This week's EYE ON NPI will have you doing cartwheels and somersaults, it's the E-Switch RT3301 Series Reverse Tactile Switch (https://www.digikey.com/en/product-highlight/e/e-switch/rt3301-reverse-tactile-switch), a spin on the common 6x6 tactile switch, with reverse mounting for easy assembly and clean design.

E-Switch manufactures thousands of different tactile switches that are stocked at DigiKey (https://www.digikey.com/en/products/filter/tactile-switches/197?s=N4IgjCBcoLQdIDGUBmBDANgZwKYBoQB7KAbXABYIBdAXzqA) of various sizes, actuator heights, and mounting styles. In addition to the classic 6x6mm tactile switch, (https://www.digikey.com/short/z0m4fjpp) there's also the SMT 6mm tactile (https://www.digikey.com/short/m7440d0f) that can be pick-and-placed.

These buttons have built-in round actuators but they're intended to be used with moulded buttons that have a nub to do the actual pressing: the actuator is just for height. Which explains how the through-hole reverse mount 6mm tactile switch is expected to work (https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/e-switch/RT1105AF260Q/15221150) - you're going to definitely need an actuator button since otherwise your fingers will bump into the solder pads!

The most curious of these is the reverse-mount SMT tactile switch, which was recently featured by DigiKey (https://www.digikey.com/en/product-highlight/e/e-switch/rt3301-reverse-tactile-switch) in their new products section...and with great timing because just a few weeks ago we published a cool Lisp-powered badge project with a built-in keyboard on the blog (https://blog.adafruit.com/2023/10/10/the-lisp-badge-le-lisp-basdgelife-technoblogy/). To make the key labels nice and large, the author used similar switches with an angled layout for tight packing. The result is a nice clean look on the front, without needing to purchase separate key caps.

We'll note that the RT3301's actuator is not as long, so using it with a half-thickness board will get buttons that are flush with the PCB surface. That means it's best for use with separate key caps or overlay...but we're also pretty sure that E-Switch will come out with another version that has longer actuator - just like they have a variety of actuator lengths on the non-reverse 6mm tactile switches.

If you want to try the E-Switch's RT3301 Series Reverse Tactile Switches (https://www.digikey.com/short/f71n7z29), they're available right now and in stock at DigiKey for immediate shipment! Order today and you'll have reels or cut tape in hand tomorrow afternoon, a great solution to your complex UI panel design problems.