Gates make a pretty big difference, yeah. I use octos in my Seimitsu and one of my Sanwas and much prefer it to square gates.
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Yeah, I was thinking either octo or circle gate personally. (Kinda leaning towards circle as I don’t think I’d like the bumps that would happen riding an octo.)
I think I may change the title of this thread, as it’s became a part discussion thread, leave it to me to go off-topic even in a thread I started, lol.
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I was looking over switches for the gamerfinger buttons and I’m kinda thinking I might like the Kailh Speed Bronze switches. They are basically Kahil’s speed version of Cherry MX blues, from what I was reading.
Here’s an excerpt, I can link to what I was reading if you’d like.
“The Kailh Bronze is close to the Blue switch, with an actuating force of 50gf, a tactile bump requiring 60gf, total travel distance of 3.5mm, and an actuating point of 1.1mm to make it more suitable for gaming.”
For reference Cherry MX Blues have a total travel of 4.0mm, and an actuating point of 2.2mm. With a tactile bump at 60cN. (Cherry MX measures with cN, and it seems from googling that 1cN = 1.02gf roughly.) So basically Cherry MX Blues are actually at 61.2gf from my lazy math. So the difference in force should be negligible. (Kahil Speed Bronze 60gf, Cherry MX Blues 61.2gf) gf is grams-force and cN is centinewtons.
Minor edits on my end for readability, lol.
Basically blues but they activate at about half the distance, with 0.5mm less overall travel.
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I’m thinking I’m going to get a Crown 309 Helpme (short collar version), and not bother getting a seimitsu/sanwa. It just seems slightly more flexible for customizing, as I can change the tension silicons, actuator and switches for it fairly easily to get fairly different feels.
Seems like a good plan on both counts. Let me know how it goes 
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Yeah, I just have to make sure I find the correct model for the stick, lol. (Naming conventions are a nightmare, lol. I’m wanting the new model of the Crown Helpme as the battop is removable, I’d like to switch it with a smaller battop I found.)
It may be a bit though, as I still have to figure out what I’m going to do for the chassis/housing. As I’d like to order everything at the same time.
I can link you to a YouTuber that I was watching for Korean stick comparisons if you’d like. (He was doing shootouts for multiple sticks.)
EDIT: Found it on focusattack, but they are out of stock. And my God that product name is ridiculous.
CROWN CWL-309-MJ-NEW-HELPME-KMS-ST30
Finally found a chassis I like, more then what I was wanting to spend on it. Seems like I’ll have to save up a little more now, lol.
It’s a foehammer stealth, I’m planning on getting the stage 1 version so I can get that beautiful wood grain, don’t want solid colors lol. Just don’t know if my hands will allow me sand and finish it.
Was wanting to apply some light fire to it (to make the grain pop more) and use this colored wax technique to it. (This applies the colored wax into soft parts of the grain.)
I can link some videos if you’d like to see what I’m talking about.
EDIT: Seems I’d be better off applying black stain, then sanding the lighter colored areas, and then applying the main color I want. Finishing off with a wax accent. (As if I burnt the wood to achieve the effect I’m wanting I’d have to go farther then a surface burn. Which would cause the wood to have alot of texture, it’d no longer be smooth when I was done.)
Sounds like an interesting technique. I would recommend trying it (and/or anything else you want to do) on some scrap wood of the same type first, though. I’ve done plenty of finishing work that turned out less awesome than I’d hoped lol
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Yeah scrap wood for sure lol.
I’ll send you some links later in a PM. (The wax thing is pretty sweet imo, as well as the burning technique. Just the burning technique wouldn’t be a good fit here, lol. Wax would be fine, as long as I make sure it’s been sanded well before I apply it.)
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So, after some more research I think I’m just going to get a Crown 309 MJ (It’s the short collar, Japanese mounting version of the 309 from my understanding), the reason for getting the 309 MJ over the Helpme, is after doing some reading in the Korean parts discussion thread over on srk.
It seems it’s hard to get a proper Helpme stick outside of actually going to Korea to get one. As Helpme actual has a shop where they are built or something. It’s said that alot of the Helpme sticks online are just modified versions of the 309. (Which technically that’s what it is anyway.) But from what I was reading alot of professional Tekken players say there’s a distinct difference from the sticks that are sold as Helpme’s and the ones Helpme actually sells in his store.
The Tekken players supposedly will only buy a Helpme from his store.
Since I’ll be messing with swapping parts on the stick anyway, I’m just going to get a 309 MJ and not deal with the idea of not getting what I’m actually intending to buy.
Grain of salt please, as this is technically all hearsay.
All this being said, I’m probably going to swap the silicone tension grommet to get the snap back and tension I want (may not need to swap this out), and swap out the switches for something that’s easier to activate. (So lighter switches? Not sure on terminology here, lol. I want switches I don’t have to use alot of force to use. I’m ok with having some tension in the stick, but I don’t want to fight with high tension on top of hard to activate switches.)
I’m also wanting to get the removable shaft for the stick, for easier storage of the stick. (It’s like $30 for just that shaft though, so that may be a later down the road part.)
The PCB for it is around $100, the 309 will probably cost me $80-ish when all is said and done. $30 for the 309, $30 for the removable shaft, $10 at least for different tension grommets this will be enough to buy two extra tensions, $15 for the battop I want, and at least another $10 for different switches for the 309 this will also pay for two sets.
Then the buttons are going to cost $80-ish. As 8 buttons is going to run me roughly $40 dollars for the gamerfinger buttons, $10-20 for new springs for the switches (20 will pay for two extra tensions), the switches will cost me about $20.
So far just for those parts alone I’m looking at $275, and then I’d still need to pay for the other 4 or so buttons (I’ll probably get cheaper buttons for the these, as it’s the guide/home, start, select, L3/R3), the wires, and then I still have to pay for a chassis or the parts to build a chassis. (If I just want to get started and wait for fine tuning I can probably drop that budget down to around $200-210 for parts minus the chassis, so more like $300. Then an extra $75-100 for fine-tuning parts later, lol.)
Also I’ll have to save for additional odds and ends parts and equipment. (Have no tools lol.)
I also need a soldering iron and a heatgun. As I’m wanting to resleave a 360 controller cable with Paracord for this, and I’m also wanting to build the wiring harness by hand. If I’m going to build something I’m going to over-engineer that shit, lol.
I’m thinking I may make a new thread when I actually start the build itself. Going over the parts and build process, and reasoning behind what I’m doing. I’ll still post in this thread until the actual build itself, probably going to be awhile tbh. As I’m not wanting to half-ass something I’m seemingly going to be spending +$300 dollars on.
That’s all for my book tonight, lol. (I understand that I could probably build a good stick for around $150-250 with chassis and all. But I’d most likely end up making the up difference later buying replacement parts to get the feeling I want anyway, so I’d rather just spend some extra upfront on more customizable parts then have like 2-3 extra sticks “levers”, and 2-3 extra sets of buttons laying around that the only thing I could do with them is make another stick that I wouldn’t use, and would have to pay more to make anyway. As I’m not about to try and resell parts as it’s more of a hassle then it’s worth in this situation.)
Just a bit of warning: FGC people are big into voodoo and “feel”, almost as bad as internet audiophiles and sommeliers. With that in mind, I would very much recommend just getting a regular 309 and buy some replacement bits to modify it as you go.
Also, switch weight on sticks makes zero difference, so I wouldn’t bother there. Even the largest difference (heaviest to lightest) becomes a rounding error once you factor in leverage from the lever itself, and especially if you “ride the gate”. I know this from experience.
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Yeah, I’m not planning on going to crazy with customizing the stick. That audiophile comment made me laugh.
I’m just going to get Crown 309 MJ with the removable shaft (similar to the phreakmods link but for a 309 crown), one or two tension grommets, and replacment battop (focusattack has a mini wood battop for the crown that I want, may hold off on this as I’m really sure how big the standard is, lol).
If I do go to try some replacement switches I’m only going to buy one set, the omrons for the seimitsu sticks. (Don’t know if I will at this point.)
Also I think I’ve found the most over-engineered stick ever, have you seen anything about the golden lever(it’s like a $130 stick though)?
I think I may start buying some parts this weekend, mainly just the 309 and the PCB. Possibly the buttons as well, I’m going to hold off on buying the new switches as I still need to figure out wtf I’m going to do about a chassis. (Really not wanting to spend +$70 on a chassis lol.
I’ve heard of the golden but haven’t seen/touched one.
Buying the parts and then fitting them into a scrap DIY box (shoeboxes are common, along with cheap plastic tackle/makeup/sewing boxes and even pizza boxes) just to get a feel for the layout before throwing down cash on a real chassis is a common thing, AFAIK, and seems prudent to me.
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The golden lever has some interesting ideas, imo. They use a spring (sits between the tension grommet and the actuator) to get rid of the wobble Korean sticks typically have (from what I’ve seen) and a bearing for the actuator to cut down on friction when you do circles and the like. Haven’t used one just watched some videos on it lol.
I know what layout I want (want a noir layout), the issue is price really (which is hilarious when you take into consideration how much I’m planning on spending on parts lol.). Well that and I’d like a wooden stick but don’t have to tools to make one, lol. I’ll probably just use some plastic box or something until I can figure it out, lol.
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Ohh I forgot something in my last post, I’m going to attempt a mod on the tension grommet to make diagonals easier. Some of the Korean sticks have a hole in each diagonal direction so they are easier to hit. (Going to buy an extra tension grommet for this mod.)
Basically I’m going measure from center like the rest of the hole and take a small sized piece of copper pipe/tubing and use a file to sharpen the edges to cut out the holes for the diagonals. (Diagonals are important for me, lol. I don’t want to fight the stick for them.)
May also try the spring thing the golden lever does to get rid of the wobble if I can find a spring the right size and it feels right lol.
I’ll update here until I start building, then I’ll start a new thread.
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Ohhh, god, i’ve been dying to have one of those MAME Arcade Cabinets in my house just like one of those Collectors who are shoving and teasing their Arcades on their YouTube channel
But i can’t, my house is a rent and it’s also smaalll 
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Maybe do a bartop cab (I think that’s what they’re called.), it should take about as much space as a 20-30 inch CRT when all is said in done.
I’d love to build a full size cab personally, but space and money are an issue so stick only for now, lol. (Honestly I don’t even want to imagine how much money I’d dump into a full-size cab, probably easily over $2,000. Because of the sticks I’d need at least two sticks and computer, and all of the custom nonsense I’d build in, lol.)
Another option that isn’t as visually impressive is to build a stick with a raspberry pi inside, that’d be the best space saving way to go. Plus it’d be super portable.
Oh, wait a minute, i almost forgot about the money part Yeah it costs a fortune
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Ehh, It really depends on how balls to the wall going.
I’d be budgeting in a cabinet situation, like $1000 for the computer easily (which is honestly overkill for a cabinet, I’m just budgeting like that for 4k and shaders, lol), another $800-$1000 for the controller (sticks and buttons.))
Which could easily be way cheaper, like you could build a two person controller setup for around a $50-100. And depending on what games your running you could get a second hand computer for around the same price, and build a cab for around probably the same amount. So between $200-300, for the whole thing, plus the screen.
If you have an old computer screen, and tower or laptop laying around you could cut the cost down to under $150 for a bartop, most likely.
EDIT: Better price guestamation.
Man so i was watching this YouTube channel, he’s james Rolfe he’s a mighty nerd, he was filming a place in chicago, which they have this big place full of Arcade Cabinets, it’s huge and it was different, you pay 15 bucks and it’s all u can play Just like a lunch buffey, i said wowww god, wish i was living there, ohhhh dear god It was like a heaven
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