So when not pressed, a “1” should appear at the Arduino’s input, so we add a 10k pull-up resistor to each contact, connecting it to +5V (operating voltage of the Arduino). Most paddles pull connect the contacts to ground, so when a lever is pressed it is a digital “0”. The paddle contacts have to be translated to a digital “1” or “0”.

1 Analog input to read the speed from a potmeter.1 Digital output to sound a sidetone buzzer.1 Digital output to the key jack of your transmitter.2 Digital inputs for the paddle (dot and dash contact).The main component of the keyer is (of course) the Arduino board, and we will create the following inputs and outputs: The complete circuit, less then 10 components! I suggest that you first build your prototype on a breadboard, at least I did for this article. The other ends of the switches are connected to the “dot” and “dash” inputs of your keyer.

Each contact is shortened to a common contact, normally connected to “ground”.

Ok, it’s probably the most expensive and specialized switch in your home, but still it’s a switch. The “iambic” means that, when squeezing both levers, the keyer will translate this to a repetitive series of dot-dash-dot-dash-dot-dash-etc… Two examples of a paddle: the high-end Begali “Pearl” and the more common Bencher “BY-1”.Īctually, if you look at your paddle, it’s just a double switch. Such a paddle has 2 levers, one for sending dots and one for the dashes. The keyer discussed in this article is meant for “twin paddles” or “iambic paddles”. Paddles come in different shapes and sizes. Visit the Arduino website for more information. You may consider buying a starter kit, containing an Arduino board, a breadboard, and handful of parts (LED’s, switches, sensors, motor, servo, etc), wires, and a guide learning you the basics. Arduino boards are sold at most electronics shops and will cost about 20-25 euros / 25-30 USD. You write the program using the Arduino IDE software (available for Linux, Windows and Mac) and transfer it to your Arduino board using a USB-cable. You can easily attach buttons, sensors, lights, displays, relays and motors and control them all with a simple program.

The Arduino is one of the easiest prototyping platforms available nowadays. Throughout the years several versions have been released, but all are code and pin compatible. The Arduino prototype board, this is the “Uno” version.

Arduino based cw decoder