MiSTer FPGA Forum

Hi,

there are plenty of tips out there for Console controllers, even lag test wired and wireless. But I can't finde very much for Arcade controllers. What I'm looking for is something pre build like those "Fighting stick" that can sit on your lap like this here, preferable a little cheaper https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07K2194K1/

Any suggestion? Preferable something you can get on Amazon and/or here in Europe.

Best regards,
Michael

I have the Mayflash F500. It's a decent budget option, is easy to swap in Sanwa buttons, and has an acryllic faceplate that makes it easy to do custom art. Has a nice little compartment to hold the USB cable as well. Has enough buttons to map 8 normal face buttons, as well as start/select/menu. Turbo features.

I tried to style mine as a MVS homage and tie it into my PVM/MiSTer colors. I've since swapped on a black bat top, too.


Pretty much anything that's designed to be plug-and-play on current consoles should be plug-and-play on MiSTer. They'll usually have a switch or something to toggle between xinput, dinput, PS4, Switch, etc. modes. Just play around until you find the mode that lets you map all the special buttons.

https://github.com/MickGyver/DaemonBite-Arcade-Encoder
Ultra low lag (sub 2ms consistently) DIY Arduino Pro Micro $10ish

Or buy it from the shop https://www.daemonbite.com/product/ktrl-arcade/

Even if you have a laggy arcade stick replacing the encoder with this will make it quicker.

Sigismond0 wrote: ↑Wed May 27, 2020 1:22 pm I have the Mayflash F500. It's a decent budget option, is easy to swap in Sanwa buttons, and has an acryllic faceplate that makes it easy to do custom art. Has a nice little compartment to hold the USB cable as well. Has enough buttons to map 8 normal face buttons, as well as start/select/menu. Turbo features.

Thanks for the info looks quite good. What's the difference between the F500 and the F300?

suverman wrote: ↑Wed May 27, 2020 1:45 pm https://github.com/MickGyver/DaemonBite-Arcade-Encoder
Ultra low lag (sub 2ms consistently) DIY Arduino Pro Micro $10ish

Or buy it from the shop https://www.daemonbite.com/product/ktrl-arcade/

Even if you have a laggy arcade stick replacing the encoder with this will make it quicker.

Interesting project, I'll keep this in mind for the future. I still have a few Arduino Pro Micro laying around here.

lomdar67 wrote: ↑Wed May 27, 2020 3:46 pmThanks for the info looks quite good. What's the difference between the F500 and the F300?

F300 is smaller, doesn't have the customizable faceplate, and doesn't have some other minor features like the USB cable compartment.

While searching for reviews of the Mayflash F500/F300 I stumbled across the HORI Real Arcade Pro N (https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0764DYT7P/), which has some very good reviews.

It's for the PS 3/4 and PC, but needs drives to be installed on the PC. Can anybody tell me if this Arcade stick would work with the MiSTer?

I don't own one, so take this as speculation. PS4 controllers are plug and play via USB for MiSTer, right? In that case, this should be if used in PS4 mode. Also looks like it has x-input mode for PC, so it should also be plug and play that way, too. PC drivers are probably just for additional features like the touchpad, and not for basic input purposes.

Sigismond0 wrote: ↑Wed May 27, 2020 7:11 pm I don't own one, so take this as speculation. PS4 controllers are plug and play via USB for MiSTer, right? In that case, this should be if used in PS4 mode. Also looks like it has x-input mode for PC, so it should also be plug and play that way, too. PC drivers are probably just for additional features like the touchpad, and not for basic input purposes.

Okay thanks. I think I will try that one out. Can always sent it back if it‘s not working

I have a Rec Room Masters Xtension 4 player controller. This device outputs the arcade controller inputs as keyboard keys. This 4 player controller registers as 2 keyboards and players 1 and player 2 are 2 different keyboards with their own hardware ID. Player 1 and 3 are keyboard A and player 2 and 4 are keyboard B.

I can only partially configure 2 users. (I'm not too concerned about 4 players right now.)The gamepad configuration does not let you go far into gamepad configuration.
Also I cannot manually map the F12 menu to a key combination or key for either player 1 or player 2. I have not found a MiSter option to manually configure input devices with a config file.

Does anyone have experience configuring this style of arcade controller? Is there a manual gamepad key mapping? I'm hoping I don't have to gut it and change encoders or whatever the process is if there is one. Thank you.

I am using a Hori RAP N with my MiSTer.
It is working really well.
Just plug and play.

Qanba Q4 RAF, it has a Sanwa JLF Joystick and Sanwa OBSF-30 Buttons, which are often regarded the best arcade part you can get. The Seimitsu LS-32 Joystick is a great choice, too, depending on your preferences (as a replacement for the JLF stick that comes with the Qanba). The whole stick works flawless with MiSTer and should be easy to mod if you want a different joystick than the default JLF.

No matter what you buy, stay away from Madcatz or other really cheap solutions. A good arcade sticks costs some money and you don't want to ruin your experience with poor buttons, sticks and a slow board.

Here you can get some lag tests: https://inputlag.science/controller/results

The HORI Real Arcade Pro N is a very good choice in regard to input lag. Here is a discussion of Sanwa vs Hori parts: https://www.reddit.com/r/fightsticks/co ... nwa_parts/

And here a review of the Hori stick: https://shoryuken.com/2017/08/15/shoryu ... ation-3-4/

Sounds like a good choice and it looks easy to mod in case you want to later swap the buttons and stick out.

Thanks for all the suggestions. I ended up with a Hori Real Arcade Pro N. So far nothing to complain.

Has anyone tried PS3 era fight sticks?
The Hori RAP v3 SA includes Sanwa parts and can be had for cheap second hand in my region. Far cheaper than PS4 options usually.

There are cheap controllers on aliexpress that do work with MiSTer that looks like this:


Nothing fancy and they can be upgraded is you choose. I paid around $25 shipped but it was a few years ago.

WolfgangBlack wrote: ↑Thu Jun 04, 2020 5:28 pm There are cheap controllers on aliexpress that do work with MiSTer.

A quality joystick, like a Sanwa JLF-TP-8YT or Seimitsu LS-32 alone costs more and we are not even talking prices of a fast USB encoder board, like a Brook, that does not give you horrible input lag.

Why even bother using a MiSTer with a 25$ "Arcade Stick"?

Threepwood wrote: ↑Thu Jun 04, 2020 10:47 pm A quality joystick, like a Sanwa JLF-TP-8YT or Seimitsu LS-32 alone costs more and we are not even talking prices of a fast USB encoder board, like a Brook, that does not give you horrible input lag.

Why even bother using a MiSTer with a 25$ "Arcade Stick"?

A cheap arcade stick is a first start and is much more fun than a gamepad. There are people out there how are not willing to spent 100$ or more for it. Just make sure it is mod able and you can switch out the stick and the buttons.

For encoder board it doesn't have to cost a fortune if you build it yourself: https://github.com/MickGyver/DaemonBite-Arcade-Encoder.

Everybody's needs are different not everyone buy a MiSTer to play arcade games!

lomdar67 wrote: ↑Fri Jun 05, 2020 7:54 am A cheap arcade stick is a first start and is much more fun than a gamepad. There are people out there how are not willing to spent 100$ or more for it. Just make sure it is mod able and you can switch out the stick and the buttons.

For encoder board it doesn't have to cost a fortune if you build it yourself: https://github.com/MickGyver/DaemonBite-Arcade-Encoder.

Everybody's needs are different not everyone buy a MiSTer to play arcade games!

Of course, it is up to everybody to decide for themselves what they are happy with.

In the context of this thread, though, it may be misleading to newcomers to not specifically point out that with such a stick you may end up with Input lag, mediocre buttons soldered directly to the PCB, non-standard size buttons that cannot be replaced with better quality parts easily, cheap plunger buttons, stock levers with cheap springs that lose tension quickly and will leave you with lever-droop.

As long as readers of this thread are made aware of this and thus can connect a possible poor experience to the quality of the parts, then that's fine.

The buttons in that particular case do not look like non-standard size to me, so I would expect this case to be upgradeable as WolfgangBlack mentioned. A Sanwa JFL stick with balltop and eight Sanwa OBSF-30 buttons should be around 45$. If the included PCB is usable that is enough to improve the quality a lot.

Or, if you are good at DIY, another option is to save the money for the stick and build your own case from scratch.

I use a modified NES30 Arcade Stick from 8bitdo (wired). Price was ok and it was very easy to replace buttons and stick with better parts (Seimitsu stick and Sanwa buttons in my case). Works well enough for me.

Threepwood wrote: ↑Fri Jun 05, 2020 11:17 am Or, if you are good at DIY, another option is to save the money for the stick and build your own case from scratch.

I was thinking about this for a long time, but playing mostly in front of a TV with no table (so the stick sits on my lap), I couldn't come up with a good solution for the case.

I think the case is one of the biggest problems when you build an arcade stick. Especially when you don't have a cabinet or a table.

Yeah, a lot of us have the DIY ability to wire up buttons, stick, and control board, but don't have access to a workshop for cutting acryllic/wood/metal to build a case. Getting a $25 complete stick on AliExpress, and gutting it for just the body and doing your own guts is a decent option.

The 8bitdo stick is basically identical to the Mayflash F500 I mentioned in the second post. You lose the acryllic front plate, but I believe you gain Bluetooth as an option. From what I understand they're all made with the same molds and everything.

Threepwood wrote: ↑Sun May 31, 2020 12:26 am Qanba Q4 RAF, it has a Sanwa JLF Joystick and Sanwa OBSF-30 Buttons, which are often regarded the best arcade part you can get.

YMMV for me the Sanwa Buttons are too easy going, I settled for Semitsu which are still easy going but have a little bit more "grip"
(Have in mind I built my own arcade controller so I had free reign on the parts.)

I also prefer the Ultimar J Sticks (in my case Servosticks) over the more easy going Sanwas.
But in both cases it is mostly a matter of Springs, adding a slightly harder Spring to a Sanwa gives the same effect.
Either way by going Sanwa you cannot do wrong, the rest is a matter of taste mostly.

Threepwood wrote: ↑Fri Jun 05, 2020 11:17 amIn the context of this thread, though, it may be misleading to newcomers to not specifically point out that with such a stick you may end up with Input lag, mediocre buttons soldered directly to the PCB, non-standard size buttons that cannot be replaced with better quality parts easily, cheap plunger buttons, stock levers with cheap springs that lose tension quickly and will leave you with lever-droop.

Literally none of that is true of the stick I posted, you are simply making up problems that don't exist.

lomdar67 wrote: ↑Fri Jun 05, 2020 12:28 pm I think the case is one of the biggest problems when you build an arcade stick.

It for sure is. There are really nice and quality cases out there, but sourcing them is very expensive, especially when shipping overseas and customs come ontop.

I saw a few projects where people use IKEA picture frames, breadboxes and their like or in general anything that you can drill holes into (cigar boxes, humidors etc), but that is not to everyone's taste (not mine for sure) and it againg requires some tools.

Sigismond0 wrote: ↑Fri Jun 05, 2020 4:20 pm Yeah, a lot of us have the DIY ability to wire up buttons, stick, and control board, but don't have access to a workshop for cutting acryllic/wood/metal to build a case. Getting a $25 complete stick on AliExpress, and gutting it for just the body and doing your own guts is a decent option.

If you want this specific case, for sure. I have only found this one online as a six button case, not eight button, which is a bummer. The six button costs the same as this whole stick, so it is a good deal to gut and swap parts.

werpu wrote: ↑Fri Jun 05, 2020 5:34 pm
YMMV for me the Sanwa Buttons are too easy going, I settled for Semitsu which are still easy going but have a little bit more "grip"
(Have in mind I built my own arcade controller so I had free reign on the parts.)

I also prefer the Ultimar J Sticks (in my case Servosticks) over the more easy going Sanwas.
But in both cases it is mostly a matter of Springs, adding a slightly harder Spring to a Sanwa gives the same effect.
Either way by going Sanwa you cannot do wrong, the rest is a matter of taste mostly.

You make me curious about the Seimitsu buttons. I am in the process of building an arcade stick and went with a Seimitsu LS-32-1 stick for a change. I originally ordered standard Sanwa OBSF-30, so I think I will order a set of Seimitsu buttons to try out.

Threepwood wrote: ↑Sun Jun 07, 2020 1:38 pm

You make me curious about the Seimitsu buttons. I am in the process of building an arcade stick and went with a Seimitsu LS-32-1 stick for a change. I originally ordered standard Sanwa OBSF-30, so I think I will order a set of Seimitsu buttons to try out.

I stumbled over the sanwa buttons, accidentally via a youtube button comparison video. I used cheap happ style buttons before and they needed too much space and the spring was way too hard for my taste (due to a work related rsi i am very sensitive when it comes to pressure, hence i also use only mecha keyboards)
given my rsi I have to be in a very fine position regarding pressure, too much, my fingers hurt, to few my fingers also hurt because i hit the end too hard.

To sum it up, I bought the led Semitsu (they are quite expensive) and they had the perfect feeling for me. The video states that the sanwas everyone swears on were very easy going. Given that I have a Sanwa stick at home which feels to soft for my taste, I could imagine those were too soft for me.
The LED semitus were #1 choice because of leds and they take very little spave given their small jst connectors instead of going the usual lip connector path. But they are really expensive, so going with non LED semitsus might be the better path.

Btw. having the direct comparison, I prefer the feel of the Ultimarc J-Stick/Servo stick over the soft throw of the Sanwas any time. I probably will exchange the spring of the sanwa I have because of that.

Does anyone has experience with the sticks and buttons from X-Arcade?

I was going through all this looking for an arcade stick for mister, finally ended up on the hori pro v (the xbox one variant), absolutely fantastic stick. I was playing some of jotego's core and could immediately see the difference in accuracy from playing on a pad.

It was £104 quid on amazon (its on cheap at the moment) but I have zero buyers remorse - absolutely loving it!

werpu wrote: ↑Sat Jun 13, 2020 10:33 am Btw. having the direct comparison, I prefer the feel of the Ultimarc J-Stick/Servo stick over the soft throw of the Sanwas any time. I probably will exchange the spring of the sanwa I have because of that.

Thank you, I will be on the lookout for these Seimitsu buttons.

I finished building my custom stick recently and the Seimitsu LS-32-1 stick is stiffer than a Sanwa JLF and has a smaller deadzone. Maybe that stick would be to your liking.

Threepwood wrote: ↑Mon Jun 15, 2020 6:16 pm I finished building my custom stick recently and the Seimitsu LS-32-1 stick is stiffer than a Sanwa JLF and has a smaller deadzone. Maybe that stick would be to your liking.

Please show us your custom build. It's always interesting to see what people come up with, especially the housing.

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