ROUND 2 IS UP WITH CLEAR PUSHBUTTONS!! 8/22/12I wanted to compare all of the classic arcade style RGB buttons available so I could make a decision of what I wanted to use. I started ordering one of each button I could find. Nephasth posted a thread asking if anyone had done such a side-by-side so I thought I would post my results.
This will take some time to get through everything and I will update this first post as I move through the different stages. I have been writing this for 2 days now and wanted to share what I had so far. I have a few more buttons I want to look at and add as well.
INTRODUCTIONHere is the selection of what I have thus far.
Button #1
Paradise Arcade Shop Hoku button w/Pele ring
IL button with ring style lighting module
There are no wires attached but there is a set of headers for a connector. This can be used as a universal module on any standard arcade button. This is unique because it lights from the outside versus all of the others that have an internal LED. I'm curious to see what kind of effect a 3/4" panel has on the ring. There is not much of the button assembly beneath a 3/4" panel and a recess may need to be made for proper lighting in thick panels.
Total assembly per button will depend on the method used to wire the module. It would take 5 minutes or so to crimp a connector or to solder directly to the pins.
EDIT: I used the prewired connectors to connect the Pele rings that are available on the website. This makes wiring easy and assembly takes no longer than a standard pushbutton.
Button #2
Paradise Arcade Shop Hoku button w/IL illumination module
IL button with a LED module fitted under the switch.
The module on this button is placed between the switch and button to shine up through the hole on most IL buttons. Installation is straight forward but it may require a dab of hot glue to keep the module centered and square in the hole.
Total assembly time is about a minute even with a little hot glue
Button #3
Paradise Arcade Shop
Seimitsu clear/white 30mm push button w/ Uila-s flash module
Japanese style convex button with RGB + white LED module fitted inside.
In order to use this RGB module on this button, you must drill a hole in the bottom of the button for the wires to pass through. This is not hard and only takes a few seconds. The module then fits around the switch shaft and down into the well. The RGB module has the added feature of a white LED so you can have a flash like effect. This button is the reason I was forced to build a test panel out of 1/4 MDF. The button is commonly mounted into a metal panel and not a 3/4" MDF panel. It can be done but you would need to remove lots of material. Also be aware that a 30mm button is 1/16" bigger than the standard of 1 1/8". I was unable to locate a 30mm or 1 3/16" spade or forstner bit at my local home depot so I settled on a 1 1/4" which is a hair to big but will suit my purposes just fine.
Assembly time runs about 5 minutes per button to drill the hole and completely set the module into the well so the plunger can be reattached.
Button #4
Groovy Game Gear
Electric Ice 2 Pushbutton
This is a concave pushbutton with a custom printed circuit board with an LED and resistors. This is also a custom pushbutton with an added switch mount that is capable of not only regular micro-switches but leaf and micro-leaf switches. The circuit board has a small ribbon cable for connection to a controller. Extra attention may be needed in smaller panels to account for the leaf attachment arm.
Assembly was straightforward and only took about a minute. Its a simple twist on mount for the switch. I will say the micro switch that came with the button seems loose in the arm. It has not caused a problem or slipped out as of yet but I still thought it was worth mentioning.
EDIT: I got advice from Randy about the loose switch. The suggestion is to bend the retainer clip in without a switch installed. This worked and the switch is no longer loose. Don't be shy about it, I don't think it can be broken.
Button #5
Ultimarc
ClassicRGB Pushbutton
IL pushbutton with RGB Bulb and light diffuser.
This button has an interesting lighting solution. The bulb has a wedge style base with wires soldered to the connection points. The light diffuser must first be installed on the bulb which I found to be much easier with a hairdryer on low heat. The plunger and spring are then removed, the bulb and diffuser put inside, and the whole assembly is then slid back down into the base. Connection is done with 4 colored wires to the controller. This was a major cause of frustration because the wires are not color coded in an intuitive way. One would expect the blue, red and green wires to correspond to the LED colors and the odd colored wire (in this case yellow) to be the common. I had to use my multimeter to figure out how the bulb was wired and the correct color codes.
Assembly takes about 3 or 4 minutes to take the switch apart and assemble with the RGB module (not counting the 20 minutes I spent troubleshooting the wire colors).
Button #6
Ultimarc
Ultralux Translucent RGB White (Clear)
Clear convex pushbutton with white cap and LED twist in module.
This pushbutton has a neat twist to lock module that includes the switch. The cap is removable and inserts are available for coin and start to make this a universal pushbutton that can be used all over your panel. I wasn’t looking for this type of convex button when I decided on the look I wanted but I found this button intriguing. It seemed to be so simple and a great design I had to get one. I wasn’t disappointed. I still haven’t decided if I like convex buttons but the design of this one is flawless. I would like to see this LED module in a standard white concave pushbutton.
Assembly time was nothing more than a standard pushbutton. Screw the locking ring on and twist in the LED and switch assembly and you’re done.
NEXT UP LIGHTING!!VIDEO 8/15/12I am having trouble capturing the light output on video. I made a short video with LED Blinky running a simple attract mode through some of the colors. I change the exposure about 40 seconds in but it is still washed out. I'm going to play with some more exposure settings in camera to see if I can capture accurate color and intensity.
Here are the first round of pictures. I set an exposure (4 seconds) that I was happy with and took all pictures with the same settings using a DSLR. These pictures were taken in a dark room with no other lighting. I need to retake the white picture. It looks like I bumped the tripod after I triggered the shot.
NOTES: There are some trade-offs in the buttons I wanted to point out. #1 is the dimmest of the bunch. This is the Hoku with the Pele ring. However, this button also had the most even lighting of the group. #1 is brighter than the pictures show, I just had to compensate for the clear buttons. They are BRIGHT! You will see spots after staring at them for a while, bright.
Here is a picture to show how even and bright the color is for the Pele ring.
I am going to do another round of pictures with just the classic buttons without the 2 clears (#3 & #6) so I can adjust the exposure up just a little to get a better picture without having to worry about overexposure.
#5 (ClassicRGB from Ultimarc) is the brightest of the classics. This is because the lighting module is in the plunger towards the top. This does not allow the outer ring to catch much light. I also need to play with the diffuser a little.
ROUND 2!! CLEARHere is round 2 of the RGB buttons I have. These buttons are all available from
www.paradisearcadeshop.com. I wasn't aware of everything they offered until Armi spoke up in the other thread. There are still a few buttons floating around the internet I would like to do including the one whammoed pointed out from nicemite and the new Ultralux from Andy when its released.
Because these buttons are similar to the buttons I have already done above, I'm not going to show individual breakdown shots of them.
Button #7: IL Clear Translucent Pushbutton W/ Pele Ring
Button #8: Seimitsu Clear W/ Pele Ring (Missing button plunger)
Button #9: Seimitsu Smoke with Clear Plunger W/ Pele Ring
Button #10: IL Clear Translucent Pushbutton W/ IL Illumination Module
Button #11: Seimitsu Clear with Clear Plunger W/ Uila-s Flash Module
Button #12: Seimitsu Smoke with Clear Plunger w/ Uila-s Flash Module
I decided to try the clear plungers to get the most possible light out of the module. I only got 3 so one is missing from button #2.
I am going to break the illumination shots into two parts. One for the IL buttons and another for the Seimitsu buttons.
IL Clear
SeimitsuI also want to say, again, the Pele ring produces very even light through the plunger and outer ring. This fact gets washed out by direct lighting of the buttons around. If you are looking for a complete assault on your retinas with light so blinding it can only be rivaled by a Mayan sun god, go with a direct lighted clear button.