super-small super-cheap backlit buttons - diy!

cheater · June 4, 2005, 6:27pm

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

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.
take a small tactile switch.
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.

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

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

and you can have multi-colored leds too!

Phattline · August 17, 2005, 11:42am

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

…

…LED…(Leuchtdiode)…

…___________…

…/….…

…|…|…

…|…_…|…

…|…|#|…|…

…|___________|#|____________|…#########…

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

…|--------------------------------------|…#########…\.…

…|…|…\.…

…_________|______________________|_________…\.…

…|… …|…\.…

…|…SWITCH… …|…\.…

…|…(Schalter)…|…\.…

…|…__…__…|…|||…

…|_| |_______________________________| |_|…|||…

______________ | |_______________________________| |__________________________________________|||___

|______________| |_______________________________| |__________________________________________|||___|

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

…

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

…

…LED…(Leuchtdiode)…

…___________…

…/….…

…|…|…

…|…_…|…

…|…|#|…|…

…|___________|#|____________|…

… …|…|#|…|…

…|…|#|…|…

…|…|#|###################### ###########################

…|…|… /\

…_________|______________________|_________…/|||\

…|… …|…|||

…|…SWITCH… …|…|||…

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

…|…__…__…|…

…|_| |_______________________________| |_|

…| |…| |…

…|__|…|__|…

…

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…

(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 … ) …

…

cheater · August 17, 2005, 1:33pm

i guess you got the glue on this one

docbrown · June 14, 2006, 7:00am

I did exactly as describe above. So far I broke a few LED legs with this process. I guess I not carefull enough. >:(

Any luck cheater?

docbrown..

cheater · June 14, 2006, 8:35am

how did you break them? when bending? perhaps the aliminum is oxidized. try better leds.

try harder/softer glue.

docbrown · June 14, 2006, 9:45pm

how did you break them? when bending? perhaps the aliminum is oxidized. try better leds.

try harder/softer glue.

Yes, they are kinda oxidized. I’m picking up a few new LEDs from Radio Shack..

thanks..

docbrown..

docbrown · June 14, 2006, 11:56pm

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

stryd_one · June 15, 2006, 12:18am

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?

Sinnsyk · June 15, 2006, 8:57am

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

Has anyone used this in his midibox yet?

Screaming_Rabbit · June 15, 2006, 9:27pm

… even thought DIYing is coller.

http://ch.farnell.com/jsp/endecaSearch/partDetail.jsp?SKU=621766&N=0

http://www.farnell.com/datasheets/2206.pdf

Greets, Roger

docbrown · June 16, 2006, 2:03pm

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

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…

docbrown · June 16, 2006, 2:06pm

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..

sidetrack · June 29, 2006, 11:32pm

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.

docbrown · August 1, 2006, 4:42pm

Ok, I tried this concept, and its suprisingly nice.. I use a 5mm LED cap on top of 3mm LED and 12mm tact switch. Check it out. This is for my SEQv2/v3. enjoy..

stryd_one · August 2, 2006, 9:12am

Nice! Can I ask, where’d you get those caps? And how do the leads get out from under there?

docbrown · August 2, 2006, 2:13pm

Nice! Can I ask, where’d you get those caps? And how do the leads get out from under there?

Those caps are the regular LED 5mm caps with notches on the sides.

Here’s Digikeys link: http://rocky.digikey.com/WebLib/Chicago%20Miniature/Web%20Photo/4312.jpg

docbrown · August 2, 2006, 2:19pm

Here’s another shot with and without a LED cap. The tact switch are these: http://www.digikey.com/scripts/DkSearch/dksus.dll?Detail?Ref=109034&Row=155764&Site=US

docbrown · August 2, 2006, 2:25pm

Here’s how it looks like in action. Sorry for the blurry picture… I was buzz’n at that moment… Mmmm Vodka!!! ;D

stryd_one · August 2, 2006, 3:14pm

Do they fit on the tact switches OK? Some of them look split?

Jidis · August 2, 2006, 6:45pm

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 ???