anyone ever try making their own switches or given it any thought? i remember seeing a web page showing a diagram for one using common hardware like a bolt and nuts pretty sure it was momentary but cant remember the site... i was thinking some click pen mechanism for latching...
Are you interested in making stomp switches?
http://www.geofex.com/Article_Folders/footswitch_pancake/footswitch_pancake.htm
There was somebody here who actually made a 3pdt stomp with an SPST and a DPDT, connected with bolts and springs. Seemed awfully elaborate when you can get 3PDTs for fairly cheap, delivered anywhere on the planet. But for something more hand made and unique, it's a cool idea.
this (http://www.geofex.com/article_folders/alteractuator/alteractuator.htm)
and also this (http://www.geofex.com/Article_Folders/footswitch_pancake/footswitch_pancake.htm)
And the latching can be done electronically, with CMOS chips.
This is sort of crude and not useful for a stomp switch type of thing, but I built a switching system for this synth I built. The idea of 70+ toggle switches at $1 a piece was killing my mood.
Skip to about :40 to see the "switches" in action. I call them "game pieces."
They are wood pieces with a strip of aluminum bent & glued in a slot in the bottom.
They bridge the aluminum blade to the screw heads which make contact to gate an oscillator per screw head.
I do know how to refine copper ore into the metal...
:icon_biggrin:
It's possible to make switches that work, after a fashion, from any conductor. Making a switch work *reliably* without constant maintenance is a very refined area of materials science, though. Making them work reliably and affordably is even harder. Compatible metals, self-wiping contacts, and selective plating are just the beginnings of the work on switches.
It's kind of like the guitar itself. It's been said that the guitar is the easiest of all instruments to play badly, and one of the hardest to play well.
RG makes very valid points about the challenge of making a reliable switching mechanism from scratch (and the unspoken one of whether it's worth the effort). At the same time, one is within reason to entertain notions of alternate actuator mechanisms that employ commercial switches in interesting and ergonomically-improved ways. Consider the sorts of momentary actuators that one sees in many of the commercial footswitches, like the Boss FS-5U units, and others. Or some of Pete Cornish's "big button" constructions. There is a whole universe of alternate actuator designs out there to be explored that will make some players more comfortable or effective.
Top Top, very cool idea!
Quote from: Mark Hammer on May 24, 2011, 11:32:24 AM
RG makes very valid points about the challenge of making a reliable switching mechanism from scratch (and the unspoken one of whether it's worth the effort). At the same time, one is within reason to entertain notions of alternate actuator mechanisms that employ commercial switches in interesting and ergonomically-improved ways. Consider the sorts of momentary actuators that one sees in many of the commercial footswitches, like the Boss FS-5U units, and others. Or some of Pete Cornish's "big button" constructions. There is a whole universe of alternate actuator designs out there to be explored that will make some players more comfortable or effective.
Excellent point, Mark. Alternate actuators is a place where good results can be had with some innovation.
The whole class of microswitches exists to make custom actuators easy and efficient. That direction has a lot of merit.
adam - Thanks that was the page i was referring to.
mark - those cornish "big button" switches look pretty cool any source for those?
a big rubber "hemisphere" would make a cool actuator maybe one could be made from one of those toy poppers (you turn inside out and they jump off the table) or a round door stop.
i was thinking the actual contact points would be rather simple. it seems if you fashion a dpdt that works, a 4pdt shouldnt be much harder and i suppose customization would be the main purpose of making your own switch.
how does the latching system work in a carling switch?
I agree that making a switch from scratch is difficult and pretty much redundant. Make an actuator to control a switching element is a different deal.
I like the "touch plates" myself:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v515/TheToneGod/tn_front_1.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v515/TheToneGod/tn_angle_back_1.jpg)
I've been using them for years:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v515/TheToneGod/POG_HGP.jpg)
Andrew
those are bad ass how do they work?
Quote from: Harry on May 24, 2011, 06:37:37 PM
those are bad ass how do they work?
I assume you are talking to me. I'm planning on writing an article so people can build their own "T.T.G. style" touch plates as they are really easy and cheap to build. Its one of the things I'm going to give away.
The short version is there is a set of screws under the plate that are isolated from the case which are wired for a logic high signal. These are contact points. You can see a few under the plates in the angled picture. The plate float above the contact points connected to the case by the screws on the plate corners. The plate is grounded. The plate is pushed up away from the points using force resistant material which can be foam, rubber, spring, etc. When you depress the plate compressing the resist material in the centre of the plate contact will be made with one of the screw contact points thus your connection. It is essentially a single moving part SPST NO actuator.
I love them. I've used them for years and I am known for destroying regular footswitches. I haven't had a failure yet.
Andrew
I'll be keeping the 'touchplates' in mind next time a build a multi-fx ;D
Quote from: The Tone God on May 24, 2011, 05:33:32 PM
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v515/TheToneGod/tn_angle_back_1.jpg)
You figured out how to use the metal 2.1mm DC jacks, nice one! Using a little plastic piece I assume?
I build these for switching 4P4T and DPDT relays.
http://www.diystompboxes.com/smfforum/index.php?topic=66856.0 (http://www.diystompboxes.com/smfforum/index.php?topic=66856.0)
Moving away from a constantly energized relay coil to latching relay switching system using flip-flops to alternately pulse 2 coils in a relay. Now trying to program PIC Micro controller to do the same thing w/ less parts and more control over LEDs and switching positions.
Quote from: Processaurus on May 25, 2011, 05:12:14 AM
You figured out how to use the metal 2.1mm DC jacks, nice one! Using a little plastic piece I assume?
Yep. Thats another thing I was going to give away as an article I'll post. I thought it was a simple solution. A plastic mounting plate for the jack, make the jack case hole bigger then the nut so there is no case contact and attach the plate to the case with a set of screws. The plates is thick enough and the holes close together that it is plenty strong. Here is a slight better shot of it.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v515/TheToneGod/tn_back_1.jpg)
Andrew
What's the advantage over plastic jacks?
Quote from: Hides-His-Eyes on May 25, 2011, 06:12:17 PM
What's the advantage over plastic jacks?
The major advantage is strength. Metal jacks can take far more insertion force and lateral force (i.e. someone stepping on the power plug). Most metal jacks also usually have the centre pin split so it can be retentioned. Also there are more manufactures that produce metal body power jacks then round plastic body versions that are DIY friendly and they tend to be more standardized in dimension.
Andrew
I recently tried the Boss bypass circuit
without the buffers and I was very pleased with the result. The off resistance of the fet is big enough for this purpose. I have to figure out how to re-arrange the circuit to send the input of the fx to gnd when bypassed.
I need to find alternatives to 3pdt because I build pedals for personal use and shipment from US or EU is quite expensive when you buy a few of them.
QuoteIt's kind of like the guitar itself. It's been said that the guitar is the easiest of all instruments to play badly, and one of the hardest to play well.
Nop. Violin ;)
Hey Andrew, your Fuzz box looks killer. how did you do the screw-switches??
Quote from: The Tone God on May 24, 2011, 07:09:36 PM
Quote from: Harry on May 24, 2011, 06:37:37 PM
those are bad ass how do they work?
I assume you are talking to me. I'm planning on writing an article so people can build their own "T.T.G. style" touch plates as they are really easy and cheap to build. Its one of the things I'm going to give away.
The short version is there is a set of screws under the plate that are isolated from the case which are wired for a logic high signal. These are contact points. You can see a few under the plates in the angled picture. The plate float above the contact points connected to the case by the screws on the plate corners. The plate is grounded. The plate is pushed up away from the points using force resistant material which can be foam, rubber, spring, etc. When you depress the plate compressing the resist material in the centre of the plate contact will be made with one of the screw contact points thus your connection. It is essentially a single moving part SPST NO actuator.
I love them. I've used them for years and I am known for destroying regular footswitches. I haven't had a failure yet.
Andrew
I can't friggin' wait!
Quote from: mac on May 26, 2011, 09:31:14 AM
I recently tried the Boss bypass circuit without the buffers and I was very pleased with the result. The off resistance of the fet is big enough for this purpose.
See the "Clinton Bypass", Geofex. "I don't think you can find evidence that it's not true."
QuoteI have to figure out how to re-arrange the circuit to send the input of the fx to gnd when bypassed.
Use a P-channel JFET.
QuoteQuoteIt's kind of like the guitar itself. It's been said that the guitar is the easiest of all instruments to play badly, and one of the hardest to play well.
Nop. Violin ;)
It is easier to play guitar badly - you don't need a bow. But violin is well into the group of hardest to play well.
Quote from: The Tone God on May 24, 2011, 07:09:36 PM
The short version is there is a set of screws under the plate that are isolated from the case which are wired for a logic high signal. These are contact points.
This is one of those places where a microswitch works well too. Make the actuator of the microswitch protrude through a hole in the case. The insulation is all in the microswitch, no need to insulate the screw points. This kind of thing is, as I mentioned, what microswitches are intended for.
Quote from: vendettav on May 26, 2011, 12:56:20 PM
Hey Andrew, your Fuzz box looks killer. how did you do the screw-switches??
Are you talking about the touch points controls ? They're capacitive sensing. Right now not very DIY-able as most of the magic is in the microcontroller.
Quote from: R.G. on May 26, 2011, 04:17:07 PM
This is one of those places where a microswitch works well too. Make the actuator of the microswitch protrude through a hole in the case. The insulation is all in the microswitch, no need to insulate the screw points. This kind of thing is, as I mentioned, what microswitches are intended for.
Yes you can use a microswitch if you want. With that though you have mount the switch which can be difficult and as good as microswitches are it is a possible failure point. Fewer moving parts means fewer failures so adding a microswitch which has multiple parts internally is adding unneeded complexity. By turning the actuator into the switch contact you only have one moving part. Isolating the screw from the case is not that hard with the right hardware and it costs less then the microswitch would. If there is a failure it is easy to repair.
Another point which probably applies more to me as a manufacture then the DIY hobbyist is the contact screw points also serve as mounting points for the circuit board so no need to come up with some mounting schem for the board. Since the board is mounted to the contact points by running connections to the board mounting holes all the wiring is done on the board. No need for extra manual wiring. Just drop the board in and tighten the nuts. Clean, easy, fast, cheap.
Andrew
Quote from: The Tone God on May 29, 2011, 05:00:29 PM
Yes you can use a microswitch if you want. With that though you have mount the switch which can be difficult and as good as microswitches are it is a possible failure point. Fewer moving parts means fewer failures so adding a microswitch which has multiple parts internally is adding unneeded complexity. By turning the actuator into the switch contact you only have one moving part. Isolating the screw from the case is not that hard with the right hardware and it costs less then the microswitch would. If there is a failure it is easy to repair.
To each his own. One man's fish is another man's poisson.
QuoteI have to figure out how to re-arrange the circuit to send the input of the fx to gnd when bypassed.
QuoteUse a P-channel JFET.
Thx!
mac
Quote from: R.G. on May 29, 2011, 08:52:00 PM
To each his own. One man's fish is another man's poisson.
LOL, I got it, R.G!
Hey Andrew,
I think your touch plates might be what I need for my midi controller project. I want to have 30+ switches so a cheaper alternative would be great. These plates sound so simple!
A couple of questions:
1) If I understand correctly, there are two screws that are wired as a simple SPST momentary contact? I would wire this directly to my PIC.
2) Does the plate have to be large enough to flex in the middle? I would want it to be much smaller than the ones shown (beer-cap sized!)
3) Pardon my mechanical ignorance, but if the plate is screwed down at the corners, how does the plate get depressed? OR are the holes big enough for the plate to move over the screw shaft?
THANKS!!! This could be a great solution for me to build my midi controller under budget!
My 1st pedalboard used a variation on the touch plates, but were nowhere near as cool. I took a piece of melamine (you know that stuff they make countertops and certain Martin guitars out of?). If you ask them at a hardware store or anywhere they sell/build countertops, they will probably give you some of the little rectangle sample cards they have (at least that's what I used). Glue this to a same sized piece of a mouse pad (mine were about 1.5" square). If you're a garbage collector like myself, you'll have old VCRs, stereos, etc, that all use these little momentary contact switches. Salvage one of those and mount it underneath the mouse pad, so that when you push down on the 'switch', you compress the mouse pad a little, thus making safe (IOW it's pretty hard to smush the switch itself to its breaking point with the mouse pad in there) and positive compression of the momentary contact switch. It's kind of like RGs pancake switches only cheaper.
Now, I don't know what kind of surface you're putting the switch on, so you'll have to do a little thinking to figure out how to reliably mount the whole thing to the surface you're going to stomp on.
Hey, thanks for that input. Sounds nice and simple. So I guess you didn't have to cut a hole in the mousepad at all, just sit the 'pancake' on top of a microswitch?
My application is a midi pedal board with lots of switches. I want 20-30 switches but need to keep costs down.
Based on your idea, I am thinking of maybe having a microswitch just barely poking out of a hole in the board's chassis, and then just glue a foam square on it with a hard plastic layer on that. Reckon that would work?
There used to be a number of capacitive touch plate controls based on the touch plate being connected to the resonant LC circuit of an oscillator. When the plate was touched, the load stopped the oscillator and therefore reduced the bias, allowing a relay in the plate circuit to pull in. Many were built based on a 117L7GT and the Miller 695 capacitive relay coil. You really don't need anything that big. If you want multiple switches, have a single oscillator and an amplifier for each switch that is detuned and loses bias, causing more current drain. You could afford to do an entire touch keyboard this way.
Sounds interesting, and frightening! :-) that's probably a bit beyond my ability at the moment. Besides I need to push it with my feet.
Quote from: tysonlt on January 01, 2012, 11:39:34 AM
Hey, thanks for that input. Sounds nice and simple. So I guess you didn't have to cut a hole in the mousepad at all, just sit the 'pancake' on top of a microswitch?
My application is a midi pedal board with lots of switches. I want 20-30 switches but need to keep costs down.
Based on your idea, I am thinking of maybe having a microswitch just barely poking out of a hole in the board's chassis, and then just glue a foam square on it with a hard plastic layer on that. Reckon that would work?
Right - no hole in the mousepad, and what you're thinking is exactly what I did - the microswitch was mounted just below the chassis surface and protruded through just enough to be pushed. You have to test it a bit to make sure you don't have them too close because you can (and I did on 1 switch) squash and break them. You also need to make sure they aren't too far from the surface or they won't click. It really wasn't hard nor did it take too long to do, and it literally cost me nothing to build them (and not a lot of time either). The mousepad was something I had lying around from when I used to have a ball mouse and was of no more use to me, the melamine was free sampled, and the switches were pulled from old garbage electronics.
I don't know how fancy a setup you have, but if you're etching a board, you could solder the switches to the board and mount the board below the surface with spacers. I should also mention that I only ever had to replace or reset one switch (or maybe 2..) out of the 15 that I had on the board, and my mounting setup sucked. It was very reliable, so with only a little more effort and forethought that I put into it, you should be able to get something pretty solid.
If you're going digital , hall effect sensors are the way to go .
http://singapore.rs-online.com/web/p/hall-effect-sensors/1811479/ (http://singapore.rs-online.com/web/p/hall-effect-sensors/1811479/)
And a "touch" plate with a weak magnet spaced far enough so the sensor doesn't sense the magnet normally , and just use it as a momentary switch , switched by CMOS ,
http://www.thetonegod.com/tech/switches/switches.html (http://www.thetonegod.com/tech/switches/switches.html) under flip-flop momentary . This way reliability issues ? 0 .
Looks interesting, but they are still a couple of aussie dollars each. My main goal is to make it cheap enough to use 30-40 of them.
Quote from: tysonlt on January 02, 2012, 02:08:17 AM
Looks interesting, but they are still a couple of aussie dollars each. My main goal is to make it cheap enough to use 30-40 of them.
They are for reliability sake , something TTG/Andrew will appreciate :icon_mrgreen:
As for you bottle caps and latching tactile switches makes sense .
At that, I could just glue a coke bottle cap onto the shaft of a push-button switch... the bottle hitting the chassis would prevent excessive travel on the switch. :)
One of these:
http://taydaelectronics.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/500x/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/T/C/TC-A0109-X_3.jpg
with one of these:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Plastic_Bottle_Cap.JPG
Quote from: tysonlt on January 02, 2012, 04:46:17 AM
At that, I could just glue a coke bottle cap onto the shaft of a push-button switch... the bottle hitting the chassis would prevent excessive travel on the switch. :)
One of these:
http://taydaelectronics.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/500x/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/T/C/TC-A0109-X_3.jpg
with one of these:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Plastic_Bottle_Cap.JPG
Just remember to flush them , nobody wants to see a bottle cap on the outside :icon_mrgreen:
( I.E : A hole saw and some deburring or a unibit .)
Quote
Just remember to flush them , nobody wants to see a bottle cap on the outside :icon_mrgreen:
( I.E : A hole saw and some deburring or a unibit .)
OK!
... Now you'll have to explain what you mean, I'm not so familiar with the hardware side! :)
Do you mean make them flush with the chassis? ???
Quote from: tysonlt on January 02, 2012, 06:03:03 AM
Quote
Just remember to flush them , nobody wants to see a bottle cap on the outside :icon_mrgreen:
( I.E : A hole saw and some deburring or a unibit .)
OK!
... Now you'll have to explain what you mean, I'm not so familiar with the hardware side! :)
Do you mean make them flush with the chassis? ???
The cap should be slightly poking out , sorry , not flush .
I guess the idea of having the whole cap outside is that the cap edges would hit the chassis, thus preventing pressure on the switch.
I agree it would be ugly though. I think a mini pancake sounds like the best idea.
I will let folks know how it goes when I do it.
You could use these with a very light foot and the Millenium bypass ;). I wonder how these fair in terms of reliability?
http://taydaelectronics.com/electromechanical/switches-key-pad/push-button/push-button-switch-dc-30v-0-1a-dpdt-7x7mm.html
Quote from: tysonlt on January 02, 2012, 10:29:34 PM
I guess the idea of having the whole cap outside is that the cap edges would hit the chassis, thus preventing pressure on the switch.
I agree it would be ugly though. I think a mini pancake sounds like the best idea.
I will let folks know how it goes when I do it.
Don't know about pancakes , but i could use a top-filled spring loaded cardboard at the corners of the cap inside , so any pressure will be rebounced .
Quote from: bdevlin on January 02, 2012, 11:12:03 PM
You could use these with a very light foot and the Millenium bypass ;). I wonder how these fair in terms of reliability?
http://taydaelectronics.com/electromechanical/switches-key-pad/push-button/push-button-switch-dc-30v-0-1a-dpdt-7x7mm.html
Yes, that's the way I'm leaning. I'd have the pole poking slightly out of a hole in the chassis, a donut-shaped ring of foam, and a plastic or metal disc for a cover. It might even look good, a may just be reliable!
I also REALLY like the idea of poking a screw through the chassis, surrounding it with foam, and capping it with a grounded metal plate. Some washers and nuts and you have a cheap, rugged, actuator-free stomp switch.
Quote from: The Tone God on May 24, 2011, 07:09:36 PM
I'm planning on writing an article so people can build their own "T.T.G. style" touch plates as they are really easy and cheap to build. Its one of the things I'm going to give away.
Any time frame on this article? Just can't wait anymore!!!
The thing I miss the most when using "touch" style switches is the tactile feedback you get from a more mechanical switch. That pleasing ka-CHUNK of a rugged footswitch, or the more subtle hysteresis of a laptop keyboard.
That's also my main gripe with iPad type interfaces. I want my finger to tell me if I pushed the button. Having to look up and double check is fatiguing.
I hear ya. However I'm a fairly soft stomper. I find I prefer a 'quick' action for tap tempo - too much mechanical resistance makes me focus on squishing the switch, and I'm often still playing when I have to adjust tempo. I need a light switch.
In the case of the above-mentioned screw terminal, the metal cap hitting the screw would at least provide some feedback that you've hit the switch. It's a click at least.
On that topic, I am remember as a kid playing with some kind of graphite rod that you slide a contact up and down to create a crude variable resistor. This could be used to make a squishy expression pedal using the PIC's ADC features. Hmm... :)
Update:
1. Take a bolt. Put on a washer, spring, and another washer.
2. Poke into hole in chassis, with spring arrangement on top. This top spring limits plunge depth.
3. Underneath, do washer, spring, washer again, and finish with a nut. This bottom spring holds the bolt to the chassis.
4. Tighten/loosen nut to compress lower spring and thus raise/lower external switch height. When pressed, bolt will always reach the same depth (bolt length minus compressed top spring) regardless of nut position.
5. Put a microswitch under the bolt. (Or, try wiring the bolt to ground and glue a nut on the chassis floor as a contact. Not sure about that, though!)
Viola. The poor man's actuator, reliable and stomp friendly. Photos to follow! My uncle and I came up with it, so I call it the 'Thwaites Actuator' :)
I put the bolt through a beer cap to redeem some aesthetic credibility. It looks OK.
Only glitch so far is that a very small circular movement is possible, so the bolt may not always travel perfectly downwards. I plan to account for this by using lever-actuated microswitches like the omron ones. I will try to somehow attach the bolt to the lever... Glue perhaps?
Quote from: alparent on January 03, 2012, 08:27:16 AM
Any time frame on this article? Just can't wait anymore!!!
I took a bunch of pictures during the last batch of cases but I accidentally deleted them. :icon_redface: I have to take a new batch of pics for the article.
Quote from: earthtonesaudio on January 03, 2012, 02:47:50 PM
The thing I miss the most when using "touch" style switches is the tactile feedback you get from a more mechanical switch. That pleasing ka-CHUNK of a rugged footswitch, or the more subtle hysteresis of a laptop keyboard.
I was originally going to use a capacitive footswitch design in my pedals so there were no moving parts but when I took it out in the field for testing I too missed the tactile feedback of hitting something when I pressed the footswitch as well as the travel of the surface as I depressed. Here was one of my capacitive plate prototypes:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v515/TheToneGod/device.jpg)
I decided to go with a mechanical footswitch but one that solved the problems that I have seen with other designs so back to the drawing board I went. I came up with the foot plate design you now see on my pedals.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v515/TheToneGod/acute_modestscream_on1_sm.jpg)
I put them through the ringer gigging a goo amount. I am NOT a light stomper. I've been using them for more then two years now without a failure and I do alot of stomping in my live loop shows getting different sounds.
Quote from: tysonlt on January 03, 2012, 09:43:01 PM
I hear ya. However I'm a fairly soft stomper. I find I prefer a 'quick' action for tap tempo - too much mechanical resistance makes me focus on squishing the switch, and I'm often still playing when I have to adjust tempo. I need a light switch.
One of the nice things I like about the foot plates I use is you can customize the resistance of the plate by controlling how big the force resistance material is, in my case high density foam. Want less resistance just cut some of the foam down. Want more then add some more foam. Easy.
Didn't R.G. do a actuator with bolt or threaded rod ? Ah here it is:
http://www.geofex.com/Article_Folders/alteractuator/alteractuator.htm
Andrew
Yes, mine is similar, except without the outer container. It's cheaper :)
(http://img.tapatalk.com/3aa3afb2-bbf6-c598.jpg)
Upside down for some reason:
(http://img.tapatalk.com/3aa3afb2-bab2-cd6b.jpg)
Just the 'Thwaites Actuator':
(http://img.tapatalk.com/3aa3afb9-bce5-ab91.jpg)
;)
What's the purpose of the spring on the inside of the enclosure?
Quote from: tysonlt on January 12, 2012, 05:53:02 AM
Yes, mine is similar, except without the outer container. It's cheaper :)
Actually, yours is very similar to my version 1. The geofex article is my version 2.
If you're OK with the side-to-side wobble, it's fine. The wobble drove me nuts, so I went with the nipple/bushing to get some stability against side movement. I don't always hit stomp switches straight down, so I found the threads would catch on the hole through the enclosure or in extreme cases, I could bend the threaded shaft. Other people may not be as clumsy when they stomp a switch as I am. :icon_biggrin: And as you note, it's much cheaper and less work.
In retrospect, if I were doing this today, I'd probably use the lamp nipple or the bushing from a victim/donor potentiometer as a bearing and a smooth shaft, perhaps threaded with a die on each end. That would make a stabilized version of the one you show.
@R.G cool, great minds... Naw! ;)
@earth, the bottom spring just lets you adjust the height of the protruding rod... But now that you mention it, you could get rid of the lower spring and just move the nut all the way up to the chassis... Duh! Thanks for the tip!
@R.G, now that I have actually tried making an actuator I have a better feel for what is required, and I understand your actuator much better. The only thing that puts me off is filing a nut to make it round.
It all starts to get fiddly for a weekender like me, and I'm starting to think that the pancake is just a better way to go. Do you think a pancake switch could fit under a beer cap?