Type of joystick for Donkey Kong

[SithMaster]

which manufacture and model if anyone knows it.  thanks.

[RayB]

Nintendo. 4-way.

[SithMaster]

thanks RayB

[Crowquill]

it's a really stubby microswitched 4-way. I always hated these sticks.

[SithMaster]

well is there a decent version of it made by happs-something cosmetically similar.

[RayB]

well is there a decent version of it made by happs-something cosmetically similar.

No. That's why I gave the answer I did (which could be misconstrued as a smart-ass reply). Nintendo are the only ones who used those little joys.

Your best bet is Ebay.

[MinerAl]

If you have to be "restoration perfect" go with an e-bay Nintendo 4 way.  Be aware that they suck though.

If you want a stick that feels and plays good, go for a happs-reunion or better yet an old-school wico 4-way.

[Kremmit]

It's all about whether or not you want it to feel exactly the same as it did back when.  I'll agree that they're not the best sticks overall, but if you really want to re-create the feel of a few rounds of DK Jr., it's the only way to fly.

Here's some pics of a Nintendo stick.  Note the gold-colored restrictor on the bottom- that's a 4-way restrictor.  They also came with 2-ways and 8-ways.  Yes, Nintendo 8-ways had a restrictor too, it had little notches for the diagonals and the cardinal directions.  The restrictor plates are mostly missing these days, as they either fell off, or an operator removed them when converting to Super Mario Bros or something. 

I wonder if the plethora of restrictor-less sticks contributes to their bad rep?

[MaximRecoil]

I think that Nintendo joysticks are among the toughest joysticks ever made. The mechanism is entirely steel and I don't see how you could ever wear one out. They may not be the most "tactile" things in the world (lol) but they do the trick and I think it is a bit misleading when people refer to them as crappy or whatever because they aren't. They are built like a tank and a Nintendo cabinet without them is just not right.

Just make sure they have all their parts, including the correct restrictor plate for the game they are being used on (2-way, 4-way or 8-way) and the original VL12L microswitches with the pre-bent actuators.

Since they really aren't subject to a significant amount of mechanical wear, a cleaning and lubrication will make even the most used and abused examples of these sticks feel the same as an NOS one.

[markrvp]

You can buy a Happ reunion stick and buy a third party black ball top for it.  I think the company that makes the ball tops is McMann Master.   

I'm pretty sure BYOAC user Whammoed is the one who pointed this out.  E-mail him directly and ask for the part number (which is red) and then go to the website and find the black one right next to it.  Then you've got the best of all worlds.

[spidermonkey]

http://www.mikesarcade.com/cgi-bin/store.pl?sku=JOYBBNIN

You could go with one of these. They are direct replacements for DK,DKJr,DK3 Popeye ect.. and are also used in the new multi game Nintendo replica cabinets being made by Namco. Be warned though as they won't feel anything like an original Nintendo stick as these are basically a Ms. Pac/Galaga Reunion stick with a black balltop and a Nintendo mounting plate. It all depends on whether you're aiming for the original feel or you're just looking for a reliable,new direct replacement that will drop right in without modifications. If it were me then I'd have to hunt down an original and refurb it but I've always been a stickler for playing classics with their original controls. If you don't like whatever stick you decide on, you can always change it. I'm constantly changing sticks and controls in my cabs because I like to compare and feel the differences of different brands of sticks but generally I always favor rebuilt original sticks over new "reproduction" sticks that look the same above the cp but underneath the cp hides an entirely different type of stick. If you don't remember how the original felt then this stick will probably feel fine. By the way, "The Video Connection" also sells these "repros" under the "Economy Nintendo Style Joystick" label although I'm not sure if they sell them with the Nintendo mounting plates like "Mikes Arcade" does.

[spidermonkey]

Ahh crap,I missed markrvp's post which is pretty much the same solution without all of the typical Spidermonkey babbling .

[SithMaster]

Im actually wanting to make a dk cab in my shop class at school.  im planning on using jakobuds pics-thanks for the work there to you sir- and i hope to have a decent replica that works.  though i'll have to use a pc for it.

im going for original parts otherwise close enough to the originals and if someday i can get the parts sawp them out.  thanks for the help and if anyone could think of any other area i may have a problem in let me know.  thanks.