I scoured this place and found no dedicated threads for these buttons, so it’s time to start a real convo here.
For me, Sanwa buttons are way too soft and twitchy. I rest my fingers on the buttons, so I went Seimitsu years back. They are great, but my wife told me they are too loud when I play at night. I tried PAS Little Kahuna pads (which do nothing for Seimitsu big switch buttons) and Big Kahuna pads (which makes bottoming out too mushy). Gamerfingers are nice but the octagonal rims are a turn off. All this made me try the SDB-202.
The plastic used in the SDB-202 allows for a less prominent click/clack when slapping. However, ALL of these utilize a two piece plunger design (I guess to cut down on manufacturing costs between opaque and translucent models), so when using tactile switches there’s some high pitched noise upon rebound as the pieces settle back together. I might use epoxy to bind the two pieces and see how that goes.
There are some threads on Reddit that claim you can’t use tactile or clicky switches with these buttons, and it’s total BS. I’ve tried MX reds, blacks, clears, blues and now browns and don’t have an issue in either the 24mm or 30mm variants. The 50 million+ actuation life of those switches (with Cherry switches, at least) really sells these buttons for me. Set em and forget em.
These buttons are customizable, precise and come in a ton of colors. Now that I have confirmed multiple types of switches can be installed, I’m considering switching all of my sticks to them. Price is definitely high, but I feel they’re worth it.
What are your thoughts/experiences regarding these buttons? Let’s talk.
Are they a big improvement over the 201s with futaba switches? I have 2 sets of 201 that im not particularly attached to, only issue is it’d be a bit costly to replace both sets
Seeing as I’ve been using these buttons in one of my fightsticks for about 6 months now I can comment on this. I’ve got speed silver switches in them and they’re fantastic. I don’t put a lot of pressure on the buttons in neutral so these switches work well for me. If you have a heavy hand you’re going to get accidental inputs. there is a bit of a gap between the button cap and rim. Ie you can wiggle the button cap a bit. I think it’s pretty similar to sanwa’s although I haven’t used those buttons in awhile.
I will say I do prefer the feel of Gamerfinger buttons with the same silver switches over these, but I have switched because the rims on the gamerfinger buttons keep cracking and breaking. I blame the octogonal rim design. The corners creates stress points you wouldn’t have on a circular rim.
I’ve always been curious about buttons that use “standard” mechanical microswitches.
Like @drawnfix, I never liked Sanwa buttons because they’re too light and I usually rest my fingers on the plungers (though I’d manage if I really had to). So I’ve always preferred Seimitsu buttons instead.
Never liked the octogonal shape of Gamerfinger buttons either, so any other option would peak my interest.
How deep do SDB-202 buttons go into the casing? I’ve been working at building thinner and thinner casings recently, so the depth of the install does matter to me.
While actuation point is reportedly .8mm lower than the silvers, the feel for finger-resters like me with MX Blacks are pretty nice. If you mash a lot though it may grow tiring for some. I had these in my HSS-0130
Both 24mm and 30mm buttons are approxImately 31mm from underside edge of rim (contacting cp) to end tip of terminals.
31mm isn’t bad at all. By comparison, standard Sanwa OBSFs are 32mm, and Seimitsu PS-14-K-N (my usual favorites) are 34mm.
Mind you, I’ve been using PS-15s recently, and they’re only 22.5mm deep.
I’ve gone from OBS-MX to Samducksa 202. Never got a chance to pick up GamerFinger buttons.
For the OBS-MX I use Kailh BOX white, because they are the absolute best kinda “clickiness” that I want in a button.
For the SDB-202, the BOX white switches were too narrow for the Samducksa plunger, and it doesn’t go deep enough inside, so no click. I switched to Kailh Speed Bronze, which is basically the housing-less version of the BOX white.
The Samducksa plunger is kind of a pain to work with, because the tolerances aren’t consistent enough to always get the full key switch stem inserted, resulting in zero click action. Originally I assumed I would have to buy extra buttons and keep the ones that “worked” with the click. However, I’ve found a method for connecting new clicky switches by pushing and twisting the plunger for a few seconds that basically wiggles it on fully. I get 100% successfully clicky action on keyswitch replacements now.
Also if you’re gonna swap the default Cherry silver out, get a real mechanical keyswitch puller. They make pull them out so much easier. Also Kailh Speed Bronze has a much nicer click than the Cherry MX Blue. I was honestly hoping the blues would be just as good, because they are way easier to buy online.
I’m about to do a full swap out of the sticky Sega buttons in a Virtua Stick Pro and I’m going with all Samducksa buttons and an Link-LS shaft. Regarding the shaft: I really love the original LS-32 metal-on-metal gate hits but I really want a quick disconnect. Link-LS is also a WAY bigger pain to buy than the JLF model; I only found one online shop in France that had it.