I built my own custom joystick that I am quite happy with except, the Pac-Pro from GroovyGameGear (see picture). I don't think I can return the Pac-Pro, but am waiting to hear from Randy for confirmation, so if anyone wants it, let me know.
About my joystick...
My joystick was made to be mostly portable (not built into a cabinet) and flexible in its use and I use it with RetroPie. It has an 8-way Dominux8 configured with a short shaft with a short throw circular restrictor and it is perfect for what I want for 8-way games: it is smooth as butter and doesn't travel too far. Only occasionally I accidentally hit diagonals which is most noticeable when navigating the menus of RetroPie, but I can easily live with this. I can use it left or right handed, so for example on Atari 2600 games, I use one of the buttons on the left and hold either stick with my right hand. For the electronics, I used a Teensy 3.2 and I programmed it so that I can use either stick and turn rapid-fire on and off on the fly for each button by pressing button combinations on the joystick.
To my question...
The Pac-Pro from GroovyGameGear (based on the reunion stick) is considerably smaller than the Dominux8 and it is very hard to move compared to the Dominux8. I need to move the stick pretty far before it registers a direction and going between directions along the diamond restrictor gate has a considerable deadzone where the joystick reads as centered. When trying to use this stick with Donkey Kong, there is a delay between moving right and moving up the ladder because of this deadzone. I assume I can move the leaf switches to fix this somewhat, but it won't fix the feel of how hard I need to push on the stick. The short stick with the small ball also contributes to this because there is less leverage. I thought about buying the Versa-Ball 2 shaft, but with the additional cost, I could go with a Dominux8 and 4-way restrictor.
So before I do anything further, I wanted to ask what 4-way joystick you would recommend based on these ideal requirements:
- Smooth feel without taking a lot of strength to move the stick (similar to a Dominux8 with short-throw circular restrictor)
- Short throw distance for both initial switch engagement and total throw distance (by the way I have a Sanwa JLF and the total throw distance is further than I would like, and I don't like the clicking noises - do they have a short-throw 4-way gate available?)
- No clicking noises (I can swap out microswitches with micro-leaf switches from GGG if needed and if it is compatible - do these work with Sanwa joysticks?)
- Ideally the mounting pattern will be the same as the Pac-Pro since I already drilled my holes and any bigger won't fit
- New (I am not sure I can find a good used Wico 4-way, but otherwise that might be perfect)
- Not too long/tall (I have a metal panel, and the Dominux8 is already as tall as I would want at the most)
Sticks I am thinking about currently in order of most interested to least:
- GGG Dominux 8 with 4-way restrictor - not sure about the clover leaf gate, but it would probably work fine since it allows short throw and prevents diagonals
- U360 with front mounted switchable 4/8-way restrictor - this would also allow me to play Robotron on my joystick when configured as an 8-way; The big downside to this option is cost and most likely eliminates the option
- GGG Leaf-Pro with 4-way restrictor - I am assuming this would work better and be less stiff for me than the Pac-Pro, but I don't really know
- Adjust the leaf switches on the Pac-pro to make the throw engage distance shorter. This could solve most of my issues. Is there a way to replace the spring? I heard you can compress it and heat it, but I don't have a blow torch.
- In addition to the line above get a Versa-ball 2 shaft to help with the stiffness/leverage issue
My Sanwa JLF could work well if it had a much smaller 4-way gate and didn't click. It is nice and easy to move around. I would need to adapt the mounting to the holes already drilled in my joystick. Maybe I could make a mounting plate with a smaller hole restricting the joystick movement at the top. There's an idea... I will look into this plus GGG microleaf switches if they are compatible.
I am totally open to other recommendations besides the list above. I am basically will to spend as much as $60 to get a good joystick that works, and would like to get most of my money back for the Pac-Pro. I haven't bent the leaf switches yet in the hopes of being able to return it.
Thanks for your help.
Mike
Just an update, after writing this, I did more research and am also considering a Seimitsu LS-40. I guess they are very loud with the clicking, but otherwise may meet my requirements of soft movement and a short throw. I would need a mounting plate adapter ($10.58 shipped) and the joystick is $20 plus shipping (say $35 total). I also found affordable Korean Wico clones, but not sure if they are any good because the way to change the restrictor seems to be different than a normal Wico. A Dominux8 would be about $50-$60.