Build Your Own Arcade Controls Forum
Main => Main Forum => Topic started by: tba on January 07, 2007, 12:03:20 am
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Recently i came into possesion of a big box o stuff. 3 T Sticks 10-15 buttons of various colors and a whole bunch of microswitches. For the first time i am seeing a couple of different microswitches, for the most part they are the "Cherry microswitches" that same that came standard on both my Hot Rod and the illuminated buttons i get from my local arcade supply distributor. But... A 5-10 of them are "strange" like 2 green ones with no other markings and a few "Zippy"
the question: Is there any differences in these switches or are they just other brands? my multimeter seems to think they are all the same... but are they different in quality IE Max Cycles etc.
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In terms of electrical conductivity, they're all pretty much the same. But start picking up the switches and activating the switches. You'll note that some of them trigger off fairly easily, while others require just a little bit of extra "oomph".
It's been my experience that Cherry switches are the "easy" ones, while Zippy require more force to trigger.
It all comes down to personal preference. I bought some buttons from Competitive Products for my Project Blue cabinet, and they came with Zippy switches. They're too tight for my tastes, and one day I'm going to trade them for some nice easy Cherry switches.
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in addition to being quieter, cherrys seem to be really consistant with throw: they click 2/3 down and unclick 2/3 up. I can't say the same for zippy or x-arcade.
ultimately, it's only REALLY important that joystick microswitches have identical throw.
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I wonder if these would work as a replacement for the Cherry switches that Happ uses:
http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/wwg/itemDetailsRender.shtml?ItemId=1611786786 (http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/wwg/itemDetailsRender.shtml?ItemId=1611786786)
I don't know if their dimensions are identical or not. They're about the same price as what they charge for the gold contact Cherry switches.