WattSekunde

I think before I try those chemistry I cut some pencil rubbers to buttons. :no: :rolleyes: But it could be interesting to drill a 5mm hole in an 12mm hot glue stick and place it over the LED for a bigger button size. Or drill a hole in the side and place an SMD LED inside with thin insulated wire to the PCB. Then we close the circle in this thread to the idea from taximan.

Very interesting Article about DIY soft silicon rubber buttons: Silicone Rubber test results and comparison They are created for the Beatseqr.

I don't use it until now. But I actually paint the design for an earlier project and would try it once. I will post my experience here. The ground & shield level is an interesting point. This material could work like a capacity. If you're using a M3 counter sunk screw you can use an additional "Zahnscheibe" from the other side. The teeth would scratch through the foil. The second question is how easy and precisely it is to drill, saw, cut and mill. I know from Frank that drilling is very easy. I think for a front-plate with a lot of rectangular or complex holes Schaeffer-AG would be the better solution. For me it would be nice if Schaeffer-AG offer an optional color print and laminating feature instead of expensive milling it letter by letter. Michael

The size of the matrix hasn't anything todo with the current through each switch. it's in case of selection (row/col) 5V->10K->diode->switch->GND. That's less then 0.5 mA. Yes, that's why I think about a translucent plastic button with LED nearby.

"Aluminum Dibond" is a sandwitch of Aluminum-Polyethylene-Aluminum. Salierdruck prints full color photo quality prints on it and laminate this with an UV and scratch resist foil. You can "paint" your design with PS or any other gfx prog in 1440x720dpi. It's really cheap but you have to do all the drilling & CNC work. Take a look at Salier Druck (Maybe you have a similar online seller in your country.) And here is a finished example from Frank Makowski. Thank's Frank! keep on, Michael

I don't try it yet. But i think 1.5mm is a way to much for that. And the legs of the LED stabilizes the movement very good. The second problem i see is the space between the buttons. I like a compact matrix. Maybe you'll find a nice solution. Thank's! There is definitely no stuck in my prototype. The movement is absolute smooth! The legs of the LED stabilizes the movement very good. And the real front would thicker than my prototype4 PCB front. That gives more stability. On the other side it is very important to precisely bend the legs of the LED. If I decide to use these as buttons I have to build a small bending tool to bend all LEDs exact the same way. The critical lifetime part could be the flexible wire. I don't add them yet. I have to try next. The wires in my prototype are quick and dirty bend and the LEDs are more than 20 Years old. I use them now only for mechanical prototypes ;-). Here are my idea sketches. I am also thinking of a small variation. I try with a very cheap white translucent LED and cut the legs completely off. For lighting I use SMD or 3mm nearby the button. In that case I don't need the "flexible" wires to the LED. On the other hand the LED with no guidance could stuck. I also like the latex membran variation. I think it would also be nice with white textile like Haken Continuum. :D

I posted a picture from my small prototype with these Buttons

While I'm searching LED-Buttons for my SEQ I am build this prototype with the ALPS SKP & SKPM Softbutton and 5mm LED. I like the silence and the soft feeling and the 1.5mm key travel of these buttons. And the 0.065 EUR / button :yes: . But the 1.5mm key travel is a problem for direct soldering the LED to the PCB. I let go them through the hole and have to use little wires. That's a lot of work for a matrix. It's always time vs. money. Michael

Yes, the 17x17 matrix was my intention with the soft buttons and SMD LEDs, too. ;-) I'm thinking of replace the "clicky" buttons in my Q. I think I have to modify only the button caps but I'll try it. For the SEQ I think about the nearly undestroyable hall encoder versions. I have to play around with some samples. @phunk: You are right. But I think some of these could helpful for other DIY projects. I have searched a long time for such a good price. For example: I ordered some really cheap encoders from Hong Kong. They are so bad at all! I don't want to spend a lot of time with an DIY project an then build those crap inside. The tactile feedback is so unbelievable bad. And they aren't much cheaper than the discussed ALPS. And yes: Always pay attention to the description on ebay!

Hi everyone, I am following the uCApps projects over many years. Now I find the time to start my first. The SEQ V4. From time to time I scan for encoders because my lovely Waldorf Q need some fixed. Last week I found this eBay seller from germany. 15 ALPS Encoder for 6,50 EUR! http://myworld.ebay.de/maritalogo/ http://stores.ebay.de/Logo-s-Elektronik-Kiste I love these silent "soft" ALPS buttons. 100 for 6,50 EUR! http://cgi.ebay.de/100x-SMD-Makro-Taster-ALPS-SKP-softfeeling-Automotiv-/290486920676 and http://cgi.ebay.de/100x-ALPS-SKPM-SMD-Taster-softfeeling-/300483067589 I hope this will help! WattSekunde