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super-small super-cheap backlit buttons - diy!


cheater

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Since I can't make photos... we'll have to revert to our imagination here 8)

1. take a led. looking at it from the side (one lead is hidden behind the other) bend both leads to the side so they're completely perpendicular.

2. take a small tactile switch.

3. take some really good glue. The best would be the two-ingredient kind, I guess.

glue the led on top of the small tactile switch.

4. you're done!

three-mm leds are best for stability, they're the same size as the switch itself.

you can now solder the switch on a small piece of protoboard, clip the led's leads short and connect them with cables to the protoboard.

then you can screw the protoboard to the case or mounting rails.

if something goes broken (led OR switch OR glue) just make a new one :D

good thing about those switches:

they're mega-tactile. Unlike normal swtiches with caps, those give you the EXACT feel of the switch. no slack at all.

another good thing:

you don't need schaeffer to make button holes for you anymore :P

and you can have multi-colored leds too! :)

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  • 2 months later...

o visualisize this in the cheap way  ::)

mini, cheap backlight switches /

(kleiner billiger LED-Taster)    English (GERMAN)

;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D  ;D ;D ;D  ;D ;D ;D ;;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

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................Clue..(Kleber)CCCCCCCCC|#|####################################\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\......Wire...(Kabel)

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.......................|..............................SWITCH..................... .....|....................................................................\\\.....

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.........................|.__|......................................................|.__|......Vector-board---(Lochrasterplatine)...................|||......

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Clue= two-ingredient (Kleber= 2 Komponenten Kleber)

Taster=Tact Switch  like TACTSW-008 (Tact Schalter wie z.B.: TACTSW-008)

You dont want take a expensive  Clue- then fire it

2K Kleber sind zu teuer- flambiere es

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......................................................LED.....(Leuchtdiode).............................................................................

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.......................|............................(Schalter)...........................|..........................FIRE HERE (HIER Flambieren)

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Take a 3 mm LED, and bend both  leads to the side so they're completely perpendicular /1,5 mm afar the led/

(Nimm eine 3 mm Led und bieg die Anschlüsse 1,5 mm unter der Led rechtenwinkelig ab)

Now take Led on the body with  a small gripper and push the LED on the button, and now, flame both Leads with a lighter, the legs will get red and the Leads will sink in the Button- Finished! Sometimes the LED are damaget after.... :P

(Drück die LED mit einer Zange auf den Taster und "zünde" die LED Anschlüsse an, bald werden sie rot und versinken im Taster- fertig! manchmal gehn die LEDS dann drauf .... :P ) ........................................................................................................................................................................

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  • 9 months later...

Guys,

Just browsing the web, look what I found that works well with cheaters idea. Its called Axial LED.

Here's the link: http://www.para.com.tw/products/details.php?g=cG4lM0QzJTI2cF9pZCUzRDQ1Mg==

Now, all we need to do is to look for the cheapest and somewhat largest one that can be a size of a button. ;)

later: docbrown

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Connection on your panel is just a LED-hole? In that case, this is awsome :P

Has anyone used this in his midibox yet?

Not yet for me, I'm still waiting for my MBSEQv2 PCB kit order.:( Another idea for the wire is by using a small solder wick as a conductor, soldered directly on the LED.

docbrown...

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Those SMD LEDs tend to be very small, might be hard to find one of a useful size... Although with a piece of frosted plastic on top, could be very effective.

What about the square LEDs?

How about a piece of plexi/lexan glass. Or if you find a nice dome shaped translucent plastic it will look like a Korg M1's button. ;)

docbrown..

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  • 2 weeks later...

ohhh that sounds awesome, theres nothing better than buttons with lights on them.  Atleast then the crowd can look at flashing lights and not you punching buttons. 

would be nice if there was some kind of semi transparent material on top to diffuse the light, latex perhaps.

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  • 1 month later...
Some of them look split?

You're not looking at the notches that are supposed to be there are you? ;D

@Docbrown- I think that Digikey link may have been unique to your computer. It says the "session has expired" or something here. I've never seen those caps before. I've got some LED's with caps that look just like them, but they're locked into a white PVC plastic housing, complete with leads.

Speaking of leads, have any of the DIY backlit button'ers run into any issues with having LED legs, which need to be frequently "flexed" during button movement? Didn't know how much of an issue that would be, just couldn't help but wonder.

George ???

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@Docbrown- I think that Digikey link may have been unique to your computer. It says the "session has expired" or something here. I've never seen those caps before. I've got some LED's with caps that look just like them, but they're locked into a white PVC plastic housing, complete with leads.

Sorry about that. But that is why I also posted the pictures as well.

Speaking of leads, have any of the DIY backlit button'ers run into any issues with having LED legs, which need to be frequently "flexed" during button movement? Didn't know how much of an issue that would be, just couldn't help but wonder.

George ???

For one thing, I did not cut the LED leads at all. By keeping them long it gives it a lot of flexibility. Besides the tact switch do not need to travel that much.

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