Compact Morse key

thingiverse

Compact design, easy to build, magnetic baseplate with anti-tilting appendix. I found several projects on the web but I was looking for something with few parts , inexpensive and easy to built. The assembly has only four 3D printed parts (lever, base, cover, baseplate) that can be printed without supports (look at the picture of my buildplate example), six M3 screws and one pushbutton switch (DIP P4 Normally Open). The holes are designed so the screws will be self treading. The clearance between the lever nose and the button can be adjusted to zero with a screw placed in the rear zone of the lever. The button must be placed in its seat in the following way: bend two legs horizontally, slide the button laterally throught the seat in the base, bend down (90°) the two legs. The button now is trapped between the lever nose and the base, the clearance can be adjusted to zero with a rear small screw in the lever. I chosen that button switch instead of the classic metal-to-metal contact screws beacuse these buttons are widely available on the market, they ensure long term and reliable switching and if needed are available also with IP dustrproof, waterproof rating. The baseplate include two seats for neodymium magnets (optional if you like the magnetic effect) with size up to 12mm (diameter) and 2.75mm (height). The magnets can be glued. The base includes two small slots for zip-tie, to guarantee the cable retention. I like the precise pushing feeling, maybe this design is not the best for high speed but can be fine for novices; my idea is to use as outdoor and easy to carry key. For better high-speed performance have a look at the iambic paddles version.