howdy. thought this needed its own thread because of how specific it is.
both silent models use a different actuator than the standard jlf. it is white instead of black, and some people claim that it’s slightly larger to compensate for an alleged longer activation distance of the D2RV-G-SD2 or D2RV-G-SD3 switches. this would entail that the addition of an oversized actuator designed for the standard jlf may not make a difference when used with either of the two silent models currently in production. can i get a confirmation of whether or not the assertions above are true?
also, kowal’s +1.0 mm actuator has been debated at length. like some folks, i’m not thrilled about the idea of an actuator that hits the switches at an angle, especially when used with sticks that have pricey switches that are essentially not replaceable. i would be upset if any oblique wear on the edge of a switch occurred due to the use of an aftermarket actuator. does anyone who uses kowal’s actuator with any jlf notice any such erosion happening? i know that the actuator itself is made of abs and can erode from heavy use, but the switches of a silent jlf are much more expensive than any actuator.
hoping to learn as much as i can beforehand due to super high shipping fees to canada. thanks.
and the thread ended before it began!
I personally use Door #1 on all my sticks (including those with std, as well as 2nd & 3rd gen silent JLFs). Delrin with last forever and won’t wear down microswitch tabs like metal actuators.
i know about the PAS actuators and i am also aware of the superiority of delrin as a material choice for actuators compared to other plastics, but PAS’s cheapest shipping option to canada is $26.77 usd for some reason. it exceeds $32 if i add a stick to the order. i’ve never paid this much for shipping and i doubt i can convince myself to do it now. also, if you own the 0.5 mm delrin actuator and consider it to create a meaningful difference compared to the stock white actuator in the silents, then i suppose your experience answers my question about that. i did not know that metal actuators can wear down microswitch tabs though.
if you have any opinion to share about the differences between the 2nd gen and 3rd gen silent jlfs, that would be appreciated as well. i know the tabs have weaker resistance than the latter so that it goes standard≥3rd gen>2nd gen, but it would be nice to know if that’s really all.
I haven’t had a silent jlf, so I can’t be too helpful here, but I can tell you that the kowal actuators are now made of nylon, and I’ve never had a switch fail early on a normal jlf from using one.
The white actuator in the silents are palpably different diameters. My inspection of the silent actuator is that it appears to be nylon. As the silent switches in the silent sticks are reed switches instead of snap-action microswitches it would make sense to provide an upgrade there as well.
I think the PAS delrin actuators (especially the .5mm one) is a worthy upgrade. Is it worth that much they’re asking for via shipping? Hell the fuck no.
That figure sounds bogus. Why don’t you hit them up via email to confirm? They have a thread up on here too. Chime in to confirm.
I can confirm that shipping from PAS to Canada isn’t cheap. I emailed them about it and they said they would be willing to work with me to figure out a better shipping method but I don’t remember how much it would have saved since I just picked up my stuff from their warehouse during a family trip to Minnesota anyway.
presidentcamacho: my bad, it does say nylon. i mustve confused it with an older srk post. one reason i was worried was because of another recent thread where a guy used a kowal actuator and sees the need to replace the switches. i used one jlf with stock everything for about a decade and never replaced any part of it or added lubrication. i have a fairly light touch but i do use some charge characters (3s urien and st boxer mostly), which requires frequent gate contact by design.
jopamo: never tried contacting a vendor about shipping rates directly before. this is what the options are with nothing in the cart but an actuator: https://imgur.com/4uGaHlJ
i would have to place an order from somewhere else anyway as i need the silent stick and pas only carries the 2nd gen version (figure that if the only difference is tab resistance then i should go with the more recent model). i also need a 5-pin female-to-female harness in case i choose to mod a mayflash f300 which doesn’t have a typical 5-pin connector. pas doesn’t seem to carry an equivalent of this item.
bolsadguy: funny part is that minnesota is a northern state that shares a border with ontario. couldnt really ask for a closer state to ship from besides somewhere further east. do you have a spare black delrin 0.5 mm actuator i could buy? i currently live in markham but i might be able to pick up in other parts of the gta.