Posted: 11/17/2012 2:51:05 PM EDT
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Since I plan to start using CW in the not too distant future, I thought it would be nice to have a small electronic keyer, with which to practice. I know I can do this with my rig, but I wanted a keyer that is portable, and that could be used without having to fire up my radio. And since I also like working with my hands, I wanted one that came in the form of a kit. After a bit research, I settled on the CMOS-4 keyer, by Idiom Press. I just completed the assembly, and I thought I would share my opinion about the actual assembly of the kit, in case anyone else is considering something similar. You can read about all of the features of this keyer on the company web site, and there are plenty of reviews on e-ham.
Once ordered, the kit arrived in about 12 days, by US mail. Not super fast, but I wasn't in a hurry so that wasn't an issue for me. All of the parts were present, and the assembly manual is very thorough, and easy to follow. They say it takes one or two evenings to complete, but it took me three….maybe 8-10 hours total. You will need a basic assortment of hand tools (small screw drivers, needle nose pliers, wire cutter/ strippers, etc.) and most importantly, you will need a good soldering iron, with a very precise tip. I have a Hakko Fx-888, with a small chisel point tip, and that worked just fine. Also, you WILL need a magnifying glass. Everything about this kit is tiny. Eye strain is the main reason I had to take a few breaks, and stretch the assembly into 3 days. I would not call this a "beginners" kit. I think it would fall into the intermediate category, at a minimum. I say this, because the printed circuit board is rather small (2.5 X 2.5 inches), and there are a bunch of components to mount. I think I counted 48 components (transistors, resistors, diodes, etc.), and that is in addition to the two microchip holders (a 40 pin, and an 8 pin). Plus, there are sixteen, 24 gauge wires that have to be attached to the underside of the PCB. The spacing on many of these components is very close, and it would be real easy to screw something up when soldering them to the board. It is not for someone who has never used a soldering iron, before. The printing on the components is very small, and you WILL need a magnifier of some sort, to read them. With that said however, if you follow the instructions, everything will fit together as advertised. I didn't run into any problems at all, and when I turned the keyer on for the first time, it promptly gave me the "OK" signal, in Morse code, of course.  So far, I like it, and am totally satisfied. 
Now for the bad news. I can't give a review of how this keyer actually performs, because I still don't have a paddle.  I have ordered one from Tony at N3ZN Keys, but it will be another month or so before it arrives.
And finally, here are a couple of quick snapshots of the finished product. 
Oh, and did I mention that you WILL need a magnifying glass for this project? |
