As indicated in
my brainstorming for an arcade stick build, I got some
Versa-Micro switches.
I was wondering how the insides would differ from a normal microswitch. I LOLd once I took one apart. It's a simple and clever way to allow for virtually silent switching, like leaf switches.
This switch is just a modified typical microswitch. The difference is a hole drilled for a 3/16" 4-40 socket screw. Tightening the screw lets you avoid the clicky sound of the hinged switching mechanism hitting either the bottom normally-open (NO) terminal or upon release, the normally-closed (NC) terminal. When tightening the screw to silence it, the NC terminal is unnecessarily never touched again. For the purposes of joysticks, NC isn't typically used anyhow. How far you tighten the screw determines how much distance is decreased between GND and NO. This translates to varying sound and tactility/linearity.
As pictured, I recommend the use of a knife to pry apart the switches. And every modder probably has headless socket screws. They are turned via Allen wrench. You could probably merely use any screw and then saw off excess, but buying these prefabricated saves you effort and a need for precision. I recommend you open up the switches to visually calibrate a set of them. I have to open up my switches anyhow to slip in metal actuators (top right of picture) for use with an LS-32 joystick.
