New sticks for my cab

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D
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New sticks for my cab

Post by D »

Dear sir(s)

I have an arcade cabinet which has a thin metal panel.
I want to change the joysticks on my cabinet
Right now I have WICO CORP leave joysticks, these sticks do not have microswitches in them (and suck).
I want to fit my cab with microswitched joysticks, what options do I have.
I don’t wish to drill extra holes in the joystick panel.

the dimensions where the holes are drilled (from centre of the screw to the center of the other screw) approximatly
3.1 inch width (7,85 cm width)
2.7 inch height (6,5 cm height)

I am looking for good microswitched sticks

Also my cab is from 1990 so my joystick has a total of 8 contacts on it, 2 contacts for each direction, no 5 wires connectors! I could ofcourse solder it together so if the only option would be one of the new style sticks I would get my soldering stick out the closet

update:
just found this:
http://cgi.ebay.nl/MS-PAC-MAN-GALAGA-RE ... dZViewItem

Are these any good? I think they fit my cab 3 inch X 2.6 inch, I probably measured wrong.
OneEyedJack
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Post by OneEyedJack »

The reason there are two wires coming off each direction is that each direction needs a ground. (One wire for the direction, the other wire for the ground) Other people who wire their sticks, just use a common ground and connect all 4 directions in a loop and then connect to a single ground. I do not know if your board supports that, or that you should change it to the simpler way.

I dunno if you would like ball style clicky sticks, but Sanwa sticks are well respected. http://www.himuragames.com/home.php is a respected site that sells japanese import ball sticks.

You have to be careful about which type of old style sticks you buy. Some joysticks are 4 way only. Up down left right. Could be what the Mrs Pac Man/Galaga sticks are. YOu want a 8 way stick, that allows movement in 8 directions
-Jon in Canada
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D
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Post by D »

OneEyedJack wrote:You have to be careful about which type of old style sticks you buy. Some joysticks are 4 way only. Up down left right. Could be what the Mrs Pac Man/Galaga sticks are. YOu want a 8 way stick, that allows movement in 8 directions
Yeah, silly me, I realized that the link I posted is for a four-way stick.
I want eight-way!

But the question remains, which sticks fit my cab?
I measured 3.1 inch width, but it's probably 3 inch(7,85 cm width)
2.7 inch height, but it's probably 2.6 inch(6,5 cm height)

Do Sanwa or Seimitsu fit these measurements?
If they do not does anybody know of microswitched sticks that fit me cab? :(
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elvis
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Re: New sticks for my cab

Post by elvis »

D wrote: Right now I have WICO CORP leave joysticks, these sticks do not have microswitches in them (and suck).
Slightly offtopic for a moment - I too hate leaf switch sticks. I find them utterly annoying, but there's a pretty big retro movement of folks who like them for older titles. Consider selling your sticks on eBay or via the BYOAC Forums forsale thread, and you might make a few bucks to put towards some Sanwas. :)
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oxtsu
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Post by oxtsu »

Sanwa-Seimitsu sticks won't fit your app without drilling new screw holes.

Try checking the first page here for some dimensions:
http://shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.php?t=2180&start=0

Seimitsu LS-32, LS-40 appear to suit your application best.

Sanwa JLF-TM-8 as well, but it will be higher than usual stick height over CP. You could add some spacers between the stick and CP underside or just leave it riding high if it's your preference.
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D
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Post by D »

I guess the holes in my plate correspond to the following specification diagram picture Image

3 inch 7,6 cm
2.6 inch 6,6 cm


I am still trying to figure out what the best sticks are that fit my rig.
I am not looking for the sticks found in the picture above.
I'd like sticks with a round balltop and microswitches.
If anybody uses microswitched round balltop sticks with mentioned baseplate measurements I'd like to know about it. Or are they all the same? Should I just buy any sticks?

I guess Sanwa and Seimitsu are out of the question since I'm not gonna f*ck up my metal panel with holes. :evil:
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oxtsu
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Post by oxtsu »

In that case, http://www.ultimarc.com/controls.html

Their "J-Stik" should fit perfectly. Only available in Red.

It is very similar to a Sanwa JLW-TM-8 stick. Not as good as JLF, but leagues beyond what you have now.
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D
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Post by D »

So the J-Stik is a low stick?
I hope it isn't a stick that is designed for a wooden panel
I emailed them, but have gotten no response as of yet.

Alledgedly the J-Stik is produced by Sanwa. So shouln't it just be Sanwa quality then?
bigbadboaz
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Post by bigbadboaz »

The Ultimarc sticks are, from my understanding, Sanwa model JLW-UM-8. They have a different design in the way the switches are actuated from the JLFs, but it's really a preference rather than a quality difference. I have used them briefly on a Japanese cab and I loved them. I wouldn't worry about them being too short; if anything they may be a touch too tall in a thin panel. But that's only my preference. You would definitely do well to give them a shot.
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D
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Post by D »

bigbadboaz wrote:The Ultimarc sticks are, from my understanding, Sanwa model JLW-UM-8. They have a different design in the way the switches are actuated from the JLFs, but it's really a preference rather than a quality difference. I have used them briefly on a Japanese cab and I loved them. I wouldn't worry about them being too short; if anything they may be a touch too tall in a thin panel. But that's only my preference. You would definitely do well to give them a shot.
So the J-Stik is designed for a wooden panel then?
I don't feel anything for mounting spacers either.
I want a good joystick that fits without having to use spacers or having long sticks. I want short sticks!
So I am not worried about them being too short. I'm worried about them being too long!

Don't you mean JLW-TM-8? The JLW-UM-8 has balloon tops
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elvis
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Post by elvis »

D wrote:So the J-Stik is a low stick?
I hope it isn't a stick that is designed for a wooden panel
I emailed them, but have gotten no response as of yet.

Alledgedly the J-Stik is produced by Sanwa. So shouln't it just be Sanwa quality then?
For wooden panels you need to top-mount the stick. I mistakenly bottom-mounted mine, and the sticks are a little too short for comfort.

See shots here:
http://benchmark.mameworld.net/cab1/
bigbadboaz
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Post by bigbadboaz »

Don't you mean JLW-TM-8? The JLW-UM-8 has balloon tops
Ultimarc offers both ball and bat tops. I'm not sure if they use both models or if they simply swap the top. There was talk that the J-Stik was a special variant of the JLW created specifically for Ultimarc, and I suspected that was where the "UM" model number came from.

No one here is really going to be able to tell you if the stick will be too tall or short in your cab because that will come down to your personal preference and your specific cab - two things no one here but you can speak to. While the J-Stik might stand too tall for someone who prefers a really short stick like a Seimitsu LS-32, it's certainly nowhere near as tall as something like a Happ Super. There's a good chance you'll be happy with their height, and if they're too tall it won't be difficult at all to lower them with some kind of makeshift spacer. I say go for it - again, they're great sticks and if they fit your panel perfectly I doubt you're going to find a better blend of convenience and quality.
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