Wanting to handwire a orange omron board

[Halverson]

Hey folks!

So basically I have a bag of orange omrons that have just been sitting for months. I love the feel, but can't use them with anything. They have three pins instead of two and a slightly different size to alps or mx to fit in a plate.

I'm wondering what steps need to be taken to get a plate cut that will work with them. I think I would do 60% or something. Perhaps some weird custom layout.

Would it be simple as finding an existing plate layout and changing the plate hole sizes to whatever measured size the omrons are?

Also, does anyone know if having three pins would make wiring it difficult? Any omron pros?


Thanks for any input and advice! If you are a pro and want to help, you can always pm me info.

Much love,
-Girlshark Wizbro

[jacobolus]

Where’d you get a bag of orange omrons? Know anyone who wants to send me some? :-)

You could transplant them into the keyboard from this laptop, which uses cyan omrons (also pretty nice PBT dye-sub keycaps):
http://www.ebay.com/itm/251533084970

[Halverson]

Where’d you get a bag of orange omrons? Know anyone who wants to send me some? :-)

You could transplant them into the keyboard from this laptop, which uses cyan omrons (also pretty nice PBT dye-sub keycaps):
http://www.ebay.com/itm/251533084970

I got them from a guy over on Deskthority, forget the name right now. If I ever finish this project I can give the leftovers away.

I wouldn't mind  cyan omrons and those caps...but I wouldn't want to take the whole thing apart just for that.

[Matt3o]

I should have some orange omrons somewhere I can check for you, but I bet you just need two of the three pins. You can easily check with a multimeter if you have one... or with a battery+LED if you don't.

[Halverson]

I should have some orange omrons somewhere I can check for you, but I bet you just need two of the three pins. You can easily check with a multimeter if you have one... or with a battery+LED if you don't.

Good idea, I was actually just playing with a multimeter earlier today. You've done several amazing custom boards, any tips on how to go about creating a plate for them?

[Matt3o]

Do you have a caliper? I would start measuring the switch, are they standard ALPS mount?

[jacobolus]

I can make some measurements of an Omron plate (from a Sony video post production controller) for you sometime in the next few days. It’s not the same as an Alps or MX plate. (Also, it requires a different distance between plate and PCB.)

And yeah, you only need 2 of the pins.

Cyan Omrons are interesting. They are only slightly tactile (much less than the orange/amber type, and also less force to actuate), but they still have a pretty loud click sound.

[Halverson]

Do you have a caliper? I would start measuring the switch, are they standard ALPS mount?

I have a cheap one, and they are the same stem as an alps switch.

I can make some measurements of an Omron plate (from a Sony video post production controller) for you sometime in the next few days. It’s not the same as an Alps or MX plate. (Also, it requires a different distance between plate and PCB.)

And yeah, you only need 2 of the pins.

Cyan Omrons are interesting. They are only slightly tactile (much less than the orange/amber type, and also less force to actuate), but they still have a pretty loud click sound.

That would be great! I can then compare the plate measurement to switch measurement...hopefully they are the same.

From just fiddling with the switch and a multimeter, looks like the outside pins are the ones you use. Unless I have no idea what I am doing haha.

Would you say cyan's tactility is comparable to another switch? 

[hasu]

Deskthority wiki has a link to spec sheet.
Did you check it yet?

[Halverson]

Deskthority wiki has a link to spec sheet.
Did you check it yet?

I was looking on the wiki but didn't see that. I'll check that out today.

[Oobly]

Here is a datasheet (assuming these are B3G/B3G-S type switches): http://www.fa.omron.co.jp/data_pdf/closed/prdn-387.pdf

Perhaps you can use that to design a vector outline of a switch hole. Then make up a vector drawing of the full plate you want to make with your new switch holes instead of MX ones and send it to a water / laser cutting place. Looks like 13.4mm square holes for the switches and 1.2mm plate thickness.

Looks like the middle and either side pin are what you should use according to the datasheet.

[Halverson]

Here is a datasheet (assuming these are B3G/B3G-S type switches): http://www.fa.omron.co.jp/data_pdf/closed/prdn-387.pdf

Perhaps you can use that to design a vector outline of a switch hole. Then make up a vector drawing of the full plate you want to make with your new switch holes instead of MX ones and send it to a water / laser cutting place. Looks like 13.4mm square holes for the switches and 1.2mm plate thickness.

Looks like the middle and either side pin are what you should use according to the datasheet.

Thanks for link! I'll look at that in better detail later. It may be most of what I need to know it seems.

[Matt3o]

so it's not a standard alps mount. anyway if it's a square it's pretty easy. just pick a cherry MX layout you like and draw a 13.4mm hole inside the 14mm mx hole. voilà, plate done

[adventurepoop]

Does anyone know what the third pin could be for?? I've seen 4 pins on cherry ml but 2 of those are just to bridge across the switch. I can't see a need for 3 Is it possible that one of them makes a circuit all the time that gets cut when the switch is pressed or something??

[Matt3o]

I believe it's just for ease of PCB design, you can either link the first or the last pin. Also the switch itself works as a bridge, that might be handy when designing the PCB.

[adventurepoop]

I love switches that act as a bridge, you can do single layer pcb then

[dorkvader]

I love switches that act as a bridge, you can do single layer pcb then

yeah, hitek do that too, it's great.