Foot Pedal

thingiverse

*V3a Update 1/20/2018* Tweaked the ribs on top to get them perfectly centered. They should be spot-on now. *V3 Update 1/15/2018* Completely redesigned to make printing without supports a breeze. Combined top cover pieces and made some minor tweaks for better shape. Added new "spring" feature that secures with just a tiny bit of glue. STL files are optimized for printing without supports, making it easy to get started. Now, you only need to print three parts with V3. All V3 parts were printed in PETG using a .6 mm layer height and .8 mm nozzle for prototyping. I'm not sure if the spring would work in PLA, but it works great in PETG. For next-level prototyping, try printing in .3mm, it should still work fine. The top cover needed some extra heat to get rid of warps on the sides. I used a heat gun to get it just right. The 5 mm holes in the top cover were also reamed out for smoother operation. I've left the old files available if anyone wants to use them. The old version works like a charm! I had a USB foot pedal, but it broke twice, so I designed this one from scratch using the PCSensor FS1-P as inspiration. It uses an optical switch, just like the FS1-P. Both of mine failed, so I'm guessing there's a reliability issue under heavy use. I used a SV-166-1C25 microswitch and springs from 4 clothespins to create this design. M3 bolts and nuts secure the microswitch in place, while M5 bolts hold the top cover plate securely on the bottom. The springs are krazy-glued into place, and the spring cover is hot-glued into place. The top cover plate was glued in with modeling glue and is optional. I designed it to fit a keyboard USB interface module from a scavenged HP keyboard for voice chat in video games (caps lock), but you can also use it as a simple footswitch or upgrade it with a teensy microcontroller or equivalent for more power.