Build Your Own Arcade Controls Forum
Main => Main Forum => Topic started by: pointdablame on July 23, 2005, 03:04:33 pm
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I took a ride to SlikStik this morning to meet Christian and to get a look at his new lighted joystick handles. I got to see a bit of his production/assembly area, and I have to say, was very impressed with the setup. There were so many control panels in that room... too bad I
couldn't fit one under my shirt :P
Anyway, I got to see the lighted joys, and let me just get one thing out of the way: THOSE PHOTOS WERE NOT PHOTOSHOPPED AT ALL!! I repeat, the pics that Christian posted are for real.. in fact, the reds looked even nicer in person.
My camera's "light enhancement" killed the red light in most of the pictures though, which is a shame. The red is by far the sharpest looking one out of the bunch. For a real idea about what the joysticks look like in person, take a look at the desk. The darkest color on the desk is the closest to the actual color in almost every pic. They are really impressive.
So... on to the pictures. Click for a larger shot, but beware.. they're not really 56k friendly :)
A pic with my flash. The flash pretty much destroyed the glow, but you can get an idea anyway. The handles do not light very brightly in full light, but you can tell what color they are. I'd say it would be a subtle glow in any substantial light.
(http://img95.imageshack.us/img95/1941/DSCF1715.th.jpg) (http://img95.imageshack.us/my.php?image=DSCF1715.jpg)
Low light is a totally different story. These things really POP when its dark. The colors are extremely rich. Here is, from left to right, a green, the color shift, and the red. Notice how the red looks very washed out... stupid camera :(
(http://img95.imageshack.us/img95/6148/DSCF1716.th.jpg) (http://img95.imageshack.us/my.php?image=DSCF1716.jpg)
Same pic as above after the color shifter changed. It's a nice steady change... looks very cool
(http://img95.imageshack.us/img95/9201/DSCF1718.th.jpg) (http://img95.imageshack.us/my.php?image=DSCF1718.jpg)
Same as above with purple on the color shifter now. I actually like the inbetween colors the most on that thing. You get some really nice shades as it shifts from one color to another
(http://img95.imageshack.us/img95/6418/DSCF1720.th.jpg) (http://img95.imageshack.us/my.php?image=DSCF1720.jpg)
Another with the shifter in the middle
(http://img95.imageshack.us/img95/138/DSCF1721.th.jpg) (http://img95.imageshack.us/my.php?image=DSCF1721.jpg)
Here are other dedicated colors. Purple, Blue, Red... again, look at the darker color on the desk for a better idea of the true color.
(http://img95.imageshack.us/img95/9012/DSCF1723.th.jpg) (http://img95.imageshack.us/my.php?image=DSCF1723.jpg)
White and Yellow. The white was the only stick that didn't wow me... but that's probably because it's so vanilla. It glowed decently enough... but if you're gonna get a lighted joy, get a damn color :)
(http://img95.imageshack.us/img95/8414/DSCF1726.th.jpg) (http://img95.imageshack.us/my.php?image=DSCF1726.jpg)
Red, white, and orange. This is a bit blurrier than most pics, sorry.
(http://img95.imageshack.us/img95/9863/DSCF1729.th.jpg) (http://img95.imageshack.us/my.php?image=DSCF1729.jpg)
Red, white, Orange again. I tried to get close to show the even-ness of the glow. The only part that shows a little less glow is directly under the ball.
(http://img95.imageshack.us/img95/4858/DSCF1730.th.jpg) (http://img95.imageshack.us/my.php?image=DSCF1730.jpg)
That is actually the orange on the left and red on the right. The red is so much brighter in person... I'm really disappointed that I couldn't get a good pic of it.
(http://img95.imageshack.us/img95/6659/DSCF1734.th.jpg) (http://img95.imageshack.us/my.php?image=DSCF1734.jpg)
I also got some videos while I was there. My camera washed those out a bit as well, but you can at least see the color shifting action in them. I've had a few offers to host them, so once I get that sorted out, I'll post them here.
Overall, I am extremely impressed with the sticks. I didn't get any play time with one in a joystick base, but it feels very similar to your average joystick handle. The no-twist solution is so simple it's ingenious, and it works very well. I got to see an early prototype of the antitwist mechanism, and the final version is a huge improvement. The ball itself is smooth and feel good in your hand. It doesn't feel noticeably light or "weird" at all. They feel a lot like an original
Wico ball top, but the texture is a bit different. They seem very well constructed.
The red is stunning. If you are going to buy one color to see what these are really like, get the red. All the colors are very nice, but the blue and red stand out the most to me. The white is a bit "boring" but I suppose it's nice to have the option. They all glow very well, and you only see a slight drop in color right below the ball where it is attached to the shaft. I doubt you'll ever see it once installed on a CP, but its worth noting.
Christian was really nice, and I enjoyed the trip. I got to see a lot of stuff, and talked about what might be coming up in the future... but I was sworn to secrecy ;)
Feel free to ask questions if you have some.
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ok, what were the secrets?
;D
just kidding
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I know it may be dull, but why can't we see a view of the product unlit.
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I just didn't think to take one unlit honestly. If you look at the first picture, the middle joystick looks very similar to when its unlit. I believe the combination of the flash and the changing of the colors made it look so unlit.
Unlit, the joysticks are a milky white. They don't look "bad" by any means, but I definitely wouldn't buy a set just to keep them unlit.
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Videos are now up. They're just short clips, but they should give you a decent idea of the colors.
http://retroblast.com/videos/video1.avi
http://retroblast.com/videos/video2.avi
http://retroblast.com/videos/video3.avi
http://retroblast.com/videos/video4.avi
Thanks to Kevin at RetroBlast for hosting them for me :)
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Very cool - thanks for the pics and vids.
Still would love to see these in controllable RGB for my LSE light driver (and as Wico sticks for myself :). Any danger of that happening Chris? I think once the LED boards are out there with my software, there may be demand for them.
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I'd really like to see the color shifting stick controllable as well... it would only add to the cool factor IMHO.
I really want to see wico sticks too, I hope Chris sees the demand is there and considers making some.
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That's great, I just ordered a red one to replace my 4 position Happs Super. I wish they had these for the 49-Way.
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I got the feeling that Chris was willing to look into other stick types if he thinks there is a market for it. As I said, I'd love to see them for Wico 4ways myself, and I think the 49way would be a good addition too... especially with the popularity they've seen in the past month or two.
Perhaps if enough people let him know, he'll look into it more seriously.
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Looks like there is an audio type jack on the bottom to allow the stick to spin without twisting the wires all up. Is this correct? If so how is the jack mounted to the bottom of the stick? glue? can you tell?
thanks for the pics!
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yup, its an audio jack. I'm not sure how if at all it's been modified, but that is essentially what it is.
I can't tell for sure how it was attached, but it was very secure. All wiring/LED/electronics are contained within the shaft obviously. Chris had a wire harness made up for me that had an audio jack going to the 5v line on an Ipac. Plug it in to any of the joys, and you were good to go. He had a 3 wire harness there, and told me that he'd ship joysticks with harnesses based on how many you'd buy if the customer wanted. That way, you could order 3 joys with a 3 wire harness, so you only needed one connection to a 5v source. Either way though, it seems very simple to hook up... harness or no harness.
The anti-twist works very well from what Chris showed me. He also had a small clip to hold the wire underneath the joystick, but I'm not sure if that will come with the sticks?? It attached using a microswitch screw hole, and just kept the wire secure under the joy. Overall, it really seemed like a simple solution, and I really like that. There doesn't seem to be any way you can "break" the anti-twist system.
I keep looking at my Xmen downstairs and realize I need to get moving on my new CP. I want pretty blue joystick handles now :(
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Looks like there is an audio type jack on the bottom to allow the stick to spin without twisting the wires all up.