Which buttons for an arcade stick? Sanwa, Seimitsu...?

[RyoriNoTetsujin]

I'm planning a couple of Cthulhu-board based portable arcade sticks for a project.  Joystick, 8 buttons, 3 smaller/recessed util buttons... the usual.  Like a Hori or Madcatz, but scratch built.

The whole unit needs to come in under 6" tall (base to top of stick) but one requirement is that the CP be wood, as the woodgrain is part of the design I'm going for.  I don't want veneer or laminate over a metal panel.  The wood is going to be a fairly dark stain (rosewood, dark chocolate or espresso) so I feel that kinda limits me, stylistically, to black pushbuttons.

I'm looking at LizardLick's button page if you want to follow along: http://www.lizardlick.com/pages/pushbuttons.shtml

I'd like to use the Sanwa buttons that seem so popular - but I have not found Sanwa buttons, threaded, in black (and I've looked on 3 or 4 other sites.)  Does anyone have a method to shoehorn the buttons intended for a metal panel into a wood CP (stopping short of gluing them in?)

Alternatively; has anyone used the similar sized, but threaded, Seimitsu buttons?  Do they feel similar to the Sanwa's in actual use?  I wouldn't mind routing the underside of the panel if I could somehow sneak these buttons in...

If all else fails, what about these Yenox buttons I see?  Threaded, and shorter than the Happ buttons, but they look kinda cheap to me, and not in a good way...

Let me know if I'm being too vague, I've been looking at various sites for about an hour now and I'm a little bleary eyed... suggestions?

[massive88]

They are fairly similar.

Personally, I prefer the Seimitsu buttons to the Sanwa's, though I prefer the Sanwa stick to the Seimitsu.

The Sanwa buttons have a lighter feel, that make them feel a little too light for my personal taste. 

Imo, if you are not familiar with one or the other right now, then whichever one you go with you will probably be happy with (and a future proponent of).

The Yenox I have used as well, and your assertion is correct, they feel like cheap happ buttons.  I used them for my start/back/guide buttons on my stick, and they are fine for that purpose.  But I would not want them as my main buttons.

Have no fear with the Seimitsu buttons, they are wonderful.

Heres my build log if you are interested in seeing, its a bit old by now (made it for Soul Calibur 4) - http://omgbbq.com/tfight360.htm

[RyoriNoTetsujin]

Thanks for that build link. That's in the neighborhood of what I'm thinking.

The Sanwa buttons have a lighter feel, that make them feel a little too light for my personal taste. 

By that do you mean they take less physical pressure to trigger the switch? Or that the plunger is loose inside the barrel? 

When I think about it, I would prefer a heavier(?) action.  Not that I particularly enjoy the incessant and loud clicking of Happ buttons, but a little resistance isn't a bad thing.  And I definitely do NOT want a loose feeling button (that's what those Yenox make me think of.)  Primarily I just want the relative thickness of the whole stick to be as slim as possible. 

Sounds like I'm leaning toward the Seimitsu...  ever had the Seimitsu buttons fail on you?

[Franco B]

Personally, I prefer the Seimitsu buttons to the Sanwa's, though I prefer the Sanwa stick to the Seimitsu.

The Sanwa buttons have a lighter feel, that make them feel a little too light for my personal taste. 

+1

The Sanwa buttons that came with my Naomi have very little resistance and actauting travel. It only takes you to brush your finger over them to actuate them as the actuation distance and pressure is tiny. I'll definitely be swapping them for some Seimtsu's like I have on my Jamma cab.

Sanwa JLFs + Seimitsu PS-14-GN-CP/PS-14-KN's = Win
 
 

[massive88]

By that do you mean they take less physical pressure to trigger the switch? Or that the plunger is loose inside the barrel? 

When I think about it, I would prefer a heavier(?) action.  Not that I particularly enjoy the incessant and loud clicking of Happ buttons, but a little resistance isn't a bad thing.  And I definitely do NOT want a loose feeling button (that's what those Yenox make me think of.)  Primarily I just want the relative thickness of the whole stick to be as slim as possible. 

Sounds like I'm leaning toward the Seimitsu...  ever had the Seimitsu buttons fail on you?

As Franco said, the Sanwa's take less pressure and thus feel like theres less actuating depth (maybe there is as well? I dont know for sure), though that being said, if the Sanwa's feel like a NSX, the Seimitsu's are a very respectable RX-8, and happs are more like an F-150.

I built two sticks with the Seimitsu's for me and a friend, both around the time that Soul Calibur 4 came out.  Since then he and I have played SC4, ST:HDR, and SF4 pretty heavily, and neither one has had a problem.  In seeing both sanwa's and seimitsu's, I would say they are of similar build quality, and both should last as long as you expect a push button should last (read: forever).

The Yenox, 1 out of 6 had some plastic parts break off (pretty much my fault) but are definitely a lower quality button, not the same grade as Sanwa, Seimitsu, or Happs.  Since I was using them for buttons that I didnt press or look at very often though, they work fine, and I wanted the shorter depth over a happ to fit everything inside my boxes.

Edit: None of the buttons feel loose, at least to me, sanwa, seimitsu, happ or yenox.  I mean they will all rock a little if you rest your finger on the plunger and move your hand laterally.  If theres a scale of 1-10 with 10 being the hardest you have to press to get a button to register, Id put a sanwa as a 2, a seimitsu at a 3, a happ at 7 and a yenox at 9.  The yenox just feels more plasticy and hollow when you pound the button, and the spring is definitely stiffer.

[RyoriNoTetsujin]

Awesome info, guys!  Thanks very much.  I had already settled on the Sanwa joy already.  I'm going to build one stick with the Seimitsu buttons to see how I like them...  it sounds like the best compromise for my situation.

Mmm... SF4... and Tekken 6 is coming...   Thanks again!