Micro-Leaf™ Arcade Pushbutton Switch Review
Original announcement thread
LinkI ordered 10 of these switches from GGG and they came in a bubble pack envelope dated October 1/2007. This review would have been sooner but it took 16 days to receive this package in Canada. (This is probably the fault of Canada Post)
Each switch comes packaged in its own plastic bag. The microswitch is about 2/3 the size of a regular switch. The attached mounting bracket allows it to fit into the mounting tabs of a Happs or X gaming button. (These are the ones I had to test) The end of the lever on my switches was a bit ragged and sharp. This did not affect its operation but I did catch the side of a finger on it when fitting the switch into a button.
Now the question is how to test sound. Pushbuttons make several distinct sounds when in use. The one we have been talking about in the previous tread is the click of the microswitch when it swings over. This click is very easily heard from 4 or 5 feet away when a regular microswitch is triggered. The X gaming switches and the cherry switches are equally as loud but the cherry switch seems to have a lower frequency when it clicks which is not as penetrating as the click from the X gaming switch. This maybe what causes the critics of the X gaming switches to call them very clicky. The Micro-Leaf microswitch clicks but it is barely audible. If I hold it more then a foot away I cannot hear it click and have to bring it closer to my ear to make sure it is still working. I do not know what it would be in decibels but it is very very quiet.
When the micro-leaf is installed in the Happs or the X gaming button I cannot hear the microswitch click. All of the sound is from the physical movement of the push button when it hits its stop or when it is released. The feel of the pushbutton is a much lighter and I can no longer feel the point where the microswitch makes and breaks.
The terminals on the micro-leaf are about 3 mm wide so they are smaller then the regular terminals used on standard microswitches.
Overall the Micro-Leaf Arcade Pushbutton Switch does a great job of getting rid of the microswitch click.
I give it 4 joysticks out of 5
Edit: Spelling, Link added