Good 4-way joystick?

[Doug]

I'm in the process of designing the control panel for my first cab.  I'll be using p360s for the 8-way joysticks.  I want to add a 4-way but I'm not sure which one to use.  I like the functionality of the E-stick (for games like Q-bert).  But I just don't know if I can justify getting the E-stick just for a few games.  (Especially after reading what spidermonkey had to say at http://www.arcadecontrols.org/yabbse/index.php?board=1;action=display;threadid=12483;start=msg97227#msg97131 )  I think I'd rather have something with a ball handle.  Are the Ms. Pac/Galaga sticks to way to go or should I get a 4 way/8 way and just keep it in 4 way mode?

Thanks.

[whammoed]

I have used the Ms pac/galaga reunion sticks on two machines and I really like them.  I however did not explore other options...I liked them the first time so I used them again.  Some people like the leaf switch wicos, they are ball top too.  You can find some nos ones on ebay.

[Apollo]

Same here, haven't tried out others but my 2 MsPac/Galag ball top 4 ways are excellent. Highly recommended. The only other one I would use would be a WICO 4 way leaf switch stick ( good luck finding one ).

[Doug]

One other question, Happs says the joystick is for a metal control panel.  Is there a mounting plate or something I could buy to use it in a wood panel?

[Tiger-Heli]

One other question, Happs says the joystick is for a metal control panel.  Is there a mounting plate or something I could buy to use it in a wood panel?

Yep, Bob Roberts sells the mounting plates for them (www.therealbobroberts.com).  Seimitsu's would be another good lower budget option for that, but you only see them on E-bay and they're usually called something else, so I don't know that that's very good.
Another possible option would be the basic Omni-Stik from www.groovygamegear.com, possibly with a ball-top, the standard stick with mounting plate goes for about $25.

[marsmarvin]

Doug:

I emailed a vendor recently asking about a Happs 4-way and this was his reply:

"I stopped buying the 4 way pac stick from Happs because it's only made for thin metal control panels. It required that you rout away over 1/2" of your 3/4" control panel in order for the handle to stick up far enough for pratical use. I now stock the Betson version of the stick. It's identical but it has a longer handle which means you install like any other standard joystick."

I've not yet installed the Betson he sent me, but it looks good.

[Tiger-Heli]

Doug:

I emailed a vendor recently asking about a Happs 4-way and this was his reply:

"I stopped buying the 4 way pac stick from Happs because it's only made for thin metal control panels. It required that you rout away over 1/2" of your 3/4" control panel in order for the handle to stick up far enough for pratical use. I now stock the Betson version of the stick. It's identical but it has a longer handle which means you install like any other standard joystick."

I've not yet installed the Betson he sent me, but it looks good.

Never heard to the Betson 4-way.  Sounds interesting.

[marsmarvin]

On the Betson 4-way, the vendor's name was Jack Thompson and his email is arcadesrfun@hotmail.com.

[NoOne=NBA=]

The only other one I would use would be a WICO 4 way leaf switch stick ( good luck finding one ).

How many do you want?
4-Way Wico Auction
I've done alot of business with that seller, and he is top-notch.

I've got an original Pac stick, and a couple 4-way Wicos.
I like the feel of the Wicos over anything else I've tried.
The throw is a little longer than some other sticks out there, but it's really smooth--which helps my game immensely.

[Kremmit]

Would love a pic of the Betson- I've never seen their name attached to anything but trackballs.  Anybody got a URL for Betson?

[spidermonkey]

http://www.betson.com/MainDept.asp?

Here it is. They're online catalog is in PDF  I think the stick you're looking for is actually the 4-way stick that comes in the Space Invaders/Qix reunion cab. It looks almost identical to the Ms. Pac/Galaga stick but it has a longer shaft. I'm almost positive that Betson sells both off these sticks. You'll probably have to give them a call because some of their stuff isn't in their catalog. I'm pretty sure Industrious Lorenzo makes both sticks so I don't know why Happ only sells the shorter Ms. Pac version.

[sofakng]

Just thought I'd add my 2 cents...

I bought a T-Stick Plus for my 4-way.  The control panel isn't finished so I haven't been able to test it yet.  The reason I bought it was that I wasn't sure which stick I wanted for my main 8-ways... Eventually I went with P360's but if I ever want to switch out joysticks in the future, my T-Stick could be moved and used as an 8-way...