Best joystick for Defender/Stargate?

[CIA_Guy]

I'm building a dedicated Defender/Stargate arcade machine.  Which joystick has the feel of the original?  The J-Stik has the ball top, but I'd sacrifice that for the feel (pressure and throw) of the original controls.

Thanks!

[OSCAR]

This one is a bit more expensive than the Happ/Ultimarc sticks at $49, but Arcadeshop sells a reproduction Williams 2-way for Defender/Stargate/Joust.

http://www.arcadeshop.com/parts.htm#Joysticks

[Apollo]

You usually need the original ( or reproduction ) to get the reverse button the right distance from the stick. If you use a different stick converted to 2 way then the reverse button has to be too far away from the stick ( doesn't feel right ).

[telengard]

I'm building a dedicated Defender/Stargate arcade machine.  Which joystick has the feel of the original?  The J-Stik has the ball top, but I'd sacrifice that for the feel (pressure and throw) of the original controls.

Thanks!

I had made a control panel using a Happs 2 way.  It was awful.  I ended up getting
a real Defender joystick on eBay for not too much money.  It's great, here's a pic:

http://users.adelphia.net/~bsturk/mame/pics/defender_cfg.jpg

Personally, I wouldn't go any other way.  I have lots of other types of joysticks
(gyruss, nintendo, wico leafs) and nothing feels as sloppy as that defender joystick.  

[Apollo]

That's beautiful, I'm inspired. My next project was going to be a 19" vertical but  I think I'll make 2 19" cabs at the same time, 1 vertical, 1 horizontal then I can play Defender, cool.

[Smittydc]

I used the original layout using a repro 2-way -- can't beat it (I have swappable panels).

One thing I forgot about defender -- THE GAME IS HARD!!!

[RetroBorg]

One thing I forgot about defender -- THE GAME IS HARD!!!

This game is hard and I think I'll never be any good at it, but I remember as a kid watching people who were champs at this game and I can't think of anything as exciting as watching one of these Defender Gods going for it!

[Apollo]

There are a few tricks you need to know to play it well, I think KLOV has some answers.

[Grasshopper]

Defender joysticks aren't actually supposed to be sloppy. It's just that most of the ones you come across are very worn. Hardly surprising as most defender machines are over 20 years old. I bought a couple of genuine (as far as I know) defender joysticks from an ebay seller a couple of months ago($5 each!). They are fairly stiff and have a short throw.

The problem with the design is that the joysticks use metal strips instead of conventional springs to generate resistance to movement. I'm guessing that the strips get bent over time causing the sloppy feel.

If you want a modern alternative then I'd suggest buying a 2/4/8 way switchable Seimitsu.

[CIA_Guy]

Maybe someone with access to a Defender console can measure how high the stick is (top of CP to top of ball) and the total throw length?   (Even approximate numbers would help.)

Thanks.