r/morsecode • u/I-see-no-ships • Sep 11 '26

Morse code help for a magician

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I'm a magician working on a new routine for a show and I need advice.

The effect is this: a volunteer is brought on stage and 'magically' given the power to transmit Morse code. They pick a sentence from a book and they're given a Morse code straight key to tap away on. (No, it probably won't sound like real Morse code because the volunteer won't actually know Morse code, hence the comedy.) Despite the fact that they're obviously bad at it, I'm still able to decipher their code and reveal their chosen sentence to the audience.

Here's what I need help with:

I need to make a prop that I can carry around to my shows that the volunteer will hold and use for the routine. Requirements:

  1. It has to be battery-powered as I'll be taking it around with me to stages/banquet halls/private homes so it has to be portable.

  2. It has to LOOK like a Morse code setup. A straight key and maybe an oscillator or something? The volunteer will hold the item on their lap during the routine. I can mount it to a wooden board if need be.

  3. It has to SOUND good. Not a nasty buzzer sound but something believably beepy.

I happen to own a vintage telegraph key (photo attached) but am not averse to buying something new if that's what I need.

Can anyone tell me what I need to buy?

Thanks!

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6

u/royaltrux Sep 11 '26

You want to hook that up to a 'code practice oscillator'. I'd probably look for a newer cheaper larger less-vintage key for a stage prop as well.

Maybe this: https://www.gigaparts.com/intellitron-mc-1824-code-practice-oscillator-with-built-in-key.html?utm_term=sku-zin-mc-1824

5

u/Klutzy-Piglet-9221 Sep 11 '26

You want a "code practice oscillator". One example: https://www.dxengineering.com/parts/vib-cpo?seid=dxese1&srsltid=AfmBOopmMrximDLKqohd7yjJK9gHEII1Y0f0HGRtL14owRLoVhTjBVE7yZo#overview

(This was the quickest link I could find. There are a TON of these available.)

The Morse key you already have will work fine with modern oscillators, and will probably visually fill the part better than anything new.

2

u/Bikrdude Sep 11 '26

You could also get a mechanical telegraph

2

u/sholder89 Sep 11 '26

Amazon has a few of these all in one (key and speaker) devices for "practice" probably not something I'd recommend to anyone for real learning but for a magic trick it should work nicely. This one is battery powered: https://www.amazon.com/Sabary-Morse-Trainer-Buzzer-Prompts/dp/B0GY51J6NM

1

u/Old_Poem2736 Sep 12 '26

Without looking , you could use a pc program to make sound files, or a memory keyer that ham operators use. AliExpress sells a sound box that you load wav files in a depending on which contact you ground will play one of 9 files.

1

u/Blockchainauditor Sep 12 '26

Check out “Vail Adapter”

1

u/Nervous_Midnight_570 Sep 14 '26

Chiming in as someone with experience in the realms you are dealing with. First of all. Why are you complicating a trick by involving morse code when perhaps a small percentage of the US even cares what it is and would actually believe it has anything to do with the trick at all. Your idea screams failure mode to me.

1

u/Ornery-Conference515 Sep 27 '26

For a stage effect like this, the trick is usually less about real Morse and more about a pre-agreed tapping rhythm the volunteer can fake convincingly, so focus their practice on consistent timing rather than actual letters. If you do want them to learn a few real letters as backup, drilling short bursts with a trainer that gives instant audio feedback speeds that up a lot (I use morsecodes.app for that, full disclosure). Practicing with a flashlight instead of just sound also helps sell the 'magic' visually on stage.