Jinx wrote:
> Rolf, if I wanted something like that I'd be looking at MEC via
> Active Components, eg attached pictures from Pushbutton
> section of http://www.mec.dk/?id=168 . I've had similar, but
> plainer, caps for tact switches from them

Hi Jinx, others.

Thanks for the input. I am still not able to find the parts I would have 
thought were common. Let me try to attack it from a different angle...

I am building a remote shutter-release for a camera (Nikon D70s). 
Amongst other things, I want one of the buttons on the device to have an 
action similar to the actual shutter-release, with a half-press, 
full-press mechanism (double-action). I have searched quite hard, and I 
have found the following parts available from Digikey which *could* be 
exactly what I want:
http://rocky.digikey.com/scripts/ProductInfo.dll?Site=CA&V=10&M=EVQ-PWBA15
http://rocky.digikey.com/scripts/ProductInfo.dll?Site=CA&V=10&M=EVQ-PRDA09

A representative picture of these is at:
http://rocky.digikey.com/WebLib/Panasonic/Web%20Photos/New%20Photos/EVQ-PWBA15.jpg

As can be seen the button is "flat", has no knob to push. I expect there 
are "keycaps" out there that have a protrusion at the bottom to actuate 
the button like the above. All the leads I have had result in keycaps 
that snap on to a knob on the tact-switch, but these double-action 
switches have no knob to snap on to.... the keycap will fall off ;-)

The datasheet for the one tact-switch here: 
http://www.panasonic.com/industrial/components/pdf/atk0000ce21.pdf has a 
diagram at the very bottom of the last page indicating the recommended 
dimensions of a "test pole". I am looking for a "production" version of 
a test-pole....!

I am trying to find a keycap that is "flanged" so that it will not fall 
out of the project-box, and has a protrusion (pole) under it to actuate 
the "shutter button". My plan is/was to get similar tact-switches (for 
other required project functions) that are "single-action", and to keep 
the look/feel of the project consistent.

The closest I have come so far is the lead to farnell (from Philip), 
which has caps like:
http://www.farnell.com/datasheets/55371.pdf
These caps are flanged so at least they will not fall out of the project 
box... but they do not have a mechanism underneath to actuate the 
tact-switch.

The alternatives (as I see them) are to try to find a different 
double-action tact-switch that has the same functionality, but is 
compatible with the key-caps available (has a knob/actuator), or to find 
the key-caps compatible with the tact-switch.

...in other words, for all the key-caps I have found so far, the 
actuator is supposed to be part of the tact-switch. I am looking for an 
actuator that is part of the key-cap instead.

It is quite possible that I am missing something that would be obvious 
to more experienced people.

I am hoping for someone to tell me I am SOL, or to give me another name 
to search for these things under, or a source I can get some from (I 
need about a dozen - planning to build 2 copies of the product).

Thanks for the help

Rolf


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