[Elecraft] CW Key wiring

David King dking at vcn.com
Thu Oct 4 17:37:13 EDT 2007


I'm going to ask what has to be the most basic CW question you're going 
to encounter this year, but it's got me stumped.

In preparation for bringing my K2 project to a conclusion, I purchased 
my first key.  Actually, a brand new in-the box Bencher Iambic Paddle BY-1.

It came with three spade clips on the bottom, to be attached to the 
appropriate cord...to be supplied by me.

I finally found what appears to be the "standard" normal wiring 
configuration for said cord...(I am going into a 3.5 mm stereo plug for 
my K2)...where the tip is dit, the small ring is dah and the sleeve or 
back ring on the plug shaft is ground/common/whatever.

So, I set it up with the wire for the left paddle going to the tip, the 
wire for the right paddle going to the "middle" ring on the plug, and 
the ground/common going to the shaft or back ring of the plug.

When I plug it in, I get the dit on my K2 when I push the left 
paddle...but when I push the right, or dah paddle, I get nothing.  If I 
switch the spade clips on the bottom of the BY-1, it works the other 
way...the right paddle keys the radio, but the left paddle doesn't.

Thinking I had a bad wiring connection, I tested it for continuity and 
the wiring is good and the paddles make/break the connection for both 
circuits to the plug.

Do I have something wired wrong?
So, is there a menu setting I should be changing on the K2? 
Is there a black box I'm supposed to put between the BY-1 and my machine? 
Or, am I just the dumbest person on the block?  (Please don't answer 
that one...it was supposed to be rhetorical.  I've already decided that 
I am dumber than a post after not being able to get any RF output during 
the 40 alignment stage, and thanks to a lot of patience on Gary's part 
at Elecraft Support, I finally tracked it down to having switched one 
green and one red wire on T3 in holes A and D.  Amazing how much better 
it worked with that wired correctly)

David King
KE7EKA


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