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Main => Main Forum => Topic started by: Knievel on June 06, 2005, 08:19:05 pm

Title: Lighted Buttons Example
Post by: Knievel on June 06, 2005, 08:19:05 pm
Updated my FLYERCADE (http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,30403.0.html) project thread today. It will be of intrest to those of you caught up in the 'lit button craze' of late, I think it's a very cool effect.

Also a great option if you can't afford to replace your buttons. For the price of some LED's and wire you can breathe new life into that old CP...

(http://members.shaw.ca/knievel/litcp2.jpg)
Title: Re: Lighted Buttons Example
Post by: whammoed on June 06, 2005, 08:29:05 pm
Cool!  Lets see under the panel.  Details...
Title: Re: Lighted Buttons Example
Post by: Knievel on June 06, 2005, 10:18:11 pm
Well it's already back on his cabinet so I don't have an underside pic.
It's just 1 superbright white LED per button, pushed into a 3/16" drilled hole in the bottom of the button housing...the trackball has 4.
Title: Re: Lighted Buttons Example
Post by: CJK on June 06, 2005, 10:30:33 pm
Are those standard Happ buttons (with the horizontal microswitch)? I'd love to see an example from the underside or out of the panel.

Where'd you get the LEDs? SuperBrightLEDs.com?

-- Chris
Title: Re: Lighted Buttons Example
Post by: Veinman on June 06, 2005, 11:03:36 pm
That's pretty cool. :)
Title: Re: Lighted Buttons Example
Post by: froggerman on June 06, 2005, 11:09:42 pm
Great job! Very cool looking. Do you have a picture of how you routed the wires for the LED?
Title: Re: Lighted Buttons Example
Post by: Knievel on June 06, 2005, 11:30:20 pm
Yes standard Happ horizontals. I buy my LED's off eBay, an offshore seller, really cheap and I haven't had a defective one yet.

As I said in the Flyercade thread this is not a new idea. And there will be a lot of people doing this exact thing when the FX Buttons hit the market.

Here's some pics to show you where the LED goes...

(http://members.shaw.ca/knievel/button1.jpg)

(http://members.shaw.ca/knievel/button2.jpg)

(http://members.shaw.ca/knievel/button3.jpg)
Title: Re: Lighted Buttons Example
Post by: Franco on June 07, 2005, 01:29:55 am
Damn it. Why did I buy vertical microswitches?? I guess they wont fit whith those. Ill just have to wait for shawnzillas clear ones, also means I wont be able to transfer the microswitches tho  :(
Title: Re: Lighted Buttons Example
Post by: Chris on June 07, 2005, 08:25:57 am
Damn it. Why did I buy vertical microswitches?? I guess they wont fit whith those. Ill just have to wait for shawnzillas clear ones, also means I wont be able to transfer the microswitches tho
Title: Re: Lighted Buttons Example
Post by: ErikRuud on June 07, 2005, 08:43:47 am
I used verticals in my cab.

I posted pictures of them  on this page (http://erikruud.freeservers.com/arcade/buttons.html)
Title: Re: Lighted Buttons Example
Post by: CJK on June 07, 2005, 11:49:34 am
Yes standard Happ horizontals. I buy my LED's off eBay, an offshore seller, really cheap and I haven't had a defective one yet.

Great -- thanks!  :)

-- Chris
Title: Re: Lighted Buttons Example
Post by: walls83 on June 07, 2005, 11:57:27 am
anybody have a site on wiring all these LEDs to a power source?  Like a step by step guide.
Title: Re: Lighted Buttons Example
Post by: Chris on June 07, 2005, 11:59:23 am
anybody have a site on wiring all these LEDs to a power source?
Title: Re: Lighted Buttons Example
Post by: Franco on June 07, 2005, 12:52:29 pm
Damn it. Why did I buy vertical microswitches?? I guess they wont fit whith those. Ill just have to wait for shawnzillas clear ones, also means I wont be able to transfer the microswitches tho
Title: Re: Lighted Buttons Example
Post by: Knievel on June 07, 2005, 02:52:48 pm
If you do a search I'm sure you will find more examples of this type of button lighting, I think Erik's might have been the one I originally saw. My intent was to show an entire CP lit up, hopefully inspiring others to try it.

More info on the LED's can be found in my translucent button lighting how-to (http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,30565.msg257830.html). I used the same ones in that project.
Title: Re: Lighted Buttons Example
Post by: Flinkly on June 07, 2005, 05:54:30 pm
well, i just had a crazy idea.  how does a regular black happs button light up?  not well i presume, but one can still ask...
Title: Re: Lighted Buttons Example
Post by: CJK on June 07, 2005, 07:40:53 pm
well, i just had a crazy idea.
Title: Re: Lighted Buttons Example
Post by: quarterback on June 07, 2005, 09:51:51 pm
I'm betting not real well.
Title: Re: Lighted Buttons Example
Post by: SOAPboy on June 07, 2005, 09:58:06 pm
Id murder to have someone help me make that nice of a CP..

Title: Re: Lighted Buttons Example
Post by: Chris on June 07, 2005, 10:00:10 pm
I'm betting not real well.
Title: Re: Lighted Buttons Example
Post by: Knievel on June 07, 2005, 10:15:43 pm
Id murder to have someone help me make that nice of a CP..



Good to know ;)

Seriously though I have done a couple of CP's for people here...only within Canada so far.
Title: Re: Lighted Buttons Example
Post by: CJK on June 07, 2005, 10:50:10 pm
I'm betting not real well.
Title: Re: Lighted Buttons Example
Post by: SOAPboy on June 07, 2005, 11:21:51 pm
Id murder to have someone help me make that nice of a CP..



Good to know ;)

Seriously though I have done a couple of CP's for people here...only within Canada so far.

To bad shipping would litterally kill me.. :(

really need to find someone locally thats good with wood to help with this cab i have.. right now its just a crap peice of wood and theres a stupid gap.. damn metal CPs.. :-\
Title: Re: Lighted Buttons Example
Post by: Tahnok on June 08, 2005, 04:11:45 am
I'm betting not real well.  :)  I'm using black buttons for my admin functions right now, but I'm going to end up switching them to shawnzilla's clear buttons when they are available. Then I'll light 'em up.

You gonna' light them up with black leds? :)

Nope: a black light, of course.   :P

-- Chris

I'm actually curious about this myself. After seeing this, I think I am just going to buy some normal buttons for my bartop and light them like you did (taking too long to get the trans buttons). But I don't want to use blue buttons on the cab since my stand-up already uses those. And no other colors other than black would fit in with the color scheme. Of course, they would be lit with ultra-bright white or blue LEDs.
Title: Re: Lighted Buttons Example
Post by: shawnzilla on June 08, 2005, 04:56:16 pm
I'm betting not real well.
Title: Re: Lighted Buttons Example
Post by: Knievel on June 08, 2005, 05:03:29 pm
Are you going to have an LED tutorial on your site Shawn?
I'm getting lots of e-mail/pm's asking how I lit these up...the technique is not as well known as I thought.
Title: Re: Lighted Buttons Example
Post by: shawnzilla on June 08, 2005, 07:33:09 pm
Are you going to have an LED tutorial on your site Shawn?
I'm getting lots of e-mail/pm's asking how I lit these up...the technique is not as well known as I thought.

Probably a good idea. Yes, I will.  :)