so i just got this new bencher paddle (BY-1) and hooked it up to my keyer that worked fine with my old vibroplex bug. now when i try to send dits the timing seems all over the place and sometimes it sends extra dits i didnt ask for. the keyer is a K1EL winkey usb that ive had for maybe 2 years. anyone else run into this kind of thing when switching paddles? im wondering if theres some adjustment i need to make or if the paddle contacts need breaking in or something

Check your contact spacing first thing - the bencher might be set different than your old bug was. also make sure the keyer is set to iambic mode A if you're used to that, some keyers default to mode B and it feels totally different when you're sending. i had the same issue when i switched from my old vibroplex to a begali paddle and drove me nuts for about a week until i figured out the mode thing

yeah what he said about the spacing. but also try cleaning the contacts with some alcohol or even just work them back and forth a bunch of times. new paddles sometimes have manufacturing oils or oxidation that messes with the contact. i always clean new paddle contacts before first use now after learning this the hard way