[Jake von Slatt] has sent along a few of his projects, but his timing never quite coincides with mine. It’s about time I give this guy some coverage. His latest project was a pair telegraph sounders – he uses them to tap out RSS feeds from his linux box. The amateur radio code requirement in the US has been dropped, but this is probably a great way to practice your Morse code. His keyboard build is definitely one of the most original efforts I’ve seen.
9 thoughts on “Steampunk: RSS Telegraph, Keybard, Etc.”
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Almost missed it there. It’s 12:27 now, and this hack just loaded. March 31st was almost a day without a hack.
Very cool hack. Saw this one somewhere – engadget or Wired magazine or something.
That keyboard is A-Mazing.
I’m planning on trying his electric PCB etch method. Also intriguing is that he managed to copper plate with copper sulphate (blue vitriol) using just a cotton bud. I don’t quite get the chemistry happening there, but I’d like to know more so I can replicate it…
That keyboard is awesome… I love steam punk stuff.
I’m mostly envious because I don’t have the patients to make things look pretty, most of my hacks are quite fugly, though functional.
wow! awesome old school techniques.
10!
That is honestly the nicest looking keyboard I’ve ever seen.
Hooking up a telegraph to a computer is a neat project too. It would be kinda cool to hook it up to your email so you could go real old school, and send+receive emails via telegraph
Man, and I though I could work with metal, the workmanship on the telegraph souders is nothing short of perfect. forget nice reflective finishes, my work isn’t even squared up.
I cant wait until summer. As soon as I can get back into my buddys shop I am building myself one of those keyboards.
The keyboard is beautiful- a real functional work of art. ditto for the RSS telegraph sounder.
@4: from what I remember of my chemistry it’s a simple substitution reaction in solution-
CuSO4 + Fe -> Cu + FeSO4 (I simplify, but you get the idea). The cotton bud probably gets the solution down into the surface scratches on the iron so the coating is a little more durable, and there might be some more interesting stuff going on with the metals the iron is alloyed with- I’m assuming altoids tins are steel.