Lloyd,
I also made one very simply and cheaply from double sided copper
clad board based on a QST article that was published several years ago
(which I have in my files at home and can send you a copy).
Mine has a small horizontal board with a vertical board soldered
o it. The vertical board is about 2" long and 1" high and has the
contacts for the paddle arms. The paddle arms are a little narrower and
about an inch longer than the vertical board. The attached to each side
of the vertical board at the back with several layers of double sided
foam tape, giving a spacing between the paddle arms and the center
vertical board of about 1/8" and between each other of about 3/8". The
spacing can be changed by using more or fewer layers of foam tape. The
foam tape acts as the spring, as well as an insulator between the center
vertical board and the paddle arms. The whole thing is attached to an
Altoids box that's filled with pennies to give it a "heavy" base. I used
this for many QSOs as I was getting my code speed up.
73,
Bob W1SRB
-----Original Message-----
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Ian Stirling
Sent: Thursday, April 24, 2008 1:49 PM
To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] simple iambic paddle
On Thursday 24 April 2008 12:39:01 pm Brian Lloyd wrote:
> Does anyone have a design for a very simple iambic key that can be
> made with simple materials and hand tools?
I made one when I built The Ultimate Keyer Mk2 by G3RVM in the
February 1980 issue of Radio Communication.
I used two thin strips of copper clad board. Mine was double sided but
singe sided is all that's needed.
I sawed a small diecast box to get two nice right angle brackets and
screwed them on the base of the main diecast box where I had the
electronics. The PCB strips came out the front of the box separated
about half an inch.
I used stick-on rubber feet as the thumb abd finger contacts.
For the switch contacts, I drilled quarter inch staggered holes in the
PCBs and using the other two corners of the cut box, mounted them
outside the PCBs with a long screw going through each PCB hole. So the
mounts for the screws are both outside the strips. The PCB strips were
nicely springy and I adjusted the screws to a very fine touch.
I bought a Bencher paddle soon afterwards.
I have no idea why I dismantled my own paddles; I remember their being
just as good as the Bencher.
Ian, G4ICV, AB2GR, K2 #4962
--
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