Author Topic: Panel Switch Wont Release  (Read 5467 times)

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Offline chrisjsTopic starter

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  • Country: gb
Panel Switch Wont Release
« on: February 19, 2024, 12:36:03 pm »
Hi all.
I guess I am more of an "aged returner" than a complete newbie but any skills / knowledge I might once have had are very rusty so I hope its appropriate to post in here.

I am trying to repair an old piece of equipment but the simple pcb is physically mounted to the front panel entirely by the push button switches and I just cant get one of them to release; I am hesitating to apply more force (or desolder the whole thing) for fear of doing harm. The switch in question is circled in red in the attached picture - its branded "Arcolectric", which is now part of Bulgin - but I cant find anything very similar to it online. Searching more generally on panel switches, I have learnt that several brands of push button panel switch have a demountable button that needs releasing from the switch body for insertion / removal (e.g. Siemans), but I cant see how my switch might be released.

There is a part of the body that sticks out rather oddly (circled in orange) but gentle pulling and prodding hasnt helped.
The panel retaining nut is free and the button shroud rotates freely so I believe that the button is mushroom shaped and intended not to pass through the panel, hence my deduction that the switch must separate - somehow  |O

I am hoping that somebody here has used something similar and can point me in the right direction.

Many thanks.
 

Offline donlisms

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Re: Panel Switch Wont Release
« Reply #1 on: February 20, 2024, 02:47:00 am »
I'm a little nervous! You've circled a snap latch on the switch body in orange, which is not where you want to undo things.  I think this switch will just fall through the hole when you find a way to get the button off from the front.  The whole shaft and threads and everything should all come through together, but... button won't fit through hole!  :)
 

Offline chrisjsTopic starter

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  • Country: gb
Re: Panel Switch Wont Release
« Reply #2 on: February 20, 2024, 09:16:50 am »
Thanks for the input - I was a little nervous too and also felt I was in danger of forcing the wrong piece.

But I couldn't see how to get that mushroom shaped button off from the front except by "pulling harder" on the button shroud. So that's what I just did AND IT CAME OFF  :-+  :phew:

Really appreciate the encouragement and advice. Now I can map the circuit and try to find out what the real problems are.
 

Offline donlisms

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Re: Panel Switch Wont Release
« Reply #3 on: February 20, 2024, 06:25:52 pm »
That's pretty terrific!  Onward and upward.
 


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