I've got a Turnigy Accucel 6 charger which lost a button. Apparently they can only be knocked off a table by a toddler so many times before this will happen since the stock buttons appear to just be lightly pressure fit in place.
I had been using a piece of BBQ skewer to push the button, but being the main enter button that was getting old fast. I figured I needed to make a new button. Grabbed some 3/4" dowel I had on hand and saw it was almost the right size. So if I cut a shoulder into it then it would be just right and wouldn't be prone to falling out. No lathe and my drill press has a lot of runout...but it will have to do.
The first one I made I screwed up. I cut it to length first. Don't do that. It won't work. You won't have enough material to hold it securely in the chuck. That first one I used a generic wooden dowel. This one I'm using a bit of oak hardwood dowel. I'd suggest skipping the oak. The hardwood is much more difficult to work accurately in this kind of setup. And the button shouldn't need the extra strength of the oak. When I loose another button I'll make it's replacment from the cheap dowel instead.
You have to make the button part pretty deep. I went ahead and rounded it over just a touch and hit it with some sandpaper to smooth it out. The lip needed some work with a sharp razor to clean it up. The one I made earlier from softer wood came out much cleaner on the drill press - I just couldn't get enough protrusion since it was already too short.
You'll have to drill a 9/64" hole in the botton of your new button. Measure the original buttons and get a feel for how deep you want it then work up to it. I started too shallow, went a little deeper...and then needed to shim it with a few bits of paper to get action back in the button because I had gone too deep.
I really could have made the shoulder even taller. My new button is a little less pronounced than the originals. Still works fine, but really could have been just a hair taller.
I actually have some ebony stain on hand...but I think I'll just let it gather patina from my fingers. Now back to charging!
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