Where do I get "THESE" buttons ?

[SNAAAKE]

 

Anyone ?
What are they called ?

[mahuti]

http://www.happcontrols.com/pushbuttons/954002xxxxz.htm

Happ Controls Jumbo Round With Locking Lampholder

[kevin]

They sort of look like Happ jumbo dome illuminated pushbuttons. They're available in the same colors as the picture.





I'm assuming you're looking to build a pop'n'music controller? I've seen others use the flat wico buttons instead of the Happ domes, because they cost significantly less. Not sure how they feel compared to the domed ones, as I haven't had a chance to play pop'n'music yet.

Edit: Looks like I was beaten.

-Kevin

[mahuti]

when looking at the HTMl source for that page, I took a look at the .js file that makes the framless page reload the page with frames.... came across this

"// added 11-14-2k1 by GSM: added a delay cause people were crying about it, customers that is"

Just thought that this touch of humanity left in by a programmer is funny. Usually code is so clinical and stale. It's really shocking when I see any kind of human messages in it.

[SNAAAKE]

26$ a button seems...a lot
Any other place that might be selling these ?
Anyone ?

[RandyT]

26$ a button seems...a lot
Any other place that might be selling these ?
Anyone ?

I don't know who else would be selling these, but these things are HUGE!  Are you sure these are what you are looking for?

I used one for a really weird CP (non arcade related) and couldn't imagine using them for anything other than a "whack a mole" or hand operated "dance" controller.  

Anyway, they are expensive because of their size, the fact that they light up, and most likely the durability engineered into them considering their intended uses.

So what are you thinking of using them for?

RandyT

[Sephroth57]

ive been looking into these too as im builing my own Pop N Music controller. the actual buttons they use are from Coinopexpress.com, but they only sell them 80 of 1 color minimum, and at that bulk only cost 4$ each!  the cheapest place to buy the induvidually is from Betson.com. theyre like 17$ each there and same as the happs one. theyre actually better then the ones on the ransai controller cause theirs dont light up when you hit em.

[Industen]

The ransai controller button don't illuminate when you hit them? You have to ask for the LED mod if you want that option. What I mean to say is that Betson, Coinopexpress, and Happs all have the illumination feature. To bad we couldn't order 20 of each of the 4 colors to equal the 80 min. Then we could all chip in. 320 buttons to have all 4 colors is a bit much. Then again you could buy all white buttons and purchase different colored LED's. Somehow I think it wouldn't look the same though.

[Goz]

These look like they may be close to what you are looking for:

http://www.centsibleamusements.com/product.asp?0=217&1=225&3=101

2" diamet lighted $5.95 ea comes in RED, YELLOW, GREEN

Hope this helps,

[Sephroth57]

yeah ive seen those but the real arcade buttons are 3.8inches. same as the happs/betson ones. pretty much if you want a nice Pop N Music panel you gotta dish out for the premium buttons. you could get wico flat buttons for 4$ each but if im gonna do it im gonna do it right

[chrisindfw]

I am looking for the same thing. I am making a "You Dont Know Jack" Control panel and need big buttons. I was tempted to add a microswitch to a taplight.

[RandyT]

I am looking for the same thing. I am making a "You Dont Know Jack" Control panel and need big buttons. I was tempted to add a microswitch to a taplight.

Now THAT'S a great idea.  Those things can be had for a buck each and you might even be able to use the switching mech already inside, as long as you can defeat the latching.  Probably a molded mechanism that just needs a pin broken off to become a "momentary" switch.

I have a couple around that will get dissected this evening and I'l report back if no-one else beats me to it .

RandyT

[chrisindfw]

Now if only they had taplights in different colors.

[Stingray]

Couldn't you just put colored bulbs in them? Maybe paint the inside of the lens? Where there's a will there's a way. I agree, great idea.

-S

[RandyT]

Now if only they had taplights in different colors.

Depending on the material the dome is made out of, surface dying the plastic with RIT dye might be a viable option.

RandyT

[crashwg]

are they comperable in size to the arcade buttons?

[chrisindfw]

are they comperable in size to the arcade buttons?

The taplight is bigger than the ones on Happs. I do not know the size of the arcade buttons.

[RandyT]

are they comperable in size to the arcade buttons?

The taplight is bigger than the ones on Happs. I do not know the size of the arcade buttons.

There are "mini" ones out there as well.   IIRC, they seemed pretty close to that size.

I'll have to keep my eyes open for them.....

RandyT

[unclet]

When my son was a baby and we had to change him in the middle of the night, we had a plastic domed light which you could simply push on the big domed side and it lit up.   It was like a nightlight.  It looked similiar to what you want.  Think you get them at Target or Walmart or some place similiar.   I gurantee they were not $26 each.    Maybe you could use something like this.    I forget the name of course, so maybe none of this really helps you.

[Jakobud]

When my son was a baby and we had to change him in the middle of the night, we had a plastic domed light which you could simply push on the big domed side and it lit up.   It was like a nightlight.  It looked similiar to what you want.  Think you get them at Target or Walmart or some place similiar.   I gurantee they were not $26 each.    Maybe you could use something like this.    I forget the name of course, so maybe none of this really helps you.

Those are the taplights.

[SNAAAKE]

Anybody actually build a popnmusic panel ?
Any links ?
I am trying to build one but...

ive been looking into these too as im builing my own Pop N Music controller. the actual buttons they use are from Coinopexpress.com, but they only sell them 80 of 1 color minimum, and at that bulk only cost 4$ each!  the cheapest place to buy the induvidually is from Betson.com. theyre like 17$ each there and same as the happs one. theyre actually better then the ones on the ransai controller cause theirs dont light up when you hit em.

How do you know he gets em from coinexpress ?
That ransai dude told me he imports em from hong kong.
You have the link to beton cone style buttons ?
(their site is confusing,cant find)  

[Sasquatch!]

when looking at the HTMl source for that page, I took a look at the .js file that makes the framless page reload the page with frames.... came across this

"// added 11-14-2k1 by GSM: added a delay cause people were crying about it, customers that is"

Just thought that this touch of humanity left in by a programmer is funny. Usually code is so clinical and stale. It's really shocking when I see any kind of human messages in it.

Hahaha.  I think most programmers/webmasters still have a "touch of humanity" when it comes to berating their end users at least.

[RandyT]

I have a couple around that will get dissected this evening and I'l report back if no-one else beats me to it .

Is it bad luck to quote yourself?

Ok, since I didn't see anyone say they did it yet, I pulled one of these apart.  It wasn't easy considering all the protesting that was going on.  I didn't pay alot of attention to it, so I only managed to pick out a few words....emergency, power outage, etc....too many "what ifs" for my tastes.

So, the first thing I did was test out the action.  Seemed pretty good.  Easy to turn on and off.  Pretty reliable actuation (which actually didn't bode well for an easy mod.)  Time to go inside for a look....

I pulled the four tiny philips screws and the thing falls apart in my hands.  Ok, I pick up the pieces and try to forget about the need to put the light shaped puzzle back together at the end of this.

Now I look for the switch.  Nuts!  Its a real switch.  No simple springy pieces of copper or ingenious, easily defeated,  molded latching mechanisms.  Just a nice little quality push-on/push-off switch.

But wait!  I can see a seam!  So I wrecklessly jam my thumbnail into the seam on both sides of the switch and like any mechanism under spring pressure, it too transforms itself into a nearly impossible looking puzzle.  Only this time, it's about 1000 times smaller  

After staring at the parts for about 10 minutes through the illuminated magnifier lamp I use for my electronics work, I start to see how the switch worked.  There was something that looked like a piece of bent wire that moved on a pivot.  Surely this random looking part was responsible for the toggling action of the switch, so out it went.  

Now all I had to do was to get that pencil-lead sized contact back into its holder and aligned with the contacts it slid on previously, while at the same time positioning the spring in it's proper place and snapping the upper body of the switch back in place.

Anyone who has tried this type of stuff probably already knows that you get about 3 chances to put it together.  The first one usually fails miserably and the second one usually involves looking for the parts for about 10-minutes.  By time the third and last attempt is upon you, you have enough experience with the mechanism to get it far enough to get some really good tension on that spring....

Long story longer, I think the spring went in my coffee and the little metal contact went into the cat box..and I'm not going in there looking for it.

So after all the "I told you so's" and promises to replace things fallen victim to my folly, I came to the conclusion that cobbing a real microswitch in there might not be a bad idea.  But seeing that I need to get a replacement light for the wife, I might as well pick up a couple extra and give it another shot.

I'll report back when I find out more......

RandyT

[Industen]

How do you know he gets em from coinexpress

Ransai Thread here:

=http://www.ddrfreak.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=79675&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0


CoinopExpress
=http://www.coinopexpress.com/products/parts/push_button/Dome_Illuminated_Push_Button_3476.html

You have the link to beton cone style buttons

The Beton ones are in Adobe Arcobat Just click on Pushbuttons and go down a page or two.

[Wienerdog]

when looking at the HTMl source for that page, I took a look at the .js file that makes the framless page reload the page with frames.... came across this

"// added 11-14-2k1 by GSM: added a delay cause people were crying about it, customers that is"

Just thought that this touch of humanity left in by a programmer is funny. Usually code is so clinical and stale. It's really shocking when I see any kind of human messages in it.

Hahaha.  I think most programmers/webmasters still have a "touch of humanity" when it comes to berating their end users at least.

The funny part is that the year is listed as 2k1.  I hope I never reach his level of dork.  Wait, I'm on a programmer on a "build your own arcade controls" website.... crap... I'm too late.

[Goz]

WICO appears to have something really close to this

http://www.wicothesource.com/new2/pages/page86.htm

$9.95 each

model 22-0580-x

according to the price sheet comes in

Red, oRange, Yellow, Green, Blue, White

Size: 3 7/8"

[SNAAAKE]

Oh hey thanks,those wico buttons looks good enough.I will be selling them as well but it will be cheaper then ransai and I will put artwork+plexi.

Another question,how exactly do I light the buttons ?
Does a ps pad draws enough power to light 9 buttons with 5+ ?
Orrr any other way  

[Sephroth57]

nice those wico ones look the same. haha the ransai guy told you he imports them?? HAHAHA what a liar, he makes them himself i know him from the ddrfreak.com message boards. yeah bulk bought the 4$ buttons uses a 5$ PS1 pad, and makes a wood box, and sells them for 250$. i asked him a couple questions about how his controllers were made and he wouldnt even tell me. not that i need his help anyway, was just curious. but yeah that guys a total ripoff.

anyway, thos wico buttons will be what im using, 90$ for buttons is the best we can do with these.

[SNAAAKE]

nice those wico ones look the same. haha the ransai guy told you he imports them?? HAHAHA what a liar, he makes them himself i know him from the ddrfreak.com message boards. yeah bulk bought the 4$ buttons uses a 5$ PS1 pad, and makes a wood box, and sells them for 250$. i asked him a couple questions about how his controllers were made and he wouldnt even tell me. not that i need his help anyway, was just curious. but yeah that guys a total ripoff.

anyway, thos wico buttons will be what im using, 90$ for buttons is the best we can do with these.

Thats why I will be owning his ass for free
Mine will be $200 with lighted buttons and all the jizz  
(no not kidding,it dont look to hard to build.I can build like 5 every sunday lol)

[Industen]

Couldn't you use a cheap power supply and run LED's off of that? Just splice into the 12volt and ground and your done. I'm not an electrician but I do have 10 LED's on my cab doing the same. The only downside is you'd have to plug it in.  


SNAAAKE
If you are going to be building some you can add me to the list...your artwork is excellent!!!!

[Industen]

This will help you out.

Panel Dimensions:

http://www.geocities.com/sabinraijin/Blueprint.txt

The Happs buttons are the EXACT buttons used for Pop n Music in case you wanted to know. Now start busting out some sweet PNM artwork at you are set.

Doesn't look as good IMO, buttons are higher



HAPPS must get these buttons from CoinopExpress. Here is a HAPP built one

[SNAAAKE]

Couldn't you use a cheap power supply and run LED's off of that? Just splice into the 12volt and ground and your done. I'm not an electrician but I do have 10 LED's on my cab doing the same. The only downside is you'd have to plug it in.  


SNAAAKE
If you are going to be building some you can add me to the list...your artwork is excellent!!!!

What exactly are you refering to as "cheap power supply" ?
Atx powersupply
Anyone else have any other ideas about lighting these buttons ?

Yes you get a b.y.o.a.c discount allriiight  

[Industen]

I've used ATX power supplys for lighting. Just buy the cheapo 250watt ones. Go to Pricewatch.com and pick some up for 13 bucks each.

[adonis_minus_20]

Thats why I will be owning his ass for free
Mine will be $200 with lighted buttons and all the jizz  
(no not kidding,it dont look to hard to build.I can build like 5 every sunday lol)

Have you followed up on this idea?  Are you still planning on building these?  At $200 I'm interested.  If you can offer a good quality controller with all those features, and at that price point, you may just have yourself some business.

Jim

[Dave_K.]

This will help you out.

Panel Dimensions:

http://www.geocities.com/sabinraijin/Blueprint.txt

Thanks for the link Industen.  In case anyone actually wants to view this, you need to save this "txt" file as a .jpg locally, and then view.  The author did this so he could serve jpg's out of geocities without the warning msg coming up.

[Dave_K.]

But seeing that I need to get a replacement light for the wife, I might as well pick up a couple extra and give it another shot.

I'll report back when I find out more......

Randy, did you get a chance at taking another look at the tap lights? I believe I have one of these at home somewhere too...have to give it a try myself.  I don't see a problem if the dome is bigger than whats in the arcade (unless you want to be "authentic").  If anything, this makes it easier to hit/play.

[RandyT]

Randy, did you get a chance at taking another look at the tap lights? I believe I have one of these at home somewhere too...have to give it a try myself.  I don't see a problem if the dome is bigger than whats in the arcade (unless you want to be "authentic").  If anything, this makes it easier to hit/play.

I did pick up another to experiment on, but haven't gotten around to putting the pain to it.

I kind of got dis-enchanted with it when I could no longer find the mini touch lamps at the local dollar store.  

I'll give it another look this weekend, but these would be some awfully big buttons .

RandyT

[Dave_K.]

I was able to successfully take apart my taplight.  I'm guessing there may be several versions (ranging from cheap to expensive).  Mine had 4 screws to remove (easy).  The dome and outer ring seperated from the bottom.  3 springs in the bottom stayed in place due to small glue already applied to the holes (cool and easy!).  Onto the switch...same as described by Randy...a single square push button switch.  I used two very small flat head screwdrivers and pride it open.  Just like Randy, it virtually exploded into 6 pieces.  The bottom which has the connctions, the switch, a spring, and two very very small copper contacts.  I was successfull in removing the latch (small stape like wire in the midde)..very easily.  Trying to put everything back together was a b!tch, but possible.  I put batteries back in it and now it now functions as a momentary switch....only the light stays on, and turns off when I press down (need to simply resolder the switch).


I'm a little concerned the construction of the light is cheap and the switch will fail after the abuse I've seen some kids give those Pop'N Music machines.  But I guess for $.50 a pop ($1 for a package of 2) it could be worth a try  

[crashwg]

I've seen mini taplights before, are they any closer to the size of the real ones than the normal sized taplights, 'cuz if I recall correctly, the big ones are like 6" or something...

[Dave_K.]

I've seen mini taplights before, are they any closer to the size of the real ones than the normal sized taplights, 'cuz if I recall correctly, the big ones are like 6" or something...

The taplights are about 1 inch larger in diameter (4.5" v.s. 3.2" of the happs one). [the dome part that is]

[SNAAAKE]

Have you followed up on this idea?  Are you still planning on building these?  At $200 I'm interested.  If you can offer a good quality controller with all those features, and at that price point, you may just have yourself some business.

Jim

yeah I ordered the buttons but since its overseas,it will take some time. I will keep you in mind  

[Sephroth57]

where did you end up ordering from?

[Industen]

This might interest you. I just finished writing a  review for the Ransai Controllers. Sorry SNAAAKE I couldn't wait.

http://joelsgadgets.com/Popnmusic.html

I'm still interested in cover art though. I have all the characters so if you need some images I'll be more then happy to send them to you.

[Dave_K.]

This might interest you. I just finished writing a  review for the Ransai Controllers. Sorry SNAAAKE I couldn't wait.

Good review.  When you talk about the Wico buttons, you say to "toss them"...is that meaning the enitre button because they are too high, or you mean toss the outter ring (can it be installed without the outter ring?) to make it sit more flush with the control panel?

[G@M3FR3@K]

Industen,
What is the Ransai ASC constructed of (1/2" or 3/4" Plywood)?

Does anyone happen to know the dimensions of a real Pop N Music ASC?

[Industen]

Good review.  When you talk about the Wico buttons, you say to "toss them"...is that meaning the enitre button because they are too high, or you mean toss the outter ring (can it be installed without the outter ring?) to make it sit more flush with the control panel?

I mean the outer ring. It pushes the button up about an inch more. You do not need it to mount the button it will still sit flush. A screw type washer locks it in place from the underside. Similar to this:

http://joelsgadgets.com/button.jpg

What is the Ransai ASC constructed of (1/2" or 3/4" Plywood)?

1/2 particle board and pegboard as a bottom piece.

Does anyone happen to know the dimensions of a real Pop N Music ASC?

Don't know but the ASC tapers in on the sides as it goes to the top. The Ransai button layout is arcade exact and is (L)29.5 X (W)11.5 X (H)2.5

[G@M3FR3@K]

What is the Ransai ASC constructed of (1/2" or 3/4" Plywood)?

1/2 particle board and pegboard as a bottom piece.

Looking at this above picture, I assume you mean 1/2" Plywood?  

[Industen]

Oh yeah you are correct. 1/2 plywood. Working on the button illumination now. Should be done on Mon.

[G@M3FR3@K]

Good Luck with that!    Keep us posted on your progress with it.  I would like to see what method you use to illuminate that panel.

[SNAAAKE]

where did you end up ordering from?

coinexpress

I'm still interested in cover art though. I have all the characters so if you need some images I'll be more then happy to send them to you.

There are "characters" ?
I thought it was just that green picture,well we can always make something nice with some pop n'music related stuff.
Zip,send away. customjoystick@yahoo.com
If too big then upload it somewhere.Thanks

[Sephroth57]

you ordered from coinopexpress.com? they only take orders by 80 minimum for each color i thought?

[pmailley]

I hope 1 of you fine folks can help me!
I love the look of the game and controlers, can someone tell me where to get the game it self is it on PS2 or computer?
I would love to pick up a copy!
Thanks,
Paul

[crashwg]

It's an import for the PS2, so you will need to get a modded or japanese PS2 and then order the game from japan or keep a lookout on ebay.

[pmailley]

 
Thanks for the quick responce!
Paul

[Industen]

Buttons are lit









12-volts from a 250 watt computer power supply hooked to a turn on switch. More updates on http://joelsgadgets.com/Popnmusic.html

WEBPAGE COMPLETE!!!!

[G@M3FR3@K]

Great Job!  Nice Documentation!  
Is that 250 Watt P/S sufficient (is it overheating at all)?

[Industen]

Glad you like it. Played for 3 hours today to see how hot it would get and it's still in great shape and cool to the touch. I'd say the whole project cost around $30 with the LED's.

[SNAAAKE]

Great,good to know.Looks cool  

[crashwg]

What are the two rectangular buttons found on the RANSAI PnM controller for?  I'm guessing start and select, but I just want a deffinative answer.

[Industen]

I'm guessing start and select

Correct

[adonis_minus_20]

Very nice work and informative webpage Industen!  I am ignorant of the arcade Pop'n Music (I've never seen one before), but I thought that the buttons only lit up when you pressed them down while playing.  Does anyone know if this is true?  How difficult would it be to wire the lights in this way?

Thanks.

Jim

[Sephroth57]

yeah you are correct, in the arcade they only light up when you hit them, im sure this can be done somehow. who wants to try =)

[Stingray]

Those buttons are big enough to support two switches, one to sent the signal to the encoder and a second to turn the light on. Doesn't sound too tough.

-S

[Industen]

Yeah the arcade button do light up when you press them at the arcade. The trouble is when playing fast songs they tend to be a little distracting so I wired them to stay on all the time. It's simple to wire them to flash when you hit them. When I get time I'll write it on the page to help you out. My slikstik cabinet and 4 player control panel came yesterday and I'm working on so much at one time. I just placed the controller on top just to get an idea when I order my second cabinet.

[adonis_minus_20]

Industen that cab looks great with that pop'n controller on it!  I'm only a lot jealous.

Hey Snaake!  Are you making progress?  Did you build any pop'n controllers?  I looked at your website, and saw the quality cab and controller that you built, and I'm anxious to see what you do with this.

Jim

[Luxury]

very very cool...  TEMPTING!!  

but ive got a question.  I've only played PNM 1&2 on the the Dreamcast, and since this controller has a PS2 board, would using a DC adapter work?  I've heard that many times adapters don't work for this type of thing (DDR comes to mind) where you cant have multiple presses at the same time.  For instance up and down at the same time, or left and right.  

*decides which he needs more - PNM or metal DDR pad*  

BTW - the PNM 1 song "Anime Hero" has got to be the best song ever.  I would build this for that one song alone.  

[Sephroth57]

i would say get PNM for PS2, theres a ton more songs and after playing them you wont go back to the originals. its like playing DDR 2nd mix after youve been playing DDR 8th mix, all the little improvements add up

[Industen]

Yes the PNM PS2 games(7th-9th) have tons of songs that you can enjoy. Going back to 1-6 isn't that bad because the basic premise never went through a major overhall like DDR has in the past(freeze arrows, corner steps etc.). Best Hits for the PS2 is great because it contains all the best songs from 1-6. It doesn't have as many songs as 7th, 8th or 9th(about half which is around 55 if I remember correctly)...the songs it does contain are excellent.

[Random]

^_^ Hope you all are enjoy.

[Sephroth57]

great, who told this overcharging ass about our boards.....

[Random]

*sigh*

For the record. Our prices are what they are because there are two of us, we're pretty much constantly stocked or building, and because our quality is high. We sink about a good eight to ten hours into each box, and for the work we put into it, we're only making a little better than the folks at McDonald's. The boxes aren't as easy as they look; we use professional carpentry techniques to make sure our product doesn't look, well, like it was slapped together in your friend's garage. This increases the time a lot. Also, we use better materials - 3/4" plywood instead of MDF, and we counter-sink the buttons so they're supported from the bottom - this means the force of impact isn't relying on the ring around the button, so your buttons will last much longer with plywood. We try not to overcharge, but for the quality and the work we put into each box, we feel that $250 is not an overly expensive amount for the product you get in the end. Hope that covers everything.

Good luck to you Snaaake, I hope your project turns out well.

[SNAAAKE]

Industen that cab looks great with that pop'n controller on it!  I'm only a lot jealous.

Hey Snaake!  Are you making progress?  Did you build any pop'n controllers?  I looked at your website, and saw the quality cab and controller that you built, and I'm anxious to see what you do with this.

Jim

I still didnt get those buttons yet.However plan and everything is set.I have too many other projects in hand as well.Coinexpress is taking longer then expected

[adonis_minus_20]

I still didnt get those buttons yet.However plan and everything is set.I have too many other projects in hand as well.Coinexpress is taking longer then expected

I'm glad you're still planning to do this, I know the shipping from Asia is most often times horribly slow.  I can't wait to see what you come up with!

I wanted to say also that I know that people on this board tend to rail about the prices of stuff built by others for sale.  Case in point would be Slikstik.  I don't think anyone would question the quality of what they make, but the price is too high for those on this board who are capable of building for themselves.  I would love to buy something from them, but the prices are a little too high for what I'm willing to pay.  I am not gifted at woodworking, and don't have the tools, and don't know how to solder, so I am a consumer.  As such, I'm going to shop around for the best value for the money.  As I posted in this thread: http://www.arcadecontrols.org/yabbse/index.php?board=1;action=display;threadid=17517, there is already competition for the apparently booming homemade pop'n music controller market.  There are three groups making these at varying prices and with varying features/functionality.  I don't question the quality of the Ransai controllers, but from the perspective of people who can create a quality controller for themselves, I understand that they would complain about the price.  For myself, I just want to consider all of the options, and get the best controller that I can for my money.  Maybe Slikstik will end up offering their own version of a pop'n music controller.  Competition is a good thing for any consumer.

Jim

[Sephroth57]

I still didnt get those buttons yet.However plan and everything is set.I have too many other projects in hand as well.Coinexpress is taking longer then expected

I'm glad you're still planning to do this, I know the shipping from Asia is most often times horribly slow.  I can't wait to see what you come up with!

I wanted to say also that I know that people on this board tend to rail about the prices of stuff built by others for sale.  Case in point would be Slikstik.  I don't think anyone would question the quality of what they make, but the price is too high for those on this board who are capable of building for themselves.  I would love to buy something from them, but the prices are a little too high for what I'm willing to pay.  I am not gifted at woodworking, and don't have the tools, and don't know how to solder, so I am a consumer.  As such, I'm going to shop around for the best value for the money.  As I posted in this thread: http://www.arcadecontrols.org/yabbse/index.php?board=1;action=display;threadid=17517, there is already competition for the apparently booming homemade pop'n music controller market.  There are three groups making these at varying prices and with varying features/functionality.  I don't question the quality of the Ransai controllers, but from the perspective of people who can create a quality controller for themselves, I understand that they would complain about the price.  For myself, I just want to consider all of the options, and get the best controller that I can for my money.  Maybe Slikstik will end up offering their own version of a pop'n music controller.  Competition is a good thing for any consumer.

Jim

i agree but most people on these boards and here because, well we know how to make our own controls or want to learn how. I already have a CP box made that cost me 5$ in wood or whatever, and i have to buy a cheap PS1 controller for 10$ and 9 buttons that cost 90$ total, not to mention their buttons are from coinopexpress.com which are only 4$ each there since they ordered a crate. so for me its 100$ in material and an hour of work, for them its like 50-60$ in materials and probably less time since theyre mass making these, so theyre charging 200$ in labor? i dont pay that much for labor on my damn car

[Random]

Contrary to popular opinion, we put about 8 hours into each box. And there's two of us. We only make about $7.50 an hour, but we do it because we love it. Our boxes are made with professional carpenter techniques and painted five times over, so it's not like we slap together a box, stick some buttons on it and send it out in 15 minutes.