CW Keyboard Keyer (K3NG-based open source) Enclosure, Stand, and (sort of) a Manual

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A simple enclosure for a (based on the) K3NG open-source project, commonly sold as a "Morse Code CW Practice Transmit Keyboard with OLED Display USB Electronic Keyer for HAM Radio." These can be found on Ali-Express, eBay, and (mine came from) Amazon (see link below) for about US$20.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H2S6C5HZ 

I print (almost everything) in PETG. Minimal supports are required for the bottom box stand slot and the stand. I recommend printing the stand on the long edge for strength. This was designed in AutoCAD 2027.

Hardware required: (4) M3x8mm hex-cap, self-tapping screws (wood/sheet metal, coarse threads). A machine screw will probably work ok, but thread holes in the lid might be too small (and split), so maybe open it with a negative cylinder primitive or drill it out a little if you need to.

73 de K4ZX

Have fun

Postscript: About the CW Keyboard devices:   I discovered these after watching this video by M0FXB on YouTube. These are low-memory, small-processor versions of K3NG's great design, to use a much smaller form-factor. Because of this, a lot of features are missing (and maybe some bugs introduced?). To find any device that uses a USB port for keyboard was my main interest. I have a small USB wireless keyboard that I wanted to use with it and it works great (shown in photos). The code on them is complied, so you can't download the sketch like with a normal Arduino - so they kind of "are what they are."

Are they adequate? Yes, "adequate" - but not great. IMHO, these are suitable for casual use and to see if you want to do more using a keyboard for sending CW. These are not for contesting or serious heavy use. There is no stacking of characters in the buffer. If you try to send something before the last message completes (typing or pressing enter - depends on mode, or press an F-key), it basically stops the previous text from the buffer just like you pressed the escape key - so that is frustrating! So, the biggest thing to get used to is waiting until it sends the full previous message before sending anything else.

These do send CW from a keyboard, store basic messages as macros, etc. Some features you might want are missing/disabled. From what I read about K3NG's design is that it is full-featured and has contest number sequencing, chaining of macros, stacking of macros, etc. None of that suff works on this little $20 device.

These are clearly a compromise. However: (1) the device works, and (2) you might get used to the quirks.

The Missing Manual: My device came with no instructions at all (and was the most reviewed complaint on Amazon). So I went looking for info and found terrible instructions.

So, I played with it a while and through trial and error and searching/trying standard features (some worked, some didn't) from the K3NG project, I was able to pull together some minimal instructions for my device (firmware ver 1.1.5). You might find some things I didn't try or you might get a different firmware version.

No warranties expressed or implied on the instructions. Your mileage may vary.