reminds me of the WWII radio operators in bombers. Many of them wore their key strapped to their thighs. Knew one old ham that worked CW mobile like that. I like this, and hope to have it on my printer shortly. Thanks Keven.
Hi Kevin, just finishing printing this little gem. It went together well, and I only need to figure out the wiring of the socket. A big thank you. Happy Christmas mate! 73 Colin vk2JCC
I put magnets on the bottom of my 3D printed porta-paddles. Stuck to the top of the 891 they are probably more solid then my Bencher at home. Only really works with the form factor of the 891 though. On my 7300 they'd be way too high, and there's no hope at all for the KX2 (glad it already has them on it!)
Fine design, especially the slide in paddles. The first comment I have is to maybe angle the paddles ~30° in reference to the wristband to make the paddles a bit more ergonomic. The second comment would be to maybe add a module/screw for adjusting the contact distance/paddle movement. Thx Kevin for taking time to design this.
Thanks. I thought about angling the paddles, but I'd have to make two variants, one for right handed folks and one rotated the other way for left handed folks. In actual use, I didn't find the straight angle to be uncomfortable though. As for adjustment. If you wanted more travel, you can shim the screws. Put a thin washer, or cut a bit of card stock and put it under the screw head to back it out a bit. I'm also thinking about providing paddle sets with slightly increased thickness for a tighter 'spring' action.
Kevin, A local ham friend (Elmering does pay off. He used to mow my lawn 35 years ago) is making one of these keys for his own use. I recommended he use brass nuts and bolts just to make better contacts electrically and it will look more “cool” too. I also suggested he make points on the ends of the contact bolts. I will try to get pictures of his final product if he does it my way. Dave K8WPE
Cool project, have to try and print this for myself. I haven't seen wrist mounted paddles either but back in the 90's when I was a cw operator in the armed forces we had straight keys that had straps for mounting on a knee. That actually worked really well, wish I could find a key like that.
Watch the thingiverse page. I'm probably going to add another version of the base with the strap mounts on the sides for leg mount. Check it in a few days.
👍Good idea and thanks for sharing Kevin. If you decide to have a competition to name this new key design, I would suggest "The I-19". The idea being that Interstate 19 is in the US and is metric. Also, the "I" could stand for "Iambic".
Last week Adam, K6ARK released a design for some mini paddles too. His design uses a live hinge and the flexibility of PETG to make a compact design. You can find it on printables. It isn't wrist mountable but it wouldn't be too difficult to add onto the base design considering it's just a thin rectangle with two rectangular cutouts on the ends. You probably could even add the mod directly in a slicer like PrusaSlicer. EDIT: Adam Posted another model that allows you to mount it to your leg or wrist. Another popular method is to glue neodymium magnets to the base and attach it to the radio. Works for a radio like an FT-817 but not one like a IC-705
I've seen his, they're quite nice. There's another that slides into a shell to protect the paddles, and plugging the cable in the back pushes them forward out of the shell. I figured I'd jump on the bandwagon and play my bit too. :-)
@@loughkb I have both of Adam's paddle designs, and I honestly prefer his retractable design. On another note, he recently added a leg/wrist strap design to printables so now that works too.
Excellent! You designed it and then provided the file for free. Now let's sit back and wait for the "Well, actually...engineers" who are going to tell you how you could have done it better. 🤦♂️
Nice design Kevin. I will definitely make one. Since I have an addiction to making keys, Hi Hi. Just got done making K6ARK version. Simple is generally best. As a SOTA-teer, I'm always looking at different ways to try something. Some of my favorite keys have been 3d printed. Since they are light, I usually carry two for back up. I have made a few leg straps but never a wrist strap, great idea. Hard to tell watching the video so I will have to see when I print one. Only recommendation I see right now would be to change the paddles so they are closer together. So your fingers are not so far a part. So thanks again. 73 De KF7SEY
Very Creative Kevin I would like to learn morse code think am to old to learn am 55 I've just got tickets last year I do decode lot's of CW. Great video again.
Cool idea! How about making it leg mount ? I like to have my one hand free for other tasks ( like holding coffee mug, killing mosquitos, etc) while calling CQ with the other :) 73! Linas LY2H
Hey Kevin, my pop watches a lot of your videos and finds them very interesting and helpful. He doesn’t have a TH-cam account and he asked me to see if there was a way he could personally reach out to you. All he told me was he was having and issue with one of his radios and he thought you could help him out
Nice! Prior art: In the '60s there were folks who strapped a key to their thigh so that they could operate while driving. (Of course, keyers were only starting to show up, so these were straight keys. I never heard of this being done with a bug - vibrations in the car would probably set that weight a swinging.
@@JoshuaJayG I wonder if it still counts, since you use your hand to operate it, as a "handheld electronic device", in states that try using that phrase to keep people from driving while holding their cell phone to their head.
@@KeepEvery1Guessing Good question. I imagine in those places it may. I don't have to look at my key and it's not going anywhere if I take my hand away. I imagine if someone gets pulled over for using their key mobile, they may need to pay more attention anyway as they were likely driving somewhat erratically. Don't send CW in traffic.
Nice idea Kevin, I'm sure I've seen a SOTA guy use a key strapped to his leg! I think it was N7KOM but could be mistaken. Take care Kevin and keep the good stuff coming 👍
I just added a second version of the base with the strap mount rotated 90 degrees. You can choose which one to print if you want wrist or leg mount. Or just make one of each. :-)
Go for it. You'll need some kind of strain relief in the housing. You could pass your cable through the existing hole the jack would go in. Patch cords are less than 10 bucks though. www.amazon.com/3-5mm-Stereo-Audio-Patch-Cable/dp/B0018MC9PI/ref=sr_1_9?crid=K7PB6DOJEQP2&keywords=1%2F8th+inch+stereo+patch+cord&qid=1670535926&sprefix=1%2F8th+inch+stereo+patch+%2Caps%2C510&sr=8-9
The Icom 705 has bluetooth for audio and serial. Why couldn't they simply add keying as an option? Maybe it could already be made to work.. They could use the RTS or DTR pins on the virtual serial port as keying. Then a micro controller and a bluetooth chip is all you'd need in the paddles. The rest would just be software. I'll have to think on that.. Latency could be a problem though.
WA6YOU demonstrates Different CW Keys, including a leg-mounted straight key from Marine Corps equipment: th-cam.com/video/n7lJccG0u48/w-d-xo.html The J-45: this is the well known "leg clamp" key consisting of a J-37 mounted on a metal plate hinged to a spring metal which was worn above the knee (late WWII) th-cam.com/video/Zmwx4kvxQgk/w-d-xo.html J-45 key Sending morse code: th-cam.com/video/uOrJYI263mk/w-d-xo.html Clansman (UK Military) Morse key th-cam.com/video/g6KFf_7AzaA/w-d-xo.html If you wanted to do a leg-mounted option, the strap has to be at right-angles to the wrist mounted version. A 3D printed version of the J-45 may be possible. Keith, M0KIL.
I'm thinking about doing an alternative base design with the strap mounts at the sides for leg strap. :-) I'm actually working on version 2 already. I have the paddle block separate, with a slot and groove design to let it slot into swappable bases, or just be a smaller hand held unit.
Not really practical. I'd have about 3 hours work into each one, plus the logistics of shipping. I'd have to charge more than people would be willing to pay for it to be a profitable venture. And being off-grid, my 3D printing time is limited. I'm happy to just put it out there and let people build their own. :-)
Very nice and practical design! The simpler, the better. Also thanks for choosing metric screws.
73 Stephan
Very nice design. I look forward to printing some and assembling as gifts for my Ham brothers.
Thanks. And, that's a cool idea. :-)
That's pretty slick. With a long enough Velcro strap it would even make a nice little thigh mount.
I added a second version of the base part with the strap mounts rotated 90 degrees just for that.
reminds me of the WWII radio operators in bombers. Many of them wore their key strapped to their thighs. Knew one old ham that worked CW mobile like that. I like this, and hope to have it on my printer shortly. Thanks Keven.
super good design and its good left or right and straight forward i like it
Nice little project
Hi Kevin, just finishing printing this little gem. It went together well, and I only need to figure out the wiring of the socket. A big thank you. Happy Christmas mate! 73 Colin vk2JCC
I put magnets on the bottom of my 3D printed porta-paddles. Stuck to the top of the 891 they are probably more solid then my Bencher at home. Only really works with the form factor of the 891 though. On my 7300 they'd be way too high, and there's no hope at all for the KX2 (glad it already has them on it!)
Great design, Kevin. I love the slot-together approach 👍👍
Fine design, especially the slide in paddles. The first comment I have is to maybe angle the paddles ~30° in reference to the wristband to make the paddles a bit more ergonomic. The second comment would be to maybe add a module/screw for adjusting the contact distance/paddle movement. Thx Kevin for taking time to design this.
Thanks.
I thought about angling the paddles, but I'd have to make two variants, one for right handed folks and one rotated the other way for left handed folks. In actual use, I didn't find the straight angle to be uncomfortable though.
As for adjustment. If you wanted more travel, you can shim the screws. Put a thin washer, or cut a bit of card stock and put it under the screw head to back it out a bit.
I'm also thinking about providing paddle sets with slightly increased thickness for a tighter 'spring' action.
@@loughkb Possibilities are endless for customizations.
Kevin,
A local ham friend (Elmering does pay off. He used to mow my lawn 35 years ago) is making one of these keys for his own use. I recommended he use brass nuts and bolts just to make better contacts electrically and it will look more “cool” too. I also suggested he make points on the ends of the contact bolts. I will try to get pictures of his final product if he does it my way. Dave K8WPE
Neat idea and nice job. My first thought upon seeing it in action was to replace the cable with Bluetooth. 😁
Latency could be a problem.
Nice job Kevin, will give the Ender3 V2 a job to do.
I like it!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts and ideas.
What a great idea! Thank you for making it available to us on Thingiverse. I am going to make one. Thank you again, Kevin. 73
This is awesome! I cant run my printer in the winter, too cold in the shop, prints will warp, but come spring time I'm darn sure trying this!
Cool project, have to try and print this for myself. I haven't seen wrist mounted paddles either but back in the 90's when I was a cw operator in the armed forces we had straight keys that had straps for mounting on a knee. That actually worked really well, wish I could find a key like that.
Watch the thingiverse page. I'm probably going to add another version of the base with the strap mounts on the sides for leg mount. Check it in a few days.
Good application. Good idea in action!
What a novel idea! Arm chair copy now become lawn chair copy. 🙂
Nicely thought through...
👍Good idea and thanks for sharing Kevin. If you decide to have a competition to name this new key design, I would suggest "The I-19". The idea being that Interstate 19 is in the US and is metric. Also, the "I" could stand for "Iambic".
Last week Adam, K6ARK released a design for some mini paddles too. His design uses a live hinge and the flexibility of PETG to make a compact design. You can find it on printables.
It isn't wrist mountable but it wouldn't be too difficult to add onto the base design considering it's just a thin rectangle with two rectangular cutouts on the ends. You probably could even add the mod directly in a slicer like PrusaSlicer.
EDIT: Adam Posted another model that allows you to mount it to your leg or wrist.
Another popular method is to glue neodymium magnets to the base and attach it to the radio. Works for a radio like an FT-817 but not one like a IC-705
I've seen his, they're quite nice. There's another that slides into a shell to protect the paddles, and plugging the cable in the back pushes them forward out of the shell.
I figured I'd jump on the bandwagon and play my bit too. :-)
@@loughkb I have both of Adam's paddle designs, and I honestly prefer his retractable design. On another note, he recently added a leg/wrist strap design to printables so now that works too.
Great job Kevin 👏🏽
Excellent! You designed it and then provided the file for free. Now let's sit back and wait for the "Well, actually...engineers" who are going to tell you how you could have done it better. 🤦♂️
Anything can always be done better though. I accept that. :-)
Nice design Kevin. I will definitely make one. Since I have an addiction to making keys, Hi Hi. Just got done making K6ARK version. Simple is generally best. As a SOTA-teer, I'm always looking at different ways to try something. Some of my favorite keys have been 3d printed. Since they are light, I usually carry two for back up. I have made a few leg straps but never a wrist strap, great idea. Hard to tell watching the video so I will have to see when I print one. Only recommendation I see right now would be to change the paddles so they are closer together. So your fingers are not so far a part. So thanks again. 73 De KF7SEY
Very Creative Kevin I would like to learn morse code think am to old to learn am 55 I've just got tickets last year I do decode lot's of CW. Great video again.
Cool idea! How about making it leg mount ? I like to have my one hand free for other tasks ( like holding coffee mug, killing mosquitos, etc) while calling CQ with the other :) 73! Linas LY2H
I just added a second version of the base part over on thingiverse. It's rotated 90 degrees for leg mounting.
Hey Kevin, my pop watches a lot of your videos and finds them very interesting and helpful. He doesn’t have a TH-cam account and he asked me to see if there was a way he could personally reach out to you. All he told me was he was having and issue with one of his radios and he thought you could help him out
Hello Jesse, If he looks me up over on QRZ.COM, he can find my public email address and send me a note.
Thanks for the relay. 73
Such a great project! Hope you are selling these, you have to make the cash for the effort.
73
Great job Kevin. I like it very much but I don't do CW. I am a ssb sota. Metric all the way 😉 Motters M7TRS 73 👍🏻 🇬🇧
Nice! Thank you for this!
Nice!
Prior art: In the '60s there were folks who strapped a key to their thigh so that they could operate while driving. (Of course, keyers were only starting to show up, so these were straight keys. I never heard of this being done with a bug - vibrations in the car would probably set that weight a swinging.
Bill, I am doing that now with my American Morse keys. I have a straight key and an iambic paddle to use /m.
@@JoshuaJayG I wonder if it still counts, since you use your hand to operate it, as a "handheld electronic device", in states that try using that phrase to keep people from driving while holding their cell phone to their head.
@@KeepEvery1Guessing Good question. I imagine in those places it may. I don't have to look at my key and it's not going anywhere if I take my hand away. I imagine if someone gets pulled over for using their key mobile, they may need to pay more attention anyway as they were likely driving somewhat erratically. Don't send CW in traffic.
Nice idea Kevin, I'm sure I've seen a SOTA guy use a key strapped to his leg! I think it was N7KOM but could be mistaken. Take care Kevin and keep the good stuff coming 👍
I just added a second version of the base with the strap mount rotated 90 degrees. You can choose which one to print if you want wrist or leg mount. Or just make one of each. :-)
First view. Woot! Been following your progress on Patreon. Going to download the Thingverse files right now! de W3DJS in Dacula, GA.
I like it, but could you by pass the jack & just wire the parts directly?
Go for it. You'll need some kind of strain relief in the housing. You could pass your cable through the existing hole the jack would go in.
Patch cords are less than 10 bucks though.
www.amazon.com/3-5mm-Stereo-Audio-Patch-Cable/dp/B0018MC9PI/ref=sr_1_9?crid=K7PB6DOJEQP2&keywords=1%2F8th+inch+stereo+patch+cord&qid=1670535926&sprefix=1%2F8th+inch+stereo+patch+%2Caps%2C510&sr=8-9
Thanks for your help
Imagine a Bluetooth Transmitter, Hooked into those paddles.
And the Air force used leg paddles/key in ww2.
DE VE3TYA
Clever idea. 73
Version 2 - wireless ;)
The Icom 705 has bluetooth for audio and serial. Why couldn't they simply add keying as an option? Maybe it could already be made to work.. They could use the RTS or DTR pins on the virtual serial port as keying. Then a micro controller and a bluetooth chip is all you'd need in the paddles. The rest would just be software.
I'll have to think on that.. Latency could be a problem though.
WA6YOU demonstrates Different CW Keys, including a leg-mounted straight key from
Marine Corps equipment: th-cam.com/video/n7lJccG0u48/w-d-xo.html
The J-45: this is the well known "leg clamp" key consisting of a J-37 mounted on a metal plate hinged to a spring metal which was worn above the knee (late WWII)
th-cam.com/video/Zmwx4kvxQgk/w-d-xo.html
J-45 key Sending morse code:
th-cam.com/video/uOrJYI263mk/w-d-xo.html
Clansman (UK Military) Morse key
th-cam.com/video/g6KFf_7AzaA/w-d-xo.html
If you wanted to do a leg-mounted option, the strap has to be at right-angles to the wrist mounted version. A 3D printed version of the J-45 may be possible.
Keith, M0KIL.
I'm thinking about doing an alternative base design with the strap mounts at the sides for leg strap. :-)
I'm actually working on version 2 already. I have the paddle block separate, with a slot and groove design to let it slot into swappable bases, or just be a smaller hand held unit.
Maybe you could try to sell them yourself. Just a thought. Take care and 73 Vic de KE8JWE
Not really practical. I'd have about 3 hours work into each one, plus the logistics of shipping. I'd have to charge more than people would be willing to pay for it to be a profitable venture.
And being off-grid, my 3D printing time is limited.
I'm happy to just put it out there and let people build their own. :-)
@@loughkb Yep I can see all points and it does make sense. thanks for the reply and take care 73 Vic KE8JWE
Loose the gum! Please.
I set it loose later. It's out roaming the wasteland. :-)
Can’t watch this. Mic picks up every mouth sound.
Okay.
I'd likely get up and walk away from the rig! Crash!
👋 🐈