Translucent Leaf-switch buttons?

[shawnzilla]

I'm considering translucent buttons for my cp, but I'm not real familiar with leaf-style and had a few questions...

1) I assume that I would need the "long" style of leaf button, since I'm making a wood cp. Is that correct?

2) Where can I get long-translucent leaf-style pushbuttons? I am assuming that there aren't good looking microswitch translucent pushbuttons.

[paigeoliver]

1. That is correct, and you can't use plexi.

http://www.centsibleamusements.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=412

http://www.centsibleamusements.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=679

[Kremmit]

Can't use plexi?  If you're just thinking about the thickness being too much, why couldn't he use thin plexi, like 1/8" or even 1/16", or rout the underside of the wood a bit?  

Or are you thinking he's backlighting, and the light would shine out through the plexi?  I was considering doing this, and was concerned about the same thing.  Best solution I have thought of is to paint the inner edge of the button holes black, plus a thin strip of black on the top, around the circumference of the hole, to shield under the lip of the button assembly.

Or is there some other issue I haven't thought of?

[RayB]

Bob Roberts has em

[paigeoliver]

Can't use plexi?  If you're just thinking about the thickness being too much, why couldn't he use thin plexi, like 1/8" or even 1/16", or rout the underside of the wood a bit?  

Or are you thinking he's backlighting, and the light would shine out through the plexi?  I was considering doing this, and was concerned about the same thing.  Best solution I have thought of is to paint the inner edge of the button holes black, plus a thin strip of black on the top, around the circumference of the hole, to shield under the lip of the button assembly.

Or is there some other issue I haven't thought of?

Both for reasons of thickness and of lighting.

But if you spring for lit up translucent buttons then you can get away with a generic overlay. You don't NEED plexi if you use a real overlay (a real one, one that didn't come off a large format inkjet printer).

[Kremmit]

But if you spring for lit up translucent buttons then you can get away with a generic overlay. You don't NEED plexi if you use a real overlay (a real one, one that didn't come off a large format inkjet printer).

So True- all the old games came with a naked overlay.. I remember the first time I saw one WITH the plexi- I thought it looked fake!

[spidermonkey]

The only *early* cabs I can think of that did have acrylic protecting the overlays (actually underlays) were the Nintendo cabs ie. DK, DK Junior, DK-3, Mario Bros ect.. I'm sure their were more but more often then not the overlays were uncovered.

[paigeoliver]

I thought the Nintendo cabs actually had the overlays reverse screened on plexi, like a marquee? Never owned a Kong, but I do have owned a few overlays for Kong romswap games, and all of those are like that.

Wait, I used to have a Popeye, and darn if I can remember how the panel was.

[anoon]

FYI: I have a 1/2" wooden control panel with a 1/16" metal overlay, then plexi ontop of that, and my long translucent leafswitch buttons work great. under the control panel I have two 18" flourescent lights that illuminate all of the buttons and my translucent trackball.

[anoon]

...and I forgot to add: I didn't have to route out anything for them to fit and work correctly.

[spidermonkey]

Anoon I did the same exact thing as you. . To hell with mounting a miniature lamp next to each translucent button. Two 18" flourecent fixtures light everything up MUCH better. I recently went to "Flashbacks" classic arcade in Seaside Heights N.J and while playing Sinistar and Q-bert I noticed that the translucent buttons on them were VERY dim because the game manufacturers used to mount a miniature bayonette lamp next to each button but they were incandescent lamps and just aren't as bright as flourecent fixtures.

http://www.arcadeshop.com/parts.htm
These guys have them but only the short ones for metal cp's.  And yes Bob Roberts does have the long ones but not in red or dark blue. Only Lt. blue, orange and green. Dark blue ones are getting very hard to find though I have seen them on Ebay recently.I got mine from Centsible Amusements (the link that Paige O. posted)  One more thing,just keep in mind that those new transparent microswitch buttons that Centsible sells are convex (like Happ Competition buttons) so if you're used to the classic concave buttons then you may not like them. Personally I like the look and feel of the authentic translucent leaf switch buttons better. Sorry for rambling so much.

[Kremmit]

I thought those Nintendos were nekkid, too.  But I suppose some operators may have covered them themselves.  Or I could be wrong.

Sure wish Tom from Specialty Plastics would get on the transparent button bandwagon.  I see he's doing Kong replicas now.