Classic 4-way Joy with Removeable Balltop

[roknrol]

I'm kicking around an idea of a vertical bartop playing only classic, vertical MAME. I'm thinking about a single 4-way, but I'd like a removeable balltop. If it wasn't for the second requirement, I'd get the Leaf Pro from GGG and call it done.

Is a Zippyy going to be my best bet if I want something other than a red ball? Or have I overlooked another option?

BTW: I have no experience with joys at this point -- only what I have gathered from lurking reading!

[Well Fed Games]

I built a 4-way bartop last year and I really liked the Sanwa JLW I put in it... great 4-way, switchable to 8 if if you ever change your mind. Zippys do 4-way but the restrictor is more clover shaped than diamond shaped, so there is a bit of a bump that you may not like.

http://www.paradisearcadeshop.com/8-way-only-joysticks/104-sanwa-jlw-tm-8-joystick.html

[shponglefan]

I'd go with a Seimitsu LS-32 (01 or 02).  Also, you might be interested in this thread: 4-way joystick shootout! (Leaf-Pro, Sanwa JLW, Ultrastik 360, Seimitsu LS-32-02)

[severdhed]

I'm also a big fan of the Sanwa JLW-TM-8.  it makes a great dedicated 4 way and has a removable ball top. It also makes a great 8 way stick if you want to change it later.

[mgb]

Even though the Sanwa JLW didn't show so well in the above mentioned shootout, I think its a great 4 way stick.
personally I would stay clear of the zippyy.

[shponglefan]

The JLW is a decent stick; my only knock against it is spring feels on the heavier side.  But that's personal preference more than anything else.

[michelevit]

The zippy is a well made ball top four-way stick. The included restrictor plate is a nice plus. I highly recommend it.

[roknrol]

Thanks everyone for chiming in. I appreciate the feedback as I mull it all over.

Sphonglefan: Thanks for the link to your shootout. I knew I had seen that thread a couple of months ago, but my brief searching didn't uncover it. I especially appreciate your thoughtful approach of giving your opinion concerning the play of each stick in regard to several of the exact games I want to focus on.

A couple more questions, as I think I'm starting to understand it all. Is this correct?

Sanwa JLW = 4/8 way
Sanwa JLF = 8-way only
Zippyy = Semitsu LS-32 (not 01 or 02)
Omni2 = Sanwa JLW with modified restrictor for easier switching

Also, as a possible deciding factor between the Sanwa and Semitsu sticks: for those who have been using either for a long time, will one hold up better than the other? I ask because I'm building this to introduce my 5 year old to some of Dad's classics. I expect some spirited abuse use.

[BadMouth]

The center part of the JLF restrictor can be rotated for 4-way, but it sucks as a 4-way.

carry on...

[keilmillerjr]

The JLF is not limited to only 8-way. You can rotate the square restrictor to 4 or 8 way. There is also circle and octagon restrictors. http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,133016.0.html

[severdhed]

Also, as a possible deciding factor between the Sanwa and Semitsu sticks: for those who have been using either for a long time, will one hold up better than the other? I ask because I'm building this to introduce my 5 year old to some of Dad's classics. I expect some spirited abuse use.

i have no experience wih semitsu sticks, but i have had a pair of JLWs in my showcase cabinet for a few years and they are quite durable. This cabinet is primarily used by my 4 and 6 year old sons....i have no complaints about the quality of the JLW sticks.

[roknrol]

Is the JLW just that much more of a robust stick than the JLF? I thought the primary difference was the restrictor.

[Well Fed Games]

If you haven't yet I suggest http://www.slagcoin.com, it does a good job of explaining the nuances

[redbeard30]

FWIW....I bought zippyys for my project... When they were new all was good, but after a year they seem to be very loose and worn out feeling. This is only with maybe 6-8 hours a month play time!

[RandyT]

I'm kicking around an idea of a vertical bartop playing only classic, vertical MAME. I'm thinking about a single 4-way, but I'd like a removeable balltop. If it wasn't for the second requirement, I'd get the Leaf Pro from GGG and call it done.

Just an FYI; I have replacement stainless shafts being made for these to make this a reality.  The cost will be higher, but so will the quality and the available color options.

FWIW....I bought zippyys for my project... When they were new all was good, but after a year they seem to be very loose and worn out feeling. This is only with maybe 6-8 hours a month play time!

Tip:  Remove the spring from the bottom and stretch it a bit, so it's about 3/16" longer.  It's probably getting a little soft after ~100 hours of use, and this should tighten it back up.

[roknrol]

If you haven't yet I suggest [url=http://www.slagcoin.com]http://www.slagcoin.com[/URL], it does a good job of explaining the nuances

Oh. Well. There you go.  Thank you for that!

Just an FYI; I have replacement stainless shafts being made for these to make this a reality.  The cost will be higher, but so will the quality and the available color options.

Ack! Just when I was starting to narrow it down! Too many good choices ...!

[mgb]

Sanwa JLW = 4/8 way
Sanwa JLF = 8-way only
Zippyy = Semitsu LS-32 (not 01 or 02)
Omni2 = Sanwa JLW with modified restrictor for easier switching

The JLF can be used as a 4 way.
Most will say its terrible for it but I don't totally agree. It's an ok 4 way for certain games but it possible to hit diagonals.

I've never tried the seimitsu but it gets very high ratings. Yes the Zippyy is the same style but I doubt it's as good.
I put some zippyys in for a customer once and I thought they were sloppy.

No the Omni 2 is not exactly a JLW. It's a knock off with slightly longer throw.

[roknrol]

Thanks for chiming in -- I appreciate all opinions! The other night I spent some time going through the games archive at KLOV for 1) some cab theme ideas, and 2) to see what kind of controls were used for some of my old time favorites. I was actually surprised that a few games I'd like to target (IIRC, Twin Cobras and Time Pilot were two) used an 8-way stick. Didn't realize that.

So, now I'm thinking a switchable 4/8-way might be a better option. I'm leaning toward the various flavors of JLW. Between the Omni2, J-Stik, and straight JLW am I really going to see much of a difference?

Maybe I should throw out there that I'm thinking undermounting in 1/2" MDF for a single-player vertical bartop, if that makes a difference.

[mgb]

Well which one you use will be determined by a couple of different things.

Will you have access to the underside of the joystick so you can switch between them?

The JLW straight out stock is not convenient for switching. You'd have to loosen the screws to change ways.

I tried the Omni2 but I wasn't thrilled with it. I prefer the JLW and I feel it's a better built stick, so I took the mod used on the omni2 and swapped it over to the JLW. At first I just used the restrictor from the Omni2 on my JLW but I found it had too much throw so I ended up just doing the simple mod to the JLW restrictor.
For me, I think it's a great feeling stick.

Just to give you an idea of what I think was a good solution for me I'll tell you how I did my control panel.

I have 2 sticks, both under mounted in a metal control panel. I added 1/2" spacers to drop the ball tops just a little lower than they would otherwise be in metal.
My left stick is a JLW with a round gate so it's strict 8 way only. It has a heavier spring and cherry switches from happ super joystick. This is the stick I use for any 8 way game and even two way games such as galaga. To me, this stick is perfect.
My right stick is a JLW with the standard spring and soft switches. It has the same mod as the omni2. I generally keep this stick in 4 way mode and only reach through the coin door and rotate it if my son and I decide to play something like a fighter where two 8-ways are needed.

This setup suits me well for most playing situations where I may feel like playing 1942 and then switch up and play Eyes ( a game that actually gets a lot of play on my arcade)

For 8-ways, I like the round gate, not square so I'm not big on using the standard JLW for 8 way.

Not to confuse you with more options but have you looked into the servostik or the u360, both from ultimarc.