Herro everyone! This is mostly going to be a technical breakdown of various basic snap action switches I have my hands on. If, or more likely, when I get more, I will update this either with a new post or editing this initial one. Or even both!
Cherry style switches
Lets start off with Cherry D44x switches. These are typically iL buttons and old school HAPP buttons. This is what one looks like:
Quick @specs : <— lol, maybe he’ll get the joke?
75 gf
pin plunger
spring tension assembly
Uses: Good for buttons. Would not recommend for levers because of the lower force, unless you want to compensate with a higher tension spring.
Lets see what it looks like with the case taken off!
Now lets take a closer look. You can clearly see the tiny spring assembly it uses for tension.
Modding the D44x
This is not a fun switch to mod, because if you lose that spring and you have carpet in the room, good luck finding it. It’s small and gets lost easily. You also can’t easily do a drop in lever mod, because of this reason.
See those tiny holes on top? That’s the switch stock from the factory. They’re far too small for lever usage. See the larger holes on the bottom? That’s modified to allow levers. Easiest way to do this is with a #0 phillips head screwdriver found in those little electronics screwdriver kits.
It barely fits above the hole. Put the tip in, and twist until you widen it a bit. Oh god. If you haven’t been laid in a while don’t take that the wrong way ok? Anyway, once the hole is wider you can finally put your lever in. Hahaha, nevermind there is no way around it, it’s dirty talk lol.
Here is an image of a lever installed.
That about does it for my messing with Cherry D44x. It’s something I won’t be doing again because of how fragile they are. I wasted 3 switches simply from losing the springs once they pop out. It’s easy to have that happen when you’re trying to separate the two halves of the case, because out of all the switches here Cherry D44x is the most difficult to get apart.
Zippy style switches
Lets start off with Zippy VM-5 switches. These aren’t found in typical arcade parts, but some vendors offer an option for Zippy, Cherry, or E-Switch if you buy HAPP, iL, Yenox (lollers!!!) or various knock off buttons.
Quick specs:
20 gf
lever, pin plunger
spring tension assembly
Uses: This is a mod Paradise Arcade came up with to get silent switches without having to use reed switches. If you go this route, you will have to find a way to increase tension on your stick because you will lose a good bit of the snappiness from stock, which means slower return to neutral.
Lets see what it looks like with the case taken off!
Now lets take a closer look. You can clearly see the tiny spring assembly it uses for tension.
Modding the VM-5
Not such a bad switch to mod. I’m actually fairly impressed and prefer these over Cherry because if you happen to pop the spring out by accident it’s easier to put back together in comparison to Cherry switches. They’re also lever friendly, so I can fully recommend tinkering with levers. Plus, they’re cheap, and you can buy them just for the levers and have some spare switches on back up. If vendors carried 200 gf (1.96N) versions of these I’d easily recommend putting them into sticks for stick mods.
I don’t use these because of the low force but it was nice to get some hands on with them. I think the quality is good on these and there is no reason they should be considered shit tier switches just because people like to switch ride the Cherry brand. Plus, they’re way more mod friendly, easier to access the internals, and it’s a lot easier to get your hands on levered or pin plunger style versions.
Omron style switches
Hey, guess what I just got in the mail today? Omron V-16 switches!
Quick specs:
200 gf
pin plunger
copper plate tension assembly
Uses: Great for levers. Would not recommend for buttons because of the much higher force, unless you want to break your fingers while you try to Hundred Hand Slap in ST.
Lets see what it looks like with the case taken off!
Now lets take a closer look. You can clearly see the difference in the copper plate assembly it uses for tension vs the spring assembly style seen in Cherry and Zippy.
Gah, my eyes, they burn! What brightness! Sorry yo, had the exposure freaking out on me for that one.
Modding the V-16
Haha, I haven’t even had these for 2 minutes and guess what I’m doing? Yeah, I’m fucking modding them!
These are super easy switches to mod. If you want to tweak switches to your heart’s content and you have a bunch of different Asian branded switches, it’s easy! These accept Zippy levers, Omron levers, and Gersung levers. As you can see in the above image, I’ve placed Zippy levers into the switch for use on my LS-40.
That about does it for my messing with a V-16. I haven’t done any other mods because I frankly like the 200 gf tension and can’t wait to try these out in the LS-40. I have a stock set (bought 8) for messing around with later. Hayabusa mod possibly coming up, I’m still thinking this one over on how to proceed.
I’ve had some Omron V-10 switches for quite a while. These are a bit different from the V-16 switch because the case is higher spec plastic and is riveted together. Cosmetically these are a bit more pleasant and far less rough around the edges compared to V-16. Anyway, lets see what it looks like!
Quick specs:
100 gf
pin plunger
copper plate tension assembly
Uses: I’m not really sure. This particular set came from a Sanwa OBSM assembly. 100 gf is too high for buttons and aren’t really quite comfortable to play on. At least stock Sanwa and Seimitsu buttons. The plastic simply isn’t heavy enough to make pushing these down pleasant. On the other hand, clear plunger Seimitsu buttons can have a nickel (5 grams) placed between the two pieces of plunger for an extra 5 grams of weight. If you can get weighted balls from a fishing store you may be able to make the plunger heavy enough to make pressing down the button a bit easier, if you can get another 20 grams of weight it would offset the extra 25 gf from Cherry buttons and make these feel more comfortable. The possible benefit of this over Cherry could be a faster snap back to neutral because of the extra tension when fully actuated.
Oh, while I was writing further down below I thought of this. If you want a stick with somewhat quieter switches but still want to hear a click you can use these. They’re half the tension as stock switches on a JLF and you can get a spring that is 2x as tense as stock to offset the change in tension. It might not be a bad mod if that’s what you’d be looking for, and it’s still cheaper than D2RV switches.
Lets see what it looks like with the case taken off!
The above image is actually from a different switch. The switch was levered otherwise it’s 100% identical.
Now lets take a closer look. You can clearly see the difference in the copper plate assembly it uses for tension vs the spring assembly style seen in Cherry and Zippy. Of course, in comparison to the V-16 there is no difference.
Expoosuurreeeee!
Modding the V-10
This switch? Fuck modding this switch. The damn rivet means you need to drill that shit out, which is not fun. The mounting holes are also smaller than the V-16, Cherry, and Zippy which means you also need to drill those wider so it can fit on stick base plate position nubs like on the LS-40. Anyway, you can easily add levers if you want since the case is exactly the same as other models that do have levers. You can throw in Gersung and Zippy levers if you don’t have Omron ones on hand.
My opinion is the work required to mod these is not worth it since you can get V-16’s.
I also have some levered V-10G2’s as well. Identical in every way except the lever, but hey here is a picture anyway.
Quick specs:
100 gf
lever
copper plate tension assembly
Uses: If you want a Seimitsu LS-32 or LS-40 with half the tension you can use these if you want. Just be sure to get a spring that is 1.5 to 2x more tense than stock.
Lets see what it looks like with the case taken off!
Same image you saw from the V-10, because it’s identical.
You can clearly see the difference in the copper plate assembly it uses. Same as V-10 pin plunger.
Expoosuurreeeee! Haha you get sick of reading that a second time yes?
Modding the V-10G2
Don’t bother.
I also have some levered V-10G1’s as well. Identical in every way except the lever, but hey here is a picture anyway.
Quick specs:
100 gf
short lever
copper plate tension assembly
Uses: If you want a Seimitsu LS-33, LS-55, or LS-56 with half the tension you can use these if you want. Just be sure to get a spring that is 1.5 to 2x more tense than stock.
Same identical stuff as V-10G2 and V-10
Modding the V-10G1
Don’t bother.
Gersung style switches
Finally get to move on from the V-10x! Gersung switches are generally found in Korean sticks. Well, lets see what one looks like! In particular, the GSM-V0323A3, but other than terminal type, lever, and tension, these should all be identical.
Quick specs:
200+ gf
lever
copper plate tension assembly
Uses: You can use this switch as a drop in replacement for the LS-32 or LS-40. The tension is greater than stock Seimitsu switches so this would be a pretty good switch mod if you’re looking for a bit more snap to your stick.
Lets see what it looks like with the case taken off!
Oh gosh, it’s identical to Omron 
Now lets take a closer look. You can clearly see the copper plate assembly it uses, just like Omron. This assembly is brass or brass plated though.
Modding the GSM Gersung switches
Well, you can remove the levers and plop them in a JLF or Hayabusa. You can put Zippy or Omron levers in them if you want. You can yank the assembly from them and put the assembly in Omron or Matsushita switches. There are quite a few things you can do, and getting the switches internals out is easy to do. Hell, you can even buy a set of these and cannibalize the internals and swap them into Omron cases that have been soldered on to a PCB assembly like the JLF’s.
Other than that, there are a few other tweaks you could do but I have yet to do them myself and can’t really document them. It’s a destructive process though, so unless you have spares I wouldn’t mess around with them just yet, but I will later detail what you can do to tweak a few aspects of the switch.
Matsushita style switches
Ok, so Matsushita switches are basically the same when it comes to the ones we want to use for parts. Like Gersung, you’ll find them mostly identical to other models aside from levers, terminals, and tension.
Quick specs:
200 gf
lever
copper plate tension assembly
Uses: Well, since I’ve never found exact replacements or even similar replacements from vendors in the USA I would say we have little use of these. However, if you have spare Seimitsu parts lying around then you can use these for mod purposes. Otherwise, their uses are stock parts on Seimitsu levers. I wouldn’t recommend them for buttons unless you could find low force ones.
Lets see what it looks like with the case taken off!
Oh gosh, it’s identical to Omron and Gersung
Now lets take a closer look. You can clearly see the copper plate assembly it uses, just like Omron. I mean, at this point, did you expect anything other than clone parts?
Modding Matsushita switches
Hey, just like Gersung, you can remove the levers and plop them in a JLF or Hayabusa. Unfortunately you can’t put Zippy or Omron levers in them if you wanted Like Gersung, you can yank the assembly from them and put the assembly in Omron or Gersung switches. There are quite a few things you can do, and getting the switches internals out is easy to do. Hell, you can even buy a set of these and cannibalize the internals and swap them into Omron cases that have been soldered on to a PCB assembly like the JLF’s. Or you can cannibalize your Omron tension assemblies and put them in your Matsushita’s. Or you can put them in your Gersung’s. I mean, you can tweak and tinker to your liking if you have all 3 in various tensions.
Other than that, there are a few other tweaks you could do but I have yet to do them myself and can’t really document them. It’s a destructive process though, so unless you have spares I wouldn’t mess around with them just yet, but I will later detail what you can do to tweak a few aspects of the switch.
That about wraps up the models of basic snap action switches I have on hand.
