I've been spending time on my latest challenge, that early Speed-X bug that arrived recently and shown at right.
The key's pretty much been butchered by a previous owner, and from the looks of it, the revisions were done a good many years ago.
The key was converted to a single lever keyer in function. For whatever reason, some of the key's “extra” parts were removed, including several adjustement screws and lock nuts.
In digging into my parts box, I found that I had some Vibroplex adjustment screws to replace the missing ones. The bug had been wired for two separate contacts, and the wires had been soldered to the screw heads on the bottom of the key — with the wire laying in the flat opening of the screw head and soldered up that way, leaving no slot to remove the screw. Yikes!
The wiring underneath is old — its cloth-covered wire, and the insulation is so dry-rotted it turns to dust if you handle it roughly.
The main pivot assembly had been insulated from the base, so I had to remove the insulation there. Before I can rewire the contacts, I have to buy new screws for the posts, Unlike Vibroplex keys, the early Speed-X keys used wire jumpers to wire the contact posts. I used a jumper lead to check the function and action of the key after I put a couple of Vibroplex weights on the keying lever. It seemed fine, though the contacts were very dirty. I'll address that later.
One thing I did last night was to replace the feet on the key. The old ones — I don't think they were original — resembled round equpment bumpers like you might find on the bottom of a guitar amplifer; metal discs with rubber on both sides. Simply putting new feet on the key improved its looks. The new feet also make the key stable, preventing it from scooting around as you use it.
It's been fun to work on the Speed-X key. I found a photo of the other one like this one with the deteriorating chrome-plated base, and I decided not to combine the both. After adding some of the missing parts, its evident that both keys can play again. I think the one I'm working on though will be the better of the two — until the base on the other is stripped and replated, or simply stripped of chrome and painted — that's a cheaper opttion.
I've got to pick up some hardware for the key this afternoon, so I'll enter the shopping fray but careful to avoid Wal-Mart and the big stores. … 73 … dit dit