Converting an Antique Morse Key Into a Modern Computer Input Device

When it was first conceived in the early 1800s, the telegraph represented a quantum leap forward in communications. Rather than relying on the speed of a train or horse, letters and numbers could be sent across a continent at near-instant speeds via Morse code. While it’s now a mostly obsolete technology, there’s no reason that this type of signal couldn’t be used to control modern electronics.

Imgurian “Nomblr,” a fan of converting defunct objects into digital devices, decided to put this idea to the test, wiring her father’s old Morse key as a USB keyboard.

You can plug the Morse key into any laptop or computer and use it in exactly the same way as a conventional keyboard, except you type in Morse and the characters appear on screen in English.

To accomplish this, she hooked the key to a Teensy 3.2, and after adding debounce code to avoid sensing multiple false button presses, the device translates dashes and dots into characters as planned. The board was then hidden beneath a wooden base.

You can see the results in the video below, and check out the code on GitHub if you’d like to make your own!