Happ Competition Joys

[ArtsNFartsNCrafts]

I got a set, and "dummy mounted" them on a piece of 3/4" plywood (the hole was 1 1/8").  A few things:

if these sticks are bottom-mounted, do you think any routing is necessary?  It looks like the 1 1/8" hole is big enough to allow for the stick's throw, and the stick is high enough to operate.  Is it all just personal preference, or will I benefit from having the stick higher by routing out the bottom of the panel?

Thanks!

[Xb0x3r]

I would say it's personal preference, I prefer to have the joysticks higher up. So I routed out the bottom of my CP...No harm done.

Xb0x3r

[Xiaou2]

comps were designed to be mounted on wood control panels.  no routing required.
Thats how they are mounted in the arcade machines.

[ArtsNFartsNCrafts]

I figured so.  Not to mention that these joys are going into a cocktail cab, so it might be just as appropriate to keep them a little shorter...

So how about my next question(s):

1) Dust washer:  On the panel, or below?

2) What kind of bolts?  I'm considering carriage bolts.  Having bolt heads on top of the panel doesn't really bother me. 

[Xb0x3r]

I don't like my plastic dust washers as they don't even match the knob...I plan to make some simple metal ones, and personally, I like the dust washers on top of my cp.

For bolts, I bought some of those bolts that you countersink, just so I can wood putty over them.

[ArtsNFartsNCrafts]

See, I'm thinking I would do that (countersink then fill), and then something will happen where I have to take the joystick out for whatever reason...then I'm screwed.

[MaximRecoil]

See, I'm thinking I would do that (countersink then fill), and then something will happen where I have to take the joystick out for whatever reason...then I'm screwed.

Screwed how? Assuming the joystick is bottom-mounted, you just remove the nuts and pull the joystick off the bolts. The bolts don't have to go anywhere. My Ikari Warriors CP has threaded studs welded to the underside of the CP for the joystick to mount to—which is the same idea.

[ArcadEd]

I don't like my plastic dust washers as they don't even match the knob...I plan to make some simple metal ones, and personally, I like the dust washers on top of my cp.

For bolts, I bought some of those bolts that you countersink, just so I can wood putty over them.

If you get them from IL instead of Happ, the dust washer does match the stick.  I'm pretty sure Ponyboy is selling the IL versions since the happ comp sticks have gone to crap.

[RandyT]

... the happ comp sticks have gone to crap.

Ed, I have heard this a couple of times, but I spent some time comparing the two units with some digital verniers and have found this statement to be unfounded.  They are virtually identical, with only slight differences in finish quality.  Whoever produced these bases for Happ did an amazing job at maintaining mechanical detail.  The other little known fact is that the handle parts (shafts) have been OEM'd for quite some time now.  So the shafts are the same as they have always been, and the bases are functionally identical.

My opinion is that it would be impossible to tell the difference between the two when installed.

RandyT

[Daniel B.]

Has there ever been any other true comparisons made other than RandyT's caliper test? I'm interested to hear what it is about these "new" china happs that people seem to hate so much?

[ArcadEd]

Randy,
I have at least 10 comp sticks here from happ that are crap.  Black Actuators, Silver E-Clips.  Most of them, once I put the e-clip on the, joystick doesn't even move.  I have had to drill out the actuator so it actually fits on the sleeve.  The others, once the actuator and e-clip are on, the acutator isn't even centered on the stick shaft.  When dealing with customers that play fighters on a very competitive level, I can't afford for the stick to be off even 1/16th of an inch, they will know and then my product is crap.

I don't use them anymore, I'm tired of sending them back and getting back more crap.  This has been noticed by more than just me.  Trust me, I would save about 4 dollars per stick I stayed with the happ ones, and I won't do it to my customers.

I'm saying this based on what I have seen, and I've built almost 100 Xbox 360 sticks in the past 3 months.  Many of them with Happ comp sticks.  Once my backstock of "good" sticks was gone, and I started to order more, I could see the difference right away.

Not saying all of them have been bad, but a large enough amount to warrant dropping them

[RandyT]

Not saying all of them have been bad, but a large enough amount to warrant dropping them

The only thing I can talk about is what is sitting directly in front to me.  Happ has had a few growing pains involved with sourcing, and they wouldn't even be doing that except for the weak dollar.  They are doing what they need to.

That being said, they are constantly improving their new lines.  If you have some bad ones, it must be from quite a while back.  I have a pile of both models here and haven't seen what you are describing.  I would not continue to carry or offer them if I saw the things you described.

The parts are interchangeable between manufacturers and they are functionally identical.

RandyT

[ArcadEd]

Maybe I did get a bad batch a while back, but enough to not trust them again.

Glad they are working ok for you though.  I hope they continue that way.  Maybe in a few months I will try them again.

[RandyT]

Here's a tip for anyone who thinks they might have a flaky HAPP Competition (newer version);

There is a black plastic extension that protrudes below the stick.  It is the sleeve for the shaft and the protrusion that the square actuator attaches to.  Remove the stick and the square actuator.  If the base is already attached to the panel, there's no need to remove it.  Grasp the black plastic extension and spin it about 5 times in each direction.  This will properly seat the internal spring.

This only takes a few seconds to do, and I do it before I ship them out.  IMHO, after this minor tweak, they actually operate more smoothly than the IL version.  It's something that will probably happen by itself after using them for a bit, but why wait

RandyT