Joystick part number?

I started up a controller site recently, and while writing the NeoGeo Stick review I realized that I didn't know who made the stick mech, or what it was called.

It's definitely not an SNK creation, but there are no identifying marks on it to give away the source.

Does anyone know who made it, and what the part number is?

http://forums.shoryuken.com/showpost.php?p=3956481&postcount=4


http://img409.imageshack.us/img409/9783/s2022996wg4.jpg
http://img403.imageshack.us/img403/4950/s2022998il3.jpg
http://img526.imageshack.us/img526/2392/s2022995tf6.jpg
http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/2783/s2022994ds7.jpg
http://img329.imageshack.us/img329/2035/s2022993qf1.jpg

The above comparisons show that the Neo Geo stick is a custom Seimitsu model made for SNK in the late 80's. The LS-30 (Ikari Warriors, Guerrilla War, etc.) and LS-32 belong to the same era. The Neo Geo joystick uses Matsushita microswitches for the stick and Tokai switches for the buttons, just like Seimitsu sticks and buttons. Japanese SNK cabs use Seimitsu parts exclusively which goes to show there was a close relationship between SNK and Seimitsu so it's understandable that when SNK needed to manufacture an arcade stick for their home system they turned to Seimitsu.

This is a curious find: the green plastic base of the old style stick (see above pics) shows up in an early Sigma stick that has a definite Seimitsu flavor (same restrictors as the LS-32 but different metal plate and actuator) but cannot be identified with any known Seimitsu sticks.

http://img254.imageshack.us/img254/1215/sigma01bf4.jpg
http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/4122/sigmapcbtr3.jpg

LS-32 (in a later Sigma controller):
http://img183.imageshack.us/img183/1771/sigmastick1sz5.jpg

This seems to corroborate the view that Seimitsu did make custom sticks for home "arcade" controllers.

Thanks for that exhaustive reply, MKL. I'll update the page ASAP.

Note that the 2nd image in your first post is 404.

Veeeery interesting to see the selectable gate in the Sigma stick. Didn't think that could be done.

I can confirm that the identical-to-Neo stick was used in at least one ASCII stick, I'll post pics of that later.

Interestingly, I found a mech in a box of parts the other day that was identical to the Sigma joystick you posted above, except it didn't have any optional/adjustable gates on it. I wish I could remember which joystick I pulled it from... I'm pretty sure it wasn't a Sigma. It shares the same curved metal bottom plate as the Sigma though.

So perhaps in addition to the ASCII and Sigma there may be one more stick that used the phantom NeoGeo part.

Aha, interesting! That mech I have, which looks to be identical to that Sigma, actually has a part number stamped inside! It's a Seimitsu LS-22. It uses the same base as the LS-32 rotary, so is not identical to the Neo Geo unit.

Since the Neo one is not stamped anywhere with Seimitsu's name, I wonder if it's a clone?

[EDIT]: Here's the NFGcontrols mechanism thread.