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Dominux8 and Leaf Pro joysticks

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Mr. Peabody:
After trying and liking some chinese knock-off leaf sticks, I decided to give GGG's designs a run.

Dominux8: responsive switches, they're set pretty close to the actuator; so much that it's easy to go an extra spot or two in my game list when scrolling. The centering grommet is a little sluggish on return-to-center, which seems to contribute to this. The travel is two miles long; a mile long with the restrictor, about the same as a Competition; half a mile or less would be ideal. I also got the longer shaft, as suggested for 3/4'' panels, which is a comfortable height. Overall, built like a tank.

Leaf Pro: I needed to adjust the switches; then it played very well. The shaft is just long enough for a 3/4'' panel. The travel is more than I would like, but decent out of the box. Movement is easy and smooth - except for a 'bump' in one direction that developed at some point, where the shaft clunks back and forth during movement; turn the shaft, and the clunk rotates with it. It seems to be put (back) together correctly. I don't see any defects, so I don't know what I can do about it. Overall, the stick seems sturdy enough. Reminder that the base is smaller than standard, hence the mounting pattern is smaller; fortunately, small enough that I could tap a new set of holes without messing with the original ones.

Conclusion: in responsiveness, centering, and travel, the chinese knock-offs are easily better. They don't do 8-way that well, though, so one of the above is a better candidate for that.

opt2not:
Thanks for the write-up.  Though, I'd like to hear a comparison to original leaf Wico's, since the Dominux8 is supposed to be an alternative to the Robotron style sticks. Comparing it to Competition stick isn't the best since they aren't really the same "type" of stick.

Mr. Peabody:
There was little comparison in the review. Competition stick was used to give an idea of travel. On that note, I'm going to revise my request: a third of a mile travel would be ideal.

RandyT:
I'll start by stating that the reviews and direct communications sent to me by the other hundred or so users of these sticks is polar opposite to what has been written above.  More than one user has actually conveyed that they thought the Dominux was the best stick ever made for games like Robotron, and other classics, including the originals in the conclusion.  Comparing a rubber grommet centered stick to a spring-centered stick is less than ideal.  If the user has only had experience with the latter, which BTW, weren't the type used on any of the arcade classics, they will not be familiar with how a high-end grommet stick feels, and it may take some time with it to appreciate the differences.  The additional features of the Dominux, which allow for switch adjustment and shaft length alteration, also make it a completely different beast, and the manner in which it is configured and installed can make vast differences in how it feels and performs.  See below....


--- Quote from: Mr. Peabody on June 25, 2016, 06:03:45 pm ---The centering grommet is a little sluggish on return-to-center, which seems to contribute to this. The travel is two miles long; a mile long with the restrictor, about the same as a Competition; half a mile or less would be ideal. I also got the longer shaft, as suggested for 3/4'' panels, which is a comfortable height. Overall, built like a tank.

--- End quote ---

I'm not really sure how to better convey the shaft length adjustability features, and the effects the length of the shaft has on throw and return to center, than I already have in the product description and in multiple posts on the subject.  There is no longer or shorter shaft for the Dominux sticks.  The physical shaft part is the same length for both configurations, and the option on the site simply tells us how to assemble the unit for your intended use, so you won't need to change anything when you open the box.  The length is always adjustable by the user, if he/she decides that the other configuration is preferable.

First, some engineering background:  The throw of any stick is dictated first and foremost by the distance between the part of the shaft being held, and the fulcrum point.  It is then limited, or not, by optional restriction, with that restriction amount being limited to something which is still able to reliably actuate the switches, without the throw of the shaft feeling too "truncated" to the user.

To reduce the length, and subsequently the throw, of the Dominux shaft, you simply need to exchange the position of the white plastic parts at the top and bottom of the assembly (or order it that way to begin with.)  For a 3/4" panel, this will likely require that a pocket be routed into the underside of the panel, to increase the exposed height of the shaft, just as would be necessary with the shorter shafted WICO joysticks, "asian" joysticks or the Leaf-Pro.  An option to further reduce the throw for the Dominux in the shorter configuration, would be to have ordered the reduced throw circular restrictor when the Dominux stick was purchased, which accurately approximates the feel of the original short WICO joystick, but which also brings with it the somewhat truncated feel of that stick.  This restrictor will also reduce the throw in the longer configuration, but a longer shaft will still equal a longer throw.

And finally, just because a joystick allows a user to push it beyond the point of switch closure, it is unnecessary, and often not beneficial to use it in this manner.  The switches actuate at the point to which they are adjusted, regardless of the physical restriction.  This is why avid Robotron players hold the Dominux in such high regard.   They can adjust the switches to provide very precise control without moving the shaft very much at all, all while having the longer shafts to provide the feel of the original sticks used with that title.

opt2not:

--- Quote from: RandyT on June 28, 2016, 04:17:25 pm ---More than one user has actually conveyed that they thought the Dominux was the best stick ever made for games like Robotron, and other classics, including the originals in the conclusion.
--- End quote ---
Thanks Randy.  This is what I've been hearing from fellow Robotron enthusiasts. I've yet to pick them up yet for my cabinet, but they're definitely on my buy-list, just a bit lower on the priority right now since my Wico's are still feeling really good since the last time I serviced them.



--- Quote from: RandyT on June 28, 2016, 04:17:25 pm ---Comparing a rubber grommet centered stick to a spring-centered stick is less than ideal.  I

--- End quote ---
Yeah this is what I was alluding to. They're aren't the same type of stick, mechanically, so I didn't really think the comparison was the right way to go.

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