Main > Main Forum

Help me like my Omni2 stick

(1/4) > >>

notbillcosby:
I want to start by saying I'm not here to bash a product, manufacturer, or online store. GGG has been great to me and has offered me tons of help and I'm happy to do business with them in the future. This is simply my experience and personal opinion on a stick.


Way back when my arcade lust started and I got a simple X-Arcade so I could play Pac-Man on my computer, I also ordered an OMNI2 4/8-way stick from GroovyGameGear. After doing lots of research on a switchable stick, it sounded like the best option. Long story short? I hate the way it feels. It totally doesn't work for me at all. The stick feels sluggish and gummy and not particularly responsive. At first I thought it was due to having too long of a travel, so i got a nylon spacer and sanded down the inside to fit around the actuator that was on the stick so that there would be a shorter throw within the restrictor plate... didn't help. On GGG's suggestion, I tried stretching out the spring a little to give a snappier feel; if anything that might've made it feel more stiff. I've lubed the cup that that the stick sits in with petroleum jelly, i've tried different length and tension springs from the hardware store, and I really can't find a combination that makes this stick feel smooth, light, and quick. My Happ competition sticks feel great but don't have the 4-way action that I need for Pac-Man. Gummy is the word that comes to mind when I feel the action on my OMNI2. Does anyone have suggestions for what I can do to make this work a little better without putting more money into it? It seems like a sturdy stick that should totally tickle my pickle but it sure doesn't. Before someone tells me to get a restrictor plate for my Happ, I should mention that I already have one, and that's not what this thread is about.

Also, if no one has suggestions for other things to try, I'd be happy to sell this to someone who likes these kinds of sticks. I don't think there's anything physically wrong with it, it just might not be my bag.

rCadeGaming:

--- Quote from: notbillcosby on December 02, 2012, 03:06:27 pm ---On GGG's suggestion, I tried stretching out the spring a little to give a snappier feel; if anything that might've made it feel more stiff.

--- End quote ---

It's supposed to.  More spring tension = faster return to center = "snappier". 


--- Quote from: notbillcosby on December 02, 2012, 03:06:27 pm ---If more tension isn't actually causing it to return to center faster, then you've got too much friction.  Not enough lube in the right places, or the stick is just poorly designed.

I really can't find a combination that makes this stick feel smooth, light, and quick.

--- End quote ---

Not entirely sure this is what you mean, but I think you might want opposing qualities.  If by light you mean low tension/stiffness, and by quick you mean returns to center quickly, then you can't have both.

Or by quick do you mean shorter engage/throw distances?  You might be able to mod the actuator for that.

Sounds like if you really hate the stick you should just stop using it.  If you're picky then find your favorite 4-way stick and your favorite 8-way stick and use both.  Trying to compromise the two together is asking a lot.

notbillcosby:
Hi Friend! Sounds like I should explain better or something.

First things first: I'm making my cabinet have dedicated panels for 4-way and 8-way stuff that you can swap out as you please. This feels like it should be a sturdy, well made stick and I "should" like it in 4-way mode, so I figured I might as well try to fix whatever might be wrong with it to try it out as an option for my 4-way panel. When I was just using the X-Arcade it was important to have it switch from 4 to 8, but it isn't anymore. So that's not an issue.

Anyway... Stretching the spring out didn't make it return to center any faster, it just feels like maybe there's too much pressure now, pushing against the stick or something, and it's keeping it from moving freely. Not saying that's specifically what's happening, it just *feels* like it.

I want the motion of the stick to be smooth and not feel like parts are rubbing together, but it feels like parts are rubbing together. I've Vaseline'd everything that makes sense, and it still feels like it's not sliding smoothly. I don't care if it takes a little effort to move the stick, as I'm kind of a "full body" Pac-Man player who gets into it a liiitle too much. There's no 'snap' to how it centers itself though. I feel like if I'm using a stick that i have to lean into a little, it should pop right back to center, but this just feels... i don't know. Wrong. I wonder if taking a video of it would even show how it behaves, or if it would be lost in translation. I know I'm not the only one who's not into the stick- my Ms. Pac-Man partner in crime was also pretty unenthusiastic about it before and after any of my mods.

Do you like these sticks? Want a good deal on one that may need a little love?

rCadeGaming:
I've never used that stick, sounds like it has a crappy pivot quality.

I prefer JLF's for most things.  Stock for fighters, and modded for reduced engage and throw for other things, especially Shmups.

What kind of restrictor shape do you want for 4-way?  The JLF can do circle and diamond.  An LS-32 is good for a clover shape.  If you're really into Pac-Man, you should probably look into a reunion stick:

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=32046.0

Le Chuck:

--- Quote from: rCadeGaming on December 02, 2012, 06:51:37 pm ---I've never used that stick, sounds like it has a crappy pivot quality.

--- End quote ---

I'd lean towards "it's probably not your bag" rather than to start calling the product crappy since you've never used one.

To the OP: I have several of these sticks.  I'd say the feel is very similar to a seimitsu IMO.  There isn't a lot you're going to do to change the fundamental feel of the stick but it sounds like you may have over stretched your spring in an attempt to get a different feel.  I would say that mine do slide freely and I have mine set to an almost loose feel. If it isn't responsive perhaps you should check the microswitches and ensure that they're properly set. 

Not every stick is for everybody, I'm sure you could find somebody to take that stick off your hands so you can get something that might feel a bit better for you in the way of a dedicated 4 way.

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page

Go to full version