So a little update. (please read my last post for context; tumblr isn't letting me add another video to the reblog)
Above: EvolutionGear (left) vs Somogear (right LA23 plug copies.
The main reason the Somo modbuttons don't work in an IS-EG NGAL is the length of the plug; the contacts are positioned the same distance, but the Somo plug is just a hair shorter at the base.
This prevents the port from fully gripping the grooved ring toward the base of the plug.
The solution to this was actually incredibly simple and intuitive - on the back of the Somo modbutton, there are 4 tiny Phillips head screws that let you pull off the back of the unit and access the switch guts inside.
A quick de-solder and figuring out the polarity of the cables, it was stupidly easy to splice in the EG cable and get this thing up and running the way I intended:
So there you have it - if you have an IS-EG NGAL and wanna use a Somo modbutton with it, they're entirely user-serviceable and it takes all of 10 minutes to splice in a new cable.
