Tiny SMD switches or tact switches for silly emulator project?

Tried this in comp.arch.embedded, moving my search further afield...

I'm trying to build a PDP-1 emulator on a 90x55mm business card. As readers skilled in the art will appreciate, this is an eminently practical project, the general applicability and consumer utility of which are precisely commensurate with the profits I expect to realize from the endeavor.

The front side of the card contains the front panel. 0603 LEDs for the lamps are fine, but I am having trouble finding switches small enough. Smallest tact switches I can find are 6x3mm. Can anyone point me to smaller tact switches? My other option is 0.050" spacing DIP switches, which are harder to operate and have a shorter lifespan.

An old photo of the original:

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my current mechanical test layout (missing address and test word switches):

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and a 1:1 scale printout of the layout in my hand:

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(As with the real computer, the electronics and power supply are behind the front panel. The emulator is implemented in a 60MHz ARM7).

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zwsdotcom
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My kids are reaching the age where they are ready to start learning about the fiddly little bits inside a computer, and some recent talk of the switches-and-lights computers has me interested in getting such a thing.

Does anyone make a commercially-available (real or emulated) processor with switches and lights like we all learned on in The Good Old Days?

8*)

I've found

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but it's not clear what I'd need or if they are still "in production"...

Thanks!

Reply to
William P.N. Smith

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