Button recommendations?

[fantoboy]

I got a bar top kit, and I was planning on using Sanwa buttons.  But now I see they are pretty shallow.  So I can't really use them unless I use a plexi or metal plate on my cp since my cp is made of wood.  Is there anything similar to Sanwa or Seimitsu that is made for wood rather than trying to figure out a solution to using these shallow buttons in wood?

[KIguy]

I got a bar top kit, and I was planning on using Sanwa buttons.  But now I see they are pretty shallow.  So I can't really use them unless I use a plexi or metal plate on my cp since my cp is made of wood.  Is there anything similar to Sanwa or Seimitsu that is made for wood rather than trying to figure out a solution to using these shallow buttons in wood?

IL has competition convex buttons with mounting rings/nuts for standard wood panels, at least one of the vendors here sells them. I don't know how they compare to Sanwa though. You could always route out the underside of the panel to reduce the thickness and allow for proper mounting/snapping in of the Sanwa buttons.

[DeLuSioNal29]

Have you considered using 1/2 inch wood or MDF for the Control Panel?  I used Sanwa JLFs and buttons on mine and they worked great (joysticks were mounted from underneath).

D

[fantoboy]

That actually is what I have (Haruman bar top kit).  I plan on getting Sanwa JLFs, but I thought the buttons wouldn't be long enough.  You're using the screw in ones?

http://www.focusattack.com/sanwa-obsn-30mm-screw-button-white/

[DeLuSioNal29]

I actually have 2 kinds on my panel:

30mm OBSN (they screw in from underneath)
24mm OBSF (they pop in securely with side tabs for tension)

To get the 30mm buttons in you need to drill a 30mm hole halfway from the top until only the center of the drill bit pops out of the bottom.  Then you flip it over and drill from the bottom with a larger bit (lining up the drill bit with the center of the hole).  (I can't recall what size the bigger drill bit is, but I'll look when I get home).  This allows the button to be placed on the top and the larger ring to be screwed on from the bottom.   

As an experiment, I used 24mm buttons for my admin buttons and they were pretty snug in each hole.  You can probably get away with using the OBSF 30mm buttons which just pop in and out, just like the 24mm ones. But this other method I mentioned above was so easy I'd just go with that.

Hope this helps!

DeLuSioNaL29

[PL1]

To get the 30mm buttons in you need to drill a 30mm hole halfway from the top until only the center of the drill bit pops out of the bottom.  Then you flip it over and drill from the bottom with a larger bit (lining up the drill bit with the center of the hole).  (I can't recall what size the bigger drill bit is, but I'll look when I get home).  This allows the button to be placed on the top and the larger ring to be screwed on from the bottom.

The threaded ring (nut) on the OBSN is 1.415" diameter and 0.43" thick.

The maximum panel thickness you can attach an OBSN to is ~0.35" -- that allows about 3-4 threads to engage between the nut and button.


Scott

[Benzinbruder]

You could also first drill the 30 mm hole from the top and then expand it with a router in the bottom.

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[keilmillerjr]

Route an area around your buttons on the back side. Done. Now use the buttons you like.

[DeLuSioNal29]

No need for a router...  Just use a bigger drill bit as noted above.  Same effect.

D

[Ginsu Victim]

No need for a router...  Just use a bigger drill bit as noted above.  Same effect.

D

Yeah, I just use two different spade bits.

[DeLuSioNal29]

I used these Forstner bits:

30mm
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000P4LLFY/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

24mm
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000P4LLDQ/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

A little more pricey but they were more accurate.

D

[Ginsu Victim]

Yeah, I just worked with what I had. Worked fine every time, at least.

[RandyT]

No need for a router...  Just use a bigger drill bit as noted above.  Same effect.

D

Yeah, I just use two different spade bits.

Important note:  If using spade bits, use the larger one first!

[Ginsu Victim]

Important note:  If using spade bits, use the larger one first!

Yes, definitely worth mentioning!