I recently opened my MAS stick to see what joystick was in there since it was build in the 90’s. Its a Happ Ultimate so I wanted to see about putting a Sanwa in there along with Sanwa buttons. Currently it has Happ buttons in there.
How hard would it be to swap them out? I understand what is involved with wiring wise but I really mean hardware wise. Would the sanwa stick and buttons fit the Happ openings?
i would assume they have quick disconnects
so it would just be a matter of disconnecting them and plugging them back into the sanwa buttons and stick
Not quite that easy. Sanwa action buttons are bigger than Happ action buttons. Sanwa start buttons are also smaller than Happ start buttons. You never use the start buttons though so you might as well keep the Happ ones on there. You’ll need to drill 30 mm holes (make the holes slightly bigger) to fit the Sanwa buttons. You’ll probably also need to sand down some of the wood inside the stick where the joystick will be put since Sanwa sticks have mounting plates that must be placed on very thin wood/metal. Like 1/4 of an inch thick.
MAS solders so you will need to solder too. Plus, even if they did use quick disconnects you would have to get different ones for the Sanwa buttons because they use .110 while Happ uses .187. The Sanwa stick uses .187 though.
I doubt their sticks have changed much over the years but in mine (only a few weeks old) there really isn’t much wire to work with. The wire seems to be just long enough to reach the microswitches so if you did want to replace everyone you will probably have to rewire the stick as well.
And to add to what DevilJin said, MAS uses 3/4" MDF so to mount that Sanwa stick you will need to take out a good chunk of that wood.
Hmmm, I guess a sander could do that. I dont have a router. I guess the closed HAPP to a sanwa would be a super? That ultimate stick has a hard ass spring and the buttons are tough too.
Light spring competition stick is pretty good. Dont have to put much more effort on the motions than you would on a JLW Sanwa. Competition sticks are the most widely used non optical stick. A lot of people like P360’s since they are supposedly more durable/accurate but for me they’re too much work (as far as maintaining/fixing issues). A good microswitch stick is fine IMO. Never used super sticks but I hear they’re good too.
I was actually thinking of using the Happ competition buttons since they would probably fit the holes that the older HApp buttons were in. The Stick however is a problem… I really wanted a Sanwa in there but getting the fitting right may ruin the whole MAS.
I hate to bump my own thread but I have more questions…
I have been reading alot about Sanwa buttons, Are they comparable to Happ competition minus the clicking? Since the MAS is mounting on 3/4 mdf can I even use the screw in Sanwa’s?
I am still trying to figure out a way to put a Sanwa stick in. Is there any picture tutorials out there on installing a Sanwa?
I could borrow a router but I would have to completely dismantle the MAS and I would hate to do that.
One last thing, the MAS I have is old and uses white laquer paneling on the sides. Could I paint over that with a black laquer paint?
Competition parts are the Sanwa of the US. While different in design they rival in quality…
Uh, no.
They don’t have quick disconnects, in fact one of the reasons MAS takes so long (one of many) is that they solder directly. Though I doubt it would produce THAT much of a delay, but I digress. As a few others have highlighted here, it likely wouldn’t just be slipping them right into the hole. Plus even if you were to go the route of quick disconnects, you’d need unique sizes for the buttons and then the stick.
There also might be an issue with mounting the joystick as well, depending on how the HAPP that is in there now is mounted and what kind of Sanwa you decide to go with. So there’s a little more to it than just unplugging and plugging back in.
So it might be easier to just use Happ competition. Fair enough.
Comps aren’t even CLOSE.
They stick out, and that’s the only similarity.
The microswitch life on a cherry is rated for 10x the number of presses(1 million vs 10mil), but comps aren’t even CLOSE.
It’s the same, flawed design that’s plagued US buttons since the switch from leaf to micro.
So your saying the longevity of the Comps is not the same. Thats not really my priority. With 2 little ones Im lucky If this gets any play at all. Im mainly looking at feel. The ultimate buttons in there now are really high and you have to really press on them.
no, happs last 10x longer. But you’re going to get to a point well before that where you’re going to have to manually reseat the switch.
That is, if you play alot.
Or if you’ve got 4 year olds playing on it.
Comp will feel much better than Ultimates. First of all the convex shape doesn’t stick out as much as concave and due to the shape if you mash a lot for MvC2 for instance or just play for an extended period of time the Comp will be nicer on your fingers. Also when you press a Comp the button pushes down directly on the microswitch while an Ultimate pushes the switch by sliding against it and that friction causes Ultimates to be so stiff.
I find that it’s the spring in the Ultimate that makes it so stiff.
Well yeah that too.
So even going to a competition stick will help…
A Competition stick is a switch stick with a circular base. So while it isn’t exactly a P360, it does offer a smooth circular rotation. The Ultimate stick has the four corners.
The smartest thing to do is to sell the MAS stick and use that money towards a custom Jap stick.