back to CW (morse code)

CW practice kit:




I picked up this relatively cheap ($20) CW practice kit off Ali last month. It comes with a very basic CW key,
and a morse decoder box. After assembling the kit, plug the key into the decoder box, and the decoder box into
USB-A power, and it will beep as the key is pressed, as well as decode the CW onto the display, as well as
displaying the dots and dashes received.

Receive speed isn't dynamic, you have to set it using the buttons on the decoder box. Short-pressing the left
button toggles morse display, long press toggles the key beeper. Short press the middle button to display
current CW element speed, long-press to change copy speed. (default is 100ms, I shortened it to 70) Short
press the right button to display current WPM, long press to clear copied message. The trimmer on the board
is to adjust the contrast on the display. (try turning this if the screen is blank)

It uses a standard 3.5mm jack for the CW key, and you can connect your own straight-key to the decoder box
if you don't like the key that comes with the kit. (it works but has a pretty awful feel) There's another 3.5mm
jack on the left to connect an external speaker. The volume level on the internal beeper is pretty loud and
I'd suggest just leaving the white sticker on it unless you find you need more volume.

On the right is the USB-micro connector for power, as well as another 3.5mm jack for audio-in. I haven't
tried to use it yet bit it's supposed to be able to connect to a radio's speaker output and copy received CW.

This is a perfectly acceptable kit for $20. The key is trash, but that's to be expected. It does work. I'd give
it a "medium" challenge level for kids - some prior experience with soldering is needed, and you need to have
at least a decent soldering iron and solder. The included directions are barely adequate. Supervision of kids
assembling is recommended to avoid disasters with backwards parts.

Peeling the paper off the plastic panels is tedious. You'll require a #2 philips, along with a 1/4" and also a
5mm socket or wrench. A small wire cutters will be needed to trim leads. Kit ships with a few spare parts,
including extra resistors. Triple-check orientation of LEDs, transistor, and capacitor before soldering.
Both ICs come with sockets.

This kit is available in numerous configurations, including just the decoder box without the key, and with
the decoder box pre-assembled. (parts soldered) I went with the full unassembled kit for about $20.



assembly problems


CW practice kit ($20 at Ali Express)

decoding 1	decoding 2	decoding 3	press left long	press left short	press middle
press right short

highest resolution images
last updated 11/27/2025 at 18:03:12 by make_www_index.command version 2025.11.05.A