So after years and years of use (and replacing threads for the Smart Clamp base, the button on the smart clamp PCB has officially died. Inventables wants $160 + shipping to send me a new smart clamp “system”. I’m not an expert with soldering, but I figure that it would be silly not to try and DIY this. Does anyone have any ideas where/what kind of button this is? We have some buttons that we use for coding circuits, but those are definitely bigger than what I need.
So kind of answering my own question, after finding it in another thread. This is the button used: Panasonic EVQ-Q2D02W
On a better note, does anyone happen to have extra PCBs that they’d be willing to sell? The prior thread (from 8 years ago), made it sound like Inventables was sending them out in bunches if they stopped working. Obviously, with Carvey being discontinued, it doesn’t sound like they have the stock to do that anymore. 
There’s nothing special or precision about that switch or PCB. If you’re sure the switch is the issue, I think you’ll find it pretty easy to replace.
If you need the entire PCB, do you know anyone that has a small CNC capable of milling PCBs?
I definitely don’t “need” the entire PCB, I figured that if someone had extras I could save myself the time of ordering individual buttons from Digikey and attempting my first ever repair job on an actual circuit board.
Normally I don’t mind the challenge (which does seem reasonable), but we’re mid-project and students were expecting to use the Carvey all this week.
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Sorry…wish I could help. I know you’ve said in the past that you want to keep using Easel, so you’ll need that “smart” clamp.
What are your kids making?
Thanks. You’ve been quick and helpful in the past. We are still mainly sticking to use 2-color HDPE for tiles and then some mazes using MDF that I found.
I could theoretically create two fake smart clamps using buttons I have and a 3D printer since all of our carves are one of only two actual thicknesses. I ended up ordering the actual buttons from Digikey and was able to take the old button off yesterday. Hoping that I have as much success sodering the new button on Monday when the buttons arrive.
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In the meantime, you could have students export non-Carvey gcode and use a different sender. I used a custom clamp for those tiles and we just left all zeroes the same when switching out blanks. Just loosen the clamp screws, slide the completed tile out, slide the new one in, clamp and go.
Could an enterprising person make their own version of this clamp by using a regular home switch in place of the current one in a modified 3d printed clamp?..Just curious
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Yes. The “smart” clamp is just connected to the probe inputs. It is simply a probe. It is expected to be 12.7mm thick from the moment of contact to the top of the material. And it is expected to make contact in a predetermined xy location.
Definitely easier to fix the PCB or not use Easel.