touch interfaces, tact buttons, covers, interfaces, etc..

[Rob]

WEll, I have a LOT of questions about interfaces..
Ok, has anyone had any real-world experience with touch panels? How
reliable are they? I kind of like these because they incorporate
debounce within the touch circuit and they take up very little space. I
also think that these could be made to work with resistive ribbon like
having little ribbon controller squares with zones marked on it for the
various functions instead of buttons.
downside is they have no touchy feeliness to them and they would be
labor intensive.

Next, is the good ol tact switches.. Now, I can find a regular banquet
of these little things which would do the trick, but the downside is
that I cannot find decent tact switch button covers. I have found some,
but they need buttons that are too high for my application. Anybody know
where the heck to get buttons that will just "sit" over the tact
switches? It is pretty much that I will have to go to a plastics
manufacturer to get polystyrene button "trees" made? 

At first glance, I wouldnt mind doing this, but then that means I have
to get on autocad and design a 3d prototype and then have the mold made
(now this is expensive!) but after that, the per button cost would be
extremely cheap, like .001 dollars per tree. The startup would really
kill me though..

I have actually thought about going to a local machine shop and having a
guy make me just 6mm squares of brushed aluminum stock with little nubs
underneath just big enough to keep the buttons from slipping through the
button holes when you turn the machine upside down.
The drawback to this is I will prlly pay about $1 a piece for these
nifty brushed aluminum button caps, and per unit there are about 25. 
The machinist said it would take him about 20 minutes to make a set of
em, and the only reason it takes that long is that he has to pull out
milling bits he usually doesnt use! :)
This seems like by FAR the coolest way to do it, but if someone knows of
a place that can do it for cheaper, let me know!

Any and ALL opinions appreciated.

My god, I NEVER knew how intensive panel layout could BE! Esp. when you
are modding already existing interfaces.. I would have prolly been
easier for me to design an entirely new product from the ground up.. but
I still like this a lot better than reading off projectile velocities
from a radar screen all day.. :))

Rob