tactile switches

Do you have a technical question that doesn't really fit a specific console? Want some general info on electronics, hacking, making cookies, etc? Here's the place to ask! Go nuts.

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NESBest
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tactile switches

Post by NESBest » Tue May 23, 2006 5:31 pm

hey does anyone know a good place to buy tactile switches, i'd prefer a store i could walk into, but if not, any good websites?

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Skyone
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Post by Skyone » Tue May 23, 2006 5:38 pm

Try a smaller avatar:
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Tact switches... I think you can get 'em at Fry's if you're lucky. None at radioshack though. Try digikey.com, jameco.com or mouser.com.

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Post by NESBest » Tue May 23, 2006 5:40 pm

fry's?, never heard of it

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Post by bicostp » Tue May 23, 2006 5:58 pm

They're an electronics store on the west US coast (California, Washington, Arizona...) http://www.frys.com/

The easiest way to get tactile switches is to order them from www.digikey.com , however they have a $25 minimum order so you may get charged with a fee for ordering a small number of parts.

Try this: go to your local thrift store (Salvation Army, Goodwill...) and see if they have any old VCRs. Look for one that has buttons that make a definite "click" sound when you press them. Behind each of them you'll find a tactile switch. Plus, if you know how to de-solder components and read them, you can get a bunch of free parts like motors, capacitors and resistors. There's a lot of possibilities for those old things! Also look for buttons that click in other old electronics, particularly stereo recievers and early CD players.

Another good source for such electronics is yard sales. People practically give away some of this stuff, or they charge as much as they paid for it (One family wanted $3k for a Packard Bell 486 and $500 for some fancy looking Betamax player! :shock: BARGAINS! [/sarcasm])

WARNING! DO NOT try to get parts out of televisions, computer monitors, or anything with a CRT! Some o the parts in the tube hold current in excess of 100,000 volts for extended periods of time! DO NOT OPEN A CRT BASED DEVICE UNLESS YOU'RE 142% SURE YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING!

Disclaimer: I take no responsibility if you injure yourself
trying to get parts, especially if you don't follow the red paragraph

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NESBest
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Post by NESBest » Tue May 23, 2006 6:12 pm

thanx a lot for the advice

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Post by NESBest » Tue May 23, 2006 6:20 pm

hey i'm a bit of a noob, im on digi key looking at tact switches, well mostly just reading since theres no pics, but anyway, theres options for size, contact rating, etc, im not rele sure what i need, i'm wiring up an atari 2600 controller, im gonna be using a NES dpad and sum type of button, possibly an NES red button for the action button, wut kind of tact switches would be good for my uses

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Post by joevennix » Tue May 23, 2006 6:25 pm

Look for 4.5mm tact switches.
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NESBest
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Post by NESBest » Tue May 23, 2006 6:26 pm

what about contact rating

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Post by Skyone » Tue May 23, 2006 6:43 pm

100mA is fine.

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