Optimal space between Leaf button and switches?

[PaulG]

Finially a recent purchase I made that I do love:  Leaf buttons.  But how much space do you guys leave between the button and the 1st switch?

I purchased a bunch of buttons from Bob Roberts.  Stock mounting comes up way too short (I can't even hit the 1st switch with the button fully depressed... let alone have the two come together in contact).

The little shelf where the switches screw into the bracket, however, is grooved halfway up.  I put one of these brackets in the vice and hacksawed along this groove.  When I mount the bracket and buttons now, the button presses snuggly against the 1st switch.  Before I go hacksawing all these bases, should there be some space between the button and the 1st switch.  I don't wanna have broken switches after a month of so of use.  So I'm wondering if this is a trick to use, or if I need to come up with something else?  I guess I could still bend them slightly, but it seems it'd be less stressful to have a mounting system that avoids this.  Thanks!

P.S.  I've got the one button mounted.  Played 4 games of Galaga and set records in 3 of the 4 games.  Last game I shattered my record and missed a ship in the 1st wave of the second challenge stage (Leaving 16,000 points on the board).  God I should have replaced these buttons before.

[NoOne=NBA=]

how much space do you guys leave between the button and the 1st switch?

I leave absolutely none.
I want the button pushing the switches as soon as it leaves the top position, or there's no real reason to go with leafs.

I actually build custom mounts for my leafswitches, similar to what Williams used to do.
They had the switches screwed straight to the bottom of the CP.
I use little blocks of wood to position the switches at just the right height for the button to rest on the first leaf.

Once I have that set, I bend the other one until it requires almost no movement on the part of the button to close the switches.

[RayB]

You should have no space at all, and the first leaf should not be bending. The reason you have a gap is probaly one of two reasons:

A. You bought "short" push buttons when you really need the "long"
or
B. You got leaf switch holders made for a metal panel instead of the ones made for wood.

[PaulG]

Cool.  I don't know why there's such a huge gap stock.  I bought the long button packages from Bob Roberts (So you'd think they'd fit better).  But like I said, if I hacksaw the little mounting tower along the groove, remount the switches, the button is then flush against the first switch.  Just didn't wanna do it to all the bases if it wasn't supposed to be that tight.  Thanks.

[ericball]

There's a pix in my Wico Leaf post http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=23957.0

[Avery]

B. You got leaf switch holders made for a metal panel instead of the ones made for wood.

Actually, he's probably using the right switches and holders, but is using a 3/4 piece of plywood or MDF as his CP.  (And if it sounds like I might have had some experience here.....)

What I did was assume they were meant for a 5/8ths panel and cut off an 1/8th of an inch from the riser portion of the holder.  I have maybe a 16th of an inch of play left.  (It's not handy for me to look at right now.)

[PaulG]

My CP is 3/4 of an inch.  That's what these were supposedly for.  But no biggie.  The way it conveniently fits by cutting along the groove makes me wonder if that wasn't intentional (Certainly makes cutting a lot easier).

EDIT: Did some measurements to finially straighten things out.  Not including the part that sits atop the CP, it measures 1 and 5/8 inch from the underside to the tip (Button fully pressed).  The mounting bracket, from the bottom to the very 1st metal switch measures approx. 7/8 inch.  7/8 + 3/4 (CP) = 1 and 5/8 inches.  This is the exact measurement of the underside of the button fully pressed.  So these measurements equal what I was getting.  Fully pressed I could barely touch the 1st switch (let alone make the two make contact.