Disappointed with my joysticks

[DEL 707]

I'm using 2 Happ joysticks on my, think their competition sticks, and I can't say I'm very happy with them.
4 way games are brilliant, but you really have to jam them in the corners to get the diagonals to work.

Here's a picture of how I set it up



The block on the end seems to have a bit of free movement, i.e can rotate, have I set this up wrong?

[Heretik]

From that angle, it looks OK to me. I notice your joystick bolts are awefully close to the unused tabs on your switches. If those touch, it could ground out that portion of the switch and affect your gameplay as that connector on the switch is closed by default.

[DEL 707]

Thanks for the reply.

The bolts aren't near the switches, think it's a play on the camera angle.
If the joystick is setup correctly, then I'm pretty disappointed in it, it makes any 8-way game harder then it should be.
Can any1 recommend a replacement, I didn't build this cabinet with the purpose of playing fighting games on them, but I'll be damned if I'm not enjoying them at the moment 

[Cynicaster]

I've got Happ comps on my 2-player cabinet and they behave exactly opposite to what you're saying--they work great for 8-way games but kind of stink for 4-way games.  Which is just fine with me, because I have a dedicated 4-way stick on my panel as well. 

I'm not saying these sticks are nearly the end-all-be-all of arcade controls, but they're a utilitarian and very affordable general-purpose product.  If you're finding you have to "jam it into the diagonals" in an unnatural way to get it to do what you want, something is wrong. 

[Diet_Pepsi]

I've got Happ comps on my 2-player cabinet and they behave exactly opposite to what you're saying--they work great for 8-way games but kind of stink for 4-way games.  Which is just fine with me, because I have a dedicated 4-way stick on my panel as well. 

I'm not saying these sticks are nearly the end-all-be-all of arcade controls, but they're a utilitarian and very affordable general-purpose product.  If you're finding you have to "jam it into the diagonals" in an unnatural way to get it to do what you want, something is wrong. 

+1

[Gray_Area]

Old hat. Comps suck...for about everything...if not everything. Plenty of alternatives.

[Unstupid]

If you are looking for a good replacement look at the Sanwa JLW's.  They use the same mounting holes as the Happ Comp's making it an easy switch.  Paradise Arcade shop sells a bat top version so you won't notice the difference.  The JLW's use a round actuator so you don't have to worry about it spinning on you.  Even better are the JLF's but those would require an adapter plate or new holes in your CP.

[RandyT]

I'm using 2 Happ joysticks on my, think their competition sticks, and I can't say I'm very happy with them.
4 way games are brilliant, but you really have to jam them in the corners to get the diagonals to work.

Here's a picture of how I set it up

...

The block on the end seems to have a bit of free movement, i.e can rotate, have I set this up wrong?

That block on the end should move, and very freely at that.  I think my first question would be what size hole you have in the panel for the stick to pass through, and then, how thick is the panel?

You should not be having that kind of issue at all with these, so I'm wondering if the hole size is too small and restricting full motion of the stick.

[MacGyver]

I agree, judging by the button's remaining threads and the fact that the joystick is mounted flush against the bottom, I'd say it's too low in the panel, and if the shaft is touching the hole anywhere, there's your answer.

[DEL 707]

Just installed 1 of my new Sanwa JLW's and tried a game of SF3.
Much better

[Heretik]

It very well could have been the holes, then, not allowing diagonals. I agree with most here, as I have the opposite problem. 8-way works fantastic, 4-way.............not so much.

Glad to hear your new stick is working out, though!