Sanwa JLW joystick 4 way problem

[GreatLamer]

Hi All,

just got 2 Sanwa JLF -failed: its JLW sorry, not JLF!- stick, and found the standard 4/8 Way restrictor totally useless for 4 way operation. I can able to hit all the diagonals. The joystick operation is good in eight way, but the same in 4 way, doesn't block the diagonals. Just wondering everybody tells its a good 4/8 way joy, but not for me . Am I wrong and have to adjust the joystick's microswitches lever? I believe no adjustment need for anything.

If I make a new restrictor plate from metal, and cut a cross-hole into the plate, restricting the joy lever to real 4 way movement, it will fret the joystick lever at the plastic bottom? I ask this because the original sanwa part are plastic.

Thanks for help me.

[opt2not]

If you try to hit a diagonal, you'll notice that the joystick can slide into Up/Down or Right/Left fairly easily right?
...that's the way it works.

You wouldn't want a cross-restrictor, due to the fact that you'll be limiting your travel from UP/DOWN to LEFT/RIGHT.

Think about this, when you're holding Right, and you want to go Up (say in a game like Burgertime) you'd have to reset to center, then press upward. That's a very unintuitive control scheme and would be fairly frustrating.

The 4-way restrictor is working as designed, and is how most 4-way restricted joysticks are (try it out on an original Pacman joystick). The "notches" or corners should rest in the cardinal left, right, up and down...so the physical "stoppage" gets your joystick in the proper 4way directions.  If you turn it to 8-way, the "notches" would rest in the diagonals.

[GreatLamer]

Thanks for the clarify of these things. Now thats crystal clear to me.

Now I try to use some tiny & thin plastic tape on the restrictor to block the diagonals better. First try, in 8-way operation is ok, checked via windows control panel and sf4 already. And in 4 way, a bit harder to hit the diagonals.

Thanks mate, now I am going to play Bomberman

[opt2not]

No worries

Personally I prefer the Seimitsu LS-32 restrictor better for 4-way, because of the "clover-like" design, which makes for hitting those diagonals much harder but doesn't limit your travel from each direction:



 

[severdhed]

just out of curiosity, how are you hitting the diagonals?  i've used a JLW as a dedicated 4 way and have never once noticed any kind of issue with it in 4way games

[GreatLamer]

Just rotating the joy lever around and the windows game controller test show me all the diagonals hitted with restrictor in 4 way mode installed. But I think it should be O.k. for four way games. Update: Ms. Pacman tested, not any stuck at the corridor's corners and no wrong directions, 100% effective gameplay

If I use the plastic tape on the restrictor the 4-Way operation a lot better, 8-way operation a bit harder but no serious problem.

Again, thanks.

A bit off, Mame history.dat wrotes Dyna Blaster / Bomberman is an 8-way game, but I think it really just 4-way in theory, not known original machine, but in the game only North/South/East/West corridors available.

[severdhed]

i put this to the test this afternoon on our cabinet at work, i fired up mortal Kombat and tried using the 4way JLW, if i hit it just perfectly, i could hit the diagonal and do a forward/backward jump flip, but it was very difficult.  apparently it when sliding it from one direction to another, there is a small point where it overlaps and the second switch activates before the first one deactivates. 

however when playing 4way games, this is never really an issue.  if you were using a standard 8way stick to play pacman for instance, it is easy to get the stick in a diagonal position accidentally, causing it to not respond properly.  however when using a JLW in 4way mode, the 4 positions are so clearly defined, that you could never actually have the stick in the diagonal position accidentally without realizing it.  it is so easy to slide across the corners to the other direction where it stops perfectly.  there may be a spit second where 2 switches are activated, but it doesnt matter because you clearly arent going to stop the stick in that position.

so, yes, it is possible to hit diagonals, but it wont affect your gameplay.  the JLW is a wonderful 4way stick, i have used several others and this one outperforms all of them, hands down.  I have one i am installing as a dedicated 4 way in my vertical classics cabinet, and i recently used two of them (in 8way mode) for players 3 and 4 on my showcase cabinet.(since they handles are the same as my u360s)  they feel pretty good as 8way sticks, although the square restrictor takes a little adjusting to.

[GreatLamer]

however when playing 4way games, this is never really an issue.  so, yes, it is possible to hit diagonals, but it wont affect your gameplay.  the JLW is a wonderful 4way stick ...

I share your opinion after testing some game and thought the same before.