In regards to my never-ending quest for a compact Atari-style arcade-quality controller, I am leaning towards getting the Sanwa JLF joystick and one single OBSF-30 button. My main concern is whether or not the JLF will fit into an aluminium enclosure I am interested in - see the image below:
The dimensions of the enclosure are: 112 x 61.46 x 39.2 mm (starting at the narrow end), 112 x 78.96 x 39.2 mm (finishing at the wide end) - will it fit the JLF with or without the flat mounting plate (there's no way an S-plate will fit in there, and I know the JLF can be mounted without a plate thanks to the tabs protruding from the body of the joystick) along with the 5-pin wiring harness (and the OBSF-30 button, of course)?
When mounting, if you don't want the top-plate, you can use those same 4 holes to flush-mount the base with some countersunk M3 bolts (you'll want 10 or 12mm length + nuts/nylocks). That way the bolts sit hidden under the dust washer. I''ve done the same multiple times through 4.5mm perspex for narrow CPs, and it's easily strong enough. Your metal housing will be more than adequate in that regard.
Dimensions are in mm. If you use a Bat-top and a shaft cover, screwing the shaft completely tight will make you an extra mm, mb two of clearance on the bottom. Not sure if the same thing happens with the balltop.
Just make sure the button will fit as well. Semistsu do a really, really shallow CP button, but i don't remember the model no.
The button you are referring to is the Seimitsu PS-15 - it has a lower profile than the PS-14-G and the Sanwa OBSF-30. However, it can only be installed in a metal panel. I'm happy to know the Sanwa JLF will fit in this enclosure. Thank you.
I will be using four (4) colours for the controller - black enclosure, red ball-top joystick and green/blue pushbutton (green surround/rim, blue plunger). The original plan was to have a component in a different colour, but it ended up looking like an explosion in a rainbow factory.
The PS-15 will fit through anything thinner than 4mm, like the OBSF. Doesn't have to be metal, like your enclosure. I use 4.5mm perspex for two-player CPs and file the tabs down a little, and they fit just fine.
New aluminium enclosure for my Atari joystick-on-a-budget has arrived - now I just have to wait for the joystick and button (Sanwa JLF in red and Sanwa OBSF-30 in red with a white outline) to arrive... the enclosure is too small for the autofire circuit, so it looks like I have no choice but to exclude autofire and keep the circuit as a spare for a future project - and I may have to remove the mounting plate from the joystick to cram it all in there.
One thing to consider is comfort.
I prefer a stick that has a bit if a palm rest it's usually not good enough to simply have a button under your fingers.
A very tall box with small footprint might be prone to tipping over. Maybe unless you add some suction cups to the bottom.
You still might have an annoying upward slant while you palm the edge though.
I get the concept of a compact joystick but they are almost a serious appliance by themselves when it comes to size.
If like Psyvariar II you have "The Will to Fabricate" then you could make something more customized out of wood if you look in the "hobby wood" section of Home Depot. (making assumptions on tools and regional availability here)
You do what is best for you, but I think form over function might be undesirable when it comes to mini sticks.
Some of the best shmups don't actually end in a vowel.
No, this game is not Space Invaders.
I think I've made another mistake (I previously bought a Seimitsu LS-32 joystick which was too big, which is why I got the Sanwa JLF) - the enclosure itself is tiny, it just barely fits in my hand (and I have small hands for an adult male). Sure, I can remove the mounting plate on the JLF to save space and maybe work a miracle on the OBSF-30 button... it's the wiring that's going to be the real challenge. I think I might have miscalculated.
Got a new enclosure (120 * 95 * 57) and decided to go with the conventional "handheld" format (Atari CX40, Suncom TAC 2, Competition Pro, Zipstik, Powerplay Cruiser, Replay Microblaster, etc.) with the autofire switch at the front.
