3D Printing Screw Switch

[gdjsky01]

The search results on "Screw Switch" are voluminous. Most tho are commercial products...

Does anyone have a 3D printed SCAD, STL, or Tinkercad simple screw switch using, heck I don't know...some PLA or PLA+,
a few screws,
a nut,
a few washers,
some solder,
some wires????????????

Seriously... $5 for a screw switch? We must have something printable?
Oui?

 

[cwbullet]

I do have several.

 

[cwbullet]

Here is one example:

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3226776

 

[gdjsky01]

The search results on "Screw Switch" are voluminous. Most tho are commercial products...

Does anyone have a 3D printed SCAD, STL, or Tinkercad simple screw switch using, heck I don't know...some PLA or PLA+,
a few screws,
a few washers,
some solder,
some wires????????????

Seriously... $5 for a screw switch? We must have something printable?
Oui?

Thank you... pls link me any and all.. I mean I am not cheap... well yes, currently I am because of medical bills. So I try and make. But I am a CAD newbie. (I also guess its all in the search term. - Screw switch did not come up with screw power switch)

 

[caveduck]

That particular design gives me a lot of concern about possible intermittent contact. The design notes that solder doesn't stick to regular nuts, but the approach of passing the wire thru a hole in the nut and soldering the wire to itself does not solve the problem since it does nothing to guarantee solid electrical contact between the wire and the nut.

Regular brass nuts are available in a wide variety of sizes (see https://www.mcmaster.com/nuts/brass-hex-nuts-7/) and you *can* solder to them.

The simplest solution I know of involves using a little piece of both-sides-plated PCB material with a (should be brass) nut soldered to one side, wires soldered to the plating on both sides, and a conductive screw (preferably aluminum) that completes the circuit when the head is screwed down into contact with the plating on that side. You do need to clear away a small bit of plating under the screw head so the body of the screw doesn't make contact when you don't want it to. There are better descriptions here on the forum, but it's cheap, dead simple and electrically robust. No 3D printing even needed.

My fav commercial switch is the FingerTech Robotics one https://www.fingertechrobotics.com/proddetail.php?prod=ft-mini-switch. Costs $7.50 but is totally designed right (see cutaway drawing on the product page), carries a ton of current and is almost indestructible.

 

[cwbullet]

That particular design gives me a lot of concern about possible intermittent contact. The design notes that solder doesn't stick to regular nuts, but the approach of passing the wire thru a hole in the nut and soldering the wire to itself does not solve the problem since it does nothing to guarantee solid electrical contact between the wire and the nut.

Not an issue. It has been flown in a rocket that came in ballistic and maintained contact.