Some backstory…
Years ago, [R-CADE Gaming made a ridiculous JLF modification](The Best Joystick for Shmups, a JLF!? New Mod! that people seemed to dismiss because of how too much work it took. I kinda forgot about it too, until i ate a double patty burger today. (not from mcdonalds though, i got whataburger).
Using some ideas from his mod, I made my own, IMO its simpler, more solidly constructed, more stupid looking.
gives almost no throw, which has its pro’s and cons. personally played on it for a few hours today and it has the general trappings of short throw, very small gate, the stiffer the better, so using a tighter spring will have its benefits, it favors softer micros with heavier springs, but experiment to your liking i guess.
Notes and Concerns
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HORI Spring base and Actuator come from HORI “Fighting Stick” Line with the clone lever and short shaft (ex. Hori FS EX2, Hori FS V3, etc.)
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You dont have to remove the JLF inner gate, mine just broke.
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Now this part is something that I can see SRKTT go nuts and give me a lot of shit on, technically the gate are the microswitch body themselves hitting the (white) spring base. This also means the microswitches will take a bit more beating, try to use high quality microswitches like Cherry or Omron, in this example I used Panasonic microswitches from Seimitsu LS-32. It’s no different than the kind of abuse it gets from a junky HAPP stick, yeah? lol
Suggested Microswitches
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Cherry D44x 75gf - Very good, smooth feel.
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Omron V-15… / Panasonic AM516… 200gf - Good, stiffer, very clicky feel.
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E-switch 50gf - Not bad, needs tougher spring.
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ZIPPY 25gf - Bad, very loose, not good return, needs tougher spring.
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For a heavier spring, a good option is the LS-38 or LS-55 spring. 2LB or 3LB JLF spring is good too, but should be stretched out.
I know there are actuators for this kinda thing. what this does is completely change the dynamics of the lever, but take advantage of the JLF’s good points (smooth pivot, easy to mount).
I dont expect anyone to really try out this mod, I just happened to have some time/spare parts around. But it does give me insight on what kind of joystick/lever I wanna produce through 3D printing and machining in the future, whoops, hibachi joystick revealed.
