10.1. Buttons, LEDs, and LCDs

This section introduces the kinds of hardware that you'll find on an appliance's front panel, including buttons, LEDs, and LCDs.

10.1.1. Buttons

The size of your production run may determine the type of hardware you use in your design, especially where buttons are concerned. When your appliance is produced as part of a large production run, buttons will usually be built directly onto the printed circuit board. Small production runs or prototypes, on the other hand, often use either a pre-built assembly or individual switches.

Electrically speaking, buttons are simply switches that are, most often, normally open. Each button usually requires one digital input line that can be read by your processor. (Chapter 5 explains ...

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