Side-action Telegraph Key
date: label: date made
content: ca 1925
notes: label: Description (Brief)
content: Telegraph keys are electrical on-off switches used to send messages in Morse code. The message travels as a series of electrical pulses through a wire. This key has a lever that moves side-to-side rather than up and down. The operator touches the key’s lever to one contact post briefly to make a short signal, a dot, or holds the lever against the contact for a moment to make a slightly longer signal, a dash. The sequence of dots and dashes represent letters and numbers. Both contact posts on this key are electrically connected so the signal travels through a wire attached to the back of the lever mount.
label: Description (Brief)
content: No extant markings. A simple side-to-side action key without counter-weights or springs. There are adjustable contacts on either side of the lever, and the contact posts are connected by a wire under the key base. Wood grip, hard rubber or composition base.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
setName: label: See more items in
content: Work and Industry: Electricity
label: See more items in
content: Telegraph Keys
label: See more items in
content: Communications
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: from Franklin Wingard
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: EM.321624
label: catalog number
content: 321624
label: accession number
content: 241556
objectType: label: Object Name
content: telegraph key
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: plastic (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: metal (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 1 3/4 in x 2 1/2 in x 5 in; 4.445 cm x 6.35 cm x 12.7 cm