First Cabinet - Joystick Selection?

[TheFallenOne]

Hey everyone! Just looking into building my first cabinet now, and I'm searching around for good prices on quality parts. I noticed that over at X-Arcade they're offering two joysticks and 20 buttons for $29.99. Compared to some of the deals I've seen, that seems pretty good to me.

I was just wondering if anyone has had any experience working with those joysticks, and could give me a quick run-down on the pros/cons of them. I noticed there was a review of the X-Arcade pre-made sets on the main site, but I didn't see mention of the individually sold parts, and also noted that the ones in the review did not have a 4/8 way switcher, and it seems the ones you purchase seperately do.

As well, I'm looking at setting up 4 joysticks with 8 buttons each (For general emulation as well as MAME) and am trying to decide whether I should go with the KeyWiz or X-Arcade's board (Or anything else, feel free to recommend). Once again, any advice would be greatly appreciated, and thanks in advance!

[nickbuol]

I know someone that bought one of the "kits" with the joysticks and buttons.  I checked it out, because, like you said, they are pretty cheap.  I really didn't like the switches they used.  Nothing like a Cherry switch like Happs and others use.  Something felt just odd and cheap about the parts.  Can't explain it beyond that. 

Now on the other hand, the guy that bought them thought that they were great!  He did not have anything to compare them to, so to him these things were the greatest!

Nick

[AlanS17]

The general complaint about X-Arcade from most people is not their actual controls - it's their switches. People complain that the switches are cheap. Otherwise, I haven't heard much else bad about them.

If you're looking for a 4-player encoder, you might also want to check out the IPAC4 at http://www.ultimarc.com . I'm a faithful Ultimarc fan so I may be biased, but they're really nice IMO.

[nickbuol]

I second the use of an iPac.  Great product.  There are other good ones out there too, but I have had terrific success with both the iPac2 and iPac4.

[pointdablame]

In general, you won't find a ton of nice things said about X-Arcade products around here.  They are decent enough for what they are I suppose, but if you want the "real" or "best" controls around, the general concensus is to not use X-Arcade.  This is mostly because of their microswitches as mentioned.

The $30 pack is decent, but by my calculations, not spectacular.  You can get 2 Super joysticks and 20 Happ buttons from PonyBoy here on the forums for about $10 more than that X-Arcade pack.  Yes it is more... but its totally worth it IMO.   Plus, does X-arcade have anything other than black buttons?? If not, you can get your choice with ponyboy.

Just a thought.  If the extra $10 really breaks the bank, then you can give them a shot.  But to be honest, if that $10 DOES break the bank... you're starting up the WRONG HOBBY   Ask any of us and we'll confirm that

[TheFallenOne]

Looking over the Ultimarc site, looks like the IPac 4 is a pretty nice deal. I may have to go with that after all! Also, I noticed on their site that they were selling the OptiPAC and trackballs pretty cheap - I was planning on leaving a trackball/spinners out, as I could only find them for $100+. Anyone had any experience with the trackballs from Ultimarc?

Thanks for the pointers so far, looks like the IPac could be the right way to go. I'll go ahead and PM ponyboy, I don't mind spending extra for quality, as long as shipping isn't massively expensive.

[nickbuol]

Hey, and I will second the great comments about ponyboy!

[Tiger-Heli]

As well, I'm looking at setting up 4 joysticks with 8 buttons each (For general emulation as well as MAME) and am trying to decide whether I should go with the KeyWiz or X-Arcade's board (Or anything else, feel free to recommend). Once again, any advice would be greatly appreciated, and thanks in advance! 

Neither one supports 4 joysticks and 8 buttons each.

Only get the X-Arcade board if you want to use it with a console system as well as the PC.  Even then I'm not sure I'd recommend it.

The KeyWiz is a good option for MAME and general PC usage.  If you really want 4-players and 8 buttons each, you either want the I-PAC/4, or a combo of KeyWiz and GP-Wiz, or two GP-Wiz's.  If you don't mind hacking an IDE cable, the combo option will run you $46 and provide 8 more inputs than the I-PAC/4.

[Lilwolf]

I would personally go with 4 supers.  Great all around sticks and their cheap (8 bucks each or so).  Cant go wrong with them.

ponyboy is the best prices around for happs (and I think about everything hes selling).  So get what you can from him.  Then you might want to look at therealbobroberts.com for any additional items if you need.  Hes hard to order from (you think it will be anyway with the email orders... but it seems to work out fast anyway)...

But the reason for the reply.

There aren't any 4 player games with more then 4 buttons each.  So you want player 1 and 2 with 8 buttons (I think you can get away with 7 personally) and 4 for players 3 and 4. 

And I love my ipac4!  Highly recommended!

[Tiger-Heli]

There aren't any 4 player games with more then 4 buttons each.

In MAME!!! . . . The original poster said for general emulation.

[jhanson]

I noticed that you mentioned the 4/8 way switcher in your original post.  If that's something that interests you, you might want to check out the T-stik or T-stik Plus from Ultimarc.  They're not cheap, but they let you easily switch from 4 to 8 way mode.  I use them on my cabinet, and like them a lot.  They're very stiff joysticks, though, so if you like fighting games they might not be for you.

[Tiger-Heli]

I missed the part about the 4-/8- way swithcer in the original post.

The switcher on the Supers and X-arcade sticks is a joke.  You have to disassemble and re-assemble the sticks to switch them, and even then, they are really bad in 4-way mode.

Consider either the T-Sticks, the J-Sticks, the E-Sticks, the Euro-Stick, the GroovyGameGear Omni-Stick or Prodigy, or the GroovyGameGear Happ 49-way with the GP-Wiz49.  FWIW.

[jjd]

I have some X-arcade parts and some Happ Supers.  The joysticks are almost identical, but the switches in the X-Arcade a bit 'cheaper' feeling, but certainly not bad. 

As for the buttons, one thing to watch with the X-arcade buttons is that they are not long enough to go through a 3/4" control panel.  You either have to route out the bottom of the CP or use 5/8".  They use the same switches as the X-arcade joysticks.

That isn't a big deal until you want to buy t-molding and your choices are limited. 

As for wanting a switchable 4/8 way stick, unless you are planning to dedicate an extra stick as a 4 way, stay away from the X-arcade or super sticks. 

To switch them you have to remove the bushing at the bottom of the stick, flip over a plastic cone-shaped piece, put it back on the stick, push it into the body of the stick against the spring tension, hold it tight with one hand while trying to force the bushing back onto the bottom of the stick with the other.  It's not a process that you want to repeat regularly.    I have a super that is a dedicated 4-way, so I don't have to switch it again. 

[jcroach]

Hey everyone! Just looking into building my first cabinet now, and I'm searching around for good prices on quality parts. I noticed that over at X-Arcade they're offering two joysticks and 20 buttons for $29.99. Compared to some of the deals I've seen, that seems pretty good to me.

I was just wondering if anyone has had any experience working with those joysticks, and could give me a quick run-down on the pros/cons of them. I noticed there was a review of the X-Arcade pre-made sets on the main site, but I didn't see mention of the individually sold parts,

I bought this kit and have been very happy with it. I may eventually upgrade to different joysticks when I have more money.  I've already bought a Happ Top Fire and a Wico Leaf 4-Way.

and also noted that the ones in the review did not have a 4/8 way switcher, and it seems the ones you purchase seperately do.

The joysticks in the kit are 4/8 way switchable by flipping over the actuator, like jjd said.  I'm sure the ones in the x-arcade controller are the same way.  This might give you some "dead stick" problems, but I'm not positive.

[toyfiend2004]

everyone talk about the bad switches in X-Arcade joys.  this may be a stupidly rookie comment, but can one not just put a regular cherry micro switch into the X-arcade joy and then it would work like other sticks? or is it something more than just the switches like everyone is saying?

[nickbuol]

Yes, the switches CAN be swapped, but then you are pobably at the cost of just getting Happs stuff anyway...

Good question though, and no, it wasn't a "stupid rookie question." 

[toyfiend2004]

but if you are getting the cheaper Pair of sticks from x-arcade for 14.95 (pair) and you can get microswitches from Wico http://www.wicothesource.com for $0.59 each (p/n 22-0750-2) it would only cost approx. 35.00 or so.  just theory.  i may be wrong?

[pointdablame]

Ordering from WICO sucks according to a lot of people on this board... I've never done it myself though.

As for swapping micros, of course you can.  But at 14.95 for a pair of X-Arcade joys, and an additional $2.76 for each joystick in Cherry Microswitches (using PonyBoy's .69 a switch price), I don't see why it would be worth it.  Each joy would be $7.50 give or take a few cents... plus the $2.76, so each X-Arcade joy with Cherry switches winds up being over $10.

PonyBoy has Competition and Super joysticks for under $8 a piece.


Just my .02

[TheFallenOne]

Wow, thanks for all of the input.

One last question before I run off to start putting things together - What kind of wood would you guys suggest using? I'm assuming 3/4" is the way to go, but is there a specific kind of wood I should be looking for, or just something sturdy in general?

[pointdablame]

Wow, thanks for all of the input.

One last question before I run off to start putting things together - What kind of wood would you guys suggest using? I'm assuming 3/4" is the way to go, but is there a specific kind of wood I should be looking for, or just something sturdy in general?

Anything will work... but for the BYO crowd, there is usually two camps.  If you are building a cab to laminate/paint/cover in art, most people (including me) would suggest MDF.  It's very easy to work with, cuts well, is relatively inexpensive, and makes for a sturdy cab.  However, it is also very heavy.

If you are going for the furniture look, most people opt for a nice grained plywood.... the fancier the better depending on the look you are going for.

I've never heard of a wood that totally didn't work... MDF, Fiberboard, ply, doesn't really matter for the most part.  Just get what is easy to get near you... and think about if you are going for the "furniture cab" look or the more classic paint/laminate cab.

Quick Edit: and yeah, most people will use 3/4" wood.  You could also build a frame and use something thinner.  For control panels most people use 3/4" wood, or a 5/8" piece of wood with a 1/8" piece of plexi/lexan to give an overall width of 3/4" (so you have more choices in T-molding).

[nickbuol]

Keep in mind that if you are going to laminate the control panel, that it is something like 1/32" thick, so if you add that to a 5/8" piece of material, you have 11/16", which you CAN get T-Molding for, but it is harder to come by.  There are a few people here that have plenty to sell you if you want black, blue, red, or green.  I just got some a week or so ago from Truecade here on the forums.

Also, a note about laminate, using this stuff will make your control panel, or entire machine for that matter, as hard as your counter-top in your kitchen (unless you have granite or something), so it is a good option.  If fact, I used laminate for my cabinet, but I am not putting it on my control panel top.
Keep this in mind about laminte.
1) You need a router and trim bit to work with laminate.
2) The adhesive is VERY smelly and sticky
3) While it was surpirsingly easy to apply, it was a messy job when trimming
4) Laminate was designed to go over good grade particle board, not MDF.  MDF will work, but the pros will tell you that particle board is better.
5) Laminate tends to lose it's texture and get shiney where there is a lot of frictional contact (like where your hands rest on the control panel).  This is one of the reasons I didn't use it on the control panel top.

That is what I have learned about using laminate the last couple of weeks.  I really like how my cabinet is turning out, but I can't wait to get my control panel done (after I get back from vacation) and get my artwork applied (mamemarquees.com) to my 3/4" MDF control panel top!

Good luck, you are going to love this hobby!

[paigeoliver]

Actually Bob Roberts is super easy to order from.

The key is just knowing the name of everything you want to order. Don't bother trying to find it on his website or write down the prices.

Just email.

Bob,

I need.

2 Super joysticks
14 red buttons
a pair of start buttons
a set of leg levelers
and a cap kit for a g07.

Please ship to

Boo Boo Kitty
17 Monkey Klaw Avenue
Sock Puppet, New Jersey H7I H4T
Canada

If you KNOW what you are ordering you can just type your whole list into the email when you order without ever even having to look at the site. Bob will tell you what your total is.

[Tiger-Heli]

Paige,

You should have put your real address and you would have gotten a bunch of arcade stuff and other people would be paying for it - or not.

(Or maybe you would have gotten a bunch of super joysticks and red buttons and leg levelers and cap kits  )

[Lilwolf]

I was trying to say that it seems hard but its pretty quick.  Not taking CC can be annoying for some.  But hes great! 

I really he would take up the offer hes had to have his website redone though.

Actually Bob Roberts is super easy to order from.

The key is just knowing the name of everything you want to order. Don't bother trying to find it on his website or write down the prices.

Just email.

Bob,

I need.

2 Super joysticks
14 red buttons
a pair of start buttons
a set of leg levelers
and a cap kit for a g07.

Please ship to

Boo Boo Kitty
17 Monkey Klaw Avenue
Sock Puppet, New Jersey H7I H4T
Canada

If you KNOW what you are ordering you can just type your whole list into the email when you order without ever even having to look at the site. Bob will tell you what your total is.