Push in -- pull out fastener ?

can you epoxy super magnets to it, then have it stick to something behind it? choosing different magnets would give a strong/weak bond.

Yeah, I use magnetic strip on something else that's similar and it works nicely -- I may look at that again with this -- thanks for the reminder.

Trouble is with this, it could be easily tampered with -- really need something stronger.

One thing is for sure -- someone needs to do a fastener like this.

I was thinking something that has spring action like this, I-- push in >, it grips pull out <

(limited by the ascii keyboard)

the arrows would both collapse together.

Use the right magnets (not rubberized strip junk - rare earth) and suitable hunks of steel for the them to grab, it will be very strong. Not hard to get 100 or 200 lbs of force required to pull something off with modern magnets and good design (flat surfaces that mate well, enough thickness to provide a good magnetic circuit, no wiggle room to slide rather than pull.)

If it needs to be "tamper proof" anything that suits your push in, pull off specification is subject to tampering. Get over the faceless panel aspect and drop a lock cylinder in it if you want some tamper-resistance. Or get all cutesy with stepper motors, threaded studs, and nuts - wind it up or spit it off by remote control. Just hope the remote control keeps working...

Or use long screws from the opposite side of the wall, with weird tamper-resistant heads if you want the people who tamper with it to need to go buy a set of tamper-resistant drivers before they get to tamper with it.

How about the push latches like you see on cabinets and such? The ones that you push in and they latch push in again and the item pops up and can come out.

OR if you want something hidden and tamper proof use a reed switch and a couple small solenoid latches.

Or even simpler would be a couple of steel rods set in channels and moved from the outside with a good magnet. Think a small version of a barrel bolt latch.

Put pins on the back of the faceplate - stick through holes with plastic inserts or put "t-nuts" or "speednuts", whatever you call them where you are, on the studs to hold in place.

I've seen something like this, they used a knobbed-end pin and a sheet metal grabber that sat in a hole. The pins were welded to the removable piece. The sheet metal parts were just inserted in suitable holes, had spring fingers to keep from being pulled out on the opposite side. Now where you can get such things these days, I don't know. Check the industrial electronic supply places, Allied Electronics used to have a lot of that hardware when I was a kid.

Stan

Speaker grill fasteners.

3M VHB tape. Something similar is available to secure trim onto automobiles. Might be easier to find at you auto supply store. I have used the 3M tape to hold things for machining.

Dan

Dan

Google "tinnerman" clips. A d98460-051m, for instanc, will take a .51mm thick "blade" 2X15mm and hold it in a 8.5X15mm square hole

Tinnermans again - Tinnerman speed clips - tubular speedclip

More dart-clips here than you can shake a stick at

Dave

Awesome --- Steve hit on something -- speaker grill fasteners.

If I can find some thin ones, that may work !

Glad I asked, that one escaped me.

and thanks for that EFC information -- great selection.

they may have it.

Two possibilities: velcro, and adhesives (I'm thinking of replaceable foam-tape adhesive, actually). How often does the faceplate have to come off, anyhow?