THE TOUCH PADDLE STORY I’ve been an amateur radio operator for about 39 years now and through the years I’ve work CW, SSB and tinkered in a few other modes as well. I can’t remember all the circuits and gadgets I’ve built that enhanced my enthusiasm toward the hobby. Some were successful, while others not so exciting. But beyond all of them, I always wanted the perfect paddle.
Like most of us baby boomers my first introduction to sending code was via an old straight key. In fact, that was the only method, at the time, the FCC would accept when taking the exam in the FCC office. I moved on to the Vibroplex designed paddles and eventually into an electronic keyer using a Bencher paddle. I’ve enjoyed the Bencher paddle for almost 20 years but never found it to be the ideal paddle for me. I found myself adjusting the contact gaps closer and closer to reduce paddle travel and clicking noise, to a point where I was getting falsing from the paddle. It was time to move on to something new.
Along came the Heathkit SA 5010 which offered a touch paddle with a complete electronic keyer. To me it seemed ideal. No moving paddles and no clicking sounds. The Heathkit unit worked well but I found two very disturbing flaws that should have been improved upon during the initial design. First, the paddles were made to be removable for easy storage and when installed, slip into the unit via a metal-to-metal pressure fit design. I found that the pressure fit over time became loose due to the metal clip expanding and allowed the paddles to move slightly from side to side. Secondly, if left for a long period of time the metal contacts oxidized and required cleaning. Ultimately this was not my ideal paddle.
Over the years that followed I saw and read about many new paddles designs ranging into the hundreds of dollars, but never felt inclined to spend my hard earned money on another paddle that just wasn’t perfect for me. Then one day surfing the Internet I stumbled upon a simple circuit design for a touch paddle. It spiked my interest and I had to build it. Twenty dollars and a few weeks later I had a touch keyer. Well, sort of. It’s performance to say the least was moderate. I think I built up at least 10 different touch paddle designs, found on the web or in ham magazines, during the years that followed. Although a few worked fairly well, I never could get past the need for, or look of, a serpentine PC board as a paddle. My station equipment was always state-of-the-art and the look of my paddle had to be as well. This led me in one direction, design and build my own touch paddle that was truly touch (a light touch), had absolutely no movement, looked modern and would include a basic electronic keyer within it.
Without going into great detail I approached my touch keyer design differently from others posted on the web or seen in magazines. The first obstacle to overcome was to find a way to have a functional paddle that was non-serpentined or required any special gadget. The paddle had to be clean and professional looking yet highly functional. After month or two of designing and redesigning I found my solution. Another month past refining the touch paddle design and improving on it’s performance until I could sit back a say “This is it. It works flawlessly”. With paddles designed, I moved on to selecting a simple, inexpensive keyer chip to complete the touch paddle/keyer project. I chose the Jackson Harbor Press, PK4 chip because of its small size, low cost and ease of use. Joining my new paddle design to the keyer chip produced a simple yet highly effective turnkey, touch paddle keyer.
I used my crude looking paddle/keyer design on air, for a number of months before I decided it was time to make it look as professional and state-of-the-art as the rest of my station. I chose a black plastic case and gold plated paddles. Together they produce a crisp, clean and impressive look.
Comments, from on air contacts, about my new keyer were positive and in many cases the contact wanted to know more about building one or where they could buy one. Before I decided to go any further I built up two prototypes and selected one CW active ham to run beta tests of the product against other highly acclaimed paddles. The result was exceedingly positive with a few suggestions toward refining the packaging. As for the electronics and the touch paddle aspect of the design, it met or exceeded the smooth performance, response and non-falsing of any other known and tested quality paddles.
So after months of pc board layout, packaging styles and refinements, I’ve reached a point that I can comfortably say I’ve produced my ideal paddle/keyer. It meets all my needs as an average CW operator.
The decision to market the product is purely my own. Feedback from contacts and seeing the growth and interest in ham magazines for newer paddle designs was a strong indication that this touch paddle keyer would be something hams, like myself, might enjoy building and using.
Sumner WA1JOS
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