Amateur Radio DIY- Project:

Semi-automatic Morse key self-built

Author: Wolfgang Palme, DL8ABH

all photos: DL8ABH

1. The idea
The market offers today's CW-active radio amateurs a broad range of
electronically supported Morse devices, such as EL-bugs, sensor keys, keyer
electronics with and without memory, etc. ........ If you think that there is no
more room in the shack for the traditional "pump handle" or "bug key" that
have been used for decades, you are wrong!
As Ebay, for example, shows, old traditional keys are increasingly finding
buyers today, sometimes for quite considerable sums, which also applies for
new keys and bugs of new and old brands.
Some of us, however, find a special attraction in self-building radio gear
I am thinking of the motto of the deserving OM Peter Zenker, DL2FI (SK):
"Amateur radio becomes true again when amateur radio becomes what it
was" and who thus proclaimed the rediscovery of homebrewing in amateur
radio.
So why not try to build a working and operational Morse key yourself?

The pictures below show some of the Morse keys I have already built.

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2. Basic considerations

a. Why build a key?

- Fun in creative work, joy in the final product

- Mastering "tricky" tasks (construction, function and design)
- Creation of a functional Morse key
- Useful "consumption" of a pensioners' free time

b. Why this article?

The following lines are intended to document the planning and working steps
of a key construction by means of one concrete example. However, no
detailed assembly instructions or construction folder will be provided. The
procedure, the choice of materials, the construction and dimensioning are
ultimately based on my decisions for the concrete example. And it is to be
checked to what extent ideas can be adopted for other key construction
projects. Since there are often "many roads leading to Rome", certainly
(better) alternative solutions may be practical.

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c. Eliminating unnecessary obstacles

The "wheel should not be reinvented", i.e. the thoughts and ideas of earlier
designers on a key formerly produced can be used as an aid to planning and
construction and tried and tested design features may be adopted in a
beginner' s project.
For this purpose, one should look for a suitable key as a model. However, no
"clone" - a 1:1 copy of the model - is to be created. One of the main
obstacles, he lack of identical sheet metal thicknesses and thread forms in
American anind British inch sizes, largely unusual for Europe except for the
UK alone would make this almost impossible, and on the other hand due to
the long ago suspended production of special parts (e.g. the ornate knurled
screws and nuts, the dot oscillating spring with silver contact and the
oscillating lever spring, to list just a few).
- Our semi-automatic Morse key should be buildable by anyone interested
and determined to "go through with the project"!
-The financial expenditure should be kept as low as possible. (pure material
value approx. 30 € +-)
NO workshop with expensive machines is necessary for our project,
you do NOT need any special equipment of machines and tools!

However, the prerequisite is the existence of a "handicraft corner" with a

stable (work) table with sufficient lighting and basic equipment of household
tools. These include, among others: Metal fine saws, key- and coarse files,
hammer, screw clamps, vice (hobbyist size), drill with simple but stable drill
stand (approx. 25-30 €), metal drill, sandpaper, gas (soldering) torch, silver
solder with flux, solder wire for soft soldering. A caliper!! And for one of our
most important crafts, the cutting of internal and external threads, we need
one or two sets of taps and dies (size M4, possibly also M5)

3. Model keys as planning and construction aids

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DENTSU-SEIKI SWALLOW BUG Model BK50

Above we see a semi automatic "Dentsu-Seiki Swallow, Model BK50" bug, made in
Japan between 1953 - 1964. Its simple mechanical construction makes it
suitable as a project aid.

Creating a parts list - recommended step when planning your own bug
key

For this first the key is:

⦁ photographed in all positions!
⦁ completely disassembled. In doing so, one gets to know the parts
and their function in detail!
⦁ All parts are measured.

The result is a clear picture of all the individual key parts.

In my example, there are 65!
Afterwards, assemble the key and put it away.

Then, by knowing exactly how our model is constructed and how

it works, it should be possible to create your own key model.
Evaluate very carefully the following aspects

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 ⦁ Feasibility (manufacturing possibility, tools, machines).
⦁ Availability (material, parts, screws, springs...)
⦁ Reduction (fewer parts)
⦁ Simplification (simpler constructions)
⦁ Inventiveness, ideas, solutions.

After careful consideration (see above), we draw up a (preliminary)

parts list for our planned button

Parts list für homemade key

No.Part/Function (Model BK50) - homemade key

Material/Dimensions/Source
1. base plate (bakelite shell/filling) - beech wood plate 176x76x19
breakfast board
2. 4 rubber feet ca.10x10 - Junkbox/Ebay 17€/200 pcs

3. 2 Frames(front/rear)Bakelite construction - square barbrass 10x10:

- 50x36x10(outside) square bar Junkbox/Ebay:
- 40x34x10(outside) metal supplier

4. thumbscrews (brass, chromed) - replace all if possible Junk/ Ebay

(DE):
2x M5x23 (Leverstop) - M4x25 (brass, chromed) 12pcs 18
€.
2x M5x16 (Dash-/Dot-Contact) - modified as needed
1x M5x16 + insulator round piece - "
2x M4x7 (side mounting screws) - "

5. 2x tension spiral springs D:6mm, - same or similar Junkbox

L. approx. 15 mm
6. knurled nuts (brass, chrome plated) - replace with chin. nuts. Product
Ebay
2x M4, 5xM5 30pcs. 6,35
€

7. 3x round head slot 4x20 brass - replace by slot, M4 Junkbox

(frame to base)
8. 2x M4x7 (slot) brass - " slot, M4 Junkbox
Contact pole screws
9. 2x M4x9 with special attachment Brass- " slot, M4 Junkbox
for frame fixing Rear and
connection cable
10. 2x M4x12 with snap ring and washer -
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 for front bolt Brass " slot, M4 Junkbox
11. 2 bolts (brass, M4)
11. 2 bolts (brass, chromed) Brass - bolts from 12x5 flat Ebay:
MTrader
12x4x163 bar material
12x4x138

12. lever arm (swing arm) - handmade to measure

(chrome-plated brass):
⦁ Short swing arm part(rear).
6x1,5x74 (free part: 60mm) - made of brass sheet 6x2x74
Ebay:
- identical junk box
⦁ Swing arm spring 33x9mm
(free section:12mm) - identical dimensions, made of
spring steel Painter's spatula
⦁ Dit contact spring (spring flat steel) - see above.
⦁ Length (total): 54 mm
⦁ Spring mounting slotted screw
with knurled nut M2/M3

13. swing arm part with pivot - Brass flat bar material Ebay:
Metal
dealer
9x6x53 mm 12x6 mm, file to 9 mm

pivot (steel pin) pointed - threaded steel piece M4 Junk

14. bearing (top/bottom) - identical/similar to junk box

screw threaded piece M4x8
with knurled nut and brass screw,
holes for journals

15. dash lever section - identical custom

made
junk/remnants
(brass, chromed) Brass strip D:2 mm
L: approx. 48mm, D: 1,5mm Br:5 mm

16. weight/ weight (brass, chromed) - Brass base material D: 20

mm 20 grams 10 - 30 gram Metal
trade

17. damper (brass, chromed) - custom made:

Roller D: 20, screw brass roller, slotted screw junk/
leftovers

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 Attachment to rear frame - Frame transverse (suitable
construction)

4. construction of the key

A: the base plate
- glue two breakfast boards (beech, D 7 and D 10mm) on top of each other
- saw out (fret saw, but much more comfortable with a pendulum stroke
jigsaw) and work to the final shape (sandpaper, file)
- Drill holes (template!)

glued breadboard for the base plate

B: front and back frame

Picture above and below: front frame made of brass rod material 10x10mm,
side parts soldered at the bottom. M4 threads for the bearings have to be
placed in the middle at the top and bottom.

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Drilling machine with stand! for precise right-angled drilling

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Unfortunately, cutting internal and external threads remains a common chore.
It's easy! Many good tips for drilling and thread cutting can be found on
YOUTUBE.

Sketch: the back frame

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C: The two side bars

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I sawed them out of a piece of brass sheet and filed them to size. Save
yourself this energy-sapping task and use a dimensionally correct brass flat
bar where you only have to cut the appropriate pieces to length.
These two side pieces are used to fix all contact and adjusting screws.
Therefore, pay attention to exact measurements, especially to the exact
position of the holes! Later, when making the rocker arm, always check the
accuracy of fit of opposite "contact points" on the latch and pendulum (e.g.
dot-spring contact and dot-contact screw).
Sketch: side bar right

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Sketch: side bar left

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D: the swing arm
The most difficult part of the key is the swing arm (pendulum). It consists of
many individual parts. The dimensions given on the drawings are close
approximations to those of the model key. Especially with the lengths, it has
already been shown in earlier key building projects that it is not necessarily
wrong to stick to the dimensions of the working models in order to guarantee
the perfect interaction of all parts. Unless, of course, you value time-
consuming and annoying fiddling and correcting of the parts to get a halfway
functioning key. Who wants to have a too-short swing arm that will never
reach the damper, or a nicely oscillating contact spring that misses its dot
contact?
Brass is a truly rewarding material of construction: with appropriate patience
and care, satisfactory results can be achieved from it, even with simple tools,
for the required key parts. Sawing, filing, sanding, drilling and always
measuring in between with calipers, rulers and angle irons!!! is one of the
most common tasks of the homebrewer.
Here again are pictures and another sketch with the suggested
measurements for rebuilding

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Picture above left: Picture above right:
wide T-piece facilitates the finished Dash-Lever section.
subsequent bending of the L: ca.48 mm, D: .2mm, Br: ca. 5
mm
lugs for mandrel passage

Dimensions and sketch of the swing arm

- assembled length 17.4 cm (without finger pieces)
Single parts:
1 x pivot -> pointed threaded rod piece M4, length 25 mm

1 x Dash lever piece (description elsewhere)

1 x Did contact spring -> spring steel strip, length in total approx. 57 mm,

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bent, width 5 mm with hard soldered silver bead
1 x short swing arm part (rear): 6x2x73 (sketch no.1), with hole M2/M3 for
mounting
the Did contact spring (sketch no.2)
1 x oscillating spring (vibrator) -> leaf spring made of spring steel strips, total
length approx. 22mm, 2x 5mm for soldering, thus oscillating part approx.
12mm (sketch no.3)
1 x vibrating arm with pivot: 9x6x53 (sketch no.4), with countersink (drill M7 or
M8) to take the did key tension spring (sketch no.5) and hole with M4 thread
to take the pivot and the short dash lever (sketch no.6)
Sketch: Key swing arm

E: the damper construction

below: sketch damper

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 F: The weight
By moving the weight on the pendulum arm, the speed of the key, more
correctly: the "point speed" is regulated. The mass of the weight determines
the adjustable speed range: the more mass, the slower the oscillating arm
oscillates. The picture shows 3 variants for our key: the left and right weights
are "homebrew", the middle weight is that of the BK-50 key.

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G: silver contacts selfmade

Making the dot/dash contact screws, the dot contact spring and the dash
contact plate.

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 ⦁ knurled screws as contact screws are shortened by approx. 1/3 of the
length (approx. 7-9 mm).

⦁ cut out the contact spring from a thin spring steel painter's spatula
(see description elsewhere).

⦁ contact plate (approx. 10x5 mm) is sawn out of 1 mm thick brass

sheet and filed into shape, the adjustment slot is drilled/ filed.

⦁ a small piece of silver solder (with > 40% silver content) is melted
onto all parts as a "contact bead" (difficult! - heat until the solder to be
melted runs together to form a small bead / mound).

If the small soldering torch (in the picture above) is not sufficient, use a gas
torch with cartridge. In the picture below: the self-made parts, in the picture
above: original parts of the BK-50 button.

H: Unfortunately, it doesn't work like that yet! - key insulation demanded,

otherwise short circuit

Surely some of you have already asked yourselves how this key is supposed
to work? There is no trace of Morse code. Because of the use of brass
instead of plastic/bakelite as material for the frames, there are a number of
insulation problems that make the key function impossible: The key is short-
circuited! After thinking about it for a while, I found the following (relatively

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simple) solution:

⦁ Replace the fixing screws of the left contact rail (viewed from the
front) and those on the front frame at the top left with M4 nylon
screws.

⦁ The left contact rail and the yoke on the left of the front frame (both
seen from the front) are insulated at the fastening points with
insulating plates placed underneath.

⦁ The spring for the tension of the did lever is disconnected from the
set screw by a plastic washer. (a small roll of hot glue stick with a
slightly melted-in spring and placed on the corresponding adjusting
screw).

⦁ The left-hand stop screw is disconnected from the set screw by

attaching a plastic roll (e.g. outer casing of RG-58) from the
pendulum.)

5. Final note

The "key project" was successfully completed and I am pleased to be able to

present you a largely detailed documentation of the project-from the initial
idea, through the individual work steps, to the functioning final product. Minor
work on the key during construction has deliberately not been documented,
as I am convinced that as a key maker you are at least as creative and skilled
as I am. This documentation can therefore only serve as a suggestion to try
your hand at building your own Morse key, a beautiful facet of our common
hobby of amateur radio. All you need is a few common hobby tools, a little
creativity and the courage to try.

73 de DL8ABH

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