what are these buttons called?

[a fearsome grue]

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y131/SG1fan1/st_tos_communicator.jpg

see the two silver buttons towards the bottom of the communicator? Just wondering what those type of buttons are called.

I seem to remember the actual buttons being more flat from the show than what's on this mock-up.

I think they'd go nicely on a saber - especially the low-profile ones I alluded to above. I think they'd especially nice for the nifty sound board to program and activate it.

[annon]

I don't know if those buttons are called anything. The original prop was made of wood with bits of metal glued on. They may have been rivets or something, but they weren't functional.

The ones on the toy work but it seems like its just a momentary switch under a piece of plastic. I haven't taking one apart to be sure, that's just my best guess.

[a fearsome grue]

I know I've seen the low profile buttons before. They're similar to those on a cheap digital watch only the actual button "floats" in the eyelet.

[Kal El Rah]

The original buttons were made from AFX slot car wheels. You can sometimes find the on ebay.

[Obi-Dar Ke-Gnomie]

You could possibly make something close with an LED bezel and a long stem momentary tactile switch. In fact, I think that's been done.

I think it's great that our early 21st century cell phone technology has surpassed Roddenberry's vision of what communicators would look like in the 23rd century. It gives me hope that some day, someone will invent real lightsabers. ;)

[Kant Lavar]

I just think it's funny that the guys over at Parks have put a Bluetooth setup in a communicator. But I digress... :cool: