Happ Buttons & IPac vs. Easy Gate

[Ktrilla]

Hello everyone!

I am debating between building my first arcade with Happ controls and an IPac 2 encoder or Easyget with the provided encoder.

The link to the Happ buttons are below:
https://www.amazon.com/Happ-Arcade-Control-Panel-Multi-Color/dp/B00GBC0AR4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1481726284&sr=8-1&keywords=happ+arcade+buttons

The link to the Easyget LED Arcade buttons are below:
https://www.amazon.com/Easyget-Encoder-Joystick-Illuminated-Buttons/dp/B00WAY9848/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1481726121&sr=8-1&keywords=arcade+buttons

I am concerned about a lack or true old school arcade style with the Easyget... I am concerned about the challenges with wiring the Happ controls. The Easyget appears to have wires that just "plug and play" into the encoder.

The buttons will be fed to a Rasberry Pie running RetroPie.

If you have any other thoughts, concerns, or recommendations I am all ears!

Thanks for your thoughts

[Titchgamer]

Happ are quality buttons when coupled with a good switch.
Just put crimped spade connectors (qd's) on the end of your wires and push on.

Easy

[Ktrilla]

Thanks! The appeal to the Easyget buttons is both the "plug" option directly to the encoder but also the LED.

Do you know if the Easyget buttons are any good?

[mahuti]

I've had lots of different buttons over the years. Most feel fine. If you aren't using it in a bar, I'm sure they'll be fine. They should be pretty easily replaceable if you hate them. You'll just be down a few $$.

That said, I would personally go with Happ + iPac. And because I'm lazy, I would get the iPac from ultimarc along with the buttons Andy sells so I could get them all from the same place. I'm not a huge fan of the easy get style of button. Where wiring is concerned, if you have the right tools, it's dead simple with an iPac. A decent set of wire strippers is critical. If you don't want to get one of those, then I'd go with the other set. If you get the wirestrippers, you just strip both ends. The iPac side screws down with a small flathead. The other side attach those spade connectors which you can crimp on with your new wire strippers, and then plug straight into the buttons.

Using the Happ/Ipac, you won't have LED buttons, but eh. 

[DeLuSioNal29]

Why not just get a miniPac and be done with it?  It's a quality product and easy to hook up.

http://ultimarc.com/minipac.html

Also, the ipac and minipacs are keyboard encoders.  The Zero delay is a joystick encoder.  Not sure if that matters to you or not.  But the Zero delay will show up as a joystick and joystick buttons.  Some emulators hate this.

DeL

[mahuti]

Some emulators hate this.

Yeah. No kidding. Works great for Mame though.

[Titchgamer]

Ultimarc also sells pre made wiring harnesses for the Ipac.

If you want LEDs they also sell ultralux buttons which are plug and play LED buttons when combined with a PACLED.

As for easy gate I have never used or seen them so I cant really comment.
But I am always dubious of kits.

[velcrobomb]

Happ are quality buttons when coupled with a good switch.

I'm wondering about which button/switch combo to go with as well. 

Ultimarc has the GoldLeaf
However, GGG has Micro-Leaf Switches which are intriguing me because they seem like they would be the closest thing to true leaf switches.  Anyone have experience with them?

[Titchgamer]

Micro leafs are basically microswitches with very low actuation levers.
They work well but they have very small terminals.