Ultra PicoKeyer User Manual
Contents
1. After selecting this menu item the keyer will announce DIT Tap the paddle you wish to use as the dot paddle this setting will take effect as soon as you exit the setup menu RT a Audio Tone The keyer will send a dash at the selected sidetone audio frequency each i time button 2 or 3 is pressed The default setting is approximately 2000 Hz which Around 2 f kHz gives the loudest audio from the on board speaker DELAY D Transmit delay compensation Some transmitters tend to shorten Morse code elements when used in QSK mode This setting can be used to lengthen Morse Default elements and shorten spaces to compensate The setting can be from 0 to 50 0 milliseconds This is similar to weighting except that it is independent of speed Weighting shortens or lengthens elements by a percentage delay lengthens elements by a specified number of milliseconds Be aware that this can cause problems when using large delays and fast speeds MENU MENU _ Menu mode Long mode sends words for each menu selection Short mode sends one or two letters only MENU is always sent in long mode regardless VERS Vv Firmware version The keyer sends the version number of its internal firmware program This is informational and cannot be changed Ultra PicoKeyer 23 October 2014 Firmware V1 1 Page 11 of 19 Operating the Ultra PicoKeyer Once your Ultra PicoKeyer is assembled mounted in the cabinet and has the battery installed it2. buttons to set the delay between beacon transmissions from 0 to 255 seconds WEIGHT W Weight The keyer announces the current weight The buttons may be used to Default decrease or increase the weight setting Weight can be set anywhere from 1 50 5 light to 5 normal to 9 50 heavy The default setting is 5 SIDE TN T Sidetone The keyer announces the current sidetone setting You can use the buttons to switch between N sidetone OFF Y sidetone ON and M MCW mode In Default MCW mode the keying output is active any time code is being sent and for two word Y spaces after the key is released This can be used to control the PTT line of an FM transmitter Regardless of the sidetone setting the sidetone is always used while in setup mode KEY K Key Mode The keyer will send the current keying mode A or B for iambic A or B timing modes U for Ultimatic G for bug or S for straight key You can use the Default buttons to switch between modes In Bug mode dots are made automatically with Mode A the correct spacing and length with one paddle input while dashes are made manually with the other If straight key mode is selected while using a paddle either paddle input will key the transmitter PADL P Paddle Selection This will allow you to reverse the paddles for mis wired paddles or left handed operators Simply hit whichever paddle you want to use for DITs No need to rewire your paddle
3. t use setup mode often and it can be a chore to try to remember all of the commands Others change settings often and may want the menu operation to be quick and efficient For that reason you have a choice between two menu modes we l call them Long and Short In Long mode each menu selection is spelled out with a short word like SPEED WEIGHT or CUT NUM In Short mode the menu selections are sent as one or two letters only such as S W or X To quickly change between the two modes you can use the lt button to quickly select MENU will get you there just as easily but not as quickly The MENU selection will always be spelled out regardless of the menu mode selected just in case you ve selected short mode but have not used the menu for a while Once you have MENU selected tap V or A to switch between L long and S short modes As an example let s look at the S menu item SPEED setting Once in setup mode tap button 4 to advance to the SPEED menu item The keyer will announce the currently set speed You can now tap button 2 to decrease the speed by one WPM or button 3 to increase it Holding either button will continuously increase or decrease the speed with a dot or dash sent at the new speed for each step When the button is released the keyer will again announce the current speed setting Speed may be set from 5 WPM to 60 WPM If you want to return to the default 13 WPM set
4. signal report or other comment The message will automatically resume after a full word space has passed with no paddle input Hint If you use P store it immediately following the preceding characters without a word space In other words store UR RST P instead of UR RST P This prevents you starting to send before the word space completes which will terminate memory playback completely If you want to terminate a message while it s paused so it won t resume simply tap any message button e To have your message automatically repeat at timed intervals insert the command B BEACON at the end of your message This will cause the keyer to delay for the number of seconds set with the B parameter see the setup menu instructions and re send the message You can terminate beacon operation by tapping either paddle or any button This can be especially useful for calling CQ or to use your PicoKeyer to control a propagation beacon or fox transmitter e To have Message 1 automatically start whenever power is applied to the keyer store the A command as the first two characters in message 1 This is useful for automatically starting a keyer used as part of a beacon station Remember that you will still need to use B at the end of the message if you want it to repeat e To send the QSO number and increment it by one send QI QSO amp Increment e To send the QSO number and NOT increment it send QN QSO amp No increme
5. the keying output can be used to trigger the PTT input of a VHF or UHF handie talkie or FM mobile rig allowing you to use your FM rig for Morse code This is not CW Continuous Wave operation nor is it true MCW Modulated CW mode it s really just an FM transmission with audio Morse code tones sent instead of voice It is a good way though to have a CW practice net using a local repeater with the blessing of the repeater operator of course or a simplex frequency Those participating don t need HF privileges or HF equipment to learn and practice Morse code on the air It is not possible to give detailed instructions for attaching your keyer to every rig on the market Different transceivers even from the same manufacturer may require different setups to work well You will need to take a look at your rig s manual to determine how the audio and PTT signals from the keyer need to be connected Look for instructions for connecting a packet radio TNC for a good start Doing it wrong could possibly damage your rig and or your keyer Refer to the operator s manual for your rig for specific requirements for PTT and audio Using MCW mode will probably require making a custom cable to connect the keying and sidetone outputs to your FM transceiver Depending on your radio you may also need to install a shorting jumper across capacitor C3 and or you may need to use an external variable resistor to control the audio level supplied to your tr
6. 2 Send your message using the paddle You can pause as long as you want between words 3 If you want to review what you ve sent so far tap button 1 4 Once you re satisfied with the message press and hold button 1 again until you hear R Now let s say you think you have a message stored in M1 but you re not sure what it is You want to review the message and possibly change it but you don t want to key the transmitter Here s what you would do 1 Hold down button 1 until you hear K then release the button 2 Tap button 1 The keyer will play the stored message if there is one without keying the transmitter 3 If you want to append something to the existing message you can do it just by sending with the paddles before you exit 4 If you want to leave that message as it is just tap button 2 3 or 4 The keyer will respond with NR think Not Recorded If you changed the message and want to save it hold the button until you hear R Now let s say you want to replace this message with a new one 1 Press and hold button 1 as before until you hear K 2 If you want to record a new message just use the paddle to send the new message 3 To review what you ve just sent tap button again If you want to add to it you can 4 Once you re satisfied with the message press and hold button 1 until you hear R Now you re done and out of recording mode So let s say you want t
7. PicoKeyer Setup Menu Commands Long Snar i Menu item description Version Version EED Speed The keyer will announce the stored speed in WPM Use buttons 2 amp 3 as Degut Down Up or buttons to adjust the speed as described above 13 WPM i QSO Q NUM QSO Number The keyer will send the current QSO number You can use the A and Y buttons to set the QSO number anywhere from 1 to 65535 To reset the QSO Default 1 number to 1 simply press both buttons at the same time RANGE RL L Range Low This sets the low end of the speed control pot range The setting is Default adjusted the same way you would set the stored speed 5 WPM RANGE RH H Range High This sets the high end of the speed control pot range Itis set the same Default way as the stored speed and low range setting 30 WPM CUT X Cut numbers Cut numbers are often used in contests to send contact serial numbers NUM and signal reports The most commonly used cut numbers are 0 and 9 Default For this item button 2 will toggle the zero setting and button 3 will toggle the nine 0 9 setting You can select no cut numbers 9 cut zeros T 9 cut nines N or both T N Note that this only affects the way QSO numbers are sent Other numbers in stored messages or numbers sent by hand are not affected The default setting is no cut numbers LTR SPC L Auto letter spacing The keyer will announce the current setting Automatic l
8. addle and release the dot paddle for the two dashes then release the dash paddle and close the dot paddle for the last dot In Ultimatic mode you would close the dot paddle and hold it closed close the dash paddle for the two dashes then release it for the last dot Some letters are easier to send and require less effort using Ultimatic mode It s a little bit of an adjustment from regular iambic keying it took me a couple of hours of practice to get used to it Selecting a keying mode A B or Ultimatic is largely a matter of personal preference There is no one right way that works for everyone find which works best for you Two additional keying modes are available with the Ultra PicoKeyer Bug mode mode G in the setup menu offers automatic dots and manual dashes emulating a mechanical semi automatic key Straight key mode mode S in the setup menu allows completely manual sending treating each paddle as a straight key input This can also be used in the same way you would a cootie key like two straight keys back to back Keep in mind that you can always send stored messages but you will not be able to record messages while in bug or straight key modes Ultra PicoKeyer 23 October 2014 Firmware V1 1 Page 7 of 19 Using Your Keyer with a Handheld or FM Rig MCW Mode One of the unique features of your Ultra PicoKeyer is MCW mode menu option T for sidetone select M for MCW In this mode
9. and 4 A and P If you hear dit dit you re back in normal operating mode The Ultra PicoKeyer has four memories controlled by the four pushbuttons on the front panel Operating these buttons is very simple and straightforward and their use is as you might expect from a modern electronic device Playing a Stored Message Pressing and immediately releasing any of the four buttons once a tap of a button will send the message stored with that button if there is one stored Using Keyer Features There are several functions that can be used by pressing multiple buttons at the same time e To enter Tuneup Mode press buttons 1 amp 3 at the same time In Tuneup Mode you can tap the dash paddle to send a steady carrier or tap the dot paddle to send a string of dits Tap either paddle to stop sending Tap any button to exit Tuneup Mode While in Tuneup mode the sidetone will always be ON regardless of the sidetone setting as a reminder that you re transmitting e To decrease the QSO counter by one press buttons amp 2 at the same time The keyer will send two dits using the sidetone only to let you know it decremented the QSO counter e To check the current operating speed press buttons 2 amp 4 at the same time The keyer will announce the currently selected speed in Morse code using the sidetone only e To check for a straight key and adjust for straight key or paddle use press buttons 2 amp 3 at the same t
10. ansceiver 2 2K i Audio PTT In Figure 1 we see the most common method that will work Output T J l with many handheld transceivers from Alinco Yaesu Icom 1 and others that use a similar combined audio PTT scheme Ground This value of the capacitor is not critical and can be several Phones 1 times smaller or larger A 2 2 K or 2 7 KQ resistor 3 9 kQ l for some ICOM handhelds is used in series with the PTT y line to key the rig In most cases GROUND is connected to the sleeve barrel of a 2 5 mm stereo plug and PTT Audio is connected to the tip but again be sure to consult your rig s manual Figure 1 Keying Yaesu and similar HTs PTT Output CHI Ground Figure 2 shows the method for using with with separate Phones X i l audio and PTT lines Consult your rig s manual for the Audio correct plug and wiring to use K 10 uF Figure 2 Keying HTs with separate audio amp PTT Ultra PicoKeyer 23 October 2014 Firmware V1 1 Page 8 of 19 About Setup Mode Just remember Enter and exit setup mode with A and gt Use the lt and gt buttons to navigate through the menu use the Wand A buttons to change settings means you re in setup mode and did dit means you re back in normal operating mode Using the Ultra PicoKeyer s setup mode is very simple and intuitive with only a few very simple things to remember e To enter or exit setup mode pre
11. e same time It will automatically re scan the paddle inputs and determine whether or not a straight key is plugged in If you use a straight key with a stereo plug you may find it more convenient to switch between paddles and a straight key using the K menu setting Sidetone The PicoKeyer s sidetone is a square wave audio signal generated by the microprocessor Sidetone can be turned on or off and the audio frequency can be changed from the setup menu There is a very noticeable peak in the response of the on board speaker at roughly 2 kHz if your PicoKeyer is installed in the plastic cabinet you ll probably want to find this peak so you can hear it with the case assembled The default setting should be at this audio peak Using headphones for sidetone If you prefer you can use a 3 5 mm stereo plug to connect an external device for sidetone This will disconnect the on board speaker The PIC processor chip used in the Ultra PicoKeyer can drive small ear buds or headphones with 32 ohms or greater impedance Low impedance phones will result in very low or no sidetone volume For larger speakers or lower impedance headphones you need to use and external amplifier An inexpensive amplified PC speaker may work well or you can use this as an opportunity to build a low power audio amplifier An LM386 amplifier chip will work well for this as well as many other types You will need to use a stereo plug for an external audio device If you
12. ecording mode simply tap any button except the one you just pressed to stop recording and return to normal operation without saving the message The keyer will announce NR to let you know it did not record the message To review and add to a message If you just want to hear what you have stored in any of the message slots just enter recording mode hold the button down until you hear K then release the button Now tap the same button to play back your message This works either before you start to record a new message to review one already Ultra PicoKeyer 23 October 2014 Firmware V1 1 Page 3 of 19 stored or after you record a message to make sure you ve recorded what you want before saving Once you review the message the pointer in memory is not set to zero in other words if you review the message and start recording what you send will be appended to the end of the message To erase an existing message If you want to erase a message you have stored in one of the memory locations it s easy Enter recording mode hold down the button until you hear K then release Now press and hold the button down again until you hear R This will erase anything stored in that message location Let s walk through a couple of typical uses of the memory buttons First let s assume you want to record a new message in memory location 1 1 Hold down button 1 until you hear K then release the button
13. eed 3 3 V and of course double check the polarity before applying power Battery replacement is straightforward just remove the two screws from the cabinet bottom remove the keyer circuit board from the cabinet slide the coin cell battery out of its holder and install the new battery All of your settings and messages will be retained even with no battery power If you should need to replace the battery in your keyer you will need a CR2032 or equivalent lithium cell These are very common and are used in many devices from garage door openers to car remotes to thermometers and medical monitors You can order high quality CR2032 cells from www HamGadgets com Don t use any battery or power source that exceeds 3 3 volts Straight Key Mode The Ultra PicoKeyer can automatically detect and use a properly wired straight key During its power on program the PicoKeyer checks to see if either paddle input is grounded If one input is shorted the other input is assumed to be a straight key This way you can plug in a straight key wired to a mono plug and use it without any changes or adjustments Be aware that while the setup menu will still function and you can send messages you will not be able to record messages while using a straight key Of course it s not always convenient to pull out the battery when you switch between a paddle and a straight key To detect paddles or a straight key just press buttons 2 and 3 the middle two at th
14. eep mode after about a second or so with no inputs from either paddle or any of the buttons In sleep mode the keyer chip draws so little current a few microamperes that the internal battery can last for years As soon as you touch a paddle the chip instantly wakes up and continues its normal operation You won t be able to tell the difference when the keyer goes to sleep the transition from power saving sleep to operating is instantaneous and requires no action from you The battery in your Ultra PicoKeyer should last for a long time anywhere from several months to several years Battery life depends on a few factors e Frequency of use Obviously the more you use the keyer the shorter the battery life will be Even with regular use you shouldn t have to replace the battery more than once a year or so e Sidetone The sidetone speaker draws more power than the rest of the keyer functions Using the sidetone speaker will reduce battery life but you should still only have to replace it once in a great while e Beacon mode The keyer does not sleep between messages while in beacon mode If you use your PicoKeyer to control a beacon full time you should use an external power source This can be as simple as Ultra PicoKeyer 23 October 2014 Firmware V1 1 Page 5 of 19 a pair of series AA or AAA alkaline cells Remember to remove the coin cell before connecting an external power source and never allow the external source to exc
15. etter spacing takes effect for messages sent from memory as well as code sent manually with Default the paddle 0 e Q0 turns automatic letter spacing off In this mode you control the spacing between letters This is the default setting it is the same way most keyers operate and most operators are accustomed to e turns on automatic letter spacing A letter space is automatically inserted if the keyer detects no input from either paddle at the end of the space after a dot or dash e Settings from 2 to 9 will turn on automatic letter spacing with longer delays For example selecting 2 will insert one extra dot length spacing between characters Selecting 3 will insert an extra 2 dot lengths and so on e Note that auto letter spacing is ignored while in setup mode LDG Z Leading Zeros As with several other menu settings either button may be used to switch between two settings Select Y to send numbers in stored messages with up to Default two leading zeros 1 is sent as 001 99 is sent as 099 123 is sent as 123 1000 is sent as N 1000 N will send numbers without leading zeros Like the CUT NUM setting this affects only QSO numbers and not other numbers stored in messages or sent manually The default setting is N Ultra PicoKeyer 23 October 2014 Firmware V1 1 Page 10 of 19 pean Beacon delay The keyer sends the current default beacon delay in seconds Use the 15 s
16. g regardless of whether that speed is derived from the speed pot or the menu The stored speed is saved in the chip s internal non volatile memory and is used when the speed pot is turned to its minimum position At any time you may use the speed adjustment to set any speed between the low and the high range setting Setting the speed with the pot does not affect the stored speed which will always be available by simply turning the pot to its full counter clockwise position This feature can be very useful for example you can keep your speed set at a constant favorite speed but have the option of rapid QRS QRQ to answer faster or slower stations Or you can simply ignore the stored speed and always use the pot for speed control it s up to you Two things to note First you can set the stored speed anywhere from 5 WPM to 60 WPM and it doesn t have to be within your speed control range You can also set the range of the speed control to whatever is best for you Second if you set the stored speed and low range the same it effectively disables the dual set speed feature you ll have a constant range of speed adjustment See the Range RL amp RH commands in the Setup Menu Commands section Ultra PicoKeyer 23 October 2014 Firmware V1 1 Page 2 of 19 The Pushbuttons Special Note If you try to send something with your paddle and get an unexpected result you may still be in setup mode To exit setup push buttons 3
17. ime The keyer will check to see if either paddle input is grounded and if so it will treat the other input as a straight key If neither input is grounded it will assume a paddle is in use The keyer will announce K to let you know it s ready for normal operation e To enter Setup Mode press buttons 3 amp 4 at the same time See the Setup Mode section for information about how to change settings When you re finished in setup mode just press buttons 3 amp 4 together again to exit Recording Reviewing and Saving Messages Don t let the following description fool you recording reviewing and saving messages is very simple and intuitive It would take less time to demonstrate than it will to read these instructions The buttons on your Ultra PicoKeyer are powerful little things and very easy to use To record a message Press and hold one of the pushbuttons to record the message associated with that button Simply hold the button until you hear the Morse code K prompt about two seconds You are now in recording mode Record your new message using the paddle as you normally would When you re done recording press and hold the button again to save the new message The keyer will announce R to let you know it recorded the message To exit without making changes If you decide you ve made a mistake and want to start over or if you were just reviewing an existing message or if you accidentally entered r
18. need to use a mono plug you can cut the PCB trace on the bottom of the board under the PHONES jack It s the trace that runs between the two outer most pads of the jack This will work fine with mono headphones and will give you sidetone in one ear with stereo phones USE CAUTION when trying ear buds or headphones Some ear buds or headphones may be uncomfortably loud or even loud enough to damage your hearing NEVER use a headset or earbuds directly on or in your ears until you Ultra PicoKeyer 23 October 2014 Firmware V1 1 Page 6 of 19 know how loud the sidetone will be If it s too loud you can try a smaller value capacitor in place of C3 You can also connect an external variable resistor to use as a volume control Keying the transmitter The PicoKeyer will key any solid state tube or hybrid transmitter or transceivers that uses a keying voltage of 60 V or less either positive or negative Your transmitter or transceiver may need either a mono or stereo cable It depends on the rig check your owner s manual for details for connecting a straight key to your transmitter The PicoKeyer s output acts like a straight key so you ll use the method for connecting a straight key Remember to disable the rig s internal keyer if it has one If you intend to use the PicoKeyer with a rig requiring grid block or cathode keying voltages over 60 V you will need to use a separate high voltage keying adapter The Universal Keying Adapte
19. nt e To the last previous QSO number send QR QSO Repeat This is useful during contests if you need to send a fill e To temporarily increase the keyer speed by one WPM send SU Speed Up Note that this and the SD command will take effect immediately and will remain in effect only until the message is finished You can store multiple SU or SD commands to change speed by more than one WPM for example SU SU will increase your speed by 2 WPM e To temporarily decrease keyer speed by one WPM send SD Speed Down e To temporarily set a specific speed send Snn where nn is the speed you want S or SO will resume the normal speed For example to send a signal report at 30 WPM and return to the normal speed you would use S30 599 S0 e To alter the letter spacing send Fn where n is one digit 0 through 9 This will act the same as setting the letter spacing in the menu For example say you want to add a little extra space between letters in your call sign ina CW message You could store CQ R R DE F2NOXAS R R K F0 B e To insert an extra word space in your message use the special prosign character JM e To insert a steady carrier use the Cn command where n is the number of seconds from 1 to 9 that you wish to send the carrier Battery and External Power Note that your Ultra PicoKeyer does not have a power switch The microprocessor brain of the keyer will go into a low current sl
20. o just delete message 1 1 Press and hold button 1 as before until you hear K 2 Press and hold the button again until you hear R The message is now erased in other words you just recorded an empty message Special Message Commands Several special embedded commands may be used in messages All commands start with a slash followed by one or two characters When playing back a message in setup mode you will hear the command itself not its effect message chaining QSO numbers pause and beacon mode are inactive while in setup mode For example you will hear R instead of the word to be repeated To store a slash character in a message save it as For example if I want the message to send NOXAS B Pd store it in memory as NOXAS B e R will repeat the last word including the word space after it This can save a lot of memory space since each R takes up only two character positions in memory For example to send a 3x3 CQ you can simply store CQ R RDE call sign R RK This can save a lot of memory space e 1 2 3 and 4 can be used to call or insert another stored message as part of the one you re recording The indicated message will be played immediately when one of these commands is encountered then the current message will resume Ultra PicoKeyer 23 October 2014 Firmware V1 1 Page 4 of 19 e P will pause the message This will cause the keyer to wait while you manually send information such as a
21. r 3 available from NOXAS at www hamgadgets com is optically isolated and will handle solid state grid block or cathode keyed transmitters at up to 400 V Of course you can always build your own Keying Modes What s Mode A Mode B and Ultimatic There have been a couple of different operating modes for iambic keying that have evolved over the years Modes A amp B are simply a matter of when the keyer checks for input from the paddles In iambic mode A the keyer only checks for paddle inputs after the end of each dot or dash In iambic mode B on the other hand the keyer will check for paddle input during each dot or dash In practice this can mean that you get extra or dropped dots or dashes at the end of a character depending on how you send If you find that the keyer often drops the last dot or dash in a character or you often get an extra dot or dash at the end of a character try switching between modes A amp B and see which one best suits you I find that Mode B worked best for me when using a single lever paddle while Mode A works best with a dual lever paddle Ultimatic mode is a different way of handling iambic keying In modes A amp B if the keyer sees both paddles closed it will alternate sending dots and dashes Ultimatic on the other hand will send dots or dashes according to the last paddle to be pressed For example to send the letter P in mode A or B you would close the dot paddle then close the dash p
22. s time to connect your paddles and transmitter or transceiver and take a little time to read this manual to learn how to use your PicoKeyer s features This is the controls end of your PicoKeyer The speed control knob is on the right the memory setup pushbuttons are on the left The triangle symbols lt V A and P are used with the setup menu system The buttons are not marked with numbers but are numbered from 1 through 4 from left to right for message memories This is the connections end of your PicoKeyer The center jack is for your paddles input the right hand jack is the on off output for keying your transmitter or transceiver output The left hand jack is a low power audio output that can be used for ear buds or headphones The Speed Control This is the control you will probably use the most often The code speed can be adjusted from 5 words per minute WPM to 30 WPM by simply turning the speed control knob The high and low limits can be set using the setup function described later in this manual The default high and low range settings are 5 WPM and 30 WPM but you can set these anywhere between 5 WPM and 60 WPM You may notice that the speed will decrease to 5 WPM as you rotate the knob counter clockwise then suddenly jump to 13 WPM This is a special feature known as Dual Set Speed Two Morse code speed settings are available for your use The current speed is the speed at which the keyer is operatin
23. ss the A and buttons 3 amp 4 at the same time The keyer will send to let you know you re in setup mode or dit dit to let you know you ve exited setup mode e The lt and gt buttons 1 and 4 will move forward and backward through the menu items The menu wraps around meaning you can navigate through the menu in either direction The order of menu items is shown in the table below You can move through the menu choices in either direction using the left and right buttons e The A and Y buttons 2 and 3 will change the selected item s settings The selections also wrap around with a couple of exceptions as noted below Tap any button to go to the next item or selection and stop e Hold any button to scroll through items until you release the button Holding lt or gt will announce each menu item in turn holding button V or A will send a dot or dash for each decrement or increment of the selected item s setting e To reset the item to its original factory default setting press and release the middle two buttons V and A at the same time Many operators will find the default settings of the Ultra PicoKeyer satisfactory for normal operation However some people like things set up a little differently There are numerous settings you can change to suit your operating speed style or equipment Probably the most common changes are the speed control range settings and the default speed Most people won
24. ting simply press and release buttons 2 and 3 at the same time Ultra PicoKeyer 23 October 2014 Firmware V1 1 Page 9 of 19
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