I use Dash Buttons* in quite a few places around my home — mostly as a substitute for a light switch where one is inconveniently located, or not present at all.

I prefer them to alternative options like the Flic Button* because they’re dramatically cheaper (a Dash is $5, compared to $35 for a Flic). They’re also occasionally on sale for $0.99.

My only frustration with Dash buttons is that they’re meant to be disposable, despite being powered by a replaceable AAA battery. The electronics are encased by two pieces of welded plastic. It’s easy to break the weld, but difficult to reassemble in a pretty way.

Having recently started dabbling in 3D design and printing, I decided to create a reusable case. The humble fruit of my efforts is here:

I’m happy with how this turned out — it’s easy to open the case and replace the battery without damaging anything.

(Dis-)assembly

Pretty straightforward. I took apart the stock case using some channel locks to break the welds:

With a little bit of elbow grease, and a T5 screwdriver to remove the battery enclosure, it comes apart like so:

A pry tool can be used to remove the PCB if it doesn’t come off by itself.

Assembly is straightforward. First, put the plastic button and the rubber seal in place.

Then the PCB is placed back on the pegs, battery enclosure placed on top, and T5 screws added back. Do not over-tighten the screws! The printed pegs are quite fragile and will break under too much pressure.

After adding the battery back, the lid can be pressed onto the body:

And that’s it! Fully assembled Dash case.

Update: Sept 4, 2018

I’ve uploaded a slightly modified version. The main change makes it harder to over-tighten screws making the button unpressable.

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