Mechanically remapping buttons on a flash recorder

  • Thread starter Thread starter k6055w
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Flash
Click For Summary
A user is seeking to adapt a flash recorder for easier access by their grandmother, who struggles with small buttons. They aim to create a new housing with a faceplate that allows front access to side buttons like volume and skip. The user has a 3D printer and plans to mechanically remap the buttons to facilitate this change. Suggestions include creating a holder to reposition the recorder or designing larger button mechanisms to press the smaller side buttons. The user has provided images of the recorder but notes that the internal circuits cannot be easily repositioned.
k6055w
Messages
2
Reaction score
0
I want to buy or build a button that transfers downward force to a sideways force. I’m adapting a voice recorder so my grandmother (who has a hard time pressing small buttons) can use it. Most reasonably priced flash recorders have buttons on the side and I want her to be able to access them from the front so that volume, back, and skip are immediately visible. I have a 3D printer so I was thinking of making a new housing with a faceplate for all the buttons to show through. Of course the buttons on the side of the recorder will have to be mechanically remapped. I hope that was clear. Anyone got an idea?
 
Engineering news on Phys.org
k6055w said:
I want to buy or build a button that transfers downward force to a sideways force. I’m adapting a voice recorder so my grandmother (who has a hard time pressing small buttons) can use it. Most reasonably priced flash recorders have buttons on the side and I want her to be able to access them from the front so that volume, back, and skip are immediately visible. I have a 3D printer so I was thinking of making a new housing with a faceplate for all the buttons to show through. Of course the buttons on the side of the recorder will have to be mechanically remapped. I hope that was clear. Anyone got an idea?

Welcome to the PF.

Can you post pics or a datasheet of what this recorder looks like? Would one option just be to make a holder that turned the recorder sideways so the buttons were facing up, and make larger button mechanisms that pushed down on the smaller buttons? What information on the face of the recorder needs to be relayed to the new top surface?
 
Thanks.

Here are two pictures: one showing the front and left side and one showing the front and right side. The volume controls are on the left side, skip/back are on the right side, and play/stop/record are on the front. Nearly every recorder on the market has a lot of controls on the sides. I want to be able to see and press every button from the face.

I removed the housing and circuits are printed on the underside of the board so I can't just bend them to face the front.
 

Attachments

  • Recorder left side.jpg
    Recorder left side.jpg
    15.6 KB · Views: 507
  • Recorder right side.jpg
    Recorder right side.jpg
    16.7 KB · Views: 538
Had my central air system checked when it sortta wasn't working. I guess I hadn't replaced the filter. Guy suggested I might want to get a UV filter accessory. He said it would "kill bugs and particulates". I know UV can kill the former, not sure how he thinks it's gonna murder the latter. Now I'm finding out there's more than one type of UV filter: one for the air flow and one for the coil. He was suggesting we might get one for the air flow, but now we'll have to change the bulb...

Similar threads

  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
2K
  • · Replies 16 ·
Replies
16
Views
5K
  • · Replies 37 ·
2
Replies
37
Views
4K
  • · Replies 8 ·
Replies
8
Views
3K
  • · Replies 6 ·
Replies
6
Views
8K
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
2K
  • · Replies 16 ·
Replies
16
Views
3K
Replies
2
Views
2K
  • · Replies 23 ·
Replies
23
Views
3K
  • · Replies 38 ·
2
Replies
38
Views
7K