10/18/2023 Map Stopped Working?
Visit this post for the fix
In my latest installment of a not-quite build log, I found LED ring buttons on Adafruit and quite like them. They're 16mm, so you can drill out a 5/8" hole for them (5/8" = 15.875mm).
There are 5 pins on the back: 3 for the button: a common pin, a normally open (NO) and a normally closed (NC) connection. There are also 2 buttons that will take in power and light up the LED ring. Because we connect pins to ground, a map uses the NO pin. You can use them in tandem with the arcade quick connects, also from Adafruit, which has a spade-type connection at one end, and a JST PH connector at the other. So for me, wiring up for a test was as simple as plugging the wires into my already-existing JST PH connectors. I liked the buttons enough that I added some additional JST PH connectors on my 5V rail so I can light them all up.
For the map build, I got three different colors, and am planning to use blue for refresh (because weather happens in the sky), red for reboot/power (because red is power), and green for on (because green means go).
I did buy a deep (1" thick) frame for my builds, so attaching these will be a bit of a pain. When I figure that out, I'll post back to the thread.
Well, I finally have these installed in one of my maps. It was not hard, but I haven't had a lot of time to devote to the project. Here's what it looks like hanging on the wall. I like the way the buttons mount flush, and they have a nice solid click. Plus, the color is nice for being able to tell what something does.
To make it all work, I had to run a bunch of extra wire inside the case. Unfortunately for me, I'd put the main breadboard behind the left side of the map, and I'm right handed, so I had to run wires across the inside of the map. On the main breadboard, I crimped three JST connectors, and ran a pair of red, white, and blue wires. Now that I'm thinking about it, since they each short to ground, I probably could have done this a lot simpler with a single shared ground wire, but I wasn't planning ahead that far.
Because I believe in having lots of connection points and like to be able to connect and disconnect without solder, I put in a secondary breadboard near the buttons. I had some solderable breadboards from before, and since I had some spares, I just used them. I've mounted it to a piece of hardboard that's attached to the frame. The pic is a bit messy, but you can see that power comes in on the +/- rail at the bottom of the picture, and then there are three JST PH connectors on top that power the LEDs. I separated them like this in case I wanted to add components between the incoming 5V supply and the LEDs in case I want to step the voltage down. You can see that I've done just a straight bridge.
To register button-presses, the spade-to-JST wire goes into one of the three JST connectors on the top, and then you can see the plugs from the red, green, and blue bundles. It's nice and easy to test on a breadboard, I can set my multimeter to continuity mode, and then when I hold the probes in place and hit the button, it sounds the tone.
The back side of the buttons isn't pretty. My frame is about an inch thick, and the way the LED buttons stay in place is that they're threaded and a nut screws on to the back. I had to knock out part of the frame to make it thin enough for the nuts to hold the buttons in place and flush with the outside of the frame. You'll also notice a bunch of kapton tape on the spades. That's because the back of the buttons has all the connectors pretty close together, and I had some accidental shorts when the connectors on the back of the LED touched. I just stuck on some small pieces of kapton tape so that even when the connectors touch, there's no current flow.
I love those buttons. I'm going to have to get some for my next project. Thanks for the information. The map looks great. - Mark
How much force does it take to depress the button? I'm trying to find some that won't move the map when pressed or require to hold the map on the opposite side to resist the force.
Hi Ron,
I found these;
But I haven't purchased any to try them. But being touch sensitive I'd guess it would work quite well. They are just a bit pricey. - Mark
@markyharris Those are cool. Considering what I'm spending to make 3 of these, $12 isn't bad.
Yes, you don't need a switch that can carry much current. It's just a change is voltage level that the RPi is looking for. So while this may be a bit of overkill, the touch sensitive nature of the switch I believe would be very cool. Let us know how it works. - Mark
Ok, cool. I’ll order some and let you know
@captain_ron This is super late, but the Adafruit push button isn't that much force. I have my two maps hung on the wall with two point mounting to a wire across the back, and I can press a button without knocking the frame out of alignment.
I often use the blue button to check if the map is still alive, since it's the "weather refresh" button. (Blue = sky, get the weather / green = go, turn on / red = stop, turn off)
