New Product: Ultimarc GoldLeaf High-performance Pushbuttons

[eds1275]

[SammyWI]

This will be my last reply on the subject.

liar

I almost posted the exact same thing, but I decided to be nice.  I'm glad one of us wasn't. 

But to be on topic:  I like that we have a choice for Japanese style switches in a concave button.  Putting 'leaf' in the name was an unfortunate choice that is going to derail topics into, well this.

[Donkbaca]

I'm just ribbing him.  I enjoy X2's posts more than most, and enjoy his passion

[Vigo]

I got sidetracked on other things... and it never got started.

 Mostly, it was due to my health going down hill.  Found out only recently it was due to extreme food allergies (such as gluten/wheat), to which I battle for the energy just to do minimal things.

  I'm sorry to hear that, I really hope now that you know the root of the health problem as allergies you can work around it and be productive again.

I'm just ribbing him.  I enjoy X2's posts more than most, and enjoy his passion

Same here, even if I often disagree. I've been completely ribbing too, but I stand by what I said. X2 is too much of a purist to simply leave a good control debate alone, and thats fine because he is knowledgeable on the subject. X2 seems too thick skinned to let him off easy though. 

[Xiaou2]

Undecided I'm sorry to hear that, I really hope now that you know the root of the health problem as allergies you can work around it and be productive again. Cheers!

 I know for sure I have a wheat allergy, which is very hard to get around cause everything has wheat in it... even most forms of soysauce.

 However, I know I have other allergies as well... and Im still trying to figure them out.  Its quite difficult, as there is always a big delay from the time ate to the time theres some sort of reaction.

I'm just ribbing him.  I enjoy X2's posts more than most, and enjoy his passion

Same here, even if I often disagree. I've been completely ribbing too, but I stand by what I said. X2 is too much of a purist to simply leave a good control debate alone, and thats fine because he is knowledgeable on the subject. X2 seems too thick skinned to let him off easy though.  Grin

 Haha      Thanks guys.   
 (Comes from a lifetime of taking punches.  heh  >.<  )

[clutch]

This thread needs another sexual analogy.

[boardjunkie]

I think these could be a good middle ground between micros and true old style leafs. Those who just want to try a leaf button and aren't hardcore picky about them would prolly be satisfied just fine.

However, I *am* major picky about buttons. According to me, here's why real old school leafs are superior to everything else out there:

Adjustability - You can set the point of switch closure to personalise the sensitivity

"Feel" can be changed - You can use different tension switches. Some like more tension when the contacts close so there is a defined "bounce" at that point. I'm just the opposite.....I like light action switches that don't change the tension through the button travel. Just feels smoother to me.

Choice of button travel - There are leaf buttons with long travel, and there are shorter travel versions. I prefer the short ones....I don't mind bottoming them out. Those who like the bounce thing would prolly prefer the longer ones as the switch closure set about halfway through the travel is a pretty traditional setup for alot of the classic games.

Easy to clean - Old type leaf switches are exposed and therefore a snap to clean the contacts. These new Ultimarc ones....I dunno if they come apart at all for cleaning. If not, one beer spill and the button is prob'ly toast.

So all in all.....I think the Ultimarc "new style" button is a fairly decent idea. They may not hit home with purists like me, so they'll need to carve out a niche of thier own. But....anything that can potentially knock micros down a notch is fine by me. I can't stand micro switches for anything.....

[idsane]

I just read this whole thread and don't think I read anything about someone testing them? Has anyone? I am about to place an order for an IPAC so I think I will give some a try.

[Gray_Area]

This thread needs another sexual analogy.

Classic.

[DNA Dan]

Forget about the buttons, I want to hear more about that control panel  I've never even imagined something like that would be possible.

[Bludgeon]

The lesser the impact, and the more energy returned to you, equates to the more times you can do the motion without fatigue.. and the faster you can do it as well.

No, as it's been pointed out to you.  Soft surfaces don't return as much energy.  I don't see what you can't get about that.  Have you ever seen a kinetic energy toy made out of sponge?  There's a reason why not.

[Donkbaca]

All those controls on x2's panel and no proper way to play 720degrees

[VanillaGorilla]

the only way to play 720 is to have the actual machine. It took me 15 years to realize that. I literally waited that long to admit to myself that mame was never going to cut it for 720. All that time wasted, and all I had to do was spend $450 bucks. Sheesh. SKAYT OR DYE!!!!!!

[DNA Dan]

So after all the back and fourth am I the only one who bought some of these buttons? I'd like to hear what other people think of these.

[VanillaGorilla]

Well since you bought them, maybe you could share?

[DNA Dan]

See reply #38. It got buried during the "tastes great, less filling" debate.

[Homer41]

Just got mine and wondering how you wire these up?? They came with a cherry switch too, but it doesn't come out. Total noob ?s, but want 2 get this bad boy going!! Nothing on the website and only 2 leads to hook up to. Help! Cheers!!

[leapinlew]

I got sidetracked on other things... and it never got started.

You removed the picture? Thats total weak sauce... I have all my attempts and projects up just to show a progression. You can always say "It was 2008! I didn't know any better"

Also, if you say your done in a thread, that doesn't mean other people are done. 

[DNA Dan]

Just got mine and wondering how you wire these up?? They came with a cherry switch too, but it doesn't come out. Total noob ?s, but want 2 get this bad boy going!! Nothing on the website and only 2 leads to hook up to. Help! Cheers!!

I looked for markings on mine and didn't see any "+" or "-" on there either. They're also difficult to find on the Ultimarc website. I think Andy needs to streamline the website a bit, it's gettting dated. I can understand however as keeping up with the latest tech is a job in an of itself.

All I did is install them in the same orientation, then just chose one side for ground on all the buttons so they are treated the same. I am pretty sure these are NO all the time, so there is no need for a third NC leg on there.

Also, the connectors are .110 size. I used the ones over at www.twistedquarter.com, and they work really well.

[LeedsFan]

I bought a couple of the black ones for my classics panel on the Defender bartop. They are really nice to use and dead easy to instal (like any other button really). The button isn't quite as long as an original Happs button, but the look and style are almost exactly the same. In use there is no feel at all of any switch clicking. Then again I'm a Sanwa button fan myself and there's no feel or sound to those either. But if you want that classic 80's arcade look with a Sanwa feel then these are right up your street. My only niggle (and it is a minor one) is that the black plastic on mine weren't of a fantastically deep gloss finish. They had a slight "milky" look to the black. But that may be an issue with black only as I didn't buy any other colour.

When wiring them up I don't think it matters at all which terminal is the Ground. You don't have to pick the same one on each button. So long as one is common Ground and one is "live" then it will be fine.

[DNA Dan]

I too noticed that the blacks could be a little deeper. I installed nothing but these all black in my CP so I figure with nothing to compare it to, you wouldn't notice the "lighter" black. Sitting side by side next to a happ button I can clearly see the difference in color.

[mgb]

X, you forgot to mention that you managed an arcade for 3 years and thats how you know.

Andy, it looks like a great product as are the other products that I have bought from you in the past.
I look forward to trying a couple out soon and then decideing if I like them or not.
soon I will finally give in and try ordering a u360, I guess I'll try these then.

[gabe]

Bump... On the topic of actually trying these things...

I haven't spent a notable amount of time playing on "real" leaf springs, so I won't be able to offer a meaningful comparison in that regard. Fortunately, most leaf spring aficionados probably already know that these buttons are not for them (as evidenced by the diatribe found on pages one and two of this thread).

When compared to the Happ/Cherry buttons they replaced, I immediately noticed that The Ultimac GoldLeaf's were considerably quieter. The next thing I noticed was the low actuation force / low inertia. With the low actuation force comes what I interpret as low spring-back force. The difference in feel is hard to articulate. The closest I can come is to say that the GoldLeafs do not feel as "assertive" in actuation or spring-back as a Cherry switch. At first blush, I perceived this as feeling a bit "cheap" but in retrospect, I believe this was simply a case of mistaking familiarity with superiority. 

I hope the above paragraph does not sound negative, as my overall feelings for the GoldLeafs are quite positive. After spending some time playing games with intense repeated actuation (mostly shmups) I have decided that these buttons are going to stay in my cabinet for the foreseeable future.

My only real complaint is that the delicate 2.8mm connector tags proved to be no match for my ultra powerful and manly hands, which managed to snap one of them off during installation. This prompted me to order a set of spares (just in case) from divemaster127.

[Ravenger]

Another bump.

I've just finished upgrading my cabinet with 12 of these Ultimarc leaf-switch buttons, replacing the generic microswitch buttons the cab came with.

As has been said before, these do not feel the same as standard leaf-switches. They're very, very light in operation, and don't have a strong spring-back.

However compared to the microswitch buttons they replaced they're quieter and incredibly responsive, and make a huge difference in games like Defender or Joust where speed of firing is essential. They're also much less tiring on the fingers, due to the low actuation force, and you don't need to fully depress them to activate them.

For games like Asteroids which are played entirely on buttons they feel much more authentic than microswitch buttons.

On the minus side, the connectors are tiny and flimsy - I was concerned I might break them. I didn't want to have to re-crimp all my wires, so I had to bodge my cabinet's 4.8mm connectors to fit.

They were slighty shorter than the original buttons. but I had no issues with sizing, as they fit just about perfectly in my wooden panel. They take up much less room than microswitched buttons, which makes them easier to wire up too.

Overall, I like them a lot. They're a great alternative to microswitched buttons, especially if you don't have the room in your panel for standard leaf switches.

[jilted]

Thanks for bumping with your experience with these.  I was considering these for my Defender panel to try and get as much as possible on it!

[The Jerk]

[AndyWarne]

We are in the process of upgrading these buttons. The newer type are molded from a different material which is exactly the same as that used by IL / Happ for their buttons, and the thickness of the connector tags is increased.

Also the top part of the mold has been improved to give a more perfect curve on the top and shinier finish.

At the present time the only colors which are not upgraded are black, orange and light blue.

[wp34]

We are in the process of upgrading these buttons. The newer type are molded from a different material which is exactly the same as that used by IL / Happ for their buttons, and the thickness of the connector tags is increased.

Also the top part of the mold has been improved to give a more perfect curve on the top and shinier finish.

At the present time the only colors which are not upgraded are black, orange and light blue.

That is great news.  Any ETA on upgraded white buttons?

[docpoof]

I would be interested in knowing as well as I'm starting a new build.

Thanks Andy

[fettsvett201]

Cant wait to use these buttons in my furture cabinet.

A few years back there was mention of dark blue buttons being made (as the current ones are a little too light).

Is this still happening at some point?

Thanks

[AndyWarne]

Cant wait to use these buttons in my furture cabinet.

A few years back there was mention of dark blue buttons being made (as the current ones are a little too light).

Is this still happening at some point?

Thanks

Yes we have had dark blue (same as Happ) available for around a year now.

Andy

[fettsvett201]

Excellent.

I guess I didnt see it before. I was just going by the main picture and didnt click on the Add to Cart.

Thanks
Steve

Edit: Any chance of a purple button? Im doing a 4 player cabinet and wish to do Ninja Turtle colors for the control panel. Or do you think the dark blue would work?

[Yvan256]

Sorry to resurrect an old thread, but maybe someone will find this information useful.

All measurements were done with digital calipers on what I assume to be the last version of the buttons (received within the last month), rounded up to the nearest 0.1mm for non-critical measurements.

The 34mm radius is precise and so is the 35mm length underneath the mounting surface. The nuts (not shown) are ~35.2mm in diameter, ~9.5mm in thickness.

edit: don't mind the square shape of the button, I'm just not good enough with Sketchup to make circular rounded edges yet. The real buttons are really nice.