Build Your Own Arcade Controls Forum
Main => Main Forum => Topic started by: Serpent on May 02, 2004, 09:24:45 am
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I have a commercial stick for PSX called Namco Arcade Stick. The kind of buttons installed are very different from traditional buttons with microswitches. These on the Namco are flat, quite, with no click sound, and I guess no microswitches. They are very very responsive and as you barely touch the button, the action is registered. I like that. They feel much faster, efortless and precise than traditional buttons, great for fighters. Is this leaf technology? Where could I buy this kind of buttons for a custom made panel? Do you prefer them to microswitches buttons. I think it's a matter of deciding between tradition and authenticity on one hand, and perfomance and control on the other. Maybe japanese use this kind of buttons for max performance. The stick in this cp, however, is not as good as my Ultimarc's Tstick, neither in authenticity nor in performance.
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They will be microswitched but brobably use a different smaller kind of switching mechanism than normal arcade buttons. I don't think you are looking at leaf switches as they all need at least a small amount of travel.
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Thats the grey one with the yellow buttons and a yellow ball top stick right?
Made of plastic with a metal plate on the bottom?
If it's the one I'm thinking of then I'm pretty sure it has those crappy membrane buttons like the PS1 hand controllers use. Pretty much no travel at all but they can't take much abuse as all the impact of the button mashing scrubs button mashing is transfered directly to the PCB underneath.
We have quite a few jap style cabinets here (In New Zealand) and they use a type of button that looks the same as the namco stick but is traditional microswitch construction. I never really liked them myself.
you won't see many leaf buttons any more, especially not in sealed consumer units, because they need to be adjusted all the time.
As for where you can get these mysteryous buttons, can you pull your namco stick appart and see what is inside? if they are proper buttons then great, The namco unit was selling for about $20US a while back so getting the buttons by destroying those wopuld be cheaper than buying + shipping new ones.
(that's assuming I was wrong about them being membrane buttons of course - it happens fairly often)
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I've never seen anything an any commercial controller except membrane buttons and I've killed a lot of them...curiosity in the early years, joypad hacks in the recent. Membrane is cheaper and cheaper = profit. But don't take my word for it. Rip it apary like mattv suggested...I like to be proven wrong. ;D
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Yes, that's the panel: grey with yellow buttons. I opened it once, and yes, it looks as the kind you've described, with buttons directly hitting the pcb. The buttons doesn't make any noise at all. The stick, however, has microswitches. I was also worried about them not being as resistant as microswitches buttons, but I've used them for years and they keep on working perfectly.
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Are these buttons similar to the ones you find on the Sega Megalo Cabinets and the Namco Exlenna?
I like the fact that they have a smooth top, instead of being indented for your fingers. I guess it just feels comfortable for me.