Introduction: Making a 3-way Switch Button From a Refurbished Computer Mouse.

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About: I founded the ScienceExpert Foundation, where I work as a scientific equipment designer and a teacher. My work involves the application of knowledge in chemistry, physics, electronics, robotics, and mathematic…

Since the advent of the wireless computer mouse, many old mice have cluttered our drawers or, at best, ended up in a special bin for recycling electronic products.

However, these mice hold substantial value for electronics engineers due to their component makeup :

  • Basic NPN transistor
  • Actually a 16x16 pixels camera
  • Resistor
  • Capacitor
  • IR LED and IR detectors
  • Press buttons.


The dual-lane feature of these switches is noteworthy. The main pin located close to the button is connected to the end terminal when idle [B1]. When pushed, it connects to the nearest pin [B2]. This design streamlines the assembly process by eliminating the need for resistors in pull-up or push-up assembly.


The switch button is tiny, making it hard to operate. To make it more user-friendly, we created a 3D-printed housing.

Supplies

Step 1: The Housing

 The housing is the first element, with a cavity corresponding to the size of the switch: L= 13 mm; l = 6mm, h = 6mm. The thickness of the walls is 1 mm. The cover is partially finished and consists of a flexible strip of 0.5 mm thick.



Step 2: Button Head

The second part is the button head. Its dimensions are tailored to fit the fixation tab's width (4x4 mm) and to the size of a normal finger (surface area of about 12 mm²).


Step 3: Final Assembly

Final assembly is accomplished by gluing the various parts together with a cyanoacrylate adhesive.