[Elecraft] Re: KXPD1

[Wayne Burdick]

DYARNES@aol.com wrote:

> I've worked a bunch of others who have the KX1, but not one of them had the paddle....

Just a coincidence, Dave. About 3/4ths of the KX1's we've sold have included the
paddle. I was expecting closer to 100% because the paddle is what really makes
the little rig ideal for field use (especially standing, sitting on the ground,
or prone). Conclusion? Some people are using the KX1 exclusively as a home
station  :)

The price reflects some very expensive materials costs. Everything in the KXPD1
is custom-fabricated for us, right down to the captive thumb-screw. The aluminum
bracket is CNC machined (very expensive) because a casting, or extrusion plus
machining, would cost even more in moderate quantities. Our first prototype
contacts used force-sensitive resistors or discrete membrane switches, but these
exhibited "stickiness" and hysteresis problems. So we went with a variation on
more traditional mechanical paddles: photo-etched spring-steel levers and silver
contacts. The levers and the molded rubber grips are held to very tight
tolerances. 

 
> So, in short, the KXPD1 is a definite winner!  

Thanks for your comments! Nice to hear from a lefty, too. We assumed from the
start that we'd need physical reversibility, and I'm glad it's working for you.
(It would have been a *lot* easier to design the paddle if it had simply stuck
out perpendicularly from the front panel. But 45 degrees is much closer to
ideal, ergonomically.)

Send us your stories from the field (or couch, or easy chair....).

73,
Wayne
N6KR

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http://www.elecraft.com