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Main => Main Forum => Topic started by: Darq on September 11, 2005, 10:53:57 pm

Title: Lighting a micro-switch button?
Post by: Darq on September 11, 2005, 10:53:57 pm

Anyone had any luck lighting up a translucent micro-switch button?  I've read Knievel's post on leaf switches but hadn't hear any success stories with micros.

Title: Re: Lighting a micro-switch button?
Post by: Darq on September 12, 2005, 08:47:03 pm

Good info.  Your right though doesnt really answer my question.  I await your next post. :)

Title: Re: Lighting a micro-switch button?
Post by: kickngas on September 13, 2005, 08:17:44 am

I lit the FXbuttons using Super bright LED's mounted into plastic cutting  board material.  Turned out really well.  Pain in the butt to do, but well wort the results! You can check out the pics here... http://www.nerdscience.com/storm/

Title: Re: Lighting a micro-switch button?
Post by: Darq on September 13, 2005, 03:54:15 pm

kickngas

  Thats kinda what I'm looking at doing.  I want to mount 2 tri color leds then I can mix and match the colors.  Does that plastic material diffuse the light enough or does it still look like a beam of light from the side?

Title: Re: Lighting a micro-switch button?
Post by: kickngas on September 13, 2005, 05:26:57 pm

It diffuses the light very well.  Are you going to mix and match on each button so to have different colors at different times?  If so, I needed 2 LED's to get the lighting to be even, so you will need to use plenty on each button for 2 per color.

Title: Re: Lighting a micro-switch button?
Post by: rdagger on September 13, 2005, 06:02:11 pm

Quote from: Darq on September 13, 2005, 03:54:15 pm

  Thats kinda what I'm looking at doing.  I want to mount 2 tri color leds then I can mix and match the colors.  Does that plastic material diffuse the light enough or does it still look like a beam of light from the side?

I illuminated some microswitch buttons on my CP with  RGB LED's.  I found the diffused lens LED's do a good job of lighting the buttons.  The clear super brights don't light the buttons as evenly.  Here is a link (http://www.rototron.info?Page=RainbowCircuit.aspx) and pic.

Title: Re: Lighting a micro-switch button?
Post by: Darq on September 13, 2005, 09:48:18 pm

exactimundo rdagger exactly what I'm looking to do.  But I wanna use clear buttons for my main arcade buttons and light them.

Title: Re: Lighting a micro-switch button?
Post by: Abomination on September 26, 2005, 11:35:42 pm

I ordered some translucent buttons thru ponyboy and am debating on how to light them.  I like Kickngas's idea but was wondering what you guys thought about using one large piece of plexiglass with the holes drilled in it (for the buttons)and lighting the whole sheet with multiple, very bright led's (scuffing up the plexi to make it more opaque and to difuse light better) instead of a seperate piece of plexi and led's for each button.  Im thinking this route would save alot of time and effort.  I have a 4 player monster control panel and doing each button that way would take a very long time.  Any opinions?

Title: Re: Lighting a micro-switch button?
Post by: Darq on September 27, 2005, 11:13:41 pm

You could just get a piece of frosted plexi and use a ton of leds

Title: Re: Lighting a micro-switch button?
Post by: Abomination on September 27, 2005, 11:36:50 pm

Thats sort of what I was thinking darq.  Ill try it and post the results, good or bad.