AAØZZ EZKeyer
Contents
1. This picture illustrates the difference between center IIE ns punching and dimpling Punching the holes is now easily accomplished First grasp the punching tool thusly This grip provides complete control Punch the stereo jack holes first They will provide practice before doing the push button holes 17 Screw the 1 4 die in the j e bottom jaw and insert the 1 4 r punch in the top movable jaw If you have the metric version use the 6mm set You will have to gently use a round file or tapered reamer to slightly enlarge the holes for the jack s threads Slide the end of the tin into the jaw taking care not to scratch it with the point on the punch The key to accurate punching is to bring the tin to the punch and nestle the dim ple on the point of the punch before squeezing Another important item is to make sure the punch can penetrate the die far enough to punch the hole cleanly Practice on a piece of card stock if you re uncertain of the depth needed If you ve followed the above tips you now have a nice round hole properly placed for one of the jacks After doing the other two the tin should look like this AAQZZ EZKeyer Construction and user s manual Installing in Altoids Tin Punching the push button holes As mentioned previously the key to accurate punching is to bring the tin to the punch nestle the dimple on the point of the punch then squeeze Punching the push butt2. meee AAOZZ EZKeyer Big Fun Complete Construction and User s Manual Introduction Specifications amp Features Building the Board Installing in Altoids Tin Using the Keyer Command List Schematic diagram PCB overlay Technical Stuff Craig Johnson AAQZZ Other Stuff Terry Fletcher WAOITP Page 1 Page 2 AAQZZ EZKeyer Construction and user s manual Introduction Note This is a very simple kit to build and if you are an experienced builder you may wish to build the board and jump ahead to Section 4 Section 4 is intended to be an Altoids tin tutorial for those who haven t used one before or have had difficulty preparing the tins in the past So if you re good at using Altoids tins you may wish to just print out your label install it and the board and and jump to Section 5 Before beginning the assembly please print out the Altoids label of your choice from this page and also the bottom insulator from here This full featured PIC based iambic Morse code keyer features 3 memories and very easy use It has many of the features of the high end keyers while maintaining ease of use The PIC chips have been programmed by Craig Johnson AAQZZ of PIC EL fame Commands are entered directly rather than scrolling through menus Using a PC board that is only 1 5 x 1 75 this is an EZ to build small footprint project with large impact on your operating capabilities whether in the shack or in the field It is Altoid
3. when the paddle is closed either DIT or DAH the RX Mute output is activated shorting the Jack output to ground 7 ms later the transmitter output jack is keyed shorting its output to ground After the appropriate Dit Time or Dah Time for the current CW speed the transmitter is un keyed and 7 ms later the receiver mute is un keyed Note that the leading 7 mS is taken away from the DIT DAH ON time and the trailing 7 mS is taken from the inter element OFF time The overall speed is constant whether or not this feature is ON AAQZZ EZKeyer Construction and user s manual Schematic A o y J3 D uice Gl luF ofa U3 S ce oy J2 E D EC PICI6F628A e U2 L gt BS 170 r B PB1 D1 1N4148 E PB3 D2 1N4148 PB2 J1 Paddles AA0Z2Z2 Keyer V3 0 9 5 2009 Page AAQZZ EZKeyer Construction and user s manual gt Js ays Four State a AWOL Z ORP Group O o oO oO oO e oO oO oO O PBi PB2 PB3 SPRR EIE Page Page Links To Suitable hand Punches Harbor Freight Grizzly Northern Back To Page 5
4. a 4 wire cable from the supplied ribbon cable Cut each individual wire back 1 2 inch strip 1 8 and tin Place and solder the tinned ends in the push button holes at the bottom edge of the board One wire is for the ground connection Your push button wires should look like this at this point Strip and tin the two remaining wires and solder them into the 5 V and gnd power supply connections at the top edge of the board Print the bottom insulator trim and place it in the bot tom of the tin prior to inserting the board Click the pic om ES ture to print it at actual size r eae ahi wey Print Trim and Drop in Bottom of Tin Insert the board into the tin with the jack threads going through their holes Install and tighten the nuts Page AAQZZ EZKeyer Construction and user s manual Section 4 Installingin Altoids Tin Powering the EZKeyer Powering the keyer is left to the builder The voltage range must be within 3 to 5 5 VDC Three AAA batteries make nice battery pack for the keyer and the battery life should be a year or more They can be placed in a pyramid or laid flat and wired in series for 4 5volts A battery holder can be used also try these Mouser 546 BH3AAAW wa Digi Key BH3AAA W ND There is plenty of room in the tin for the batteries Measure the voltage before connecting the batteries to the board Wiring the push buttons Bend the one side of the button leads over to th
5. cause the keyer to restore the default settings Using the keyer Memories For practice load memory one with a 2 x 2 CQ It s very easy and when the message is sent it goes out as perfect code Example press and hold memory button 1 hear R release send 1 for memory 1 hear beep send C hear beep send Q hear beep Wait enters space beep send C hear beep send Q hear beep Wait hear beep send D hear beep send E hear beep wait beep W beep A beep 0 beep beep T beep P beep Wait beep W beep A beep 0 beep beep T beep P beep Wait beep K beep send period to end loading hear R The procedure looks complex when written out as above but in real life is extremely easy quick and intuitive To send just lightly tap button 1 The beauty of this system is that don t have to listen to my fist as the memory is sent the code is perfect Note Pressing and holding down memory button 2 or 3 allows that message to be sent from memory repeatedly Beacon Mode Pressing and releasing memory button 1 allows message 1 to be sent from memory Pressing and holding memory button 1 down for longer than 2 seconds causes the keyer to enter command mode send an R and wait or a command to be entered with the paddles Page Page AAQZZ EZKeyer Construction and user s manual Using the keyer Entering Commands The full command list and definitions can be found on the next page Choosing and using them is quite
6. for longer than about 2 seconds before the paddle 1s tapped the keyer will go into command mode I Tune Key the output continuously until the user taps one of the paddles U Autospace Mode Toggle Default is ON Response is A when turned ON N when turned OFF X Swap Paddles The DIT and DAH paddles are reversed W Report Morse speed The keyer reports the current speed M Receiver Mute Mode Toggle Response is M when toggled ON and O when toggled OFF 1 Load User Message 1 The user enters characters for message 1 one character at a time Keyer sends a DIT requesting a char acter After the character is entered and validated the keyer responds with another DIT requesting the next character etc If the user wants a space he just waits for about 2 seconds and it gives another DIT indicating the space was saved in the message User ends the message input by entering a period Maximum message size is 31 characters Response is R at end of message 2 Load User Message 2 Same as 1 3 Load User Message 3 Same as 1 Autospace Mode An aid for sending good CW When enabled you cannot send CW with two dit spaces between any two CW elements If you try to send two spaces it will automatically add one more making it a letter space instead of spacing within a letter Its hard to hear unless you slow way down and try it Receiver Mute Mode When ON the receiver mute circuitry becomes operational Then
7. EZ Here s some examples and their use The general procedure is to press Memory 1 button for 2 seconds release it hear an R and enter the command If the command isn t understood the keyer responds with a To determine the speed the keyer is sending Press button 1 until you hear R release the button and send W the keyer then sends it s setting via the sidetone speaker If you want to turn off the sidetone because your rig has one you d rather use Press button 1 until you hear R release the button and send A the keyer then sends R and turns off the side tone Doing it again toggles the sidetone back on Sideswiper Cootie lovers will love this option Press button 1 until you hear R release the button and send K the keyer then switches to the straight cootie key mode Doing it again toggles the lambic keyer back on Setting the speed via command Press button 1 until you hear R release the button and send S the keyer answers with dit you send the first digit of the speed you want e g 1 for 18 wom the keyer sends a dit you send the second digit 8 in this case the keyer responds with R and switches to the new speed setting the speed on the fly This is as easy as using as pot Push button 1 quickly tap the dot lever for faster or dash or slower release the button You re then at the new speed This change isn t stored in EEPROM but will rem
8. ain in use if you don t use an off on power switch Page AAQZZ EZKeyer Construction and user s manual Command List Pushbutton 1 1s also used to send commands to the keyer If it 1s pressed and released quickly it sends Message 1 If it is pressed and held for about 2 seconds before releasing the keyer responds with an R and goes into command mode The user now enters one of these commands A Sidetone enable Toggles the keyer s sidetone ON or OFF Default is ON Keyer response is R in either case I Iambic mode toggle Toggle between Iambic A and Iambic B mode Default is Iambic A Keyer response is A or B for Iambic A or Iambic B K Keyer Straight key toggle Toggles between Keyer mode and Straight Key mode Straight key mode can use either the DIT or DAH paddle Response is R in either case S Set CW speed between 5 and 55 WPM Keyer response is a DIT requesting the first digit followed by another DIT request ing the second digit A T may be entered instead of a zero Response is a if the input 1s invalid Default is 15 WPM In addition the speed can be adjusted quickly by pressing and holding the command pushbutton PB1 and then tapping the left usually DIT paddle or the right usually DAH paddle Each time the left paddle 1s tapped the speed increased by 2 WPM Each timethe right paddle is tapped the speed is decreased by 2 WPM The keyer responds with a DIT after each tap If PB1 is held
9. e adjacent buttons in order to connect the ground side of the switches together Solder the common point to the lead connect ed to the board ground Cut the other lead to the length required for their respect switches leave an extra 1 8 to strip and solder Insure that the lead for switch 1 is cut for switch 1 etc Solder the appropriate hot wire to the appropriate switch and you re done Use this photo for a guide AAQZZ EZKeyer Construction and user s manual Using the keyer Quick test before using Before the memories are loaded lightly tap memory button 1 You should hear a morse 1 from the on board speaker memory button 2 should return a 2 and 3 should return a 3 Then plug in a paddle and send a little code If you hear the numbers and the code all should be well Familiarization The default speed is 15 wpm to enable most ops to begin using the commands easily Set the speed where you like it using the S command see next page and send some code to get the feel of the keyer and the default settings The iambic routines are smooth with a good feel and entering commands quickly becomes second nature Go thru the command list entering each command This will familarize you with the procedure and features and only takes 2 3 minutes Note Pressing Memory 1 button while powering up will cause the keyer to output the software version number Pressing Memory 2 button while powering up will
10. etting Holding memory buttons 2 or 3 down allows that memory s message to be send repeatedly beacon mode Page 4 If you are installing the board in an Altoids tin snip the upper right hand corner at approx 45 degrees as in this photo This allows clearance with the inside rounded corner of the tin Installing the Components There are only 10 parts to be installed on the PC board The silk screening on the top of the board denotes the position of AAQZZ EZKeyer Construction and user s manual Building the board Use Adobe s zoom tool to see the pictures in detail magnify to 200 or more each component Below is a BOM and a suggested build sequence Check them off as you solder them in place PIC Socket C1 1 uF Q2 BS170 _ QM BS170 D2 1N4148 Df 1N4148 443 42 41 Spkr opeaker 1 8 Stereo Jack 1 8 Stereo Jack 1 8 Stereo Jack Orient notch per silk screen on board Capacitor MOSFET Transistor flat side must match outline on board MOSFET Transistor flat side must match outline on board Diode orient banded end per silk screen on board Diode orient banded end per silk screen on board Mute line mute connected to tip ground to sleeve Keyed line line connected to tip ground to sleeve Paddle input tip dot dash ring ground sleeve std 6 wire ribbon cable for push button and battery wiring Snip leads flush with bottom of pcb including t
11. he PIC socket and stereo jacks This insures clearance with the bottom of the tin Install PIC in socket Orient notch per silk screen on board and the notch in the socket Hold by the two ends turn on it s and side press down on a table top so entire side of 9 pins is bent in a bit until they are pointing straight down Turn over and do the same with the other 9 pins Now both sets of pins should be aligned so it will insert easily into the socket That s it the board is done Now on to Installing it in the tin Page 5 AAQZZ EZKeyer Construction and user s manual Installing in Altoids Tin Label application and center punching hole locations The Altoids label is applied at this point in the construction because it provides the template for locating the push button and stereo jack holes The holes should be punched if possible If you have experience drilling Altoids tins that process may be employed also Punching with a tool such as these is recommended as it s safer and more accurate in my experience If needed a little material can be ground or filed off the nose of the punch so as to be able to bottom the tool and punch holes exactly 1 4 inch midway up from the bottom of the tin Apply your label according to the application instructions detailed here slides showing the process may be downloaded here These pictures may help also Now that the label has been applied to the top of the tin It s time to create
12. on holes is as easy as the doing the stereo jack holes You ll have to accommodate the lip of the lid by opening the jaws a wide as possible and you ll be punching directly through the label screw the 5 32 die in the bottom jaw and insert the 5 32 punch in the movable jaw If you have a metric punch use the 4mm set no filing or reaming will be necessary Ensure that the die doesn t protrude into the space be tween the jaws see picture on the left Carefully feed the tin s lid into the jaws then screw the die further in so that the slots are E flush with the hole as in the F picture on the right This enables the tool to punch the hole Nestle the center punch dimple onto the point of the punch and squeeze It s as simple as that Do the other two holes and your tin should look like this If you re not satisfied with your first effort try another one It s cheap quick and EZ All good ham radio characteristics o Page 7 Page 8 AAQZZ EZKeyer Construction and user s manual Installing in Altoids Tin Glue the push buttons in place it s easy Before beginning make sure that you have a tube of GEL ouper Glue on hand Here are some products that have proven to work well Notice that they all say GEL on the package The thin variety will run under the switch and glue the push button rendering it useless Another caution be sure to wear eye protection when using super glues cyanoacr
13. s tin compatible and installation instructions are included in the assembly manual 4SQRP Group provides sample Altoids labels in separate PDF files Please refer to the photo page to see how your Altoids tin installation might look And check out the nifty labels for your favorite mint tins The kit includes all the parts required to build the kit push buttons connectors speaker programmed PIC transistors caps diodes everything but the enclosure and the mints Page 3 AAQZZ EZKeyer Construction and user s manual Specifications and Features 16F628A PIC based keyer Twelve direct entry commands Three easy to use 31 character memories stored in non volatile memory EEPROM 5 55 wpm speed range Iambic A or B straight key and Cootie Key modes sequenced Mute Line Goes low for rcvr or T R switch Default speed and modes stored in non volatile memory EEPROM speed entered by command or changed on the fly via the paddles Tune Mode No power switch required Current speed reported by command Operating voltage 3 5 volts Low power Ima active and luA in sleep mode 600 Hz sidetone may be turned off Autospacing between characters may be turned off Dash Dot swap command Keyed line goes low when active Pressing memory 1 button when powering up causes the keyer to output the current code revision Pressing memory 2 button when powering up causes all EEPROM setting to be initialed to the default s
14. the holes for the push buttons and jacks The procedure below details the punching method It is assumed that if you decide to drill your tin you already have a procedure that works for you As mentioned before punching an Altoids is considered more accurate safer and much much faster Mark the stereo jack hole locations on the RH end of the tin eS 7 m Use this hole locator template to mark the locations with a fine EPESES d e 5 ferc SIDE baskesd WAG TF Then mark the vertical location 1 4 L ree wie up from the bottom Sk ol tip permanent marker Click the picture to print it at actual size Another useful tool is a 2 x 2 block of wood with a notch in one end It backs up the tin while center punching the holes Clamp in a vice and it will make cleanly center punch ing the holes much easier Center punching the holes A deck or drywall screw makes a good center punch The sharp point allows accuracy in placing the mark and a light tap with a file or piece of 1 x 2 wood is all that s needed to create the dimple suggest not using a hammer The light touch and sharp point enhances accuracy Page 6 AAQZZ EZKeyer Construction and user s manual Installing in Altoids Tin EZhe an From Th Four State QRP Gro The push button hole locations are noted by the 3 small circles on the label lightly dimple their centers Then dimple the jack locations on the end
15. ylates Center the buttons in the holes An easy way to do this is to tape the button strip on the bottom of the lid with the buttons protruding thru the holes Insure that the first button is centered in the hole and operates freely before smoothing down the tape Center and glue them one at a time Pinching the switch between the thumb and index finger can work well also but is more prone to movement while gluing Applying the glue Applying only one small drop at a corner to start is key Allow it to set up before proceeding to the next step Accelerating the cure can be accomplished by touching the glue with a tiny drop of CA glue accelerator water or white glue use accelerator because its fastest and pick up the drop with a straightened paper clip Apply it at the outside edge of the drop After the first drop is cured lay a fillet of glue around the switch and use more accelerator or water or just let it cure for a few hours It will usually set up by it self My fillets usually turn out to be globs but they are functional After the glue on the first hole has cured center and glue the other two one at a time just like the first one No need to use large quantities of glue The amount in the pictures is adequate Hang on yourre nearly done Page 9 AAQZZ EZKeyer Construction and user s manual Installing in Altoids Tin Wire the board for battery and push buttons and insert in tin Strip
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