I have been using a membrane panel on top of a PCB with dome switches in the past. I now find that too expensive for short production runs. It would be nice to be able to get a "front panel" that could be readily altered by software to perform different tasks. Has anyone looked at this or have suggestions?
TIA
Peter
Touch screen?
I thought this was rather expensive. What is the cost of such a screen, say 6"x4"?
Thanks
Larger 15" touch screens can be had for $50. They are not as clear as the ELO stuff, but suffice. Dawar, controllers are extra. 6x4 might be a little cheaper.
What do you pay for membrane tooling?
BTW, touch screens are Glass.
Cheers
Dunno, but if they're too expensive just use a Palm Pilot, iPad, iPhone, or some such as the I/O.
I got a quotation from China for a membrane panel (4x4 keypad with dome switches, 4 LEDs and silkscreen on the face. It was about 12x8 inches. The price quoted for 10 pieces was US$470. I got a quote locally in Australia and it was nearly double this. It did not include the PCB or fitting.
te:
or
In my case I have to integrate other electronics with it. I have considered this, and in some applications it is what I will do.
Thanks
Buy a palm pilot and gut it.
.
Not sure your location, but Melrose Nameplate (USA) has, in the past, given us some pretty good pricing on small production runs. Link:
As you've no doubt discovered, the problem is tooling and startup costs. Your $47 per piece price goes down substantially if you bought 100 or
200 pieces!!One idea that "might" work for you is to make a keypad with large button sizes, and then make outdoor / UV vinyl stickers for your button legends. That's rugged enough (usually) to get you by... Just a thought. We actually went that route on a project once and it worked out pretty well.
-mpm
-- Dirk http://www.transcendence.me.uk/ - Transcendence UK http://www.blogtalkradio.com/onetribe - Occult Talk Show
...
eThanks for that. I believe the Canadian company is probably AP Circuits?? My problem is that my typical production run is no more than 50 pieces. I often make changes to improve design and so my product life cycle is very short.
rote:
es
s.
e, or
.com/onetribe- Occult Talk Show
I could be very tempted to buy one of these and have a play!!
UK
We have one - cheap and very impressive.
-- Dirk http://www.transcendence.me.uk/ - Transcendence UK http://www.blogtalkradio.com/onetribe - Occult Talk Show
om...
eone
as
e eWhat do you do about warranty returns? Just wondering. This is a problem that plagues all back room inventors, tinkerers, hobbyists, and future millionaires!
I once saw a membrane key overlay where you could insert legends from either the front (anytime) or backside (pre-stick to surface). That might be worth checking into...?
ElectronDepot website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.