Practice Sending CW with the

CWMorse MY-KEY USB to key interfaces

MY-KEY-MOUSE, MY-KEY-SERIAL, and MY_KEY_SERIAL2 are hardware interfaces to connect your computer/tablet to a straight or iambic key via a USB port using compatible software.  MY-KEY-MOUSE supports an HID compatible software controlled USB mouse interface while the MY-KEY-SERIAL supports a common USB to serial interface.  MY-KEY-SERIAL2 includes an addition opto-isolated keying output for positive and negative type keying to your favorite CW transmitter.

MY KEY MOUSE

MY KEY SERIAL

MY KEY SERIAL2

NEVER plug anything other than a key into the MY-KEY-MOUSE or MY-KEY-SERIAL key input jack.  Any voltages present on the jack could damage both the device and your PC/Tablet!  The Common (Shield) connection to the key input is NOT a ground!

Use caution when connection your radio key jack to the MY-KEY-SERIAL2 key out jack.  Make sure you do not connect your radio to the KEY IN jack.  Damage to the MY-KEY-SERIAL2, computer, and radio WILL occur.

DEVICE/SOFTWARE COMPATABILITY

We do not endorse any specific software but the following has been reported to work with MY-KEY-MOUSE or MY-KEY-SERIAL adapters

Please let us know what additional software or operating system works with a serial or mouse interface and we will add it to the list!

DEVICE	SOFTWARE	MY-KEY-MOUSE	MY-KEY-SERIAL	MY-KEY-SERIAL2
Windows 10	Key2Keyboard by KC9ON	Straight & Paddles	Straight & Paddles	Straight & Paddles Transmit
Android Amazon Fire	KG9E KG9E	Straight Only	X	X
WINDOWS 10	Morse Keyer V4.3	Straight & Paddles	Straight & Paddles	Straight & Paddles Transmit
WINDOWS 10	Morse News V4.4.0			Transmit
WINDOWS 10	N1MM Logger +			Transmit
WINDOWS 10	Dadidah (Broken Link)	X	Straight & Paddles	Straight & Paddle
WINDOWS 10	CWCom (Internet Chat)	Straight & Paddles	Straight & Paddles	Straight & Paddles
WINDOWS 10	CWTY by WD6CNF			Transmit ONLY
Windows 10	F8EHO EchoCW	X	Straight & Paddles	Straight & Paddles Transmit
Windows 10	MRP-40	X	X	Transmit ONLY
Windows 10	PCW Fistcheck	Straight Only	Straight Only Version 3.8.5 & Later – Supports straight & Cootie paddle (CTS&DSR) / Set DTR high & Key input line polarity Inverted (Click picture for settings))	Straight Only Version 3.8.5 & Later – Supports straight & Cootie paddle (CTS&DSR) / Set DTR high & Key input line polarity Inverted
Windows 10	PCW Tutor			Transmit ONLY
Windows 10	CW Player 4.9.7	Straight & Paddles	Straight & Paddles	Straight & PaddlesTransmit
Windows 10	UA9OV CwType	X	Paddles Only	Paddles Only Transmit (Transmit and key can not share a common COM port – 2 adapters required)
Windows 10	Soft CW (Keys but no audio)	X	Straight Only	Straight Only
Windows/Linux	FLDigi	X	X	Transmit Only
Windows/Linux	MorseKOB 4.4.0c (Internet Chat)	X	Straight Only	Straight Only Transmit (V4.4 in KOB Manual or below)
Linux	xcwcp	Paddles Only	X	X
Web	LCWO TX Training (10-12WPM Max, occasional lockups)	Straight Only	X	X
Web	morsecode.me (Internet Chat)	Straight Only	X	X
Web	MorseChat (Internet Chat)	Straight Only
Web	VBAND (Internet Chat)	Straight & Paddles*** *** See VBAND notes for Paddle Modification!	X	X

INCOMPATIBLE SOFTWARE:

The following list of known software will NOT work with a MY KEY SERIAL or MY KEY MOUSE.  In these cases the software authors currently have no compatible serial or mouse interface or use a proprietary/different interface.  Please consult the developer for these interfaces or encourage them to add a standard mouse/serial type interface.

	DEVICE	SOFTWARE	ALTERNATE INTERFACES
X	iPhone	Morse It by PacoLabs	Keyboard Controller (via L/R CTRL keys) AKA Vband Touch-Screen, MFI or Icade game controller, IPac2, Makey Makey
X	Windows	Icom RS-BA1	None known – Keyboard entry only.  Can use Key2Keyboard and  a MY KEY SERIAL to push characters into the app.
X	Windows	Win4Icom	None known – Keyboard entry only.  Can use Key2Keyboard and  a MY KEY SERIAL to push characters into the app.
X	Windows/Linux	FLDigi/FLRig	None known – Keyboard entry only.  Can use Key2Keyboard and  a MY KEY SERIAL to push characters into the app.

Compatibility Notes:

• In most mouse controlled software a regular mouse needs to hover over a specific area before keying works.
• For Android phone use the MY-KEY-MOUSE with an OTG (AKA On The Go) cable.  The cable must match the USB connection to your device.  In some situations the mouse pointer will be outside the window (top or bottom status bars) in which the software will not function correctly.
• Typically most software in straight key mode will have both TIP and RING active.  You may need to disable the RING jumper to avoid constant key down depending on the style or connection of the jack.
• Some software, such as CWCom, can not swap paddles within their programs.  Adjust the jumpers on the interface as needed.
• Some Windows software may operate in Linux under WINE mode.
• Some older Windows software only supports COM ports 1-4.  You may need to change your COM port# in the device management.
• If using a meeting application like Zoom or Skype you need to properly set up the audio chain.  See our Zoom setup guide for more details.

KEY JACK AND JUMPER SETTINGS

• TIP – Typically this is the straight key input or one of the Iambic paddles, usually connected to the Left Click for DIT.
• RING – For Iambic keys this is for the second paddle, nusually connected to Right Click for DAH. For a straight key this is left open. If the software is operating as a continuous key down in straight key mode try removing the RING jumper.
• SHIELD – This is the common connection for all keys. Note, this is NOT a ground.

 

KEY INPUT JUMPERS

The jumpers connect the appropriate tip and ring signals from the key jack to the USB interface.  In the case of the mouse interface the choices are right-click and left-click emulation buttons.  In the case of the serial interface the CTS and DSR signals are used.  Refer to the software being used to determine which signals to connect to your key/paddles.

 

	MY-KEY-MOUSE	MY-KEY-SERIAL
Normal Jumpers
Invert Paddles
Straight Key (when using a mono jack or when ring is shorted to shield)

MY KEY SERIAL 2 TRANSMIT KEYING OUTPUT JUMPERS AND JACK

It is recommended to use RTS when possible as some keying software also uses the DTR as a common for key inputs.

TRANSMITTING CAUTION –  Make sure you are not accidentally transmitting in key down mode!  Some software may improperly activate the line on first use or when closing.   For example Morse Keyer V4.3 activates this line when the program starts but does not deactivate (key up) until first use, then responds normally.

RTS for output keying

DTR for output keying

Inverting output jumper – Some software allows the keying output to be inverted, others do not.  We have configures the MY-KEY-SERIAL2 to operate correctly with most software encountered (keying is normally OFF when properly set up).  Inside the KEY-KEY-SERIAL2 is an internal jumper which can invert the output.  Simply remove the top cover and locate JP4.  Cut the small trace between the pads marked “N” and solder a small jumper between the pads marked “I”.

TRANSMITTER KEY OUT JACK

• TIP – Active connection to your radio CW keying jack.  Typically the positive terminal, however MY-KEY-SERIAL2 supports both positive and negative keying.
• RING – Not Used
• SHIELD – Active connection to your radio CW keying jack.  Typically the negative terminal, however MY-KEY-SERIAL2 supports both positive and negative keying.
• The output uses an optocoupler for isolation which is bi-directional (no polarity AKA positive and negative keying) and can handle up to 100V/100mA with a maximum power dissipation of 150mW.

MY KEY MOUSE TROUBLESHOOTING

To test your key on the MY KEY MOUSE use one of the online mouse testing apps.  This will show the right, left, and middle (modified version) buttons in relation to your key.

https://www.onlinemictest.com/mouse-test/

https://devicetests.com/mouse-test

https://joltfly.com/mouse-test/

Key will randomly key, send extra DITs/DAHs, or act as if it’s always pressed:  Use a low capacitance cable.  Long or heavily shielded cables create a capacitance which can cause the mouse circuitry to false trigger.  We recommend a cable with less than 300pF of capacitance from signal lines to common in order to prevent false triggering.   Technical details – The common connection  (shield on the jack) creates small 17uS pulses at a rate of 360Hz which is detected by the left/middle/right click lines when a switch is closed.  High capacitance cables essentially bleed the pulses across the cable causing random keying or, with enough capacitance, full key down.

WINDOWS FINDING YOUR SERIAL PORT

Windows:  Most software will ask for a COM (serial) port when configuring MY-KEY-SERIAL.  Here is a short video showing how to find your COM ports.  Hint: if you have multiple COM ports, plugging and un-plugging your adapter will make the COM port appear and disappear in the device manager.

• Press the Windows key
• In the search box type devmgmt and press enter

• Expand the Mice and other pointing devices to find your MY-KEY-MOUSE or expand the Ports (COM and LPT) to see the COM port number of your MY-KEY-SERIAL.

MY KEY SERIAL TROUBLESHOOTING

We commend the following Windows app to check for CTS/DSR activity, however any serial port testing app you are familiar with that can see the CTS and DSR status will work.

https://www.microridge.com/comtestserial.htm

1. First find the COM port in use (above).
2. Launch the ComTestSerial app.  In the lower right push the Serial Port button
3. Check the COM port number found in step 1 and press OK
4. Check the CTS and DSR status indicators in the upper right area of the window as you use your key.  These correspond with the jumpers on the MY KEY SERIAL.
5. For the MY KEY SERIAL 2 you should be able to toggle the transmitter keying output with the RTS or DTR buttons below the status indicators.

LINUX TROUBLESHOOTING

Linux can be an interesting adventure to troubleshoot.  What works on one variation does nothing for another.  But here are a couple troubleshooting tricks that may help.  Warning – anything using sudo will be making changes to your system.  Make sure you understand what you are doing!

• use $ls -al /dev/ttyU* or $ls -al /dev/ttyC* to look for USB ports.  Some CH34x series chips will have a device such as ttyCH341USB0.
• Command $dmesg | grep tty may return information on your USB ports.
• If getting a permission denied while connecting you can add your username to the ‘dialout’ group.   $ sudo adduser myusername dialout
• Still getting a permission error?  Here is a brute force change but not recommended:  $ sudo chmod 777 /dev/ttyUSB#### where TTYUSB is your tty# to change.
• brltty (braille tty) will sometimes conflict with USB ports.  dmesg command above may show more information such as conflicts or disconnects.  You can remove brltty with this command:  $sudo apt remove brltty
• Sparkfun has a good how-to for installing Linux drivers, including a patched driver to compile/install.  https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/how-to-install-ch340-drivers/all
• Need to check your CTR or DSR lines to see if they are working properly?  Use statserial to check.  Note: Updates are only about 1 second apart so hold the CTS or DSR line down for at least 1 second to see the update.  $sudo statserial /dev/TTYUSB0 where TTYUSB0 is your tty port# to use.  CTRL-C will exit back to the prompt.  You may need to ‘sudo apt install statserial‘ if not already installed on your system.

DRIVERS

For MY-KEY-MOUSE no drivers are required.  Your operating system will detect this as an HID compliant mouse.

For MY-KEY-SERIAL Windows 10 & 11 and Linux should automatically detect and install the serial drivers.  However, since not all operating systems are alike, below are driver files and instructions for manual installation for Windows, Linux, and Mac.

WCH CH34x USB Drivers

Sparkfun Video to install drivers

 

MY KEY MOUSE VBAND MOD

VBAND will work with a MY KEY MOUSE and a straight key.  Just go into settings and select straight key and check the Use Mouse buttons option.

To use VBAND with a paddles is slightly more complicated.  VBAND uses the right and middle mouse buttons instead of the more common right/left buttons.  Early versions of the MY KEY MOUSE can be modified by cutting a trace and adding a jumper wire to change the left into a middle button.  Later versions have small pads on the back to cut and short.  Remember if you change to the right/middle buttons then all the common apps using right/left will no longer function correctly.

Current version of MY KEY MOUSE on the bottom of the PCB cut the mini-trace between the pads Rbtn/Normal and JP3.  Then short the pads between JP3 and Mbtn/VBAND.

Early MY KEY MOUSE versions cut this trace on the top side and add a jumper to the bottom of the PCB.

MY KEY SERIAL AND Morse KOB

I have had limited success using MKOB on Linux Mint, the Windows version may be more stable.  I believe the following screen shots are the correct setup.  The serial port and wire connection can be erratic at times but may be due to Linux/Python(?).  Click on images to enlarge.