Accessible Gaming buttons are done!

Accessible Gaming buttons are done!

So in an attempt to avoid going completely shack-wacky, I made a bunch of Round Flexure Switches in my free time. I’m donating them to Makers Making Change, the charity I work for.

They are by no means in any form of corporate colour, except perhaps Lisa Frank. The tops are less tactile than I thought they’d be: the top couple of layers are gold PLA and are printed first, then the next layers are bridged above that. They’re almost imperceptible, especially after a thin layer of acrylic varnish.

The bodies are a mix of acrylic paint and ultrafine glitter, layered over with acrylic varnish to limit glitter shedding. The one that looks like a disco tree stump uses heavy gold mica flake medium. The iridescent green is unvarnished, unfinished translucent PET-G (from eSUN; perhaps my favourite material).

From a technical point of view:

  • The button nut is hot-glued in place. This keeps the top straight as a nice side effect.
  • The nuts are held in place with medium (blue) thread-lock. They won’t come apart unless you use appropriate force. Unlike red thread-lock, you will be able to take these apart for repair.
  • Digikey were out of stock on specified parts. These substitutes work directly, though you’ll have to remove a small lever from the microswitch: