EEVblog #1282 - Design Your Own Membrane Keypad! (µSupply Part 20)

How to design your own custom membrane keypad and get it manufactured, to make your products look really professional.
It's easier and cheaper than you think!
This is Part 20 of the µSupply Design series

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[TonyRueb]

I imagine the porn industry will be the first to develop feel-o-vision

[mikehibbett]

I did my first keypad panel with these guys; it included leds. There was a week of back and forth on the design as I learned how they really like to work, it was all very professional and the result - perfect! For my first time, I was very surprised and delighted with the result from them. The end result looks so professional for a first off prototype.

[hjups]

Since you have been doing videos on designing, prototyping, and manufacturing parts for your uSupply, could you at some point do a video on the enclosure?
I think getting a custom enclosure manufactured is one of the most confusing parts. There are also additional things like how to deal with / design a battery compartment, clamshell mating, board standoffs (or a way to hold the board with the clamshell?), making sure the LCD is secure, moisture protection, how do deal with fasteners to hold it together, what material to use, etc.

[carlanwray]

You can now 3D Print everything but the PCB using different colors on the first layer and a small nozzle enabling you to do one off custom keypads using PETG and 98A TPU. And if you're really clever, you can even print a compliant mechanism for the tactile feedback.

[Fifury]

I find it crazy that the mechanical components of an electronics project (especially the housing) usually turns out to be the most expensive part! I love this hobby!

[randycarter]

I've said it on another video. They just don't teach this stuff in college. Very useful information. Thanks Dave.

[anotheruser]

Tactile metal domes throw me back to the late 80s and the cheap C64 joystics that used them.

[PowerScissor]

There's nothing more satisfying than a tabletop covered in those dome style tactile buttons. So satisfying to press repeatedly.

[pepper]

For prototyping I've taken an existing $.30 alphanumeric pad, measured the exact key dimensions etc, then made a design in Illustrator, printed it out on a laser printer onto stock paper. Then cut it out and used ample spray glue to attach it to the pad. Optionally, some matte clear coat can be used to protect the surface. The result looks really nice.

[lqqkoutrigger]

So excited to see the micro supply coming along! It looks terrific :)

[MusikMan]

You've been quoted in the new Art of Electronics: The X Chapters!!!

[TheDefpom]

Very helpful Dave, was just what I needed to help tidy up this project I’ve been working on

[aivansama]

It bugs me that the display reads "hELLo" instead of "HELLO" :P

[JohnHansknecht]

I use TADA Membrane switch company and can highly recommend them. They don't have this fancy website to order from, but they do have nice support and they basically design it all for you for around $100 and you just swap a few emails to confirm the design.

[rohannawale]

It was very useful information for me, because I'm going to start manufacturing these graphic overlay and membrane switch labels. Thank you for this informative video.

[videocouk]

There was a model of Sanyo Beta (Betamax) video recorder, the VTC6500, which suffered from terrible keyboard disintegration. I wonder if there are enough enthusiasts with these machines that we could get a replacement manufactured. It's non-rectangular, partly translucent and quite large, so it wouldn't be that cheap. But if we could do them at about £20 each then I'm sure there would be a market for about 100 - 200 of them. It's just finding someone with the skills and time for the significant amount of design work involved.

[Mr.Leeroy]

This type metal dome membrane switch was the reason I recently had to take apart laptop from top to bottom just to get to the power button that refused to function. I would not bless the world with another single key based on this tech.. It's a known issue with Dell laptops.
The weird part is that dome was not worn out, clicks just fine. Moreover I had no hope to fix it, so I made a tiny mod pcb that goes into a miniPCIe slot to provide an additional power button, but then when I reassembled laptop back together, switch magically continued to work every time. The only thing I did was to accidentally `clean` the contacts with my finger. And the fact that it helped is strange too, because that button was sealed to the flex pcb with tape, so there should not be much oxidation if any.

[DannyBokma]

I have used them in a few projects, really impressed by them.

[shakaibsafvi]

@EEVBlog: can you do a video on the MicroSupply's plastic housing ?

[stuartmcconnachie]

2:47 ...always good to have a bit of stiffening on your connector, Dave....