Hey guys. I’ve just gotten back from a trip to Vancouver & at a local arcade (on Granville St.) every cabinet there was uniformly equipped with what I believe to be Korean joysticks. I really enjoyed playing on them & so I was hoping for confirmation… and I while I know there is no way for anyone to definitively say, here’s what I noticed:
Bat-top stick, with negligible shaft
No perceivable micro-switch clicking
Rubber(?) grommet circular gate(?)
What do you think? Korean Fantas? Other? Where could someone buy these?
Well I’m not an expert, but I think the fact that you said there WERE NOT microswitches reduces the count. Check out these threads: Saulabi Thread and Korean Joystick Discussion. In that second link, scroll down towards the end. A user named ‘kowal’ kind of analyzes each stick and posts pictures as well. Keep in mind that the color of the bat-top is usually interchangeable.
Like I said, I’m pretty sure your information won’t tell us the exact stick since most of them have bat-tops and rubber/circular gates. As for microswitches, my knowledge of that is very limited so I won’t even attempt to help you there.
A user named ‘laugh’ is the Korean stick specialist and he can probably help you out (don’t worry, he’ll find this thread). He also sells them.
Haha. Yeah, you could be right… but you can also “feel” the micro-switch click if you pay attention (and I tried). I am thus tempted to believe it is a leaf-spring driven joystick per some of the comments in other threads.
Even if it was a leaf-switch stick, that doesn’t necessarily mean it should be the only one you want. The fact that you liked one Korean stick could mean that you may like others. That isn’t a always a guarantee, though. What I mean is that you don’t necessarily have to get the exact one that you might have played on.
I understand the issue of arcade noise, but the clicks are still sometimes loud enough to notice. If you have a good amount of experience with different types of sticks (along with a little technical knowledge about its workings), then you can probably be confident in your ability to notice what type of switch it’s using.
hum. well i’m now back home in Ohio - so there is no way to be sure.
one follow-up question i have is: how do leaf-spring switch joysticks engage if not by a micro-switch? i have personally installed happ’s, sanwa’s & seimitsu’s and even the leaf-spring equipped JLW’s. every stick i have ever used had an audible/tactile micro-switch “click.”
do the Korean leaf-spring sticks really not use a micro-switch at all? just the leaf blade making contact with another conductive surface?? that definitely sounds like a recipe for a short life-span to me.
if so, the owner of that arcade must have been diligent. b/c every stick i tried worked to perfection.
the JLW should absolutely be classified as a “levered microswitch.” i had mistakenly believed that was a leaf-spring design. knowing it is not makes much more sense. and i am now more convinced than ever the joysticks i used were true leaf-spring designs due to the absolute lack of perceptible feedback.
Well the arcade itself was a dive. It was right next door to my hostel & but it had SF2t, ST, 3S, MvC, MvC2… most for $.25/credit. And after making the rounds, I walked away impressed by the unknown joystick hardware.
The street and games listed makes me think of Movieland, but I could’ve sworn it’s all Happ in there. I guess there’s another? Best ask somebody who actually lives in Vancouver.
Random trivia: apparently since August 2005, Movieland arcade has been “the last home of authentic, 8 mm ‘peep show’ film booths in the world.”
It could very well be movieland… it did have a “no one under 18 allowed” sign… although I never saw reason for it. I googled the name & the location is right. I may be showing massive ignorance - but I don’t think there are Happ’s in there now (although it would make more sense if there were).
The bat-tops had negligible shaft, no (perceivable) microswitches and “rubbery” circular gates.
AC I’ll let you know now I’ve played two different types of leaf switches and I hate them with a passion. So I’m honestly surprised when you said you didn’t feel the click and it was super awesome. I’ve always felt the clicks on the fantas.
