The Ultimate Korean Arcade Part FAQ!

Tech Talk
1

The Ultimate Korean Arcade Part FAQ!!

DISCLAIMER:I have no firsthand experience with these, this FAQ is all compiled from the following threads:

http://forums.shoryuken.com/showthread.php?t=152923
http://forums.shoryuken.com/showthread.php?t=155281
http://forums.shoryuken.com/showthread.php?t=151113

The idea behind this was to make a place a newbie could took without digging through threads, and to create a centralized place for this info.

Special thanks to: Laugh, Takahashi, deadfrog, and kowal

[[The (Good quality, non knockoff) Sticks:]]

There are three main companies manufacturing sticks. They are Myoungshin, Taeyoung, and Crown.

Myoungshin and Taeyoung make Fanta sticks, but these should not be confused with each other.
While both are branded Fanta, they are two different companies with two different molds. It just so happens that rubber pad a knobs are interchangeable.

In most of these sticks, there are no springs or restrictor gates. Instead there is a piece of rubber put in for resistance.

http://img67.imageshack.us/img67/8505/fantamsm05lc7.th.jpg

Here is an overview of the current parts from each company (credit to kowal):

Myoungshin Fanta

Low Stiffnesss (the rubber in this fanta stick is not very stiff)
This stick feels pretty good. I believe these use high quality Starion microswitches.

http://img67.imageshack.us/img67/6822/fantamsl01qe7.th.jpg http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/8679/fantamsl02fp1.th.jpg http://img67.imageshack.us/img67/5408/fantamsl03iy2.th.jpg http://img61.imageshack.us/img61/6296/fantamsl04iu3.th.jpg

rotation = circle
throw = angle - 13 degree; travel - 14mm
engage = angle - 9 degree; travel - 10mm
diagonal = range 25 degree; hitting 75%
force to engage = 0.22kG

TaeYoung Fanta

These are very stiff sticks. It has very good microswitches (Gersung) so it is high quality.

http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/3097/fantaty01bx2.th.jpg http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/9051/fantaty02yn5.th.jpg http://img67.imageshack.us/img67/655/fantaty03ur1.th.jpg http://img61.imageshack.us/img61/2356/fantaty04bw2.th.jpg

rotation = circle
throw = angle - 13 degree; travel - 14mm
engage = angle - 9 degree; travel - 10mm
diagonal = range 30 degree; hitting 80%
force to engage = 0.5kG

**Crown CWL306 **

This is the most recent Crown model, with a balltop. This balltop is NOT removable.
I’m not sure what microswitches these have.

http://img67.imageshack.us/img67/8430/clw30601ze8.th.jpg http://img67.imageshack.us/img67/9225/clw30602kk1.th.jpg http://img61.imageshack.us/img61/3590/clw30603mq1.th.jpg http://img67.imageshack.us/img67/7805/clw30604hy8.th.jpg

rotation = circle
throw = angle - 12 degree; travel - 12mm
engage = angle - 8 degree; travel - 8mm
diagonal = range 30 degree; hitting 80%
force to engage = 0.275kG

Crown CWL305 - very low stiffness

This is a very soft stick, and comes with a bat top. It has a square actuator.
Again, I’m not sure what microswitches it has, but I’d assume Gersung.

http://img69.imageshack.us/img69/1953/clw30501uy8.th.jpg http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/4434/clw30502as0.th.jpg http://img67.imageshack.us/img67/6792/clw30503yy9.th.jpg http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/4959/clw30504ok0.th.jpg

rotation = circle w/ square actuator
throw = angle - 13 degree; travel - 14mm
engage = angle - 7 degree; travel - 8mm
diagonal = range 45 degree; hitting 90%
force to engage = 0.175kG

There is also a version of this that uses a spring:

(This is kowal’s favorite Crown model)

http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/7920/clw30505qa5.th.jpg

rotation = circle
throw = angle - 13 degree; travel - 14mm
engage = angle - 7 degree; travel - 8mm
diagonal = range 30 degree; hitting 80%
force to engage = 0,2kG

Crown CWL303 - very low stiffness

This used to be a lower quality stick, but due to public complaint, it is now a great stick.
These are used in Tekken 6 machines in Korea.
It has a round actuator and gersung microswitches.

Picture

rotation = circle
throw = angle - 13 degree; travel - 14mm
engage = angle - 8 degree; travel - 9mm
diagonal = range 20 degree; hitting 66%
force to engage = 0.17kG

All sticks should share these specifications (if they use a battop):

http://img29.imageshack.us/img29/6786/kstickspecs.th.jpg

[[The Buttons:]]

There are two types of good Korean buttons, the Crown 203A and Crown 203C.

Pictures:
The Crown 203A
The Crown 203C

Both are high quality buttons, the 203A being snap in only, and the 203C supporting both snap in and screw in.
The 203A will work with .110 quick disconnects, but 203C will require soldering directly to the button.

I don’t have many technical details about these, but they are high quality, do NOT click like HAPP buttons, but require slightly more pressure to push than Japanese buttons.
In a sense they’re in between American and Japanese.

[[Prebuilts and their Cases:]]

While any case that the Crown buttons and Crown or Fanta joystick fits into will work, there are a couple of cases to take note of on the market already.

The first family of prebuilt Korean sticks is the Saulabi line.
The Saulabi line has many sticks, including:
The 4K Arcade Stick
The Online White Stick
The Online Black Stick
The SCS-2000 USB Arcade Joystick
and Others.

Website: http://www.isaulabi.com/

These all have the same button layout, and all fit Korean parts.

Most Saulabis are relatively inexpensive, making them great to gut and use as a case for better parts.

The stock parts include:

10x Knockoff Crown buttons (bad!!)
These buttons are very loud and break easily
The buttons also feel hollow

and 1 x Myoungshin Fanta Joystick

While the Myoungshin Fantas that Laugh sell are great, the ones Saulabi uses are not.
They are most likely more inexpensive, budget versions.
Their diagonals are hard to hit, and the stick is generally hard to use and questionable.

If you want to use a Saulabi, I’d reccomend modding it.
Laugh has made a guide, available here: http://forums.shoryuken.com/showthread.php?t=155281

When modding it, you can also use a non-standard PCB like the Cthulhu or the Madcatz 360 USB… you could even dual mod it!

Another place you can find sticks is HERE: http://www.stick.pe.kr/shop/

This site sells wooden cases, which also use knockoff parts. Like the Saulabi, they’re nice to mod.

[[Custom Cases:]]

Special thanks to deadfrog and laugh for this section

In Korean arcades, the most common type of machine is The Crown 203 Cabinet.

These cabinets generally use Fanta sticks and Crown 203A buttons.

Using this info, you should be able to replicate this layout.

These are the measurements for the top panel:

Looking down from above
http://img523.imageshack.us/img523/4841/koreanlayoutproperio0.th.png

Looking up from underneath
http://img170.imageshack.us/img170/3756/koreanlayoutflippedhx3.th.png

These images are to scale, 1:1

In the cabinet, there is a slight slope on the panel. It is up to you whether to add it or not.

The hole for the stick should be 34mm.
The button holes should be 28 mm.

The panel itself should be about 11 mm thick to support Crown 203A buttons.

If you want to use the screw ins, then the panel should be 13 mm thick.

The stick should be bottom mounted with a 13mm thick panel, so the black circle can stick up 2mm above the top of the panel.
If you’re using the 203A snap ins, then you must use an extra small 2 mm piece of material to get the button at the correct height…

For more info, please see deadfrog’s post linked in the references section.

[[FAQs:]]

Q: Do Crown and the Fantas use the same mounting plate?
A: All korean sticks have the same mounting plate. There might be minor differences, but those are negligible.

Q: What about Cherry microswitches?
A: The general consensus seems to be that they’re too soft

Q: What is the best Korean Stick?
A: Again, the general consensus is that the fanta sticks are better, but Crown has a very competitive line, and suits some people better. In deciding between fanta sticks, determine how much resistance you want and decide accordingly.

Q: Where can I get these parts?
A: The best place to go right now is Laugh. He’s been selling Korean parts on SRK for a while. I can personally vouch for him, having completed a successful transaction:
http://forums.shoryuken.com/showthread.php?t=174859

Q: Can you put a Korean Stick in a Japanese case?
A: It would require a lot of effort. It would be better to make a Korean case for it.
The Korean sticks need more depth, the panel thickness needed is greater for Korean sticks, and Korean buttons are slightly smaller

Q: What size Quick Disconnects do the Crown buttons use?
A: Only the Crown 203As use them. Their size is .110, just like the Sanwa buttons.

Q: Where does the PCB go in the Saulabi case?
A: There is no set place in the case for the PCB. It is free hanging. If you want, you could add a place to mount it yourself.
If you want to use the standard PCB, if you solder the board to the buttons, that should keep it in place.

[[Additional References:]]

Kowal’s youtube channel - has a video of each of the sticks, and will give you an idea of how stiff they are:
http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=kkowal97&view=videos

Deadfrog’s post about making a custom case layout:
http://forums.shoryuken.com/showpost.php?p=5357054&postcount=76

2

Nice work putting this together. It’d be cool to see demand for Korean parts in the US, but it seems the main use for Korean sticks is for Tekken (which isn’t as popular as SF and vs. series in the US).

Also, since the Fanta joysticks use lever microswitches, I wonder how they compare to the Nubytech SF:AE joystick which is also lever.

3

Yes, the Korean joysticks do use lever microswitches :stuck_out_tongue:

I was actually wondering how these would perform in the vs series. If I were to get a really stiff Fanta, these might be ok.
I’m gonna actually do the mod and try it. Let someone better at MvC2 than me do it :stuck_out_tongue:

Also, Korean arcades use Fanta sticks and Crown buttons in their SFiV machines.

4

Great thread, man!

Very relevant: Korean arcade layout for custom stick builders

5

nice thread, you could add kowals youtube page in the list aswell… it has videos of the sticks, gives you an idea of how stiff they are / what theyll feel like.

kkowal97 @ youtube

6

Upas: Could you include Deadfrog’s thread information? That post was new to me. I found a lot of that information useful and relevant.

I think the only discrepancy I’m aware of is that the panel should be 13 mm thick rather than 10mm. This gives room for the black circle to pop up 2mm or so above the panel (which I believe is how it’s supposed to be set).

7

How do Korean parts feel in comparison to Japanese ones?

And how durable are they?

8

I will add all this stuff :smiley:

deadfrog: do you mind if I directly add it to the FAQ? Or would you rather just have me link it?

Thanks guys!

9

kimchi power!

10

I almost did this myself, since the info on K-parts is so spread out all over the place. Good stuff.

I’m working on a couple of ways to try modding K-sticks…I’ll throw that info in once I know something.

11

Lol, yeah. I was looking for K-part info, and I was kinda annoyed it wasn’t all in one place so I made this ;D

I’m gonna mod a saulabi… standard stuff. I might dual mod it though.

12

2 use springs, all have restrictors
foto is from CLW305 not 306

13

Correct me if I’m wrong, but they’re not like… restrictors in the sense that people think of them.

The restrictors aren’t like the sanwa ones, they’re built in to the actuator at the end of the stick.

Which 2 use springs? I know that one has the option of using a spring, but I didn’t put that on.
I will fix the pictures.

14

Cool to know, I didn’t know what the correct mounting depth for the stick itself would be.

If the buttons’ section of the control panel is also 13mm thick, you will have to use the snap-in/screw-in buttons (CWB 203 C) because the snap-in-only buttons (CWB 203 A) will no longer fit.

In the Crown arcade cabinets, I believe the mounting area for the joystick is a different thickness than the space for the pushbuttons.

Naw for sure man, do it up, throw it right in there!! I’m so stoked that people are finding it useful. :rofl:

15

I fixed it :smiley: (I think)

Sweet. I’ll put more up later when I have more time.

16

Does anyone know if a 1-1/8 inch drill bit will be good enough for the buttons? 1-1/8 inch is approximately 28.5 mm. I’m wondering if 1 mm will make a difference or if the hole will be slightly larger than the drill bit size

17

It would be awesome if anyone could update this faq with info on dual modding a 360 pcb with the saulabi pcb.

18

Kamsahamnida!
Nice thread!

19

Just saw this ebay seller in another thread, he sells homemade korean sticks at a nice price. I think I might try one out.

http://shop.ebay.com/merchant/3731wonders

20

lol, @ missing his ultra in his video

good deal btw