Scout Project: How to make a Morse Code Oscillator/ Telegraph Machine

I have written this Instructable, so that you can see how to construct the above from wood scraps Instead of Cardboard (funnily enough, Card is my usual I'ble medium... go and look at my other I'bles, It does also tie in with my I'ble for treating burns with aloe vera) It is also here to explain a little better how things go together, as i found that just watching the video on :johnnyrockstah 's link was a little confusing

So, please as i said go and check the original video after checking this I'ble out, and I hope it answers some of the questions raised. For those who are interested this I'ble should cover the practical part of the Scout Associations Communicators badge:

Alternative B - Communication codes

1. Send and receive a short message by Morse code or Semaphore at a rate of five words per minute.

2. When sending and receiving a message, demonstrate that you know the appropriate procedure.

3. Know the International Phonetic Alphabet and define at least eight international Q code signals.

4. Construct a simple Morse code oscillator and send a short message.
   
   http://www.scoutbase.org.uk/library/hqdocs/badges/scout-activity-comm.htm

I want to make perfectly clear that I got my Idea from www.instructables.com/id/How-To-Make-A-Homemade-Electric-Telegraph!/ this Instructable... It is VERY clever, I made one myself after watching the video, and decided to fill a badge requirement of my Scouts to get them to make one in wood. So please go have a look at the original I'ble as :johnnyrockstah is brilliant... really...  just brilliant! Due to me using :johnnyrockstah 's idea I'm not going to explain how i made the battery box (which is also from :johnnyrockstah ) If you want to see how its made please go and have a look at the link.

Step 1 Ingredients

Right well, to help you find items used I am going to give you the Maplins product codes I have also lifted a few pictures from their site so as you can identify them quickly

* Plyboard I used a 3mm ply, nothing special, its just a tatty old peice left over from a long ago project
* Pencil
* Ruler
* Saw
* Tacks/ Nails
* Tacking hammer
* Work bench
* Aprropriate Safety gear- This I shall leave to you, providing you have the same ammounf od fingers as what you started with you should be okay
* Soldering Iron
*Solder
*Long nose Plyers
* Glue gun (maybe)
* Duckt tape/ Insulation tape

Morse code machine componants:

* D Cell (1.5V) battery
* Alluminium (not AH-LOOM-IN-UM...AL-UH-MIN-I-UM) pie trays ( People in the UK places like Wilkinsons, or Poundland sell them, alternitivly you can use the ones from yout local takeaway... providing they havent any curry left in them ;) )
* 6V Buzzer FK81C
* One LED WL84F
* Black Wire XR68Y
* Red wire XR69A

Componant cost: £5 (ish)


Additional Items:
+ Plaster
+ Ice for amputated finger
+ Aloe Vera plant for burns

Comments

[Spriteley]

Hi,

We did this at my troop the other week....a few problems were encountered. Firstly, the switch did not work - not enough flex in the ply to make a contact without ripping the nails out! Either needs to be much longer or use cardboard - this was ok as it meant they had to come up with a solution. Secondly, the LEDs would not light at all, we tried direct connection to battery, then some bright spark asked if they were a higher voltage......they seem to be 2.5v according to Maplin and the battery is only 1.5v of course!

[Biggsy]

My wooden switches worked... i wonder why yours didnt

[n7dc]

Just found this, when looking around for a simple/easy project for a Scout class I am presently teaching for the new/old Boy Scouts of America Merit Badge in Communications. This 100th birthday of Scouting here in the USA has provided us with an opportunity to allow boys to earn this badge again. It was one I myself earned back in the 50s, but has since then been abandoned. Just this one year, it has been brought back, with a special edition of the badge itself. It looks exactly like the old badge, but instead of being trimmed with green thread around its perimeter, it has been trimmed in gold thread.

I went to our one and only local store that has any electronic parts (Radio Shack), and once again was disappointed in their downgrade of parts, to next-to-none. No buzzer, no keys, no code generators, etc. They have taken the name "radio" out of their name, and left only "shack" but that should be taken away too - since we hams and professional communicators know the word "shack" to indicate a radio area. They are neither.

Anyway, I cannot find,a buzzer!

[Biggsy]

Thats rediculas! Do you have maplins over there? best thing to do id have a look on EBAY or do a quick google search... SOMEONE in the usa must sell them

[n7dc]

Actually, I managed to get down to a privately owned store yesterday, which also handles Radio Shack junk, and found he did have a couple of different buzzers available. One, using 1-6 volts and the other using 12 volts. I bought the former. Both are listed with the same sound output freq of 300-500 cys and 75 dB. This guy has a LOT more parts than RS has had in many a year, but still doesn't have all that much. It will "do", but isn't exactly the nice tone output I was hoping for. Its cheap enough for the boys to copy the one my grandson and I built last night. Of course I have all sorts of keys/keyers to use with it, but will have each of them build one with just a strip of aluminum and a couple of screws. After posting yesterdays note, I saw ( on a separate group) an announcement that Radio Shack (now known simply as "The Shack") just announced they were going to be changing direction and would be stocking many more electronic parts than they have in the past decades. We shall see. Maybe someone finally figured out that cellphones are not just making enough sales, considering every other Tom, Juan, and Mustafa are selling them on every street corner, at cheaper prices.

[Biggsy]

Here's hoping for you, and I hope your troop have fun... I know mine did

[rickythemaniac]

Finally a project like this, are you comming to jingi 2011 in sweden???

[Biggsy]

Hey Ricky, No I didnt put my name down for selection... I take it your a scouter then?


I'm the Jay who is trying to meet one person from every scout group in the UK