Gameshow Button

thingiverse

This innovative button boasts a dome crafted from vacuum formed plastic, a 3D printed mechanism, and a laser-cut enclosure. Designed to accommodate lights or other electronics within the button dome itself, it offers endless creative possibilities. A white vacuum forming material was chosen to enable color changes using different colored LEDs. The button operates as a push-to-break switch with contacts precision-cut from thick aluminum foil (pie dish). A piece of foam serves as the spring, but users can substitute it with any readily available alternative. Included is a 3D model for the mold used in vacuum forming the dome, which was printed in ABS to withstand the heat generated by the vacuum former machine. It's now clear that working with aluminum foil proves challenging when attempting to solder it; copper foil will be the preferred choice in future projects. Standard LEDs often lack sufficient light diffusion to evenly illuminate the dome. To address this issue, a belt sander was used to grind off the lens portion of the LED, resulting in a flat top that provides a more even lighting effect. The button's enclosure is based on a box from festi.info, specifically https://www.festi.info/boxes.py/index.html.