[Elecraft] [KX3] KXPD3 intermittent keying

[Cady, Fred]

My KXPD3 started to give some intermittent keying.

Here is my theory:
The connection between the paddle arms contact to the ground that needs
to be closed to complete the circuit is through the pivot pin at the
back of each paddle arm. The pivot pin has one end that is necked-down
and has not been ground to a bright finish. In my paddle, that end was
in the bottom and, I believe, was making intermittent contact. I
reversed the pins, putting the shiny end down and, so far, that seems to
have cured the problem.
I have a picture of the pin in question on my website:
www.kex.com and click on KXPD3 Paddle Intermittent

Cheers,
Fred KE7X

Fred Cady
"The Elecraft K3: Design, Configuration and Operation"