Dominux 8 from Groovy Game Gear

[mgb]

So when Randy first announced these with a starting price of about $47 I was like, yeah like I'm paying that much for a standard joystick, I don't think so.
But anyway, my quest (or obsession maybe) for the ultimate joystick has lead me to purchasing one.
 
first off, let me say that my wife was not thrilled when it came in the mail today. She asked what its for and when I explained it was going in Vertical Retrace, She didn't understand. That's probably because I just changed out the Sanwa JLW with a Crown stick about 3 weeks ago.

So anyway, Lets check this bad boy out:

This stick does really ooze quality. To me, a centering spring just doesn't feel as good as a rubber centering grommet like this stick has.
The reason I recently installed a Crown stick on my machine was due to it having a rubber centering grommet but the one on the Crown is much lighter than this one.
This stick feels great so far (uninstalled)


It's got a sleek logo sticker that will never be seen when mounted but nice touch anyway.


The plastic body is very constructed and clean of molding lines and all that. very firm.
I bought it with no restrictor and just the standard red ball as I will be installing my overpriced Sanwa Mesh Ball on it.


I'm thrilled to finally have a leaf switch stick like the good old days. Truthfully I don't mind micros as long as their light and not those horrid ones that come pre-installed on most Japanese sticks, but it is nice to have leafs. and these are nice quality. When I do come across leaf switches now a days,  they're usually pretty old and beat. These are nice and tight but very responsive.They seem to be very well placed close to the actuator too.


Here you can see the rubber centering grommet tucked in its mounting hole and held down with 4 screws. Its tight but not annoyingly. in time we'll see how it breaks in.
The plate that the switches mount to is a different plastic than the rest of the body. It's a shiny black acrylic and completely firm with no flex. all cuts and corners are very clean.
 

Here you can see the shaft is a little different. Its a good long shaft so it can be used with most depths of panels. I have a metal panel so I ordered preset for a this panel.
This is why it has that white spacer on the end. Its weird to not see an e-clip holding things together, instead it has an aircraft bolt.
The extra depth would not make this ideal for a low profile fight stick build but that's cool, I've got room under my cp.

I have this idea in my head for the future to mount some type of extra mounting plate spaced off the screws holding the switches so that its clear of the shafts movement and then have a 4 way restrictor thats pulled in when needed. I'm really not a fan of the square restrictors that are used on most sticks for 4-way / 8-way switchability and I'd love to have two of these on my panel but I can't go without a 4-way (especially with a vertical cab) so my Jlw on the right will stay for now.

I've got a busy weekend but I hope to get this stick mounted and then I can really test it and report some more.
I'm also hoping Randy will have replacement grommets available as I've seen what can happen to the ones in Wico sticks after many years.

[Paladin]

I bought a used stick to try and thought I'd point out what I consider a slight design flaw in an otherwise nice stick.  To be fair, the failure on the stick I recieved may have occurred in shipping,  and I'm not pointing fingers at anyone in particular but it does point out a weak point that could be fairly easily redesigned.

The plastic (they appear to be 3D printed) pieces that hold the leaf switches are secured to the shiny black piece mentioned above by a Phillips screw and what appears to be superglue.  On the used stick I recieved, one of the the superglue bonds has failed and the Phillips screw is just stripped to the point where the leaf switch is no longer held securely in place.  Movement of the shaft against that leaf switch moves the switch and holder rather than activating it.

I'll probably be able to fix it by applying more glue to hold the leaf switch holder back to the black plastic piece, but I'm concerned about the longevity of the bonds on all 4 of the pieces.  The fix would be to redesign the 3D printed pieces so that they have a 'lip' of material that protrudes down the sides of the black plastic.  This would provide a great amount of support to keep the pieces from being able to shift and eventually spin free.  I wouldn't think it'd cost much more for the extra material needed compared to the extra strength it would provide.

I've attached a photo with the failed leaf switch holder facing down.

[mgb]

Yeah you're right about the switches. Thanks for pointing that out.
I noticed there being just one screw holding each switch on and I thought that was a little odd because I saw no sign of any kind of pin or something that protrudes into the mounting plate.

Maybe epoxy would be the best way to get a hold on the flaky switch

[RandyT]

The single screw design allows the switch holder to pivot, which in turn allows for fine positioning of the switch during assembly.  Introducing a lip or pin onto the switch holder would negate the ability to account for minor variations in the parts. There are no forces, either in normal use or in the attachment of the wiring, which could conceivably break the combination of the adhesive bond and the screw.  We have about 40 units in the wild now, and haven't had any reports of problems of this nature as a result of normal use.

As the unit in question was purchased "used", it sounds like the previous owner may have disassembled the unit, and over tightened the screw upon reassembly.  But it's difficult to know what a second hand unit was actually subjected to, be it in shipping or otherwise.

It's a fairly simple repair, but as the screw was overtightened, a longer screw may be necessary to reach undamaged plastic. Once the switch is positioned to your liking, you can use whatever adhesive you feel comfortable with to lock it back in place.

 

[mnewt]

Thinking about these myself and wondered if you had managed to test these out on your rig yet. Would love to hear what you think about their performance in different types of games

[mgb]

Sorry, I haven't had time to install and test yet due to side work and getting ready for my sons science fair.
I will this week though.

[Mighty690]

Randy,

Can you comment on the durability and expected play hours of the centering grommet?  Should customers buy an extra or two to future-proof their investment (assuming you make such available)?

[RandyT]

Randy,

Can you comment on the durability and expected play hours of the centering grommet?

Difficult, if not impossible to project.  It depends on many factors, including environment, types of games played most often, individual playing style, etc...  They are very durable, and made of a more flexible composition, so they should not suffer as badly as the older, less forgiving materials.  Even so, some of those old grommets lasted 20+ years  when they weren't mercilessly beaten on.  In a home environment (or even a light commercial setting), they tend not to see the abuse of the arcades at their peak.

Should customers buy an extra or two to future-proof their investment (assuming you make such available)?

Probably not necessary.  I'm not going anywhere, and I'll have replacements available for purchasers in the unlikely event that the need should ever arise.

[billthecat]

FWIW, I have two of these for Robotron and I am very happy.

I don't know how they stack up against the originals, but I really like the feel and the control that they give me.

I have a wood cabinet, so I got them in the long configuration, but that felt really loose with too much throw.  I switched them to the short configuration (Randy told me how and it was quite easy), and I've been happy ever since.

[behrmr]

FWIW, I have two of these for Robotron and I am very happy.

I don't know how they stack up against the originals, but I really like the feel and the control that they give me.

I have a wood cabinet, so I got them in the long configuration, but that felt really loose with too much throw.  I switched them to the short configuration (Randy told me how and it was quite easy), and I've been happy ever since.

Ditto here on a Multi-Williams and work great.

[Mighty690]

Installed mine yesterday.  Multi-WMS with a metal control panel, no restrictor.  They're as smooth and solid as everyone's said.  It's hard to imagine a better joystick for games like Robotron and Bubbles.  You almost feel like you're at the controls of some high-end medical equipment instead of a game cabinet.

I guess I'm sorta glad you ran out of the silver versa-ball shafts, Randy, or I might never have tried these.  I'll still take two if you ever get more in though.

The only problem now is when I go back to my Pac-Pro cabinet and hear/feel that spring "chunking" away.  The Dominux8 has given me a bad attitude towards annoying springs.  I think we need a GGG Pac-Dominux4.

[behrmr]

Installed mine yesterday.  Multi-WMS with a metal control panel, no restrictor.  They're as smooth and solid as everyone's said.  It's hard to imagine a better joystick for games like Robotron and Bubbles.  You almost feel like you're at the controls of some high-end medical equipment instead of a game cabinet.

I guess I'm sorta glad you ran out of the silver versa-ball shafts, Randy, or I might never have tried these.  I'll still take two if you ever get more in though.

The only problem now is when I go back to my Pac-Pro cabinet and hear/feel that spring "chunking" away.  The Dominux8 has given me a bad attitude towards annoying springs.  I think we need a GGG Pac-Dominux4.

Lighten up the spring on the Pac Pro to get a softer touch and quiet it down.  Heat it with a soldering torch and lightly compress it and let it cool. 

[WildBillArcade]

Where can these be purchased?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[mgb]

Installed mine yesterday.  Multi-WMS with a metal control panel, no restrictor.  They're as smooth and solid as everyone's said.  It's hard to imagine a better joystick for games like Robotron and Bubbles.  You almost feel like you're at the controls of some high-end medical equipment instead of a game cabinet.

I guess I'm sorta glad you ran out of the silver versa-ball shafts, Randy, or I might never have tried these.  I'll still take two if you ever get more in though.

The only problem now is when I go back to my Pac-Pro cabinet and hear/feel that spring "chunking" away.  The Dominux8 has given me a bad attitude towards annoying springs.  I think we need a GGG Pac-Dominux4.

You can get the Dominux in 4 way too I thought.

Where can these be purchased

go to Groovygamegear.com

[behrmr]

The Dominux8 4-way utilizes a diamond shaped restrictor.  The Pac-pro does not have a restrictor.

[mgb]

The Pac pro doesn't have a diamond restrictor??
How does it not hit the diagonals then.

[Mighty690]

Installed mine yesterday.  Multi-WMS with a metal control panel, no restrictor.  They're as smooth and solid as everyone's said.  It's hard to imagine a better joystick for games like Robotron and Bubbles.  You almost feel like you're at the controls of some high-end medical equipment instead of a game cabinet.

I guess I'm sorta glad you ran out of the silver versa-ball shafts, Randy, or I might never have tried these.  I'll still take two if you ever get more in though.

The only problem now is when I go back to my Pac-Pro cabinet and hear/feel that spring "chunking" away.  The Dominux8 has given me a bad attitude towards annoying springs.  I think we need a GGG Pac-Dominux4.

Lighten up the spring on the Pac Pro to get a softer touch and quiet it down.  Heat it with a soldering torch and lightly compress it and let it cool.

Interesting idea.  Which also makes me wonder, are there any replacement springs that are lighter out of the box?

[Mighty690]

Installed mine yesterday.  Multi-WMS with a metal control panel, no restrictor.  They're as smooth and solid as everyone's said.  It's hard to imagine a better joystick for games like Robotron and Bubbles.  You almost feel like you're at the controls of some high-end medical equipment instead of a game cabinet.

I guess I'm sorta glad you ran out of the silver versa-ball shafts, Randy, or I might never have tried these.  I'll still take two if you ever get more in though.

The only problem now is when I go back to my Pac-Pro cabinet and hear/feel that spring "chunking" away.  The Dominux8 has given me a bad attitude towards annoying springs.  I think we need a GGG Pac-Dominux4.

You can get the Dominux in 4 way too I thought.

I thought about that but the Dominux8 has too long of a throw and is seemingly too clumsy for 4-way games like Pac-Man, DK, etc.  The Pac-Pro's squat, precise design makes it a perfect all-arounder for such games.

[RandyT]

I thought about that but the Dominux8 has too long of a throw and is seemingly too clumsy for 4-way games like Pac-Man, DK, etc.  The Pac-Pro's squat, precise design makes it a perfect all-arounder for such games.

Any 4-way should really have a very short shaft, which increases the switch actuation speed.  When using a pure diamond restriction, the deadzone usually gets larger if trying to prevent simultaneous switch activation.  Shorter shafts will compensate for this.

The Dominux8 with 4-way restriction is very good in the short shaft configuration, due to the way our standard 4-way restrictor is designed.  It's very close to the feel of a pure diamond shape, but has just enough variation to prevent simultaneous switch activation, while maintaining the same smaller dead-zone size as an 8-way.

[WildBillArcade]

Looking forward to getting these for multi Williams!

[boudin4evr]

How would these play on arcade sd with 3 buttons and trackball?
Octo restrictor and short throw? I play lots of DK and Gaplus