Thanks again Ikagi! I’ll have to see how two JLF springs feel.
One more ASCII optical question: Is it all about using a GT-Y for that authentic FLASH 1 style flava? What does a square gate feel like with this thing?
I’m curious why both Sanwa and ASCII went with an octogate for their optical sticks. Is finding directions a bitch on a square or something?
Can’t say I know the reason why, but Sanwa never explicitly said use an octagonal gate. They just packaged one in for whatever reason. In fact, it’s probably better not to use the Sanwa GT-Y octagonal gate. Sanwa’s octagonal gate apparently has inaccurate measurements that cause something weird with the throw or something (I don’t know specifically what, all I know is that there’s an issue). ASCII’s octagonal gate does actually address that issue last I heard. But truthfully, you do not need to use an octagonal gate to replicate the Sanwa FLASH 1 experience. There’s no documentation I know of that says you HAVE to use the octagonal gate and I’m pretty sure most arcade operators who dropped the cash for one of those joysticks kept the square gate anyway. So it’s your call. I’d frankly go the square gate route.
Excellent infos as usual, thanks! You’re probably right about Japanese arcade operators using a square gate on FLASH 1s. I guess I’ll go square for this project.
What size nuts are used on the area where the mounting plate and screws tie in together? I need to get the Ascii base to work with the mounting plate for a mod.
M3 Nuts.
Thanks to NRX, I’m now the proud owner of my very own ASCII Answer. :tup:
Yaay! Time to wade through this thread to get my questions answered.
Congrats! I hope it parlays into sweet optical goodness in your TE!
My ascii feels, for lack of a better word, MUSHY. It seems to return to center slowly. I have a jlf spring with an added random spring in there now. I want it to SNAP back to center.
any suggestions fellas? I have even tried a stiffer spring set up than the one in there now.
Maybe i have it too stiff and its hampering its return to center
ASCII FT Special
Hi all,
I’m surprised as to how popular the optical stick has become! My first stick ever was the Dreamcast ASCII FT stick (black/white/yellow), and I loved it. I remember using a PS2 stick with micro-switches and thinking it was broken…
You guys have re-kindled my love for that stick so I’m gonna refurbish mine. The DC wire is no good (keeps cutting out when I bend it), and the buttons are well worn. Maybe I’ll post some pics once I finish repairing it!
cause_of_chaos
HAD TO BRING THIS THREAD BACK! TOODLES HAS A LEGIT REPLACEMENT FOR THE FLASH!!! OPTICALS FOR EVERYONE! GOD BLESS YOU TOODLES!
the sanwa flash was on it’s way to pretty much complete death until toodles put it upon himself to make sure that did’nt happen! no more having to scour japanese auction sites and paying out your ass for what i believe to be a far superior directional input system to the switch! LONG LIVE OPTICALS! THANK GOD! AND THANK YOU AGAIN TOODLES!
Opticals por vida! Viva toodles!
I have two p360s, they don’t say happ or wico on the bottom. Just 360, patented, +5 and UDLR on the bottom. I would like to sell these as wicos, but how sure can I be? My other p360s say Happ. I have reason to believe they’re wicos because I bought them from an Arcade Operator who had them for years, so im sure they’re quite old, thus more likely wicos, right?
If anyone is interested just lemme know.
I have two p360s, they don’t say happ or wico on the bottom. Just 360, patented, +5 and UDLR on the bottom. I would like to sell these as wicos, but how sure can I be? My other p360s say Happ. I have reason to believe they’re wicos because I bought them from an Arcade Operator who had them for years, so im sure they’re quite old, thus more likely wicos, right?
If anyone is interested just lemme know.
Is the big black plastic housing round-ish or square-ish?
Round-Happ
Square-Wico
The Wicos should also have a stick on the bottom saying so.
My new Sanwa Flash 1 was delivered while I was at work today. I drove home on lunch and quickly installed it into my TE. I only had 2 minutes to test it before I had to go back to work!
Spent about 3 hours with it tonight playing SSF4 with some local players. I had to relearn the JLF a bit, but once I got used to it I was having so much fun! My friend said it should be illegal to use one since its so silent.
I can’t say if I’ll miss the CLACK, CLACK, CLACK, CLACK!! Sounds just yet - I do know that I won’t be loaning my stick for anybody to use from now on!
I would suggest you take it apart, clean it thoroughly, then lubricate the pivot (or possibly even replace it).
I found best results on JLF-types with LS-32 or JLF+LS-32 springs.
edit
oops – just saw the original post date 
I’m curious about opticals. My biggest problems with iL Competitions are the twisting articulator, and how they bounce around. On the other hand, I’m leery of the JLF, since there’s no way to get equal response for diagonals while having equal throw.
The Perfect 360 apparently has some junky parts. You *need *a custom articulator, otherwise you get the “crunch” that P360’s are notorious for. Kowal was better ones, but I’m not sure if he still makes them.
http://img14.imageshack.us/img14/6750/indexphpactiondlattacht.th.gif
The pivot cone is also crap because it’s too small, and causes friction.
http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/6750/indexphpactiondlattacht.th.gif
The cone can be improved with tape, but only a custom one will truly fix it. I’d like to find out if anyone still makes mod kits for P360s, or if they’d consider making more. The OEM spring is also too heavy and causes unwanted bounciness, so that needs replacing too.
The Ultrastick 360 sounds like it’s probably the best of east and west as far as feel and responsiveness go since it’s highly customizable. I haven’t tried either stick, so I’m not sure what my best option would be, of if I’m ready to give up the “click” feedback that microswitches give. Does the silence help or hurt gameplay? Also, has anyone here tried the Ultrastick 360? How does it compare to an actual Sanwa stick?
By chance is this the joystick you’re referring to? I can’t say I’ve ever used it, but it looks like it would be an absolute pain to get working in an arcade stick.
I don’t want to delve into the whole Eastern vs. Western design for joysticks since that’s entirely preference; use whichever joystick style you prefer.
On the topic of microswitch click though, I haven’t found it to hurt my game. I mean, I can definitely tell when going between optical and microswitch sticks that there’s a difference in performance, but it’s actually not as huge as you’d think. I personally can transit very quickly to playing on a regular JLF if I’m given a game or two. I do personally think optical joysticks are better though.
That is the stick I am talking about, however it is apparently very easy to set up in an arcade stick. It has a USB port on it, but it also has wire terminals. You can either wire buttons to the terminals and use the stick’s PCB to play directly on a PC, or hook up the wires to another PCB and send the signals just like a regular joystick. The USB port can be used to program different profiles for different types of games, like switching from 8 way to 4 way mode and having the smallest deadzone between directions possible, or simply adjusting the deadzone in the center of the stick.
I am guessing the stick gets similar performance to a Sanwa flash (it is a Sanwa-made stick with a custom PCB), however my friend expressed concern that the magnet could wear out over time. I have no idea what the half-life on a magnet is though, so I am not sure if by the time this becomes a problem I’d be looking for a new joystick anyway.