Autronic Keys

Electrophysics Corporation's Autronic Key.  

An article in the July 1960 edition of QST magazine introduced the world to a new single-lever Morse paddle.  It was compact, streamlined, and heavy.  Its style and mechanism was like no other paddle on the market at that time or ever since.

History:

The Autronic Key was one of the first commercial keys designed from the ground-up to be used with an electronic keyer.  The key was introduced in 1960 by the Electrophysics Corporation, a marine electronics company based in Newport Beach, California and later in Costa Mesa.  

The Autronic Key was designed by the President of Electrophysics Corporation, John Jay Jakosky and his son John Jay Jakosky Jr. 

 An ad in June 1960’s QST contrasted the Autronic Key with the Vibroplex Vibro-keyer, which was also released in 1960.  The ad stated,  “The new Autronic Key was designed for use with electronic keyers, and is not a cut-down bug, or an adaption of a bug.  Every feature...every part, was designed solely with electronic keying in mind.  The result is a key with performance that complements even the finest electronic keyer, whether it be homemade or the latest factory built equipment available.”  

Keeping with the company’s primary line of business, the Electrophysics Corporation promoted the Autronic Key as primarily developed for commercial and marine radio applications—even in amateur radio periodicals.  

The elder Jakosky passed away on September 8, 1964, and the Electrophysics company moved business to Costa Mesa, California in 1965.

The advertised price in 1960 was $16.95 (approximately $150 in 2020).  

The last Autronic ads appeared in 1968 and the key sold for $19.95 (approximately $150 in 2020).  Soon after, the Electrophysics Corporation sold-off a number of its product lines, but the purchaser did not continue production of the Autronic Key.

Electrophysics also offered a transistor electronic keyer called the Autronic Keyer for use with the paddle. It had speed, weight and automatic or semiautomatic mode and a built-in sidetone monitor with speaker.  The keyer sold for $69.50 (approximately $600 in 2020).

Design:

The Autronic Key measures around 3 ½ inches square and takes up very little real estate on the shack desk.  With its cast iron base weighing in at 2 ½ pounds and three nonskid ruber feet, the Autronic Key remains in place even under heavy use.  The paddle is made of two plastic symmetric finger pieces so that the key may be used by both right or left-handers.  The contacts are silver.

The overall industrial design and color of the key reminds me of the IBM Model B electronic typewriter from the late 50’s.  

The conical lock nuts on later models add to its retro space age look.  In the used market, the Autronic Key can be found in a dark or light gray finish.  The dark gray finish seems to appear on the Newport Beach Keys and the lighter gray on the keys built in Costa Mesa.  

At the heart of the mechanism is what the 1961 patent application calls a “bifurcated yoke”, which allows the dit and da contacts and adjustment springs to move independently of each other.  The yoke is composed of a lever and a stirrup attached to a single vertical shaft.  The shaft is supported by the base and is held in place with a single screw.  The company stated that this design has a low moment of inertia and proper damping to provide smooth operation and no contact-bounce at a wide range of keying pressure and contact spacing.  The cord runs through a small hole in the back of the base.  On the bottom of the base, the dit and dah wires attach to the screws holding the contact post and the ground wire is connected directly to the base.  

Operation:

The left rear screw is a hard-stop for the yoke that controls the center position of the paddle lever.  

The rear right screw adjusts the tension of a spring which pushes against the yolk controlling the dit force.  

The center left screw adjusts the tension of a spring which pushes against the lever controlling the da force.  

The front two screws control the contact spacing.

I set my contacts very close leaving a slightly wider gap on the da contact.  

Pros:  Heavy base prevents movement, rigid lever-no bending, very quiet when in use-not a lot of clicking and clattering, feather light to heavy tension with no contact bounce back, once dialed in and when locked down the spacing and tension adjustments stay put.

Cons:  Coarsely threaded adjustment screws, un-intuitive adjustment screw locations, and the lever arm does have a bit of vertical play (which the Autronic manual states is to, “provide unnecessary friction which would cause sluggish action.”)

Cost:

On Ebay, I’ve seen these keys go from anywhere form $40 dollars to nearly $200.  I bought mine for $51 dollars on Ebay, in 2018.  However, the finger pieces were missing.  Some of the chrome on my key is pitted and the paint on the base is only in fair condition.  I was able to order custom finger piece replacements from 2B Radio Parts who is unfortunately no longer machining key parts.