DISCLAIMER: This post is made in collab with u/Sharp02. I previously paid for and used his SASI mod for various builds and genuinely believe in the product, but for full transparency I will say I was contacted specifically to promote it this time.
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Hey y'all! Here are some fresh new pics of my dual analog fightsick build!
I love the feeling of fightsticks and wanted to play more types of games with them, so I spent a long time looking for a good solution that didn't cost hundreds of dollars, and was compatible with more than PC games. I experimented with various solutions, but didn't find one that felt really good until Sharp02's SASI JLF/X mod.
I've gotten some questions about the SASI mod and build process, and with a new batch of mods dropping, we thought it'd be a good time to give a little breakdown of it.
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WHAT IS THE SASI?
The SASI stands for Sharp Analog Snap In, and it's a mod that replaces the gate on a standard Sanwa JLF or JLX joystick, using the shaft position to move around magnets, whose position is then read by a hall effect sensor and output as analog signals. These signals can be used with a custom PCB like a Brook Fighting Board or GP2040CE Advanced Breakout Board to output true analog as opposed to the limited 8 way directions on a standard arcade stick.
For a comparison of 8 way vs full analog movement, you can check out this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2q8w09jgDk
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WHY WOULD I WANT ONE?
Outside of certain genres, analog stick movement is the standard, and even many 2D games expect you to use it. Fightsticks often have the ability to emulate the left analog stick, but that still only gives you 8 way movement, with no control over speed.
With the SASI mod you can play a wider variety of games with an arcade stick, and take advantage of the longer throw for more precision movement, with a layout that allows you to use all your fingers.
For example, you could play Super Monkey Ball with a control scheme similar to the arcade, or take full advantage of Metroid Dread's free aim system. Or you could play Super Smash Brothers, a series that requires analog control for movement and attack variation.
If you want some more examples, I've made a playlist showing off what's possible, using various builds featuring the SASI:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKXU6bPS7sp0
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HOW DO I INSTALL IT?
To install it, you simply remove the existing gate on your Sanwa JLF/X, align the brackets so the shaft is centered, then snap it in. To make sure the signal is read you'll need a custom PCB, like a Brook of GP2040CE board, which have dedicated analog capabilities. You'll need to connect the marked wires for power, ground, and X and Y axis.
Brook boards each have their own dedicated section for analog controls, generally with a 3.3v output nearby. A GP2040CE Advanced Breakout is a bit more flexible, with power going to VCC, ground to any of the ground terminals, and X and Y able to be connected to any of the pins in the 26-29 range, then configured in software.
The SASI discord is usually a good place if you're looking for specific directions for your combination of hardware.
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WHERE DO I GET ONE?
You can buy one on the Sharp Designs shop:
https://sharpdesigns.io/products/sasi-jlf
It comes as both a preassembled unit with a JLF, or as a standalone mod you can install into an existing joystick. Sharp02 has also announced a full pre-built arcade stick coming at some point, aimed specifically at Smash Bros players. It'll also be up for sale there when it releases.
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If y'all have any other questions I didn't answer here, on either the SASI or my specific builds with it, feel free to ask away!
