Aliexpress is a pretty cool site, I often browse just to see what comes up. I know there's some worry about it due to scams/packages getting lost, but from my experience that chance is pretty low. It might take a while to get to you however. Aliexpress is also pretty helpful when getting a refund if the package is never sent or lost.
When browsing I usually look at arcade items so often I come across some cool products. I thought I would share some in this post. I'll limit myself to 10 just so this isn't too long/more in the future. I won't include enclosures since that can be for a future post. The titles and pictures formatting might be a bit odd. I'm too lazy to adjust it. The images are in webp and don't want to spend the time converting them.
I am NOT associated with any company/store mentioned. If something happens with any orders please message the store, not me. Links are NOT referral links.
To be honest I'm really only putting this here because of how cool they look and how it looks like if a Sanwa and Seimitsu joystick had a baby. The joystick base is pretty unique with the translucent color. Not sure on how the switches are. If anything you could put in a regular Sanwa PCB and it'd probably still work. There's two connections so I think it's for digital and analog inputs. The description just says "fishing games". The LEDs are most likely just white and the use of translucent colors gives it the colorway. For under $10 I might pick one up to see how it is. If you really care about internals of your stick then this could be a cool way to color match it.
SJ@JX Arcade Controller 3D Analog Joystick Sensor Module Potentiometer Thumb Stick
Now for a joystick that is actually analog, we have one from SJ@JX. Pretty cool and on the cheaper side when comparing it to other analog solutions. I do plan on eventually picking one up, but the case need would most likely need to be pretty big. Or maybe it's similar size to a Korean joystick. Either way it's pretty cool.
LED arcade joystick 5v luminous colorful led joystick Arcade stick joysticks for arcade doll machine Pandora box
Probably the last joystick I'm going to mention for now. This is basically a less cool version of the previous LED joystick. Simpler might be better for some. Looks similar to Qanba's LED joystick so you can probably use a Sanwa PCB rather than the PCB it comes with.
GX12 ports are pretty cool. Arcade sticks like the TE2/TE2+ and Razer Atrox/Panthera use them. They are pretty easy to install to any arcade stick. However the flaw of adding one to your own arcade stick is the chance of the port twisting. It might not be a lot, but it does happen. This really doesn't matter to everyone and this could be fixed with some lock tight, but these mounting plates attached to the GX12 port are pretty cool and solve this issue. If you do plan on buying one of these then go for either the 5pin or 4pin version. I'd recommend the 5pin. They don't come with the mounting screw, but the size I think will fit it is M2 or M1. I recommend taking it to a hardware store to get the correct screws. Only thing to make this better is some type of gasket that goes around it. Kind of like the Neutrik ports.
Another way to add keyboard controls to your arcade stick. Not 100% sure on this. If you don't live in the United States then this could be a good option. However if you do live the United States then I think the options from OmniArcade or MyrzArcade are better. Still cool to see these here and there.
Another connector port for the people who use USB-B cables. These are a similar bypass port to the ones FocusAttack and AdaFruit sell. However those are in black, these ones are in white which is the reason I'm sharing them. Easier to color match for those who have a case/build that is mainly white focused. The only issue I see is that these might just be spray painted so quality of this product can be questionable.
EG STARTS Arcade Spinner for Arcade1UP Machine Asteroids Games Controllers
Spinners aren't something a lot of people use, but if you do need one then they are often expensive. This spinner does seem like a good option (according to the reviews) and isn't super pricey. However I do think you can find this on Amazon so be sure to check there before Aliexpress if you need the item in a timely matter.
