Sold out 1/17/2005) - Touch Paddle kit
Please email:
if there are any questions on this kit
or if you are interested in having the kit revived.
![[Touch Paddle circuit board picture - click for larger view of board ]](touchp.jpg)
Simple, conductivity based circuit
Powered by your keyer
low power consumption
Small (roughly .7 by 2 inches)
all board mounted parts supplied
just add your metal case, connector and/or cable
Fits perfectly in an Altoids tin
Unique, plastic cover for contact area supplied (not shown)
Download the manual and
schematic
Q & A
Is this kit the equal of a $500 craftsman made paddle ?
NO ! But don't your
non-Morse-using friends give you a sick look when you explain how much you've
spent on two momentary contact switches ? The Touch Paddle kit is perfect
for situations where you don't want to expose your favorite paddle to
possible damage/theft. It's also a great gift for the Morse operator
to be.
Does the Touch Paddle kit solve
the age old "dry fingers during the winter" syndrome common to touch
paddle circuits ?
No, very dry skin
will still not actuate the paddle BUT included with the paddle is a plastic
cover which eliminates skin moisture as a problem.
How is the Touch Paddle kit powered ?
Unlike many touch paddles, this kit
is powered by the pull-up resistors on the inputs of your keyer. The design
uses very little current even when key down. Two Schottky diodes couple the
pullup voltage to two small value filter caps. A compact, 8 pin CMOS
IC is used to sense the paddle closure and to pull the dit/dah keyer
inputs low when a touch occurs.
Downloadable files for Touch Paddle kit
The Acrobat files of complex diagrams (like the schematic) may not
view well on your computer screen - suggestion: use the magnifier to zoom in
for better detail or print out the file.
(Right click any link below, then select "save target as" to save the file to your PC.)
touchp3.pdf (12k) - an Acrobat file of the Touch Paddle manual
touchp.pdf (28k) - an Acrobat file of the Touch Paddle schematic
Page accesses: 
![[Touch Paddle circuit board picture - click for larger view of board ]](touchp2.jpg)