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Who's selling leaf joysticks these days?

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1UP:
Looking for a couple leaf sitcks to play around with.  Don't see them on Wico any more.  What's your source?

HagHore:
You know, I think you can still get them from Wico but you need to know the part number of the stick you want when you call.  Otherwise you'll just have to keep checking eBay if you want real Wico's.

1UP:

--- Quote from: HagHore on March 30, 2004, 10:14:23 pm ---You know, I think you can still get them from Wico but you need to know the part number of the stick you want when you call.  Otherwise you'll just have to keep checking eBay if you want real Wico's.

--- End quote ---

So, anyone got that part number?  ;)

BTW, is it my imagination, or is there more than just the difference in switch types between microswitch sticks and leaf sticks?  The whole reason I'm looking in to this right now is because of a little thing that happened at the car wash this weekend.  They finally got some games at the wash I always go to.  One of them was a Ms. Pac-Man (actually a speed-hacked Ms. Pac in a Super Pac cabinet painted black.)  Anyway, I played that sucker for a good half hour while I was waiting for my car, and I really liked the way the balltop leaf stick felt for that game.  I ended up getting my butt kicked by a kid less than half as old as the machine, but that's beside the point...  :)

I get back to work Monday (where my cab is) and I decide to brush up on some Ms. Pac-Man.  My wrist was torn up in 15 minutes on that damn E-stick (even with the looser springs I put in!)  One problem is that the bat-style stick is pretty small, and the throw is very short.  But it seems like the restrictor is really what makes it so hard on the wrists.  When the stick reaches the end of its throw, it friggin STOPS.  NOW.  The leaf stick never seemed to hit that kind of sudden resistance.  Very spongey.  I'm quickly becoming a believer!  If no one is making them now, I may end up making them myself after I get my cab production line up and running.  Or at least a MS stick that feels like a leaf stick.

Also, I tried switching to one of the larger Competition sticks to ease my pain.  It helped a little, with the larger handle and longer throw.  I noticed that the lack of a diamond restrictor also helped.  I was hurting myself by trying to turn corners rapidly on the 4-way, and I was actually getting blocked from making a smooth transition by the restrictor.  You have to be pushing just the right way to get it to slide without some friction, and that actually seemed to mess me up more than just playing with an 8-way.  Much smoother after that.  But still much stiffer than playing with a leaf stick.

What exactly is the difference that makes MS sticks so harsh?  They're very precise, but not at all friendly to the carpal-tunnel challenged.  OUCH!  :'(

Xiaou2:

 yay -  he's seeing the light   ;D   *nudge  ;)


    The main reason that leafs feel better for certain games is due to the fact that they have no square bottom actuator.  

 On the competition for example... that is what makes it accurate - yet also, you can feel the 'box' shape when turning corners.

  The supers are a bit more round and made to slightly mimic the leaf setup.  However... they are much harder to move arround because or using hard springs instead of the nice pliable rubber centering gromet used in wico leafs.   They are also prone to a leaf life problem - diagnol troubles.  (though this seems to be mostly due to poor micro-leaf switche hybrid design.  The little actuator on the micros is too thin and bends to easily)

 Ohh - and most happ joys use a spring that creates a constant downward pressure.  This creates a ton more friction - ouch -  (and also wears the plastic spacers)

  Another notable thing is that the micros themsleves have springy resistence... so your really fighting 2 springs per movment.

 


patrickl:
The reason they feel so good is the rubber grommet. I have to say both the leaf and microswitch variants feel great. Allthough I like the T Stick plus stick too (which has virtually no throw), but apparently that's a personal taste. I like the quicker reactions I get due to the shorter throw.

I bought some of those chinese clones at MikesArcade and I'm sad to say these sticks suck. Luckily they offered me a refund on them (BTW the people at MikesArcade are amazingly helpful)

Tailgunner did a good pictorial comparison of the cheap wico clone (often called "Wico Style Joystick") and the real thing.

They really are a direct clone of a Wico "Berzerk" stick. I actually have a Wico base that looks identical to the clones (just  the shaft is way thinner). They even include a copy of the Wico 2/4/8-way replacement kit "manual". It's a 4-way stick (with diamond shaped actuator), but still they included the 8-way actuator of the 2/4/8-way replacement kit. :P

BTW another stick that is very good for old 4-way games is the MsPac man/Galaga Replacement joystick (you can get these from Happ controls or Bob roberts too, just more expensive). It feels pretty much like a mushy Wico stick. Only trouble is that they are a bit more work to mount. It has a very short joystick handle so it needs to be mounted near the top of the panel (i.e. under metal or you need to route out the wood from the top) You can also use a metal mounting plate. Personally I went for the routing from the top and it worked fine.

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