Hori RAP 4 KAI Modding

Hello,

Yesterday I bought my first arcade stick. The HORI RAP 4 KAI. I have been playing fighting games for quite some time but, unfortunately, never actually got good at them since I don’t have anyone to play with and I have a poor internet connection.

I want to know which Parts/Mods work with the Hori RAP 4 Kai stick. I have already ordered a few parts from Focusattack , will these parts work.

1 x 2lb Tension Spring for Sanwa JLF
1 x 4lb Tension Spring for Sanwa JLF
1 x FA Nippon Kori 35mm Hollow Balltop: Clear
1 x FA Nippon Kori 35mm Hollow Balltop: Smoke
1 x KOWAL Hayabusa Octopus Octagonal Restrictor Plate (2016 Model)
4 x Sanwa OBSF 30mm Pushbuttons Metallic Silver.

I am having problems with the Down-forward motion. For some reason there is an UP at the end of the down-forward (Fireball) in key display. But then no one learns how to use a stick in one day, right ?

Just keep playing, you will become accustomed to the motions

Can someone confirm whether these parts will work with the HORI RAP 4 Kai

1 x 2lb Tension Spring for Sanwa JLF
1 x 4lb Tension Spring for Sanwa JLF
1 x FA Nippon Kori 35mm Hollow Balltop: Clear
1 x FA Nippon Kori 35mm Hollow Balltop: Smoke
1 x KOWAL Hayabusa Octopus Octagonal Restrictor Plate (2016 Model)
4 x Sanwa OBSF 30mm Pushbuttons Metallic Silver.

Yes

Thank you. Just one last question. While using the Hayabusa stick I felt as if the “dead zone” was too large. I don’t know what it’s called but there is some space which is completely dead i.e. I can move the stick in that space and nothing will happen.

Since I am a pad player this feels kind of different. Is there anyway to reduce the dead space and make the stick more “responsive”

Get a bigger actuator

Which one ? Name , Brand etc ? Or are they all the same. Which one will work with the Hayabusa stick ?

Every joystick has some dead zone

kowal do a bigger actuator

with the 4lb it will be very stiff if you ordered a 2lb one as well its gunna be a trial and error to see what feels good for you

im mainly a solo player too due to all my main friends arnt bothered with fighting games and my internet has been unstable at my previous homes hopefully the one im living at now has better connection

That is understood. But how do i reduce the dead zone ? Which actuator should i buy ?

Will the Kowal Actuator work with HORI RAP 4.

Yes, I think the 2lb will be more than enough since I am getting used to default Hayabusa spring Tension.

You don’t HAVE to buy an actuator or new springs.

There are simple home-made customizations you can do that are quite easy.

For less dead zone, wrap the actuator in something like tape to make it thicker. (Pick a tape that is sturdy and won’t leave residue)

You also don’t have to buy a new spring. You can take your current spring and stretch it out. Stretch it a lot and then put it back into the stick. You will have more tension. If your spring has too MUCH tension, just cut the spring shorter. (A little at a time! Too much and you will have problems.)

But if you are new to stick in general, the best thing you can do is simply practice with the stick at stock settings. You’re more likely than not just not used to using a stick properly.

Stretching a spring wears it out faster. Cutting the spring is worst.
And the tape trick for actuators is a terrible hack, also all tapes leave some residue.

The only thing you are right with is noorsfv needs to practice more.

You don’t, you actually want some dead zone. The dead zone provides some room for error in doing executions with your joystick.
No dead zone means you have to be on point with your executions and you have to be even more precise.
Also having a deadzone means the joystick avoids getting caught or jammed. Very, very few short throw Seimitsu joysticks can get away with a smaller dead zone.
But you can’t make this dead zone zero without issues.

The Sanwa JLF is perfect for fighters as the dead zone leave room for error on your part.
if you feel the stock JLF is not for you try a diffrent model of joystick.

Keep in mind that neither of these are permanent long-term solutions (tape will wear down, and springs will eventually revert back to their original factory length), but they may be viable options if you’re just testing out.

This is probably more important than anything.
If this is your first adventure with an arcade stick, going crazy with mods might not be the best course of action, especially before you’ve had a good run to burn in some muscle memory and reflexes.

Yes the fixes I mentioned are ghetto and not long-term, but they will work decently.

If you don’t want to use tape I’ve carefully rubber banded actuators before. No sticky mess left behind.

And yes, the spring will wear out faster if you cut or stretch it, but that will still take a decent amount of time.

Unless you go to a hardware store and find a correctly sized spring and parts yourself, it always seems silly to me to order one tiny piece of plastic online.

Too late now !! Already bought an Kowal 1mm actuator, Kowal Oct Gate , a 2lb spring and a 4lb spring from Focusattack.

Yes, I am really new to arcade sticks , haven’t used it for more than 7 days. But I am enjoying the learning experience.

Hello,
Yes, I agree , having no dead zone will make things really hard , but I just want to reduce the dead zone not eliminate it entirely.
As a Pad player I am used to using the thumb only. Those movements are really small and precise compared to the movements on the Hayabusa stick. It takes forever to go from Back to forward. But then this can also mean my muscles aren’t used to making large movements really quickly. That is why I bought a 1mm Kowal actuator. Hopefully I can reduce the distance b/w the four/eight ends of the stick.

I have Never used astock JLF stick. I have a Hayabusa stick. (HORI RAP 4).

I recently modded mi Rap4Kai with a UFB so i made a pinout for this pcb… But the PCB is the Xinput version (Not every rap4 has xinput right?)

Should i make it here or should i create another topic? Thanks!