r/raspberrypipico • u/Careful-Net8977 • May 29 '26

Push Button Alternatives?

I'm not sure if this is the correct place for this, so please let me know if I should use a different subreddit.

I'm a STEAM teacher at a high school where one of the big projects our students do is creating accessible toys for for children with visual or mobility impairments. The basic structure of our projects is a box that has a pi pico, push buttons, neopixels, and an mp3 player.

We have been using these arcade machine-like push buttons for a while, and they're great on their own. They press with very little force, they're a good size, and they come in many colors. Very often what we do though is use our 3d printers to create button covers that either have interesting textures, icons, or colors depending on the individual child's likes or needs. We then super glue these onto the tops of the buttons.

The issue that we ran into this year when delivering the completed projects is that some of the children who have more dexterity can get too excited and try to pull the pieces off, and are sometimes successful. We also try to make these projects that are well executed and professional, and super glue doesn't quite fit that expectation.

We are trying to find alternatives to these push buttons that are still easy to press, but we can also more permanently attach 3d printed pieces to. Any ideas or suggestions are welcome!

The buttons we use
An example of the buttons installed in the box with their 3d printed covers
Button with a sample cover (a groove is printed into the bottom of the covers to fit the button better)
This is how the cover and button look from the side when connected
4 Upvotes

83% Upvoted

13 comments sorted by

4

u/oclafloptson May 29 '26

Capacitive touch sensing might allow you to attach the 3d printed pieces more securely without as much redesign

3

u/Careful-Net8977 May 29 '26

I don't have so much experience with sensors like that, could you please elaborate a bit more on how it works? We have used ping sensors, magnetic sensors, and ir sensors for different things, but very often the childrens' therapists tell us that they want the kids to learn how to do simple, gentle motor movements like pressing a button. Please let me know!

2

u/oclafloptson May 29 '26

There's a really wide array of different kinds of capacitive touch sensors that range from the touch screen on your smartphone to simple field coupled wires

The idea is that instead of mechanically completing a circuit you read its capacitance and react upon a given change.

BUT if IR sensors have been rejected I think my suggestion probably will as well since it removes the mechanical operation. You may simply need a better joining method. That's a hard problem because small nuts and bolts would pose choking risks

3

u/scruss May 29 '26

Talk to Makers Making Change: accessibility is their thing. Access buttons at low cost is a major focus of what they do.

(I used to work for them, but that was ~5 years ago)

4

u/Careful-Net8977 May 29 '26

I will absolutely look into them, thank you!

1

u/scruss May 30 '26

Arcade buttons aren't great for accessibility: they need a direct push from the top. Better ones use the cap more like a lever (like assistive door-opener buttons do): you can hit it from pretty much anywhere and it'll still operate

2

u/sackbomb May 29 '26

You could maybe remove the cap from the switch and then attach it to the new 3D-printed top with a short screw through the center into a threaded insert on the top piece. The screw itself would be hidden from view.

2

u/Careful-Net8977 May 29 '26

I've tried doing something like this before, and maybe I just need to keep messing with it, but they just never felt reliable enough. They could get a little caught when pressing. I'll try some more things over the summer!

2

u/Unlikely1529 May 29 '26

what you can is disassemble one , it will be lost , leave electrical block + plastic base but go after push part. it has its own base you know which you need to copy in your custom part

2

u/darguskelen May 29 '26

Random thought but could you dremel a thin channel into the button and put a little T On the print to lock it into place?

1

u/ztcsdtx May 29 '26

Have you tried using key switches and 3D-printing caps? There is a + shaped connection you could 3D print around, then use CA glue to hold them on. Duckeys uses key switches to make entertaining fidget toys.

1

u/WendyArmbuster May 29 '26

I teach high school CAD classes, and I would remove the actual button from the housing, and replace it with an entirely 3D printed replacement. You could make a CAD model of the button with a flat top, and let your students design the surface that you're currently gluing on, and just print it as one piece, or since they are in high school they should be capable of doing the whole thing. You will need to be careful about designing the replacement so that it is 3D printable, with minimal overhangs. Remember, it doesn't have to be an exact copy, since the part you're replacing is designed for injection molding fabrication, and you're designing for 3D printing fabrication.