Desperately looking for light blue pushbuttons

[JC]

Hi,

I recently ordered some blue Happ Pushbutton With Horizontal Microswitch. From the picture located on the Happ web site, it looked like the blue was light shade that would go perfectly with my cabinet theme. I recently received the buttons, and the blue is a navy blue that's quite a bit darker, and really throws off the look of the cab.

Light blue balltop on the U360 (pic from lettuce's thread):


Light blue t-molding:



So far it's a perfect match... now on to the Happ buttons.

Blue pushbuttons on Happ's web site:


Close enough, right?  wrong Here's the actual Happ blue button:



They even look darker in person.

And here is another good view of the color mismatch from DK's U360 review post:



The color I'm really looking for (and thought I was getting) is more akin to this:


Product page for those light blue buttons is here. However I need something that can be used with a wooden control panel.... preferably a concave button, although it looks like all of this may be wishful thinking.

Any ideas? I'm really bummed out about this

Thanks,
JC

[Blanka]

http://www.arcadeshop.de/Sanwa-Buttons-Sanwa-OBSF-24-blue_593.html?osCsid=5b748c6a6bb97ebc2d995f04acb465c8
Edit: they are actualy the same I guess.
But you can mount them in wood. And no concave either.

[scotthh]

How about leaf buttons from Bob Roberts? He's got at least 3 shades of blue. Of course you'll then want to replace all the buttons since they'll feel different...

[JC]

http://www.arcadeshop.de/Sanwa-Buttons-Sanwa-OBSF-24-blue_593.html?osCsid=5b748c6a6bb97ebc2d995f04acb465c8
Edit: they are actualy the same I guess.
But you can mount them in wood. And no concave either.

Can these really be used in wood panels, perhaps with an adapter I'm not aware of? Both arcadeshop and lizardlick mention "strictly for metal control panels only."

Thanks,
JC

[JC]

How about leaf buttons from Bob Roberts? He's got at least 3 shades of blue. Of course you'll then want to replace all the buttons since they'll feel different...

The "lightest blue" is listed as "long" which I'm guessing would fit in a wooden CP. So it perhaps could do the trick, however it looks like he's really backlogged at the moment, not to mention dealing with Gustav's aftermath.

I've heard a lot of concerns about leaf buttons though, e.g. that they are no longer manufactured, that they are a pain to install, and that they require frequent cleaning. How much of that should I be concerned with?


Thanks for everyone's help.

Cheers,
JC

[fatfingers]

I've heard a lot of concerns about leaf buttons though, e.g. that they are no longer manufactured, that they are a pain to install, and that they require frequent cleaning. How much of that should I be concerned with?

Based my newbie experience with them, none of it should concern you.

[JC]

Bump for additional opinions... Thanks!

[Blanka]

If it says they're only for 2-4mm, then just make a sandwich of mdf layers with the top layer being 4mm. Or drill two holes from each side in your wooden panel with a spade drill bit. One the top side you do 4mm with the right size spade bit, the other side you do the rest of the thickness with a 10-15mm larger spade bit.

[ToplessZ]

Dont buy those buttons that have the microswitch built in, if the switch goes bad you gotta replace the whole button!

[shmokes]

Leaf switches are fine.  They're not as maintenance-free as microswitch buttons, but you're not building a machine that will be abused by thousands of strangers in a public arcade, either.  For home use, you'll more or less be able to install them and forget about them.

[DeLuSioNal29]

Have you considered having the buttons light up?  With the Electric Ice Buttons (paired with the LED Wiz) you can actually adjust the colors to any shade of blue that matches in real time.  Just adjust it until you get the hue that you want.)

Electric Ice Button:
http://groovygamegear.com/webstore/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=73&products_id=238

LED Wiz:
http://groovygamegear.com/webstore/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=82&products_id=239

The only down side of going this route is it can get a bit pricey.  However, another cheaper option instead of the LED Wiz is to use the LED Wiz + GP, which allows up to 16 outputs and 16 inputs where you can kill two birds with one stone and use it for lighting and for your control inputs as well.

~ D

[JC]

Have you considered having the buttons light up?  With the Electric Ice Buttons (paired with the LED Wiz) you can actually adjust the colors to any shade of blue that matches in real time.  Just adjust it until you get the hue that you want.)

Electric Ice Button:
http://groovygamegear.com/webstore/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=73&products_id=238

LED Wiz:
http://groovygamegear.com/webstore/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=82&products_id=239

The only down side of going this route is it can get a bit pricey.  However, another cheaper option instead of the LED Wiz is to use the LED Wiz + GP, which allows up to 16 outputs and 16 inputs where you can kill two birds with one stone and use it for lighting and for your control inputs as well.

~ D

Hmm, this would have been a nice option, but I've already purchased input controllers. This would set me back about $75 + shipping for the LED Wiz + 14 buttons/switches, which is quite a bit more than I'd like to spend. Perhaps for my next cabinet, this looks like a really versatile combo. Thanks for the suggestion!

Thanks,
JC

[JC]

Leaf switches are fine.  They're not as maintenance-free as microswitch buttons, but you're not building a machine that will be abused by thousands of strangers in a public arcade, either.  For home use, you'll more or less be able to install them and forget about them.

Is there a preferred brand/vendor for leaf switches? It seems everyone is making microswitch buttons now.

Thanks again to everyone who chimed in with their advice! I really appreciate it.

Thanks,
JC

[fatfingers]

I don't know about a preferred vendor or not, but a quick look shows light blue (I think) pushbuttons here:

http://homearcade.org/BBBB/buttons.html


Edit: These might also work