POLL Best Asteroids Buttons?

dd0ck

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Throwing this one out there, I'm assuming you all have way more knowledge about this than me.

What were the buttons originally on Asteroids/Asteroids Deluxe machines? What are the best? Any links to decent buttons for sale? are the originals the best? Pics?

I've played Asteroids with tons of different buttons. I don't like tight buttons, but those you can tap quickly to get the four shots off quickly. I recently played with buttons that I really liked they were pretty flat and short and very springy but very easy to tap. I just don't know what kind they were.

Thanks!
 
Interesting topic, thanks for posting this. Should be a good discussion.

I can say that I know that my (and I believe most/all) Asteroids Deluxes used buttons that are a softer type of plastic. You can almost dig your fingernails into them, and they give a very specific dampened sort of feel to the CP, IMO.

This is in comparison to the other two types of plastics I've seen, which are more of a medium hardness (like the stock buttons on Tempest, Space Duel, and many others), and there is also a hard type of plastic, which I've mainly seen on modern repro buttons. These are very glossy and hard, and have a definite 'clatter' to them.

There are plenty of folks selling replacement button sets for Asteroids (ebay, etc), but I don't know a confirmed source that sells the soft type of plastic. (I'm not saying they don't exist, I just don't know if the ones available are the soft ones.) I'd love to know of a reliable source, as I could use some.

On a related note, I'd love to build a set of these:

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,88912.msg971849.html#msg971849


(Note that this link was taken from this recent AD resto thread from whitefox:)

http://forums.arcade-museum.com/showthread.php?t=370340&page=6


Interested to hear others' opinions, as buttons do vary, and can make a real difference in the overall experience.
 
Close enough.

http://www.arcadeadventures.com/atari-asteroids-or-asteroids-deluxe-button-set/

5 - White Leaf Style Buttons
Short leaf switch buttons

IMG_6807__78221.1370992128.1280.1280.JPG
 
I tried the buttons from groovygamegear.com. They were okay at first, but then would stick/were consistent. Was actually kind of excited about them, but ended up using them only for the fire button. Still not that great.

Turns out the best buttons are being sold by Bob Roberts, and the real problem was with the switches I was using on the old buttons, not really the buttons themselves. He builds them from NOS parts and they play flawlessly--rapid fire without any strain on your hands, I could play for hours (and hopefully will).

You can get them here: http://homearcade.org/BBBB/
 
I bought that button set from AA posted here, and while they're not 100% to the original buttons in my Asteroids Deluxe, they're close. The trick is getting the leafs bent correctly so the larger one rests on the button, giving it immediate resistance with no travel before it starts pushing down on the leaf. Then, using a rectangle thing to bend the shorter leaf spring as close as possible to make the travel to trigger the connection short.

The original leafs feel great when set up properly, esp. for rapid-firing with two fingers, compared to the modern set I bought off of some other website.
 
I bought that button set from AA posted here, and while they're not 100% to the original buttons in my Asteroids Deluxe, they're close. The trick is getting the leafs bent correctly so the larger one rests on the button, giving it immediate resistance with no travel before it starts pushing down on the leaf. Then, using a rectangle thing to bend the shorter leaf spring as close as possible to make the travel to trigger the connection short.



The original leafs feel great when set up properly, esp. for rapid-firing with two fingers, compared to the modern set I bought off of some other website.



Do you have pictures of how you setup your switches?

Thanks for the info!
 
I bought the set of 5 white Asteroids buttons from Twisted Quarter (on eBay) some time last year for my Asteroids Deluxe and they have worked perfectly.
 
I just posted in the other thread linked above, those are coin control buttons. If you look up the manual for bionic commando, there is a breakdown of the button on page 5. I have had 2 dedicated bionic commando games and they both had these buttons in them.
 
I just replied in that other thread (not to derail this one too much).

Thanks for posting that info. However, it adds to the mystery, as the ones I have are clearly made by IL, even though it's the same design as the one labeled Coin Controls in the BC manual.

(We should probably continue any further discussion on this topic in that thread.)
 
The original ones...

Mine were filthy and yellowed and generally gross. The rest of the game is top notch but for some reason the guy I got it from bullet-proofed the electronics but did not replace the buttons.

I got a replacement set from Twisted Quarter. The don't have the same gameplay "feel" as the old ones but I assumed that is because they were not broken in yet. I am not great at Asteroids but I don't have a problem getting off 4 shots with this style of button.

While on the subject of buttons, like probably everybody else, I hate the Hyperspace button. I wish regular Asteroids could be reprogrammed with a Shield function instead.
 
Mine were filthy and yellowed and generally gross. The rest of the game is top notch but for some reason the guy I got it from bullet-proofed the electronics but did not replace the buttons.

I got a replacement set from Twisted Quarter. The don't have the same gameplay "feel" as the old ones but I assumed that is because they were not broken in yet. I am not great at Asteroids but I don't have a problem getting off 4 shots with this style of button.

While on the subject of buttons, like probably everybody else, I hate the Hyperspace button. I wish regular Asteroids could be reprogrammed with a Shield function instead.

The ones in my Asteroids are also from twisted quarter, the game didn't have any. The buttons are just like they are on my Asteroids Deluxe. Look at my link below, you need to adjust the large leaf so it rests against the end of the button, and get the smaller leaf as close as possible without making a connection. It will take some time but you'll get it.
 
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