Switch and screws

I deliberately bought longer screws than need - 12mm - so i could adjust them to fit my perspex. to cut to right size:

1. thread a nut to keep the screw thread in tact.
2. clamp
3. Use a hack saw to cut to desired size
4. file the end to give a smooth finish.

this doesn't take long but the screws are M2 in my final product so as with everything in my product it is tiny and hard to handle but I'm a pro at this now. however cutting 10 screws is not much fun.

For my switch to work properly, since people aren't actually going to be touching the plastic bit, i had to come up with a way of being able to pull it up and down from outside the perspex. Once again my switch is tiny. In fact it is called a sub miniature sliding switch so i needed to devise a way of getting a hole through it to get some thread through. I went down to the work shop and the smallest drill bit is 1mm diameter, tiny i hear you cry, not small enough for me though as my switch is only 2mm wide! Sean the IPD technician suggested heating a needle, yes a needle to try melt the plastic of the switch. That's exactly what i did. I headed the plastic of the switch with a hot air gun and hammered a needle through it and managed to thread it. I did however have to got through 4 -5 switched before i got it down to a tee.