Novagem pushbuttons vs modifying Happs Translucents

[Bobulus]

So I've got almost everything order for my cabinet. I grabbed a whole pile of RGB-drives, the encoder, the ledwiz, the trackball, the u360s. Now all I need to grab is the translucent buttons.

Here's the thing: The novagem buttons come with a spot pre-made for the RGB-drives, but they're roughly three times as expensive as Happs translucent with switches. I guess I'm wondering how different they are? Is there more of a difference than the fact that it comes with a pre-drilled LED hole and a LED that I'm going to take out anyway (to replace with the RGB-drive).

I feel sort of weird asking this, since Novagems are made by a guy who posts here, but I'm ordering something like 20 buttons, so it's big difference in price for me.

[Bobulus]

Well, no one is answering, so I guess I made a faux pas. I'll just order the NovaGem buttons

[Endaar]

I haven't seen the Happ translucent, so I can't directly make the comparison. I have however drilled a hole in a standard Happ pushbutton and the net result is virtually identical to the NovaGems. That said, the body of the NovaGems has a slightly different profile so you wouldn't want to mix and match. Drilling the standard buttons is difficult, and I wouldn't want to do them in quantity without a drill press.

Endaar

[Bobulus]

Well, I've got a drill press, but I would have been mixing and matching, so it's just as well that I just ended up going with the NovaGems.

[HaRuMaN]

I've used the Happ clear, and they turned out great.

[Hoopz]

I have the Novagems and they look great.  I'm not sure that they have a different profile than the regular Happ buttons.  I can swap them out in the same holes without any issues.  The fit identically. 

[Ginsu Victim]

I can swear at one point RandyT said Novagems are just Happ Translucents with a hole drilled in them.

[Hoopz]

I can swear at one point RandyT said Novagems are just Happ Translucents with a hole drilled in them.

Tis true.  They are.

[Bobulus]

Well, where you were guys a week ago. 

Oh well. This way, I'm saving myself some work. I even paid a little extra for the wires to be pre-attached, so all I'll have to do is wire them to the ledwizs.

Now comes the hard part: the wait for parts to ship.

[RandyT]

I can swear at one point RandyT said Novagems are just Happ Translucents with a hole drilled in them.

Tis true.  They are.

As for the actual buttons, this is true.  And the buttons, AFAIK, are made by IL, as they always were, with all of their faults (poor green) and benefits intact.

The benefit of the NovaGem button is the high output light source, which has for several months now been shipped mounted to a custom PCB instead of attaching directly to the button as it did in the past.

So the actual button part is just half of what a NovaGem Lighted button is.  And soon, the button won't be the same anymore as well.

RandyT

[Bobulus]

Totally backing Randy up on this, now that I've gotten my NovaGems and have had time to install them. The LED pcb is a thing of beauty. I'd never had gotten them as smoothly wired if I'd done it by hand.

Call me one very satisfied customer.