RTurner Posted July 6, 2006 Report Share Posted July 6, 2006 Spark Fun Electronics will be carrying silicone illuminated buttons based on the Monome design in 1-2 months. 4x4 arrays that will cost between $20 and $30 U.S... !!!! Here's a copy of the email I received:"...We are having the tooling made and should have the first units in 4-6 weeks. We are getting a 4x4 button array with 5mm holes for our tri-color LEDs. The retail price will be in the 20-$30 range but the 16 button pad has been designed so that you can cut it up to 2x2s easily. We are also working on a PCB and plastic frame.Thanks for the inquiry! We are excited to be carrying the pads soon.-Nathan" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stryd_one Posted July 6, 2006 Report Share Posted July 6, 2006 How big are those buttons roughly? Sounds interesting.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sinnsyk Posted July 6, 2006 Report Share Posted July 6, 2006 I think they are 1 x 1 cm.. if I take a look at that Monome. But the buttons are implemented, you don't get only the sillicone buttoncaps? The price would be very expensive for only some caps :P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RTurner Posted July 6, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 6, 2006 The monome website says that each button face is .75"x.75" (19.05mm sq)... Not that they would definitely use those dimensions, but I know that development was helped by the monome guys.I dunno, Honestly, I was looking at individual lighted buttons that cost anywhere from $7 to $30US. So one to two dollars a piece seems more than reasonable to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
docbrown Posted July 6, 2006 Report Share Posted July 6, 2006 Pictures!!! Please ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moogah Posted July 6, 2006 Report Share Posted July 6, 2006 OOOOOOOO YEAIf these are 3/4" pads then I'll definatly be first in line for a set or two, the price is more than reasonable! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrBunsen Posted July 7, 2006 Report Share Posted July 7, 2006 /wets self, puts thread on notify.If they're an inch or less, that's 16 to a 19" rack with room to spare... half an inch gets you 32....We are also working on a PCBI'm guessing that's for the actual switching component. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RTurner Posted July 11, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 11, 2006 Ok, there's both good and bad news...First the good news: They now have a datasheet posted. It can be found at: http://www.sparkfun.com/cgi-bin/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=3583The datasheet is a little vague on the size/placement of the conductive silicone, also dimensions are not given for LED pill (I think it's called a pill.... but regardless, I'm refering to the space in the button made for the LED). All the same, I have drafted it up in Autodesk Inventor as an .IPT file if anyone wants it. The bad news: Right now it will be offered as the silicone buttons only. No PCB yet. No enclosure. Having said that: the buttons act the same way as membrane switches; actuating conductor with contacts- so creating your own PCBs won't be that hard. Of course, with the LEDs it will require either a double-sided PCB or two PCBs stacked with through-holes...If any of you do want the .IPT file, I'd be happy to e-mail it to you, but: please excuse me, I'm making the transition from Autocad to Inventor, so the conventions I use may be a little different from what you're used to, especially since I learned architectural drafting and not mechanical- and I ad-libbed the above said vagueries: Pill dimensions (which I know are large enough for a 5mm LED) and Conductive Silicone dimensions. Hopefully by next week I'll have appropriate eagle files with contacts, LEDs, diodes, and header... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stryd_one Posted July 12, 2006 Report Share Posted July 12, 2006 :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moogah Posted July 12, 2006 Report Share Posted July 12, 2006 Making our own PCB's really won't be that big a deal. I need to present a bunch of board designs to smash pretty soon and I'll add one of these to the mix. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RTurner Posted July 12, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 12, 2006 They are taking care of the hard part. The PCBs are simple in comparison. I suppose this will allow people to choose between a matrix setup and a per-button IO setup... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Screaming_Rabbit Posted July 12, 2006 Report Share Posted July 12, 2006 Making our own PCB's really won't be that big a deal. I need to present a bunch of board designs to smash pretty soon and I'll add one of these to the mix.... I don't think the PCBs are as easy as you think. How do you wanna do the carbon plating of the contact surface?Greets, Roger Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RTurner Posted July 12, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 12, 2006 I was thinking: Etch the appropriate traces, and silk-screen on the contacts using conductive epoxy or some other conductive ink... Yeah... I know.... Regular copper contacts will corrode, and tin will oxidize- which for home use wouldn't be a huge deal (pull out your screwdriver and pencil erasers.). Surely I've poured rubbing alcohol down many a crossfader to get it to perform.. But that wouldn't be acceptable for home use. So.... Does anyone know the likelihood of the silver in conductive epoxy tarnishing? Otherwise: you could use tabs of conductive aluminum tape.... Or use the above mentioned conductive epoxy to mount pads of conductive silicone, etc.... I mean, you're right, it's more than a 2 step process, and I'm fortunate to have a bit of experience silkscreening, but this is still a lot easier to do (and within the means of someone working out of their basement) than to mold their own buttons...robin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrBunsen Posted July 13, 2006 Report Share Posted July 13, 2006 Hmm. I would guess moulding your own silicone would be about as easy/hard as etching your own boards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilba Posted July 13, 2006 Report Share Posted July 13, 2006 It looks like the monome just uses plated tracks - looks shiny to me.I wish I could see a closeup shot of the "intertwined star pattern" they use, perhaps spark fun will do the same on their demo board.Why be so concerned about oxidation of plated tracks though? I've got PCBs that have been sitting in a damp shed for years and their tinned tracks are still perfectly shiny.Just out of interest: are there enough people who want to make a monome clone (using MIDIbox) that we could get a bulk order happening for an 8x8 button PCB? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
docbrown Posted July 13, 2006 Report Share Posted July 13, 2006 Just out of interest: are there enough people who want to make a monome clone (using MIDIbox) that we could get a bulk order happening for an 8x8 button PCB?Well, if this will be a starting count, then count me in on this!! ;D ;Dthanks.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stryd_one Posted July 13, 2006 Report Share Posted July 13, 2006 I dunno about a monome clone but I do need a button grid.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wisefire Posted July 13, 2006 Report Share Posted July 13, 2006 jup monome clone sparks my interest very much.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moogah Posted July 13, 2006 Report Share Posted July 13, 2006 I'm in for a button grid.I'd also agree that we really aren't going to need any fancy coatings on the pads, I can't think of many synths that had them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
docbrown Posted July 13, 2006 Report Share Posted July 13, 2006 Well, if this will be a starting count, then count me in on this!! ;D ;Dthanks..Corrections, I am on for the buttons only also. But if the overall cost of a monome clone is under $100 with out enclosure, then I'll go for it too.. ;D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
docbrown Posted July 13, 2006 Report Share Posted July 13, 2006 Are they going to make round buttons? Because its easier to make round holes in a metal enclosure uniformly than squares. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilba Posted July 13, 2006 Report Share Posted July 13, 2006 I just thought if enough people were getting these buttons, then maybe a group order of some boards to go with them would be a good idea... not just for a monome clone. It doesn't have to be 8x8... it could be 4x4 or 4x1 even... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RTurner Posted July 13, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 13, 2006 Seriously- I don't think any special contact material would be needed for regular home use. Not only that, but you can clean the contacts with a pencil eraser if they do tarnish, and you usually know when a contact is going (it'll work intermittently for a while before it fails). So unless you were planning on mass-producing something, I don't think it'll be an issue, or if it is, it'll only be an issue every couple years...I'm down for a group order, especially if we can get them to throw in the PCBs. I know that their production volume is going to be at least 1000 pieces, so if we could round-up a couple dozen orders (personally- I could use several of these things building my MPC-killer) I think that would qualify as a bulk order.... So, in case their PCBs are not available, is anyone particularly talented with Eagle???I just thought if enough people were getting these buttons, then maybe a group order of some boards to go with them would be a good idea... not just for a monome clone. It doesn't have to be 8x8... it could be 4x4 or 4x1 even... The way the pad is designed there are score marks to ease in separating the 4x4 silicone pad into 4 groups of 2x2. The pad is 2mm thick in between buttons, so there's no good reason why you couldn't cut it up into as many pieces as you want- though you would probably want to glue 1.5mm thick stand-offs to support the button, and also glue it to the PCB since you'd have one mounting hole per button..Insert QuoteAre they going to make round buttons? Because its easier to make round holes in a metal enclosure uniformly than squares. Sorry- The design is for (more or less) square buttons. No mention was made of rounded buttons.. However, the guy I contacted did say that they were working on an enclosure.. But I have no idea what they mean by that.Here's a PDF I quickly made- so that everyone knows what we're dealing with. Sorry if the PDF is a little retarded- acrobat is not my forte'. 4x4_button_array.pdf4x4_button_array.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DRÄPPEL Posted July 13, 2006 Report Share Posted July 13, 2006 Hmm. I would guess moulding your own silicone would be about as easy/hard as etching your own boards.I think someone on this forum molded his own buttons and were offering to make them for people too but I'm not sure what happened with that.Right, here is the thread http://www.midibox.org/forum/index.php?topic=4997.0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
docbrown Posted July 13, 2006 Report Share Posted July 13, 2006 Right, here is the thread http://www.midibox.org/forum/index.php?topic=4997.0I try following that link. First link it points to this forum. The second also points to this forum. The third link on the other hand points to a pictures of a "mouse attacking another mouse" ??? It's pretty funny though ;D ;D ;D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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