Hey guys,
I am curious about sanwa parts. I have only ever played on real arcade controllers (Happ IL WICO) what’s the difference as I see that the buttons are a lot thinner so you can make a thinner case due to this.
Do these use micro switches still? Does the joystick have a bounce to it like an arcade stick? Can these also work easily with PCB boards? (toodles)
sorry if this has been posted already this is a highly active forum
For me sanwa is best
Thank you I actual read through that . But it does not tell you how the action feels.im assuming that leaf switches don’t feel like micro switches
Sanwas dont bounce like happ… Its plunger and micro switch is combined into one unit and it has a very feathery feel to them…when you rest your fingers on top of a happ switch you can feel the resistance from the spring…where if you rest your fingers on a sanwa…you can possibly depress the button to activation…its a very light feel…
They’re all real arcade parts, and will all take a beating. Happs are more “industrial” I guess.
Sanwa sticks use clicky microswitches like Happs. The feel of a JLF is more loose and deliberate than a Happ. If you move it around the outside range of motion, it feels square instead of circular, due to the square gate. The spring is lighter, and the microswitches are heavier. The overall height of the stick is shorter due to the balltop style, but you need less leverage since less force is required to move it. The sticks are best moved with wrist motions, where your arm works more with a Happ stick.
The buttons are soft and have no microswitch click sound, except for the plastic itself bottoming out and releasing. They require very little force to actuate, and actuate high. The plungers are wider than Happs, have rounded edges, and convex plungers.
The switches all use smaller .110 quick disconnects, compared to the .187 terminals on Happ.
that’s exactly what I needed to know thanks guys. So I guess taping down on a Sanwa and letting go wont bounce up so no supper jump 
Nah, the Sanwa JLF (which is their flagship joystick so to speak) doesn’t do that. As mentioned earlier, the spring in the joystick is a lot lighter than the ones in a Happ/iL stick so there’s not a lot of bounce to it. It’s just enough tension to bring the stick back to neutral if you just let it go and that’s about it. I don’t think I’ve ever had a Sanwa joystick slam into another direction when I let it go to neutral.
I’ll definitely throw out there that there’s really not a good way to gauge how Sanwa parts “feel” unless you get them and try them out in a stick. The differences between Japanese and American parts is fairly substantial in my opinion and it’s something that really should be experienced rather than explained. BlindWithOneArm and RoboKrikit did a great job trying to boil down the differences in words, but it’s definitely something that needs to be experienced more than anything else.
I’ll also add that if you find you don’t like Sanwa or Japanese parts in general, don’t feel pressured or forced to learn them. These sorts of things are just preferences. Whatever you’re most comfortable playing on is what you should be playing on. If it’s American parts, then that’s great; you’ll be in the same boat as John Choi (I think he still uses his ancient Happ Perfect 360 MAS Stick) and Steve Harrison (who also uses an old American MAS Stick). :lol:
thanks guys this is great info. I think im going to build a sanwa stick just to see what it feels like I been playing on happ style sticks since 1993 lol
next question
Do sanwa buttons use the same size holes as happ buttons? and also whats better sanwa or Seimitsu?
when happ parts were still awesome I was all about them, nowdays I have pretty much migrated over to japanese sticks only. Not because I prefer them (though I do now) but because they are consistent, I am always confident it will be high quality. A friend of mine bought a pair of hap sticks for his cab just months ago, right off the bat one of them felt completely off and wouldn’t hit one corner properly. I know it was installed correctly because I installed them and have done so a million times.
Japanese sticks feel alien and crappy at first, but once you adapt you won’t have any reason to go back.
EDIT: about the button sizes, japanese buttons are a bit larger and are made to be mounted on a thin surface like a metal control panel. so it’s quite a bit more work. the different between sanwa and seimitsu button’s is mostly cosmetic IMO, they both offer different colors and types. There is a slight difference in the feel but it won’t make any difference in gameplay.
Standard Sanwa buttons comes in 30mm and 24mm holes. Standard Happ buttons (both Competition and Classical) come in 1 1/8".
I believe the OP is talking about stick deflection, not buttons.
And no, with the lighter spring, the JLF does not have much deflection (you’ll want something like a JLW for that).
I was a HUGE Fan of Happs or IL controls and buttons. But ill tell you they feel good on the older games. but they are not fast enough for the newer games. Since ive switched to Sanwa and Seimitsu buttons and Sanwa JLF joystick my game has greatly increased.
Sanwa all the way. There’s a reason its the industry standard now imo.
Balltop, square gate, springs strong enough to reliably return to center every time, yet light enough that they don’t needlessly hinder quick movements, quick activate buttons, etc.
~TG, the good stuff
Just a heads up if you get Sanwa stick, get the one with a mounting plate, they cost around teh same, why? Cuz it comes with fucking hex screws, cuz of this problem i just spent fucking 2 hours on my tek case trying to fucking figure out why the stick is fucking wobbly
Like others said, it’s about preference. When I was having this dilemma, I grew up playing happ arcades and using gamepads at home. When I spotted a Qanba Q4 joystick on sale, I bought it. I enjoy the Sanwa buttons more than Happ, but I felt weird about the Sanwa joystick “loose/sensitive” movement at first. After a couple days I got comfortable and got used to the Sanwa joystick. I find it more enjoyable and efficent to use than Happ joysticks now. The only problems I have with the Sanwa joystick is I can’t consistently do ↓, 
, →, ↓, , →, punch combo when I am on the left said of the screen. I can do it fine on a Happ joystick and gamepad, so realistically, I just need more practice.
I would suggest buying a used SF4 TE joytick or borrow one, play with it for a week, and then decide what is best. Worst case scenario you can always resell a SF4 TE joytick and break even or not lose too much money.
I love Sanwa buttons, but I can’t really get over the feel of the JLF. Korean parts are also supposed to be very consistent and good. The places I played at as a kid usually had chinese knock-offs of those and I still miss their feel. Perhaps you should look into them as well? Especially since you build your own stuff.
Yeah I think the next box I build I am going to go sanwa to see the feel. I bought the parts for the box I just made all ready, Happ stick and IL translucent buttons. I am going to light up the buttons. the next stick ill do all sanwa you guys got me curious Ill just have to use a bat. I don’t think I can do the ball
There’s a little bit more to that, IMHO. Happ’s all but abandoned the amusement/video gaming market. They’re producing nothing new. Sanwa/Seimitsu on the other hand…
I’m a little disheartened to note that Euro ball tops and korean sticks aren’t represented here. But I guess no one plays on those.