Mortal Kombat experts needed

[postmortem]

I recently purchased an original MK2 arcade. Everything is in great condition for a 20 year old machine.
The joysticks and buttons are all original as well. I wanted to replace the joysticks with new ones, but I want it to look and feel like the red original joysticks. Does anyone know if its possible to get the same exact sticks? or whats the best option for a replacment? I want it as close to oringinal as possible. Also, what buttons does the game use, and where can i buy replacments? thanks

[Harakiri]

I believe this is the closest match to MK2 joysticks:

HAPP™ Competition Arcade Joystick - RED [HAPPCOMPRED] - $8.49 : GroovyGameGear.com, Always the best in Arcade, Jukebox, Kiosk, Gaming and Industrial controls

You can always buy a new one and refurbish the worn parts...

[kowal]

MK1 use Wico conical microswitch joystick with improved actuator and old ver. use ultimate
MK2 use wico or ultimate
MK3 ultimate
UMK3 use ultimate or competition


better put photo stick on forum

[postmortem]

I read somewhere that the happ p360 is better.. anyone have any thoughts on that?

[postmortem]

i just looked it up. It seems my cab uses wico perferct 360. Im guessing you cant buy it anymore. Whats the differance between Happ p360 and wico p360?

[Donkbaca]

none, happ bought the p360 from Wico

[postmortem]

so should I go with the happ p360 or the competiton? which is better for fighting games like mortal kombat? also what pushbuttons does MK2 use? I cant find any labels on them or anything. anyone know what brand? if i cant get those, which are the second best avalable? thanks

[Donkbaca]

if you posted pics of the joysticks that would help.

Why do you want new ones?  What's wrong with the ones you have?

The buttons are probably happ.  Most US arcades had Happ parts

[postmortem]

Ill post some pix in a few.. I wanna replace them because some get stuck sometimes. They are 20 years old afterall.

[postmortem]

[Xiaou2]

If the stick gets physically stuck, its probably just a small plastic spacer that needs replacing.

 The spacer is a thick white plastic tube.  It is designed to wear down over time & abuses, ...so that the rest of the joystick does not wear out.

 Sometimes you can simply flip the thing over so that the worn part is on the opposite end. Eventually it needs to be replaced completely.

[Jack Burton]

woah, WICO P360s!

Those are kind of valuable and sought after.  Marvel vs Capcom players are always after these sticks.  I'd say you could easily sell the pair for $100.  A couple of comps to replace them would be less than $20.  

Personally, I'd try to restore the joysticks in there.  

[Donkbaca]

A little history from the wiki:
History- The Perfect 360 started out as an aftermarket add-on kit for Wico leafswitch joysticks. Models were later added to the product line to convert Happ Super, Competition, and Ultimate sticks, and possibly others as well. Happ eventually bought the rights to the P360 technology, and discontinued the kits. Happ began producing a complete stick instead, with the top half of a Wico joystick base (no longer sold by Wico by then) mated to a P360 bottom half.
Interchangability- P360 handles and Wico handles have been found to be interchangable. There are also replacement handles available from SlikStik. Wico Pear-top sticks used the same pivot cones and spacer sleeves.

[postmortem]

the joysticks dont get stuck, one or 2 of the pushbuttons do. the player 1 joystick works normally but the player 2 stick doesnt spring back to the center when you let go of it. It does move the the center, but it doesnt do it like player 1. the player 2 stick has also been repaired at some point, looks like they used some kind of adhesive on the shaft of the 2nd player stick.. must have snapped in half at one point lol.

[Donkbaca]

I would see if I can get a new shaft and spring. A new set of p360's will set you back 100 bucks. New happ buttons are cheap an easy to replace

[Xiaou2]

but the player 2 stick doesnt spring back to the center when you let go of it

 That would be considered "Stuck".

 The spacer can and does cause that very situation.  Its an easy fix to replace a spacer.

 Buttons are also easy.  Theres only pretty much 2 ways a button will fail... If the thing is filled with something sticky, or if the microswitch is shot.  Clean button and replace switch. Easy as pie.

 As for the shaft, you can get a replacement.   Also, if the shaft is ok, and just sticky, you can use a solution like goo-gone to remove sticky gunk.

[postmortem]

it moves back to the center.. it just doesnt do it as fast as player 1.. Its hard to explain, ill have to make a video tomorrow. i just bought happ competitions.. im gonna see what i like better i guess.  Just as a test I tried putting some old X-arcade sticks in it to see what they would be like but they didnt fit right. Am I gonna need to do anything with the competitions or should they just fit perfectly?

[Donkbaca]

The x-arcade are knockoffs of the Happ super, which shares the same base and shaft as the competition. So if the x-arcade doesn't fit, neither will the comps

[postmortem]

the xarcade stick has that piece of plastic that goes on the shaft above the dust ring thing. That plastic is too big.. it makes it so the joystick sticks out to high and doesnt get far enough into the cab to put the actuator on and the little click that holds it all together. the happ competitions might share the same stick, but they dont have that plastic piece that the xarcade has, so we'll see. Everyone seems to use the competitions in their MK2 machines so im sure it should fit. Problem is I ordered all this crap from happ yesterday and I havent even gotten a confirmation email or anything.. I even ermailed them asking about my order and they havent gotten back to me. I hope it went though

[Donkbaca]

The comps just have that plastic piece built into the stick. Its what keeps the stick from falling down through the base.  Are you sure you are putting it together right?  Here is a link to an exploded view

http://www.xgaming.com/store/arcade-parts-and-accessories/product/indestructible-arcade-joysticks-parts-new-design/

Have you tried pushing down on the stick to put the e-clip on?  When put together, it should be under tension.

[Donkbaca]

You should have gone through one of the vendors on the buy/sell/trade forum.  Happ is known for high prices and outrageous shipping.

The bright side is now you will pretty much have one of each Happs stick.  The Comp, the p360 and the super, and you can decide which you like the best.

I personally like the x-arcade/happs super.  I like the big diagnols on it.

[postmortem]

yeah, Ive replaced the sticks in my xarcade. I know exactly how they work. I use them on my mame arcade. I actually like the xarcade sticks... or maybe its because im so used to them. I'll certainly let you know what happens when my happ sticks arrive. thanks for all the help everyone!

[postmortem]

Oh my god! I still havent recieved an email from happ but they charged my debit card. They dont tell you how much shipping is untill they ship it. I did 2 day fed-ex shipping. I ordered about $60 worth of buttons and joysticks and they charged me a total of $117.  Shipping costs the amount of the products!! I feel like I was just raped with no lube =(  I should have ordered from ggg.

[Donkbaca]

bummer dude!!!!

Yeah, keep me posted and let me know what you think!

[postmortem]

oh BTW, the xarcade sticks will work fine on the MK2 cab..  The problem was the dust washer.. I didnt change it to the one that came with the xarcade stick so it was stopping the joystick from going in all the way, but since i ordered the happ, im not even gonna bother testing the xarcade

[MonMotha]

Shipping costs the amount of the products!!

Yup, that's Happ!  Divemaster127 on here is a Happ distributor, so he can get you ANYTHING from Happ, albeit sometimes with slightly longer lead time if he doesn't stock it, and he doesn't charge outrageous shipping.