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January 27

Trying to find these clear-top switches SOLVED

Looking at the DIY calculator at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B081C38FR5/, I believe that I could pretty much make one like it from scratch by milling acrylic and aluminum sheets.

The reason to do this is to a bigger display and especially get more keys; a typical scientific calculator has 50 or more keys.

TM one question is where I can find the square keys with a clear plastic top that I can put labels under. Images are here:

I have searched digikey and a bunch of key manufacturers but could not find anything similar. Does anyone know the manufacturer? --Guy Macon (talk) 06:59, 27 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]

https://www.amazon.com/X-keys-Keycap-Cherry-Compatible-Transparent/dp/B00FYO8EDC ? Searched for "clear keycap". Many hits that I didn't look at. If you want a hackable scientific calculator, maybe this? I don't understand the point of wanting a standalone calculator in this era though. It's usually easier to use a computer. 173.228.123.190 (talk) 08:26, 27 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]

The problem with the ones you found is that there is no place to put a label under the clear plastic. Compare with the images above.

That NumWorks calc is a good product (It and that Casio fx-CG50 PRIZM are the only calculators that run Python) but I want to choose what keys do what, which is why I want to make my own labels. --Guy Macon (talk) 09:35, 27 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Here is another product that allows you to put your own label under a clear keycap: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0092SGI0C/

Ha! Found them!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FYO8EDC/

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FYO8GI0/

--Guy Macon (talk) 09:47, 27 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Nice. I think these days most people would use a touch screen though, if they wanted a calculator-like interface at all. Alternatives are things like Jupyter Notebook. 173.228.123.190 (talk) 09:49, 27 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]

It occurs to me, cash registers / POS terminals often have keypads that take labels under the keys, so that would be another place to look if the above don't satisfy you. 173.228.123.190 (talk) 22:18, 28 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Good thinking! I hadn't thought of looking at those before. --Guy Macon (talk) 22:56, 28 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]