I am just starting to build my SKK CW Keyer module and noticed there is only a schematic on the listing as there was never a Buildier's Guide created. Are there any special considerations to watch for in the building sequence? Although similar but different, I have printed the?PicoKeyer Module Builder's Guide to aid in my assembly efforts. I combed over all of my old kits and did not find a?PicoKeyer Module, one of the few I never obtained.?
I bought quite a few QRPme kits in the middle of the last decade but was stricken by sudden cataracts that temporarily ended my newly revamped Ham Career, especially my soldering. It took over three years to get my cataract surgeries as we had no health coverage and by then all my QRPme kits were replaced by 2-3 newer versions, however, I do build some of the older ones yet today and also enjoy mining them for parts when needed!
I have not fired up my newly built Super Tuna yet, but am working toward trying to connect with Aaaron W4ARB, who does 30M POTA activations from Tuskegee NF 2-3 days per week from Eastern AL which is about 475 miles from where I am here near Winter Haven, FL. 10.116 MHz is where we try to connect mornings.
A 2-3 hour POTA session was too much for my 62-year-old straight key fist when I had a 20-year absence from keying. Even my big buck German keyer with magnetic bearings can be a bit much for my wrists and my two Pennteck 5W QRP rigs allow two message memories that save my bacon as I try to stretch from 14 wpm to 22 wpm again. I QRS when POTA Activating near 7.110-7.122 MHz, but my sending limitation is my bottleneck over my ability to "contest" at reasonable speeds. When I was 15 years old a retired Railroad guy named Rusty showed me he could send or copy 35 wpm simultaneously while holding a conversation with me, and he was in a wheelchair. His Keyer was a bug, but he also had a Keyer full of vacuum tubes that had a wonderful sound. Two years later when I got my Novice ticket I found out that he had passed away, the world hasn't been the same since. So the SKK Keyer for my Super Tuna ][+ is going to save my bacon, half the trick is not to use my manual tools the day before so my wrist feels more like a spring chicken ...
It appears I do have the Limerick Paddles with the built-in PicoKeyer chip, but it appears to not be complete as it is missing the 3-volt battery coin holder. I did not know the size needed, I ordered one from Amazon for the CR 2032 as I have lots of those coin batteries lying around I use in my Tire Pressure monitoring sensors for my RV. The holder is cool but turns out to be 3x as big as the OEM part on the Limerick paddle, must be the rear tinier hearing aid size, oops. There are notes to do a mod hack to supply the voltage needed from an external source, but won't go that route until I exhaust my other sources. I still prefer my German paddles, but looks like a fun kit to share with the grand kids who practice sending their names when Poppi comes to visit.
David Knapp