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A 3D PRINTED KEY FOR STRAIGHT KEY NIGHT EVERYTHING OLD IS NEW AGAIN WHEN
USING A CUTTING EDGE TECHNOLOGY TO MAKE A TRIED AND TRUE TOOL.  MATTHEW
WILLIAMS, W2MDW  I HAVE BEEN FOLLOWING THE PROGRESS OF 3D PRINTING
TECHNOLOGY FOR THE BETTER PART OF A DECADE, AND AFTER WATCHING PRINTERS
GEARED TOWARD THE MAKER AND DIY CROWD BECOME MORE AFFORDABLE, I WAS
THRILLED WHEN MY AMAZING WIFE BOUGHT ME ONE FOR MY BIRTHDAY.  I HAD BEEN
THINKING FOR QUITE SOME TIME ABOUT HOW I COULD APPLY 3D PRINTING TO AMATEUR
RADIO.  BETWEEN CUSTOM ANTENNA INSULATORS, PROJECT ENCLOSURES, RADIO
MOUNTS, REPLACEMENT KNOBS, AND A HUGE VARIETY OF OTHER ITEMS I COULD PRINT,
A STRAIGHT KEY SEEMED LIKE THE MOST OBVIOUS CHOICE FOR THE FIRST ITEM TO
TACKLE.  DESIGNING A STRAIGHT KEY TURNED OUT TO BE A MUCH MORE INTERESTING
AND DAUNTING TASK THAN I HAD FIRST ENVISIONED.  IN THE PAST, I HAVE WRITTEN
SOFTWARE, CONSTRUCTED TRIVIAL CIRCUITS FOLLOWING A SCHEMATIC, AND PLAYED
WITH A VARIETY OF PHYSICAL COMPUTING PLATFORMS LIKE THE ARDUINO.  BUT
MODELING WHAT WOULD ULTIMATELY BE A PHYSICAL OBJECT WAS ALL NEW TERRITORY.
LUCKY FOR ME, THE 3D PRINTING WORLD IS FULL OF MATURE TOOLS AND GUIDELINES
FOR ACCOMPLISHING SUCH A TASK.  THE COOLEST NEW TOOL FIRST, LET ME DESCRIBE
WHAT A 3D PRINTER IS AND HOW IT WORKS.  MY PARTICULAR PRINTER XYZPRINTING
DA VINCI 1R0, CAN PRINT AN OBJECT ROUGHLY 8 X 8 X 8 INCHES IN SIZE.  IT
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