Hey guys I’m really new to the idea of modifying arcade sticks. I’ve been wanting to get a sturdy stick to replace my imitation stick, but from what I’ve seen that comes standard for arcade sticks is the buttons look too big for my hands which has diminished my enthusiasm for getting one at all.
I did some reading on the type of buttons available and the smallest I could find was Sanwa SDM-18 Pushbutton 18mm recommended to be used for test and service switches… whatever that means.
I don’t know if that button type would even work as one I could mash on throughout time.
Idealistically, I’d like to find a button that’s about twice as big as what you’d see on a playstation controller.
So what do you experts suggest I look for? Is it doable?
Also I’d like to find a really big button to put in whatever case I get to use as the “ultra” button, because I find the novelty of slamming some big button for big damage to be hilarious.:tup:
the sdm 18 are not ideal game buttons. The spring on them are way hard and you have to push them in too deep to get them to engage. I imagine finger pain at the first joint if using these too long. I would suggest the 24mm buttons. Would you happen to be a Little person?
I really try to encourage players to use or build or buy whatever they personally like in terms of arcade parts, but I really have to ask you: WHY?! :sad:
Even if you’ve grown up your entire life playing on a pad claw-style, even if you are the proud owner of the world’s smallest human hand, I can almost guarantee you that those dinky little buttons are going to get on your nerves. If you’re really stuck on the idea of using smaller-than-normal buttons, I echo the 24mm suggestion.
If you’re seriously interested in really BIG buttons though, Sanwa does sell 40mm diameter buttons, and Happ has a large (huhuh) selection of fun and odd fatties.
(The thread title was a little confusing… are you also asking if you can go about modding an already-made stick by putting smaller buttons into larger, preexisting holes? It’s possible but difficult. You would essentially be filling in the old hole and making a new, small one of the proper size. Of course the exact method that you use would depend on the control panel’s material.)
I am an average height male with small/dense bone structure, since you’re concerned. I think little people are awesome though.
24mm seems too big for the layout I have in mind. I guess if going any smaller is unreasonable, then I’ll have to cope. I just feel that size is an excess of plastic.
well i never measured a little person’s hand but people on SRK have made sticks for their kids using 24mm buttons. I can’t imagine a 5 or 8 year old’s hand being much bigger than a little person’s.
Judging by his rep he might be trolling to frustrate you tradionalists. I have bad rep but its easy to get when your an 09er but this guy has been rubbing quite a few the wrong way…
sdms 18 are 1 1/2 the diameter of a ps button, and a 24mm is like 2 1/2 diameter wise. I think the psx buttons look to be 12 mm if i had to guess. there is also the sdm 20’s. the size actually refers to the hole needing to be drilled rather than the actual button plunger.
well of course. If I were a never-gone-to-arcades guy, then I’d be using controllers exclusively. I guess my issue when it comes to button size isn’t so much the size itself that makes me wonder, but since SF4 is the first game I’ve played to require pushing of more than 1 button at a time, I just thought the smaller the better.
To give you an idea of how I currently play: I lay my fingers over all 8 buttons (each button is 20mm exact), using the tips of my fingers for punches, and the bases for kicks. The size of the buttons isn’t too bad, but how they’re laid out on the case seems uncomfortable especially when it comes to multi-button pushing.
I am a keyboardist, so I’m all too familiar with multi-button pushing, it’s just the layout on my current stick is… unnatural.
Well I don’t think most decent sticks sold these days use 24mm as standard size. I also didn’t think it’d be much of a problem to use smaller buttons in a premade template.
I really am just looking for advice. Not that I’m set on any goal no matter how absurd it seems. With that, I thank you. and those big buttons are awesome. Long-term goal: Make a custom stick with one of those big buttons and put a decal on that says “ULTRA!”
This is a fighting game forum? It should be common to rub people the wrong way. So I said some bad things about Sagat, half of which I even meant. People need to lighten up forreal.
Depends on your stick layout, if you’ve got a nice curved layout you can just use your index/middle/ring finger to hit any of the six buttons. It’s not really hard, that’s how I play and… well, if you need to press more than 3 buttons at a time in SF4, you’re doing something wrong. >_>
Looks pretty good. I like the slant. makes it less likely to squash my fingers together. That’s Japanese style right?
I’ve definitely seen that layout before (not the art however). I could probably put the ultra button where your SF4 logo is since I imagine you don’t rest your hand on the case.
lol yeah. It’s not hard at all honestly. just kind of awkward doing combos from lp>lk>mp>mk. It is a curved layout which is partly why it’s uncomfortable attempting to use the tips of my fingers, along with the buttons being in |||| alignment.
