Half decent enclosure(panel) mount push buttons - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / projects

author: Buriedcode
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 31, 2025, 06:41:07 pm
content: Aside from the hassle of finding suitable enclosures for handheld products (small runs, not enough for custom manufacture), one thing I have had issue with for years is finding a decent push button for hand-held devices.Now, there can be multiple requirements, such as IP rating, ruggedness (devices used by factory line workers do take a beating) that can really restrict options. But without those requirements, I've found current options to be less than stellar in terms of "feel". What I mean is, its nice to have a decent tactile feedback "click" that you get with the standard tactile buttons, but even these with caps can feel somewhat cheap when compared to commercial products.So, some of the options for the DIYer:- 6x6 or 12x12 tactile, with or without a hard plastic cap. - easy to install, but can be quite fragile, also, with the cap, they can "rattle" in the enclosure- those large aluminium flush buttons that are all over aliexpress - these dont' click much, and don't feel great.- Membrane switches - non-custom ones available are quire large, feel OK, easy to install, but are often blank, or with specific numbering/lettering limiting the application- Custom overlay - these use tactile switches that go through the panel and sit flush to it, with an overlay over the top. Waterproof, customsable, but require a lot of pressure to pressProducts such as, rack mount audio gear can have silicone molded buttons with gold-fingers on PCB, that always feel great, often with a hard plastic "cap" over the top. The cheaper onescan just have a tactile switch with the actuator through a hole int he enclosure. Very rarely have I see an actual single independent "switch" that is mounted on the panel.So, what does every use? I'm not just talking about quick and dirty prototyping for home projects, but actual commercial products for small runs (<30).I'll link some aliexpress results (note, I chose aliexpress because you can get almost everything there, so just for hihglighting examples, I'm sure more trust-worthy manufactureres are better sources)https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005007407039302.html- those large round alu oneshttps://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005007390590687.html- similar to above, with illmination/logohttps://www.aliexpress.com/item/4001081730289.html- awful cheap oneshttps://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005003302861259.html- never used these but dont' look particularly nicehttps://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005007893916019.html- tactile with capshttps://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005002477226208.html- tactile with capshttps://www.aliexpress.com/item/32963848918.html- silicone, these feel great, but require hard plastic cap/coverhttps://www.aliexpress.com/item/32846395636.html- silicone caps for the small tactiles. These feel great, but very smallThere's many, but I haven't seen any of these used in half decent consumer gear.

author: incf
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 31, 2025, 10:24:22 pm
content: Automation direct 22mm panel mount switches are common in industrial settings

author: ajb
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 31, 2025, 10:53:37 pm
content: There are a few decent switch + cap systems from some of the bigger switch companies that you can sometimes get in small quantities, but it takes a lot of sifting through manufacturer catalogs and then sifting through distributors to see what's actually on the shelf anywhere. IIRC, Cherry and Alps had some options when I last looked a few years ago? There are plenty of places that will do commercial 3D printing, including PCBWay and JLCPCB, so it's entirely possible to get custom keycaps with embossed legends made pretty easily. I'm not sure what the cost is like, but should generally be proportional to the part volume. Resin (SLA) or powder-bed (SLS) printing should be well suited for this, and you can fill in engraved legends with paint for better contrast. Some powder printing systems can even print in color, so that could be an option for legends as well. Heck, even a higher-end consumer FDM printer can do pretty impressive multicolor prints these days, so that could be an option for larger keycaps. You'll need to take a bit of care with the geometry to ensure they come out accurate to dimensions and looking good.Quote from: Buriedcode on March 31, 2025, 06:41:07 pmThese can feel quite nice, actually, but it comes down to how well you can control the board-to-panel height tolerance and how much clearance you can provide around the button. We have a product with this arrangement, with front panels machines in house. We do a fairly large countersink around each button to allow space for the overlay to deflect without compromising the panel stiffness too much. With that, and a little tweaking to get the machined thickness right, the buttons feel great. The real downside to this method for your stated ~30piece runs is getting the overlay made. There may be low cost/low volume overseas companies that are well suited to this, but the vendors we've looked at for it come with a very steep cost curve. Much like PCBs, the materials are dirt cheap, but the setup costs make low quantities quite pricey.Quote from: incf on March 31, 2025, 10:24:22 pmYeah, 22mm switches are a staple of the automation world and tons of companies make them (much as I like Automation Direct, I like Baco's switches a lot better). The trouble is they're pretty huge for anything that isn't a big industrial panel. There are a decent number of 16mm industrial-style switches that are nice, eg IDEC AL6 which we use a couple of, but they are not cheap and still tend to be fairly deep from the back of the panel.

author: incf
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 31, 2025, 10:59:35 pm
content: Oh, I forgot to mention that custom membrane switches are incredibly easy to get done (< $500) and make look professional. I've always been happy with how well they work and turn out despite them being "cheap".Just specify a model of tactile dome with the correct "feel" if the manufacturer supports it. There are such thing as "good" switch elements and "bad" switch elements when it comes to membrane design

author: Simmed
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 31, 2025, 11:29:56 pm
content: Quote from: Buriedcode on March 31, 2025, 06:41:07 pmand that is where things go wrongthey do not contain the "certified" full spec (like GB/T)eg : compare with LCSC, even there, not all switches have pdf full speceg : lifespan xxxx cycles at ?? temperature ? unknownali?? is simply always selling by nice pictures

author: Buriedcode
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 01, 2025, 03:08:11 pm
content: Quote from: Simmed on March 31, 2025, 11:29:56 pmI think you misunderstood what I said - I provided links to aliexpress items because they had lots of pictures, not because I would actually use aliexpress components in products. I even said as much before the links. It was a list of examples, not a list of switches I would use.

author: Buriedcode
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 01, 2025, 03:12:00 pm
content: Quote from: incf on March 31, 2025, 10:24:22 pmI probably should have emphasizedhandhelddevices, we're talking enclosures the size of a multimeter or smaller - often with a display, end connectors and multiple buttons. Although 22mm is actually a lot smaller than some of the industrial switches I've seen, they look to be more for industrial control gear. I re-read my post and realised I didn't actually state this, I sohuld have provided an example of a device. An example is showen here:https://www.takachi-enclosure.com/products/WHNote, I would use these services, but only for 100+ units. For less than 30, the cost of the overlay, membrane buttons and custom machining of enclosures dominates the total cost.

author: reboots
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 01, 2025, 05:50:05 pm
content: OTTO Engineering makes very good panel switches. Many types and options, rugged construction, fit and finish second to none, excellent tactile feedback. (And low-force options in some cases if the tactile feedback is too excellent.) These are the kind of part you would find in an industrial panel control. An example part I have used is P9-111121, a sealed, all-plastic red pushbutton with a street price around $10USD.https://www.otto-controls.com/products/electromechanical-switches/pushbutton-switchesE-Switch also offers a wide line of high-quality pushbuttons with many options. I find their RP8100 line is economical for my applications, also with good tactile feedback. An example part I have used is RP8100B2M1CEBLKREDNIL, a sealed, all-plastic red pushbutton with a street price around $5USD.https://www.e-switch.com/product-catalog/pushbuttonOther name-brand manufacturers make styles of switch which are very similar to the E-Switch types. CW Industries is one example. I find that E-Switch has the best combination of price, availability, and quality in this product category.The no-name AliExpress pushbuttons (vandal-resistent, etc) are transparent copies of E-Switch types. However the materials, finish and action are noticeably inferior.

author: nali
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 02, 2025, 08:49:38 am
content: For a recent project which required a pushbutton in a low profile enclosure I ended up usingthesewhich provide a Picoblade connection, matched my requirement exactly.Otherwise I'd probably opt for membrane unless environmental conditions dictate otherwise.