After a few weeks of having my MAME cabinet in my basement, I’m really really enjoying it. However, one thing that is starting to bug me is the buttons.
They are Happ concave buttons that call for a 1 1/8” hole, and the microswitch is attached to them in the up/down direction.
They work fine, but they’re waaaay stiffer than I’d like. On shooters and games that require rapid button pressing, it gets really fatiguing, to the point of really detracting from the enjoyment factor. Not only that, but they make this kind of ugly crunchy sound when I press them. Not to be confused with the “click” of the switch—I’m fine with that—what I’m talking about sounds more like it has to do with the spring inside the button housing.
I also installed 1- and 2-player start buttons that have the little decals on them. Those buttons appear to use the same style of microswitch, but the switch mounts sideways to the button. By comparison, these buttons feel and sound fantastic and are just about what I would consider ideal for my fire buttons.
Another comparison I was able to make was with my brother’s X-Arcade stick. I’m not crazy about that thing as a product in general (because I prefer custom work), but I must say, I love the feel of the buttons on that thing compared to mine. I’ve never seen the inside of the X-Arcade stick so I don’t know what the buttons look like on the underside.
So, I guess my questions are:
- does what I’m describing sound typical for Happ buttons, or did I just get a bunk lot?
- Is the fact that the sideways-mounted-switch player start buttons feel much better (i.e. easier to press) simply a coincidence, or would this be considered “typical” of that button design?
- Can anybody recommend me an alternative product (note: must be white, concave, and designed for 1 1/8” hole; other than that, don’t care)? I’m seriously mulling the idea of buying all new buttons.
Thanks guys