Modding the JLF for shooters

[quash]

Most of us know that the majority of arcade sticks come with a JLF, and that mounting a Seimitsu stick can range from anywhere between plug-and-play to nearly impossible.

For anyone unfortunate enough to fall into the latter camp (or anyone who wants to try something different/doesn't like Seimitsu sticks), I have recently tried out a bunch of different aftermarket JLF parts to see how you might be able to make the JLF more suitable for shooters.

For the most part, people seem to agree that the issues with the JLF in regards to shooters is that the engage distance is too long and that the stick doesn't re-center properly. Truthfully, these issues plague the JLF even in other genres, which is why the Hori Hayabusa has been so well-received among fighting game players. It's also why there's such a huge aftermarket for these sticks.

The winning combination for shooters I've come up with is the following:

- Kowal 1mm Oversized Actuator
- 2lbf spring
- Sanwa Octagonal gate

This is hardly some sort of crazy custom setup, but it's effective and improves the JLF a lot for use with shooting games. It's also cost efficient, coming out to roughly $10 US.

First is the actuator. The actuator is the piece of plastic at the bottom of the shaft that engages the switches. The stock JLF actuator gives you a lot of room to move around before you actually engage the switches. By increasing the diameter 1mm, you shorten the engage distance (the distance traveled before activating a switch). The Kowal actuator also shortens the throw of the JLF, which is the distance traveled before hitting the side of the gate. No other actuator currently shortens the engage distance as well as the throw, which makes this the only option if you want to shorten the throw as well as the engage distance.

Next is the spring. The stock JLF spring is soft and flimsy, which is the main culprit behind the JLF's inability to re-center properly. Thankfully, there are plenty of options out there for custom springs, all the way up to 9lbf if you so desire. I think that amount of force is wholly unnecessary; if for no other reason, it forces the grease out of the pivot joint and causes the stick to "grind" over time. Of all the different springs I tried, I found 2lbf to be the sweet spot of being comfortable for long periods of use as well as keeping the stick operating as efficiently as possible. It re-centers quickly and doesn't suffer from deflection as badly as the stock JLF spring does, which makes it easier to use in shooting games.

Lastly, we have the octagonal gate. The OEM Sanwa gate increases the throw by 1.5mm, though there are 3D printed replicas out there as well, so your results may vary in regards to how it affects the throw. Still, I find octagonal gates to be preferable for shooters, so I would recommend getting one in any case. If you don't like it, you can always switch back to the square gate.

The biggest difference made here is definitely with the actuator. There are other options out there, such as the Paradise Arcade Shop delrin actuators, though they only shorten engage distance and not throw. Still, delrin does feel better than ABS, so it's worth looking in to if you're at all interested.

If you're looking to shorten the engage distance even more, you can always look in to levered microswitches.

There's a ton of different springs out there for the JLF. Just keep in mind that if you go for a higher tension spring, you'll have to apply grease to your pivot more frequently to prevent it from wearing out.

It's hard to say if I prefer this over, say, an LS-56 or even an LS-32, but it is definitely an improvement over the stock JLF. For anyone stuck with a stick that doesn't have Seimitsu mounting points, this is probably your best bet besides a custom mounting plate. Modding the JLF is a cheaper solution though, and if you want to use your JLF for fighting games you can just switch the parts back to stock or whatever configuration you like.

[kowal]

if someone is looking for an extremely short throw, octagonal is unnecessary,
JLF on octagonal have more longer throw than on square gate.

about springs:
It does not work like people think
These feelings are false
harder spring gives nothing for faster centring and dynamics
on bearing type pivot first force is friction, friction depends on the pressure, stronger spring will give greater friction... and slower movement.
if you do not like the soft joystick, You can use the harder springs. but this spring will not change general speed (or change negative)
japan stick is very soft but it has simple explanation
They use bearings
use weak spring, because bearing should not be used strong springs
50% force for centring come from microswitches, therefore stick use 200g micro
you can search for fast 300g or 400g micro and made simply test stick is more faster and harder
Of course the same switches also must be good, for example: SIAIA XGG some is heavy but is fu.... slow and unplayable not relevant if You use 75g or 400g the entire series XGG is slow
hard to believe but it is similar in joysticks US
"soft spring and harder switch"
is more better option than stock solution
"harder spring and soft switch"

hayabusa does not have any thing that advertises....
is slower than LS32, more slower than the LS33 and LS55
Hayabusa is faster than JLF and it is true
but this is no stunt, everything is quicker than JLF.

[emphatic]

^^WORD!

[quash]

Indeed. It's a good thing I never said that a tighter spring makes the stick re-center quicker. I don't see how you can say it has no effect on re-centering though, since it's pretty clear to me that it decreases deflection by requiring more force before it'll allow the shaft to move.

I am also curious about how you measured the JLF octagonal gate to have a longer throw than the square gate.

[donatron]

Would this mod work on JLW sticks?

[kowal]

JLF throw:
square 8mm
octagonal 9,5mm

the same thing after mod
square 7mm
octagonal 8,25mm
octagonal still have longer throw with or W/O mod


original JLW if fine as is
not need any mod throw is only 5,5mm
the problem is that people confuse JLW with J-stick.
all JLW on market now is J-stick
J-stick is based on JLW but it is completely different: spring is heavier, longer shaft 37mm (longer throw), different microswitch and hub for microswitch
You can use softer springs (I do not remember on 100%, probably from LS-32), and reduce original shaft into length 27mm - this requires a transfusion on a lathe
and You get old japanese JLW
the problem is that the old JLW really requires s-plate
W/O this plate not fit to any arcade stick (shaft is too short for a flat mounting)
original come with flat plate and s-plate for this not exist
therefore I designed a japan s-plate for FA
but I see no one used it under JLW
reason
now, few people have the original version...
or
probably they forget about this option or gave it a rest with this joystick, unable to use it freely on modern panel

[quash]

I could very well have a 3D printed replica of the octagonal gate that deviates a bit from the stock specification, but the octagonal gate I have is clearly smaller than the stock gate. I measured across with a ruler and got the same measurement for the square gate, with the octagonal gate coming in at ~7.75mm.

Google seems to support that the OEM octagonal gate does increase the throw, so I will change that part of the OP.

[kowal]

you can not do octagonal smaller than the square
because it will never work correct especially on diagonals
square gate cut unnecessary road to the simple directions
it is not required for proper operation on simple direction, but still need longer throw for diagonal
JLF has a very extreme attitude, the throw for engagement
square heavily cut surface, in real still have good diagonal because have strong physical docking on corner and corner is more deep than on other joysticks (throw on diagonal have 10,5mm!)
real travel - engage
8mm - 6mm
ratio is
4:3
if joystick must work properly on a circle or octagonal ratio should be 2:1 at least minimum is 5:3
This is the reason, why original octagonal is much larger (9,5mm) than the square (8mm)
must recover travel on total throw for correct diagonal
9,5mm - 6mm
after ratio is close to
5:3
smaller octagon (the same how square) will be registered diagonals extremely bad, at the last moment on very narrow range.
on Semitsu joystick (LS56,33,55) throw on octagonal is the same how on square
but semitsu stick on square have ratio 2:1
it is not so that he can have a smaller octagonal than Sanwa... that square is too big (in theory could have more smaller square gate than stock, and still will be work fine)