[Elecraft] Begali and K2

[Rich McCabe]

I am afraid its true !

A only. Not to mention it does not show the keyer speed. Not half the keyer 
of the K2 !

Rich

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "ROBERT CARROLL" <w2wg at comcast.net>
To: "'Rich McCabe'" <r.mccabe at 1967z28.com>
Cc: <elecraft at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Monday, March 20, 2006 6:26 PM
Subject: RE: [Elecraft] Begali and K2


> Is it true that the Pro III does not support Curtis Mode B?  I have heard
> 90% of cw devotees use Mode B!
>
> Bob W2WG
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: elecraft-bounces+w2wg=comcast.net at mailman.qth.net
> [mailto:elecraft-bounces+w2wg=comcast.net at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of 
> Rich
> McCabe
> Sent: Monday, March 20, 2006 6:28 PM
> Cc: elecraft at mailman.qth.net
> Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Begali and K2
>
> Thanks Vic,
>
> Thats great info although most of it over my head :)
>
> The dilema I have now is I was considering ordering the new MicroHam USB
> keyer.  It sounds like this might not be a good solution right now. To 
> make
> things worse, I really am a novice at CW. I never have been very fast at 
> it
> although I used to enjoy it. My last CW contact was....... uh about 17 
> years
>
> ago. Never used anything but a straight key.
>
> So what do you think. I buy a Begali signature so now I really have to use
> it !!  Bold move I know, but that usually works for me.
>
> Have you heard anything about the new material that Begali might be using
> (according to MicroHam)? I really thought a clean electrical contact was
> just that. Couldnt get any better !
>
> I would like to be able to use the key on my Pro III as well but it does 
> not
>
> support Mode B. For whatever reason I do better with that mode.
>
> 73,
>
> Rich
> kd0zv
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Vic K2VCO" <vic at rakefet.com>
> To: "Rich McCabe" <r.mccabe at 1967z28.com>
> Cc: <elecraft at mailman.qth.net>
> Sent: Monday, March 20, 2006 5:19 PM
> Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Begali and K2
>
>
>> Rich McCabe wrote:
>>>
>>> I just bought a new Begali Signature to go with my K2/100. I was 
>>> thinking
>
>>> about buying a MicroHam/K1EL USB CW keyer to work with my Pro III so I
>>> can run mode B.
>>>
>>> I just ran into this article about a debouncer and the Begali keys.
>>> http://www.microham-usa.com/Products/Begali.html
>>>
>>> This seems pretty wild to me, but thought I would toss it out the the CW
>>> Pros !  It seems the problem is related to PIC based keyers. Does this
>>> apply to the K2 and what do you think about the whole theory?
>>
>> To a smaller extent, yes it does.  Here's an edited excerpt from a review
>> of the Magnetic Pro (very similar to the Signature) that I wrote for 
>> eHam:
>>
>> The contact alloy behaves almost like a semiconductor, maintaining a
>> constant forward voltage drop over a range of current. Measuring the
>> contact resistance with an ohmmeter gives 'funny' readings; it's more
>> interesting if your meter has a diode voltage drop range, such as my 
>> Fluke
>
>> 79.
>>
>> Anyway, the result of this is that the key does not work properly with
>> keyers like Winkey, which use a single PIC input and voltage divider to
>> distinguish dots and dashes. Microham has actually developed an interface
>> to solve this problem. More broadly, however, the contact resistance
>> behavior causes intermittent problems with other keyers that do use
>> separate PIC inputs, such as the Logikey K3 and the internal keyers in my
>> Elecraft K2 and TS850s. This problem can be described as an intermittent
>> 'misfire', in which there is a delay before dot or dash generation starts
>> after the contacts are closed.  I believe that the delay is caused by the
>> time constant of the bypass capacitors and the variable contact
>> resistance.
>>
>> The Microham device is reported to help with Winkey, but does not help
>> with the Logikey K3 (I tried it).  The delay seems to appear more
>> frequently the more heavily you use the paddle, which I suspect has to do
>> with the thickness of an oxide layer that develops on the contacts. If 
>> you
>
>> let it sit for a while, the frequency of the problem decreases.
>>
>> The Begali keys can be ordered with gold contacts, which I recommend. 
>> It's
>
>> possible to order replacement parts, but since the contacts are part of
>> the movable arms, the cost of the replacement kit for my key was $78.  I
>> bit the bullet and ordered the kit; hopefully it will solve the problem.
>> In the meantime, I'm using my old Bencher.
>>
>> Since you already have the key, I suggest that you try it and see how it
>> works.  Some people don't report a problem, in my opinion because they
>> don't beat on it enough.
>> -- 
>> 73,
>> Vic, K2VCO
>> Fresno CA
>> http://www.qsl.net/k2vco
>>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
> Post to: Elecraft at mailman.qth.net
> You must be a subscriber to post to the list.
> Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.):
> http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
>
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm
> Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
>
>
>