/vr/ - Retro Games

I asked chatgpt what the bounce rating of 10 msec for a microswitch referred to:

>A bounce time of 10msec for a microswitch means that after the switch is toggled (pressed or released), its contacts will bounce or make intermittent contact for a duration of 10 milliseconds before settling into a stable state. During the bouncing period, the switch may generate multiple open/close signals, which can cause issues for digital systems or circuits relying on clean and accurate input signals.
> In other words, after the initial press or release of the switch, there might be some electrical noise or vibrations that cause the switch contacts to rapidly open and close multiple times for a brief period before settling down. This bouncing effect generally occurs due to mechanical or electrical properties of the switch.
>Bounce time is an inherent characteristic of mechanical switches like microswitches and occurs due to the physical nature of the switch contacts making and breaking contact. The mechanical movement of the switch can cause the contacts to temporarily lose and regain connection, resulting in a bouncing effect.
>In the context of an arcade stick, this bounce time can have implications for the controller's responsiveness and accuracy. For instance, if a game or application is sensitive to rapid button presses, a longer bounce time may result in unintentional multiple input signals being registered within the 10 milliseconds window. This can potentially affect gameplay or control precision.
>To mitigate the effects of switch bounce, debounce techniques are employed in electronic circuits. This can involve using software algorithms or hardware components like capacitors or flip-flops to filter out the erroneous or multiple signal transitions caused by bounce and provide a clean, stable input signal to the system.

I don't think it's something to worry about in regards to 5msec vs 10msec.

>>10453256
>The functionality of the two should be exactly the same.
I looked it up. Here's the old Tokai website preserved on the internet archive:

https://web.archive.org/web/20160813183455/http://www.tokaicom.jp/product30/page10/detail.htm

Same operating force and stroke for all versions of the switch. The only difference is the "bounce" time listed. The MM9-1 and MM9-2 have an ON time listed as 5ms and and OFF time as 10ms. I'm not sure how this is measured but it probably has something to do with how long it takes the button to register an input from the time the operating force is applied, and how long it takes to reset itself back to an off position. This would mean the MM9-1 and MM9-2 are 5ms faster to activate with the same force applied by the user.
Keep in mind this is the "just okay" switch people would mod out of their sticks and replace with Sanwa SW-68 switches and buttons. Or with the other Seimitsu buttons that use the MM9-3 and MM9-4 switches that have a 10ms time for both the ON and OFF bounce.

The rest of the differences in the switches are electrical properties and have no relevance to feel. But it may have been important for PCB design and maybe in some arcade scenarios.

Summary: if anything the stock switches found in many off the shelf arcade sticks using the MM9-1/2 switches were probably more responsive from a technical level than what you'd find in an arcade.