I did this to my mk arcade. The springs were easy to install but the octagonal gates were difficult for me personally. The gameplay in my opinion is much improved after these upgrades! It makes doing moves like Sub Zero's iceball a lot easier along with all the fatalities. Great addition. Thanks for sharing.
@Mike Themann They worked perfectly after all. I tried using them on the Street Fighter II first, and they didn't fit. I, incorrectly assumed one size fits all.
Excellent clear explanation and demonstration of the steps needed - This is easily the best Arcade1up mod video I seen. It gives me much more confidence with being able to upgrade my own cabinet without messing things up. Great work on this one!
I know I’m late to the game with this. My kid and I gave up on this machine because nothing was working. Then I saw this video. I ordered all the parts you recommended, switched them out in less than 30 minutes and now we can’t stop playing. Game play is now on par with the real cabinets. Worth every penny. Thank you!!!
Dave Winfrey The game worked fine. The controls worked fine. This mod, if you watched the video made it better. Made the joystick a bit tighter for all those moves and finishers. I’m sure the game is made with lesser parts to keep costs down.
So excited, husband has the 1944 1up on the way for my birthday gift! Can't wait, thanks for the video I might try to upgrade the springs and am loving the vinyl option!
Thanks for this. Swapped out the stock springs for 3 lbs in my Sanwa clones using this video and it makes all the difference! I don't play many fighting games so the 3s are perfect stiffness.
Just got this for Xmas, saw this, bought all 3 things lol Got the springs today and installed. Wow, def a must! Feels so much better. Gates and bezel vinyl come tomorrow, love this thing!!
This is a nice upgrade if you grew up playing Mortal Kombat or Street Fighter in American arcades. For those who've been playing fighting games in recent years using modern console joysticks, you're actually going to be more used to the stock joystick and just swapping the grip to a ball top. It's also a matter of whether you want precision (stiff springs, octagonal gate) or response time (loose springs, square gate).
The screen overlay is a great idea. I just installed it but I'm a bit disappointed. I don't understand why they couldn't match the measurements of the 1up plexiglass LCD cover. It makes sense that the center area needs to be cut out to make the decal easier to produce. However, when trimming the white Boltz Designz area out it doesn't line up with the transparent part of the plexiglass. The decal overhangs on to the transparent area of the plexi. The decal can be further trimmed but not enough to match up correctly and not without cutting into the actual moves list of the decal. Along with the excessive amount of decal overhang around the outer bezel it just seems like the product could have been measured out a lot better. You'll have to eyeball it the best you can and know that the decal will be covering more of the LCD than before, 8mm overlap in my case. Also, I used a little bit of soapy water from a spray bottle on the plexi as I put on the decal to help give some correction movement as I squeegee it on. My two cents. Thanks for the video. I'm loving the 4lb springs and 8 point control gates.
GREAT VIDEO!!!!!!!!!!!! . I bought an MK 1up, and i ordered the stuff from your links. Beware guys the springs and gates may be sold out but i found them on EBAY and Restalgia is right. Everything checks out,, all my stuff is here.. I recommend this video and method .. 100% CONFIRMED WORKING.. I bought the 4lb springs, the gates, and the bezel.. Worth every penny. Thanks man for your hard work and great video. I know how hard it is to make a good video. .. one last thing,, if the 4lb springs are too stiff for you they do make a 2lb spring too you can order... the MK 1up cabs come with a 1lb spring by default, 4lb'ers for me though,, hope that helps any other modders following this guide.
Hell yeah man, I'm obsessed with this thing lol got the 4lb springs and gates in, love it, I could almost go 5-6 lb springs, I'm pretty heavy handed. Just waiting for the bezel art. I have no content here but check out Instagram, same name as here, been posting pics of what I've done.
@@daveofthedead1361 crap,, i dont have the gram.. too many social networks to join them all,, heheheh,,, sounds kickass man,, these things are great,, i want to buy them all... my basement will be an arcade one day
Its class ... But when you're applying vinyl always use soapy water in a spray bottle . Spray it directly onto the contact surface and squiggy to apply the vinyl. You won't get any bubbles or streaks .
Just finished the springs and gates and it works so much better now it's not even close THANK YOU!! To all of the nay sayers in the below comments, if you haven't even tried it please refrain from commenting IT WORKS! The people who sell the springs and gates should be giving you thanks and cutting you in on directing them sales.
just finished the sticker on the bezel. This did not go well at all. The cheap plastic got scratched up while trying to place the sticker bezel. The sticker did not go on well or fit well. Ended up with a ton of imperfections. i wish I never would have done this mod to begin with. This mod is not for Ogre hands like me.
@@Restalgia I noticed on focusattack.com they have 2 lb and 4 lb springs as well as octagon gates, will their gates work too? Figure easier to get all my parts from one store. Update: ordered 2 lb springs. Not replacing gates. Octagon gates make sense on a machine like Street Fighter 2 since alot of the moves require quarter circles and half circles. Mortal Kombat however is all directional taps like back/back or down/forward and work best with a square gate for less throw in the main 4 directions.
@@randomgamer-st1ie yep, absolutely. I believe both places have the exact same gates. And in terms of springs, it's a personal preference. I like my joysticks very stiff, but if you want something a bit lighter, 2lb is a good choice too.
The 4lb springs are too stiff cutting down on your reaction time du to the extra force needed to move the stick, the 2lb springs are much better. Also, the square gate is best with MK because it's movsets are mostly vertical and horizontal, not a lot of diagonals like SF2. Octagonal gates have too much extra throw on the horizontal and vertical inputs causing further delay combined with 4lb springs, while square gates remove that extra throw on the horizontals and verticals making moves faster to pull off. SF2 benefits from octagonal gates because it's movesets have many more quarter circle, half circle, and diagonals allowing you to ride the gate. Octagonal gates will not benefit MK.
@@mo1016 Was it a "Heavy" Battop. One made of metal. I understand its not for everyone, but the added weight helps. Now only if Focus Attack sold 3lb springs
MK doesn't have many qtr/half/full circle moves? You perform Sub-Zero's iceball and Scorpion's teleport by clicking down and over instead of doing a quick quarter circle? You must lose a lot. Do you do Kano's spinning ball by tapping forward-down-back-forward too?
I disagree. The octogonal gates helps to perform with accuracy the special and finishing moves. Also, the original joysticks on a real Mortal Kombat arcade was actually a Happ Joystick and it was a round gate.
Thanks for the detailed instructions. I did the gates and springs mod. on my MK cabinet joysticks and it functions flawlessly! One thing to note is, the gates will not fit on the stock joysticks on my Street Fighter cabinet. However, I was able to use the 4Ib springs without the gates . Is that OK?I didn’t notice any difference...Cheers!
When I had a real MKII cabinet, I swapped out the control stick springs with "Pro Springs" Unfortunalty I don't recall the specs of the spring. It was definitely heavier than stock springs. How do you think these upgraded 4.lbs springs compare to the stock MK Midway arcade stick springs. Would you say they seem equal in this smaller size or lighter?
Great info! I was having some difficulty pulling off the moves I remember from back-in-the-day and this all makes sense! Just ordered the parts, thanks!
Very strongly considering doing this but was hoping you or someone could confirm that these joystick upgrades with these exact parts is compatible with the MK 12in1 model? Thanks!
Just got and installed both the octagonal gate and springs in my Midway Classics MK 12-in-1. Controls are much improved, more consistent, and fluid. I can now defeat MK2 and UMK3! Thank you!
I was about these things for a while, i decided to get a recroommasters cab, should be here next month. Much more solid build quality and really good controls. Custom art etc... i wanted the TMNT arcade1up but once it sold out, it never came back lol. It's for the best, i hear these are pretty flimsy for adults over time. They look baller but a lil too small and cheap imo.
I just ordered the Anniversary cabinet...has 1up improved the springs since this video was made? Also, can I just change the springs, or must you change the gate as well? Thank you
If anything, I would go with a circle gate if you're a diehard American stick fan, but square is fine too. Octo....I would say that's for octo fans only. It's probably the worst option though and definitely not ideal for games like mortal kombat, let alone street fighter. Also, 4 pound spring is a LOT even for a battop where you are using more of your hand and therefore may more roughly use it. The default spring is probably fine. You'll just need to periodically change them depending on how often it's used...and by periodically I mean maybe every couple years if you are just a weekend warrior. A daily player would still be fine for a year or so at minimum. I very rarely have to change springs on my sticks.
I have two mame cabs myself. I can tell you that I've only seen 1up's in the store and while you might say that's equal to commercial use, they hadn't been out very long at that point and the sticks were super spongy. I would invest the $10 in springs for sure.
Circle gate can give a close experience next to the HAPP joysticks found on Midway units, that’s for sure. As for the springs? The default spring in the A1Up is way too loose for my taste. Whether you want 1, 2 or 4 lbs springs, that’s up to preference.
"It contains the entire move set for all Mortal Kombat Kharacters" Actually, it doesn't. MK2 Shang Tsung and MK3 Shang Tsung are missing all the morph moves. Example: MK2 Shang Tsung Morphs: Liu Kang: b,b,f,LP Kung Lao: b,d,b,HK Cage: b,b,d,lp Reptile: u,d,hp Sub-Zero: f,d,f,hp Kitana: bl,bl,bl Jax: d,b,f,hk Mileena: hold HP 3 seconds Baraka: d,d,lk Scorpion: u,u Raiden: b,d,f,lk
@@Fulthrotle73 Thats okay brother, just keep working away at it! Check your local craigslist/kijiji. Ive seen some of them selling for really good prices locally
There's a spring upgrade for Alvatron 6lb springs on Amazon. Are you seller of these? The reason I ask is because the pictures they use on Amazon for installation look exactly like they were taken from this very video lol. Even the needle nose pliers look the same!
Thanks for the tip! I just ordered both gates and springs. My bezel should be arriving today! Happy camper. Can't wait to feel the difference in controls.
Would you recommend doing this for all your cabinets? Like this is a fighting fast paced game vs pac man/dig dug etc..... I also seen your other video where you recommend replacing the whole button/stick package.
For the first minute I'm thinking "Where do I know that music from?" Took my headphones off and got further in my head to the sort of beat drop part. Then I felt really stupid.
wow! great! the only mods ive done are light up marquee's from This Ability. (on 2 partycades and 1 barcade) i might do this one for my mortal kombat legacy, xmen vs sf and sf 2 legacy.
To save you even more money you can just take the preexisting springs and heat them with a torch. Let them cool (without flexing them) , and reinstall them.
Thanks for sharing this tutorial. I think my favorite, so far, is the Atari 12 in 1. I installed the Glen's Retro show spinner, and am awaiting the GRS trackball to become available on Amazon. :)
Some people online say 4 pound springs need so much pressure they are nearly tipping their cabinets off their risers!! I might go 2 pound instead.... Any thoughts??
Thank you for this! Gonna hold off on the vinyl for now but I just ordered the springs and gates for MK. Definitely will solve the Pac-Man joystick issues I've been having as well. It was fine when I got it but after playing it so much, it started to get a little unresponsive. UPDATE: Did the modifications with the springs and the gates (links in your description) and I gotta say. It makes all the difference!!! Added the spring in the Pac-Man machine and it makes everything so much more responsive now. I am quite pleased! :-)
Man I'm gonna keep it real I just installed those octagonal gates on the stock joystick had to put back the square gates I couldn't get the fighter to jump back as easily with the squares gates octagonal might work better with a sanwa stick or Hap not with arcade1up stock stick
Do these allow for just pulling down on the stick and releasing to do a teleport for characters like Raiden and Kung Lao? I always liked doing it that way. Can’t do it with current 1up controller.
The factory spring on my 2P side is already worn out after about a week of regular use. I have 3 and 4 lb springs & new gates on the way. I hope they last longer. =P
The screw will not.go.down properly, like its hitting metal. Maybe the metal sleeve in the cabinet isnt aligned so it.wont.go in. I should have checked it first. Idk if.i really want.to mess with it tho haha
In my case Steve, the screw for the nba jam UR side fpr console would not go into the cabinet to secure the deck. It is like.it is too long even tho the other 3 fit perfectly. I guess I could.try and drill.it.out I just dont want to damage the cab. Maybe just cut the bolt down a bit and let it sit in there for asthetics?
Yeah thats super strange. Have you verified that the screw isn't a bit longer then the others? Does the screw jist keep spinning but not tighten? Or does it stop rotating and just stick out?
You do not want octagonal, Mortal Kombat cabinets originally came with happ joysticks they have a circle gate, that would be the circle gate instead of octagonal.
I just received the octagonal gates and the 4lb springs but when I installed the springs they felt weak and loose. Not what I was expecting. I switched back the springs and it feels a lot better. Here’s my thing though, are the 4lb springs shorter than the default springs? Because if so then the 4lb springs I ordered are trash
There should be a HUGE difference in the way it feels. Springs are the exact same size. I have a feeling they sent you the wrong type of spring. Maybe they shipped 1 lbs springs. I'd reach out to the seller... did you order from the place I recommended?
Just installed the gates but left the stock springs in. Not sure how I feel about them yet... it seems like it is harder to jump flip forward/backwards now, especially on the p2 side. I'll give it some time but may put the stock 4 way gates back in. And I accidentally snapped one of the black tabs off when installing them... not a big deal though. Thanks for the video!
Octagonal gates are best for street fighter as it uses rolling inputs. Mortal Kombat uses directional moves-hence square gates are better. I would not recommend this “upgrade” for a MK cabinet. But for a street fighter cabinet it’s good.
What I want to know is if this Mortal Kombat edition by Arcade 1up the arcade port or the home console games version? Or at least slightly better than the home ports but not as good as the arcade?