Don’t try to make a mame panel with everything cramped in there.
You regret it in the long run. I would not go more than 1 joystick with 8 buttons per player with two of those buttons being Start and select/coin
And maybe a few admin buttons for mame like a esc key assigned to a button. If you have to do track ball thats fine, it double as your PC mouse. I feel as the spinners aren’t needed.
FYI the Ultimarc J-Stik is a near perfect Copy of the Sanwa JLW. You turn the gate and you switch the stick from 8 way to 4 way.
Also Ultimarc makes the ServoStik Upgrade Kit, it fits on the J-stick, JLW and a few others. It allows you to switch between 8 way and 4 way on a joystick with a flip of a switch.
So no dissembling your machine just to get to the gate. http://www.ultimarc.com/servostik.html
Yea but I love robotron, but also that does control pretty much just fine with a xbox controller. It’s one of the few games not ruined by using a modern gamepad.
Also the pic and the stargate panel is actually very pretty small depth wise its not that big. This thing I know would be slightly smaller than a tank stick well a bit smaller. In the end I could do without the dual stick but if I’m willing to forget robotron using dual stick. I might as well put in the 2nd stick and make it a true 4 way save myself a battle with player one stick and how good it’ll work. As you can guess this thing will cost me a small fortune to play 60 games that are in my Favorites folder in MAME32.
I just figured most games I actually play don’t use that many buttons. So start with stargate layout ,cept that stupid hyperspace button which I always hated its placement in dead center. And try to figure out a layout that could work for them all. If it was big enough I’m sure it could all fit ok. But yea something I seen in youtube video with how someone was resting their arm while they played on a prebuilt setup I could see issues with other layouts I came up with.
I do totally appreciate the feedback though cause I have zero experience with any of it I just remember the fun I used to have in the 80’s. I can seriously still feel the placement and layout of games in my head as if I’m still there, the at the time insane amount of buttons for stargate and crazy layout. To knob for tempest, to the wacky Tron setup. Man those were the days.
The actual arcade controller it self does not matter, its the joystick that is installed that matters.
The Sanwa JLF comes with a square gate as stock. You rotate the inner gate and you just switched the joystick from 8 way to 4 way.
You already said it your self it comes with a JLF.
And @d3v already posted a video on the 2nd post in this thread.
What are you even trying to accomplish?
You are jumping around, latching on every idea you find on google but you are ignoring everything in this thread.
Are you building a DIY Arcade controller or a DIY Arcade Cabinet? Now you want to mod a Qanba Q4.
Pick a project, pick a single path and go with that.
First thanks for your patience , seriously. I asked because I seen cheap one on ebay but didn’t know if it came with the restrictor in place, since I seeen them for sale for like $3.
I’m just trying to find a solution to playing games like pac man that works. That really works, not switching restrictor and it still hitting diagonals and screwing up the controls while playing super pac man. And I asked because $120 for Qanba is lot cheaper than $300+ for a custom. I just want a working proper controls for MAME32 on pc. And yea I will stick to the project when I figure out which path is the one that works the best. But the Qanba I’d want to replace all the buttons on because I want concave like an arcade not convex buttons.
And I have to look at all options because I simple do not know how well any stick works with pac man. I’ve even considered getting mag stick plus ball top and just holding it while I play it being probably the cheapest solution at $60. But since its switchless it would probably not feel right. So yea I don’t know what will control the best so I just keep coming across other options people have done. But no one plays or mentions pac man , it’s all about fighting games.
Where are you located? Just use the “Need a modder/builder in your area” thread and see if there’s a modder or builder in your area who might be willing to let you try out a Sanwa or Seimitsu stick with the restrictor in place for 4-way play.
I just feel that you’re trying so hard to make a decision based on very conflicting (or lacking) information you’re finding on the internet, that it would be MUCH more productive in just trying it in-hand.
I’m not going to say that any Sanwa or Seimitsu stick with the restrictor in 4-way is adequate/good/great/perfect, but maybe the reviews you’ve been reading about with them hitting diagonals are people with Hulk-Smash ham-hands? What might not work for some people might be just fine (or even great) for you.
Hmm I’ve been offered a Qanba Q4 for $75 shipped. It’s used but that’s a pretty fair price huh. Looks like it could be cleaned up. Here is how he described it.
This is a perfectly functional multi-platform fight stick outfitted with Sanwa buttons and stick! I have disconnected two of the buttons for optimal play on Street Fighter IV and because one of them was being finicky.
No box or manual is included! Just a badass fight stick that works flawlessly with your Xbox 360, PS3, and PC!
Well I ran out of time to decide so I went ahead and bought it for $74.99. So at least now I’ll know what a stick feels like and if this has a 4/8 way restrictor I’ll be able to test it myself for a fair price. If it doesn’t work out for me I can always resell it and someone else will get a hell of a deal. But least this gets me in the game cheaply and start me getting some of my own experience on what works and doesn’t work.
I for sure have to figure out where to buy concave buttons for this and replace the ones in it though. I have to have real old school arcade type buttons.
There are no Japanese style buttons that are Concave.
You could try to fit Happs or Il buttons but they might not have enough clearance to fit.
I doubt a Qanba Q4 has enough room. You also have to adjust the wiring, as American style arcade buttons uses larger quick disconnects than Japanese style buttons.
Keep in mind, the Sanwa JLF is a Japanese style joystick, its not going to feel like many Joysticks you have grown up with.
Well thanks for the feedback. If I can switch it from 8 way to 4 way that’s the most important part really. I’ll get used to the flat buttons I suppose and since pac man doesn’t even have button use. I’ll probably be fine. Either way I paid so little for it , it shouldn’t be to hard to resell for $75 so someone else can enjoy it proper if I don’t. Least I hope anyway.
This is what he said in regard to the button. Yea doesn’t sound great but we’ll see I guess.
" In regards to the “finicky” button, it has somewhat of a mind of its own. It works most of the time, but I’ve had moments of frustration and anger when playing online and it not responding, which is why I unhooked it. I figured I really only needed six buttons anyway.
But this stick should work great for a MAME setup! I hope it treats you well. It will ship out today." "
YEa someone on youtube confirmed pac man controls suck with Qanba Q4 so I’ll probably have to get the 4/8 plate for it and switch when needed. Another place I seen people said I could put in a Sanwa JLF-TP-8YT Joystick. So I’d get it the 4/8 plate , new red ball top, harder spring(incase). I’d order now but I want to wait to see how the button issue plays out to save shipping charge later on 2nd order of stuff.
This is all just to get into the game. I still probably want a layout like Stargate custom arcade setup. Almost convinced I could go without the ball and put spinner only where I had the trackball placed in my pic.
Ok so I got it today. Hooked the button back up , it seems ok to me first testing it out in game using for fire button. So $75 to get into options and see what things are like with a real stick seems ok.
Well I for sure have to figure out how to replace the buttons with concave ones. These feel to smooth and not clicky enough. So happ with cherry switches probably then huh.
Also the stick itself feels loose to me. Not broken loose just not as tight as I remember sticks being. I ordered a 4/8 restrictor for JLF sticks it’ll be here in few days. And a red ball top from focus attack. Maybe I should order hap screw in buttons w/cherry switches and try to figure out how to get them in. Maybe order a true 4 way stick too if the restrictor that comes doesn’t work well.
Least I have an idea now of some parts and how they feel.
Thanks to everyone where on all the info on this kind of stuff here. I read for two days on the qanba q4 so I feel I might be able to replace the things I want to without to much issue. Although I’m not sure how close the buttons will come to fitting Hap long screw in w/cherry switches will be a tight squeeze I think.
Man I was hoping since they’re screw ins you could screw em down tight and it would still work ok.
Another thing I have learned is if I do a custom I’ll need dual sticks, because after playing Super Pacman (my fav pacman) since it needs a button and I play right handed there is no button on my left to hit for super speed and it totally screws up gameplay.
Speaking of gameplay yep, no way an 8 way works for pacman, no way. Totally unplayable. Hopefully the 4/8 restrictor I ordered fixes that issue. Or the whole thing is a bust and I might as resell this thing I guess. But I at least learned a few things thanks to all of you for your feedback.
Yea damn it one I was told that before and forgot, two I’m sure the short IL would’ve been better anyway on performance and fitting in the case. Well it’s wait and see till I get the restrictor then and go from there, if I can’t get proper control from a 8-way with 4 way restrictor then pure 4 way it is then. The buttons aren’t a deal breaker they just feel like I remember is all. But the control when using stick MUST be able to control pac man without him going all over the damn place and getting me killed lol.
So it says I’ll get my restrictor on Sat. along with red ball top, if that even fits didn’t do much research there either but I think it will.
So restrictor came, and haha stupid me. It’s exact same thing that the stick already has on it. Yea sorry DV3 I forgot the video you linked in this very thread. Stupid stupid me. So least I have a spare one now. But in short it seems to work just fine with pac man, Ms Pac Man(speed hack), Super Pac Man, Dig Dug, Donkey Kong etc etc. They did send me the wrong balltop but they said they’d get me out the right one tomorrow. So in short yea I wasted $10 lol, but spent $75 for Q4 so $85 total for working just fine Q4. I guess I got off cheap.
I don’t mind the buttons to much I just wish they were old school concave just for old times. But I don’t find it an issue in gameplay or whatever. I doubled or tripled all my high scores in just one play on each game. I do kinda have issue with stick being on left and me being right handed. I still might order buttons and try and mod it somehow to get them to fit and stay put. Some suggested foam wrap or duck tape them for they fit. But anyway least I feel like I can actually play now.
I do notice just today that one of the rubber feet on the bottom is missing. But no big deal to me it sits on my lap as I play anyway. Thanks for the help, advice of all. I’m sure I’ll be back with updates and mod ideas for this monster.
Just wondering if you’re still liking your new stick. I’ve also been on the lookout for a good old school gaming joystick. Right now I’m using a modded iCade on ios. I’ve added side pinball buttons and silent leaf switch buttons. My next step is to replace the stock arcade stick with a JLF. Before investing any more money though, I thought it might be best to find a quality stick for my Xbox 360 instead to use with emulators there. Is the Q4 a good choice for the four way games you play?