Push Button switches

[diegzumillo]

Hi all again :)

I noticed something interesting. Every gamepad ever seem to use silicon rubber. Probably because it's cheaper to mass produce but it also happens to be very comfortable for playing games! I noticed that because I'm trying to make buttons for my handheld retropie and I tested 3 kinds of buttons here and none feel particularly good.

I'm buying these form the local radioshack, because I can't test the ones I see online. But before I spend more money on buttons I will not use I decided to ask the community again. What are you people using? I found a huge variety of very good looking buttons for arcade style, but these are way too big for a hand held. However, being too small is not a problem! I can always use something larger that pushes the button inside the case. What really matters is how it feels. How deep it is, how much pressure is required to push, how much is required to keep it pressed etc.

I'm even considering removing the spring of a generic button and replacing it with some cut outs from silicon rubber sheets I salvaged from old keypads.

[Pifan]

@diegzumillo - Hi. The kind of buttons you already tested, are they the momentary push buttons that make a click when pressed? I spent ages looking for a quieter push button to go in my portables. I eventually found a silicon domed tactile push button that makes virtually no noise when pushed, which I have heard is rare. Unfortunately, I have yet to test them in a working portable so I can't comment on the action, but in principle they are a bit more like an original gamepad.

I got the switches from Mouser. They are Alps blue domed which come in 2 pin through hole and 4 pin surface mount varieties.

The link to the through hole ones I ordered can be found here. Don't be fooled by the image, they are the blue silicone type I'm talking about.

The main downside is that the P&P was expensive, so to make it worth ordering I had to commit to buying a few (may be different in your area - I'm in the UK). It is a gamble because it totally comes down to personal preference at the end of the day. You may hate them, and then me, as a result of suggesting them ;)

here's what they look like in reality

Excuse the blurry photo. They have a slightly larger footprint than other tacts (7.8 x 7.8) and 3.5mm pad size, approximately 1mm of travel and offer a fair amount of resistance, but I don't think too much. As mentioned though, I have not given them a proper test.

[diegzumillo]

That sounds promising! According to the site I think I can order only one. But I'll pay 4 dollars for delivery so it might make sense to buy more already. Thanks for the tip!

I'm actually trying to salvage the silicon rubber scavenged from other electronics and 3d printing the button myself. The first iterations are actually surprisingly functional and feels pretty good. But it's not very reliable, it's all very fragile. So if I can get my hands on some solid button I'll go with that instead.

[Pifan]

@diegzumillo

But I'll pay 4 dollars for delivery so it might make sense to buy more already. Thanks for the tip!

No problem, $4 sounds more reasonable. I paid an eye watering £12 ex. VAT so... $18 ish for the P&P alone!

Your button prototype looks great though, you printed that yourself? I wish I had a 3D printer. I don't have the space or money (I wasted it all on P&P for buttons).

Also, is that a shoulder button you've printed in the background? that looks quality!

[diegzumillo]

I think 3d printer is a great investment. I waited a long time for the prices to drop and finally bought a kit. I spend most of my time with it solving problems but it's worth it. The key thing is to buy a kit to assemle yourself. The difference between a ready out-of-the-box printer like ultimaker and a kit is more than 2000 dollars! The quality is not as reliably good, it depends on how much you like solving technical problems haha But yeah, I encourage you to look for a kit like Folger Tech prusa i3 (mine), oneup, He3d. These are all under 300 dollars.

[diegzumillo]

Hey Pifan. Just to thank you again for the suggestion. The buttons arrived today and they are awesome! absolutely perfect for gamepad! I tested them with some LEDs and it works fine, very responsive. I would never ever find these gems on that site.

[Pifan]

@diegzumillo - awsome, glad that was useful for you. Also, thanks for your suggestions re. 3d printers. They come up at some fairly reasonable prices and it's always good to get recommendations. I hope you're going to show off your build when it's done, I look forward to seeing it.

[diegzumillo]

Hopefully I'll finish it! I'm still a little skeptical everything is going to work out as planned, but so far so good.