Following on from a customer query at Elmwood Electronics, I can confirm that one can install install addressable RGB LEDs/NeoPixels inside one of these large buttons. It’s not the easiest build, so whether one should attempt this is another matter entirely.
You’ll need:
- Large Arcade Button with LED – 60 mm White (tall version) – this is larger and more domed than the flat-top one that Adafruit sells
- RGB LEDs – I used a generic 8 LED ring, but anything not too tall and under 45 mm in diameter should fit. Either a 7 X WS2812 5050 RGB LED Ring or Adafruit’s NeoPixel Ring – 12 x WS2812 5050 RGB LED with Integrated Drivers could also work
- Thin (and I mean thin: I used 28 AWG) Silicone Cover Stranded-Core Wire in several colours. You’ll want to cut this quite long at first, as you have to ease it through some tiny holes in the button assembly. If you solder connectors on the end, you won’t be able to disassemble or install the button without cutting them off. Do I speak from experience here? You betcha!
- The usual soldering/hot gluing/bending/prying/grabbing/cutting tools you already know and love. In addition, you might consider a non-marring spudger and a pair of small(ish) arterial forceps (aka hemostats, aka Kelly forceps, aka fishing hook removal pliers)
I’m not going to cover soldering the wires to the LED PCB in any depth here. You’ll need three wires: 5 V power, Ground and Data. Even though the LEDs I used need 5 V power, they are quite happy with 3.3 V logic on the data line. They need more than 3.3 V power to light, though.
![a large arcade machine style button on the left: it has a clear domed top and a threaded base. On the right is the combined microswitch and LED holder that fits into the button base](https://scruss.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/rgb_arcade_button-01.jpg)
![the top of the button disassembled into its main parts: bezel ring at top left, threaded lock ring at bottom, and main button mechanism. The mechanism is upside down, so the return spring and button actuators can be seen inside the threaded shaft](https://scruss.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/rgb_arcade_button-02.jpg)
![Close up of inside the shaft: return spring and its retainer tabs, and button actuators can be seen](https://scruss.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/rgb_arcade_button-03.jpg)
![Close up of inside the shaft: the tips of a pair of forceps have eased the top of the spring past its retainers](https://scruss.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/rgb_arcade_button-04-rotated.jpg)
![Close up of inside the shaft: the button actuators have been pushed down the shaft, allowing the top of the button to be pulled out](https://scruss.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/rgb_arcade_button-05.jpg)
![button top components arranged: black threaded button base on left, return spring in the middle, and domed clear top with white underside and white actuators sticking down](https://scruss.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/rgb_arcade_button-06.jpg)
![clear button top attached to its white underside. A blunt metal tool (spudger) is pointed at the push-fit join between the two parts](https://scruss.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/rgb_arcade_button-07.jpg)
![clear button top separated from its white base. A translucent white diffuser is inside the clear top. The white base has a hollow centre and a circular cavity](https://scruss.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/rgb_arcade_button-08.jpg)
![The microswitch with the LED holder attached on top. The blade of a blunt metal spudger is inserted under a plastic tab that holds the LED holder onto the switch](https://scruss.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/rgb_arcade_button-09.jpg)
![the LED holder at left, and the bare microswitch. The LED holder has an LED in a white plastic retainer, and below it two spade contacts. The switch has three spade connectors: Com(mon) on the base, and "NO 3" (Normally Open) and "NC 2" on the right side. Normal operation connects COM and NO](https://scruss.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/rgb_arcade_button-10.jpg)
![LED holder disassembled into two parts. The black LED holder base is on the left, with the two conenctor clips slightly blurry at top. On the right is the LED in its white support, pulled out of the holder base](https://scruss.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/rgb_arcade_button-11.jpg)
![White button top underside with an 8 RGB LED ring hot glued into it. Three thin insulated wires (from top: yellow (data), red (5 V) and black (GND)) are previously soldered behind the LED board, and are secured against strain with a large deposit of hot glue](https://scruss.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/rgb_arcade_button-12.jpg)
![threaded button base with clear top fitted, seen from underneath. The white button actuators have been pushed back into place, and the three coloured wires are feeding through the hole in the shaft. The return spring is outside the wires, and is being fitted around the retainers inside the shaft](https://scruss.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/rgb_arcade_button-13.jpg)
![underside of the button shaft, with microswitch attached to LED holder. The wires coming from the LED ring inside the button top have been fed through the small cavities where the original LED holder clips/contacts have been removed. The red/black power wires are on the side towards us, while the yellow data wire is behind the microswitch](https://scruss.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/rgb_arcade_button-14.jpg)
![Fully reassembled button, with microswitch installed into its bayonet connector in the threaded shaft, and the button actuator lined up with the microswitch lever on the left. The yellow data wire is in front of the microswitch at bottom](https://scruss.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/rgb_arcade_button-15.jpg)