tactile feedback provided to your fingers by the momentum of the weight and the arm swinging back and forth. I suspect that those who want this haven't a clue about actually using a mechanical bug.
Vic K2VCO/4X6GP > On Dec 9, 2014, at 2:20 AM, Guy Olinger K2AV <k2av....@gmail.com> wrote: > > Well.... > > It would be extremely hard to duplicate the "feel" and timing of a > mechanical bug in anything electronic. The application of timing from the > dit side on a bug is NOT linear with the code speed. The time interval to > move the bar from not ditting to the point where it does dit is FIXED > without any relationship to dit speed. Also the delay varies depending on > how hard you hit the bug with your thumb. Then once the bar is moved to > ditting, thereafter it dits at the speed based on the placement of the > weight. > > There also is a difficult to predict minor additional delay because the end > of the weighted bar does not move immediately, but with the buildup of > tension in the bending point of the bar. > > If that were not enough, my Vibroplex has seven different adjustments that > will vary one or the other or all of these mechanical delays. > > Anyone who ever learned to send perfect tape machine code with a bug simply > got used to those delays and accommodated for them unconsciously in their > wrist and thumb movement. Those who did not accommodate had an immediately > recognizable "swing" to their "fist". Also, in the "fist" discussion, there > were many that sent dits at one speed and dahs at another. The resulting > sent CW was as easily recognizable at anyone's voice. > > On a mechanical bug, a B would send differently than a V, because the the > dit pressure in the B would have to be advanced in timing to prevent a too > long spacing between the dah and the first dit. Since the dah is a simple > mechanical press, the dits are uncousciously started whenever they need to. > In the V, the correct space between the last dit and the dah is easy. > Someone whose muscle memory had the unconscious adjustment for all the > mechanical issue, now using an uncompensated electronic device would find > themselves overwriting the opening dah of the B with the dits, now being > sent too soon. > > IMHO, someone who goes from operating a real mechanical bug to some > electronic rube goldberg is going to stumble all over it because the > programming to allow dits at one speed and dahs at another WITH the fixed > bar movement delay, etc, is an expenditure of commercial funds that ain't > gonna happen in a for-profit enterprise. > > Those of you who want to program an electronic bug WITH the appropriate > mechanical biases employed, you go right ahead with your own time and > money. Some of us will test it for you and see if it FEELS or SENDS like a > bug. Then someone tell me we should put that firmware in a K3 because ??? > > 73, Guy K2AV ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com