Homebrew Mini Paddle

I needed a low cost mini paddle to be used with my Elecraft K2 transceiver during portable operation. As I had several telegraphic polar relays in my junkbox, I thought I could use one of them to build such a paddle. The picture below shows the result of a couple of hours of work using only simple tools.  


Construction

(click on the picture to enlarge).

- I use an old SIEMENS relay, shown in A, but I'm sure other brands and models are suitable. Its frame is made of aluminum, the coil being on the right and the contacts on the left. I merely cut the aluminum frame just on the left of the coil and thus get the main part of my paddle.
- The handle is made of a piece of epoxy PCB (copper removed) glued to what was the moving part of the relay.
- The base is a steel block (50 x 60 x 8 mm) sprayed with a black paint. Three rubber feet are glued on its bottom.
- When it comes to adjustments, I use the centering and spacing controls of the original relay.
 

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