[Elecraft] simple iambic paddle

[David Cutter]

I should have added how I made the contacts:  I filed slots in the side 
panel and fitted M4 washers with M3 screws to give me some adjustability in 
contact spacing.  That made for a rather hard contact, so, you might find a 
way of springing the grounding contact and it will be more comfortable.  I 
found the pcb needed tinning with solder to make a good contact pad.

David
G3UNA




> As others have said, my first paddle was a hacksaw blade but take care of 
> the sharp points!
>
> Better is a strip of pcb material, or 2 strips with a separator for 
> iambic.
>>From memory I used about 5mm wide and about 40mm from the fulcrum, which 
>>can
> be just a wood block with 2 slots cut and a screw through to pinch 
> together. If you start to get ambitious, you could make the whole 
> keyer/oscillator on the pcb, perhaps a TIC keyer.
>
> I did this to fit inside the base of a Norcal 20 with the paddle sticking 
> out of the side to which I screwed a pair of Kent paddle handles.  You 
> could just shape the pcbs into large finger pads.
>
> David
> G3UNA
>
>