44 ohms I switched to a circle gate and had no problems with the diagonals… response is fast used a stock JLF spring coupled with a LS-32 spring that I cut in half for a little more tension… return is solid… with the half spring included the tension is not as hard and feels almost like it would with microswitches…
I dropped to 38 ohms to see how it would do… diagonals were hard to find and a lot of mis-inputs on the diagonals… I will keep it at 44ohms…
Just for kicks I raised the level to 85 ohms… felt oddly like the old flash1… any higher than 85 ohms stick was very sluggish…
Only if the cause of the problem is the LED/PT pair being skewed somewhat. I had them installed to the best of my ability but if one got knocked forward or backward in transit, you should be able to just bend it back upright. All of the LEDs and PT’s should be as perfectly perpendicular to the board as possible and directly facing its mate. If slight bending is needed to make that happen, go for it.
If you’re wanting to narrow down just the pair for a specific direction, remember that the pairs don’t get blocked, they get revealed. The pairs that activate are the ones that have a clear line of sight when the actuator moves out of the way, so it’s opposite of microswitches.
I got mine installed yesterday, in an original Round 2 360 TE + TE Kitty setup. Dialed in the spring resistance (JLF + LS-32 spring feels great), and did some test play in SFxT trials. The sensitivity adjustment is great and did well for me all the way through the least sensitive setting (around 110Ω). I’ve only tested the square gate thus far.
I spent most of my testing time tonight troubleshooting a weird input bug. At higher sensitivity settings, moving the stick around the Right/Up-Right area can cause an incorrect input to register sporadically (Left on 360 TE PCB, neutral on TE Kitty on PS3). The higher the sensitivity, the easier it is to find the spot that causes the issue. This disappears entirely for me at 55Ω and greater. I’ll try this out on other systems and PCBs to see if it is just this setup.
Sorry to be a total noob about this, but, my friend told me about this thread. I’d always wanted a Sanwa Flash but of course they are crazy expensive. I read a few pages in this thread, but I still don’t understand, is the Spark available for purchase? Is it on back order? Does it/will it work with a SSFIV Xbox 360 Fightpad? Does it work 100% reliably? Like, (I’m not trying to insult your work at all Toodles) would you trust it for tournament play? Did you make the CE because there were problems with the regular version?
Sorry for so many questions, but a lot of info is scattered throughout the thread. Short-version answers are fine : p
Spark’s are in stock and and shipping.
I don’t know of any compatability problems with Fightpads; I expect it would work fine.
Would I trust it for tournament play? Yep.
The only problem with the Spark that is addressed in the SparkCE is a compatability problem with Brawlsticks and possibly PS360 boards, both of which are easily solved with a Spark using a few cheap diodes. The real meat of the SparkCE though is improvements not seen in any other optical to date, with the fixed precision over a large range of voltages (in english, PSX sensitivity is same as PS3/USB sensitivity) and adjustable sensitivity (turn knob one way, SparkCE is more sensitive, turn the other, SparkCE is less sensitive, with a wide ‘emo through technoviking’ sensitivity range). Its an improvement over the Spark, not a bugfix.
I placed the spark with three diffrent fightsticks that were modded with diffrent types of fightpads (SF Fightpad, SFXT fightpad, Brawlpad) no issues with the spark. (did this with both original and beta spark board). no issues found. only issue is what toodles addressed above with the origional spark board not working on brawlsticks without a diode mod. Beta worked flawless…
Also used on Hori V3 SA with same result that both boards registered with no problems…
The spark is pretty solid… Beta imo is fun for those that can use a multimeter but the response of both is flawless regardless…
Seems to work on PS360 boards and PSX consoles. Still collecting data…
Ill try it on the ps360+ later… I think james still has one hooked up.
IIRC it is PS360 boards which have the power issues.
Let alone all the other problems…
sigh
cutting a LS-32 spring in half (less if you want stiffer more if you want a lighter feel) and adding WITH the stock jlf spring will make the optical feel like a jlf with microswitches… FYI
OCTO gate feels the same as circle gate with directionals… square gate is still my preference tho… square>circle>octo… for me…
44ohms is my personal setting for the SparkCE (what does CE stand for? I missed that in the thread reading)… son had a SFxT frenzy this weekend left the stick AND his 360 on the whole weekend (damn it gabe…) almost 72 hours…no issues with stick…
I havent checked yet but would there be any issues with excess light hitting this optical board? reason I ask is that I have a project almost complete with A LOT of LED’s inside the case… long story short… would there be any possible issues that would be caused by external light… just asking… I’ll check anyways haha…
damn great product so far Toodles…
The CE is just Championship Edition. If I need past that, I can make a Spark Turbo, Super Spark, Super Spark Turbo… 
There should be a problem with a heavily lit stick. LEDs, even Red ones, shouldn’t produce enough light in the right wavelength for it to matter. I’d be way more worried about the current draw of the whole stick, but for interference, nah, shouldn’t be a factor. Reducing the sensitivity on the SparkCE also reduces the current used by the SparkCE, so if things get hairy with current draw, thats one easy way to dial it down a notch.
Toodles, when can we see pictures of the new SPARK CE?
good to go… the lights are running on a separate pwr source but its good to know you can adjust the draw on the CHAMPION EDITION if you have fears on the pwr source…
Crap, I dont have any more to show off. 
But it doesn’t look that different. It looks identical, except the 3 pin is scooched out a little bit to make way for a blue rectangular pot with a very small knob for a precision flatblade screwdriver to adjust sitting between the 3 pin connector and the black housing.
I can take a better pic when I get home but of you look closely the only diffrence is the little green tab on the pwr connection.
OKAY!
tested on a couple of sticks just to make sure the CE works with the stock set ups…
Madcatz
TE Rd1,2,S, Chun-li, SCV, NAMCO
Madcatz SE
WWE Brawlstick
SFxT PRO
SFxT V.S.
Hori
VX SA
VLX
HRAP EX
HRAP SA
No issues with the Spark… Plug and play…
Some other beta test please check the older consoles… my PSX wont turn on ( I just died a little inside as well)
Just gotta say I <3 my Spark.
Jesus, that’s a lot. Thanks for the help!
Thanks, tell your friends. Tell your friends it works.
I have used my CE in a SFxT VS, TE, Peawang Custom and MCCtulhu custom. With the MC ive tested on pc,ps3,ps2 and dc, all without issue.
Love it!
Can you verify that/if the sensitivity on the CE remains the same regardless of the supply voltage? Does the spot where a direction activates on PS3 remain the same when playing on a PSX?