Creating Input Buttons for Microcontroller Circuits

[dionysian]

I am an ee student and i want to start a project with a microcontroller and i was wondering how i would go about useing/creating input buttons in my circuits... possibly i would like something like the button arangement on a channel changer. Can someone direct my to a resource about how i could go about doing this.

Thank you.

 

[Danger]

All that you really need is a board of some type with your circuits on it. A PC setup is probably best, but you could do it with wires on any surface. Where you want a switch, just cut the circuit and raise both ends with something like a solder bead. Mount a penny or some other small conductor on a little spring or a blob of silicone sealant so that it overlaps the beads, and there's your switch. A good coat of liquid latex or similar will waterproof it while maintaining the components in place.

 

[dlgoff]

You might want to know a little about Switch Bounce and Other Dirty Little Secrets.

Regards

 

[berkeman]

And when you want to scan a button matrix, you will generally drive signals down the columns and sense the signals coupled to the rows, or visa versa. You may optionally want to make the connections with diodes, to allow multiple key presses to be sensed at once.

I googled scanning keypad circuit tutorial, and got lots of good hits for info. Here's the first hit:

http://www.winpicprog.co.uk/pic_tutorial9.htm

 

[Danger]

My apologies. I took the question to mean how you might physically create the switches, rather than how to combine them into a controller.