The Official Custom Arcade Sticks Thread

[topknot]

nice stick :)
i'm getting pictures of mine soon after i get my artwork done. :)

[fragment]

well, still waiting to get my 2nd comp stick replaced, but here is the first stick which is almost complete. I am going to upgrade the buttons to all HAPPS, and replace the cheesy RO moldings. The competition stick feels very nice!

thanks to Armad for his website where I first found out about upgrading RO boxes, and the various information that he has shared! Thanks alot!

I found the RYU photo somewhere on the web, did some photoshop to add red eyes, background and the "ten" kanji.

[Shin-RoTeNdO]

Nice.

[TGC]

Where do you guys order the red octane box. I search around their site, and they only sell the premade ones...unless that's the one i'm suppose to order and customize it myself???

[fragment]

You can get a box + PCB here:

http://www.redoctane.com/arcadecasepcb.html

and just the box here:

http://www.redoctane.com/arcadestylecase.html

they were listed under accessories....

Originally posted by TGC
Where do you guys order the red octane box. I search around their site, and they only sell the premade ones...unless that's the one i'm suppose to order and customize it myself???

[TGC]

Hmm...thanks but i think i might have to make my own box for certain games.

I dunno if this is too much to ask, but i really have no clue on how templates are made. If someone could make a template for me.

10 buttons total, 8 game buttons, 1 start, 1 select.

the 6 buttons standard capcom layout, the other two just a little out to the right..

kinda like the attachment. Ones in red go out a bit further.

Along with the stick. If someone can help me out it's greatly appreciated.

[topknot]

you can add them in like most people do
btw here
http://topknot.lpbproductions.com/stick/Image011.jpg
thats my stick! still need to add art work and new plexi glass

[fragment]

link not working

[topknot]

arg host took down my stuff for some reason :(
know anywhere i can just upload a few pics and stuff?

[fragment]

imagestation.com (http://www.imagestation.com) , but sometimes it goes down....:lame:

if you do use that, when you copy your picture link, make sure you don't copy the "orig" tag.

[LimeGreenNinja]

Fragment, was that the impact v-series stick from red octane that you replaced the buttons? If so was it pretty easy? If you have a website regarding the modding please share :D

that arcade stick is on sale at the moment, and if putting in new buttons isn't a problem, it'll probably end up being way cheaper to get that than to buy a
pre-soldered psx pcb :x

http://www.redoctane.com/joystick-capcom.html

[topknot]

how do i link a image from imagestation without the long gay link they provide.

[fragment]

topknot, yeah you gott link the long link. No biggie, just copy and paste. I am sure there are better image servers out there though.


Lime:

I got the lamo regular RO box that had this CHEESY stick on it. It was on sale for $24.99 though, so can't complain. Well, those buttons suck for one so you will have to replace that anyways. Notice how they say "Japanese style joystick," so I don't think it is the real thing. I prefer HAPP competition, because that is what I liked in the US Arcade.

Overall the install wasn't too bad, but some people may just want to pay $$ to get what they want instead of taking the time to do all that. If you don't want to do it yourself, maybe you should have someone on this thread make you one .

Look what they charge for HAPP upgraded parts:

http://www.redoctane.com/joystick-capcom-happ.html $79.99!

[LimeGreenNinja]

ah, well right after i asked you about that i noticed that the thing was out of stock :(

i've made my own arcade stick already and i depised having to do all the wiring and stuff myself :P. I'll probaby just end up buying a pre-soldered pcb from arma. Seems to be the best quality bet.

good thing he's getting married, gives me time to figure out what exactly i want to do to have psx compatible arcade stick

[topknot]

here you go
http://img1.imageshack.us/img1/6795/Image365.jpg

i want some artwork and new plexi but i'll stick with this for now.
only problem i have with it is that the stick is kinda short. anytips on that btw? anyhow yah :)
competition happ stick and competition buttons :)

edit: new link thanks :)

[LimeGreenNinja]

http://www.imageshack.us/

use that to host your image :P

this one will work, i promise

[fragment]

yeah, comp sticks on a RO box are pretty short. I think it is because the top board is too thick! I don't think there is anything that can be done to lengthen it without deceasing the thickness of the board because you already have 1 spacer on there, and the actuator can't go any further up or your movement will suffer big time.

[topknot]

:(

[fragment]

It isn't like it hampers my gameplay though! Stick is awesome!

[Zandwich]

Any word on the quality of the RO Arcade style cases? Not the sticks, just the cases.

Also, if you get the ones with the PCBs, exactly how much work do you have to do?

[topknot]

not much at all
just a little bit of soldering for the ground
a nub like me that never had touched a soldering thingy before did it after seeing a friend do it
not too hard

[fragment]

I soldered to the PCB so I could add L1 and L2 buttons, this also made my stick more functional when using my Saturn Adapter so I could play all the old school fighting games. Although I don't mind soldering, I made a quick disconnect ground wire with female connectors so Artwork can be more easily swapped out, or button colors changed, etc. So Didn't do alot of soldering! They had a really cheap soldering job in there anyways.

As for box quality, the plexiglass on two of them was a bit scratched and the molding tape sucks! What would be an easy replacement for moldings, or should I just go for T-moldings?

[Zandwich]

Originally posted by fragment
I soldered to the PCB so I could add L1 and L2 buttons, this also made my stick more functional when using my Saturn Adapter so I could play all the old school fighting games. Although I don't mind soldering, I made a quick disconnect ground wire with female connectors so Artwork can be more easily swapped out, or button colors changed, etc. So Didn't do alot of soldering! They had a really cheap soldering job in there anyways.

As for box quality, the plexiglass on two of them was a bit scratched and the molding tape sucks! What would be an easy replacement for moldings, or should I just go for T-moldings? Wait, so it only has X, Triangle, Box, O, R1 and R2? Not R1 and L1? Or R2 / L2 ? What do you mean by molding?

[mastermind]

Originally posted by fragment
As for box quality, the plexiglass on two of them was a bit scratched and the molding tape sucks! What would be an easy replacement for moldings, or should I just go for T-moldings?

If you look at my stick again, you'll notice that I used ELECTRICAL TAPE. Yeah that's right. Regular ol' black electrical tape. Took two or three tight layers to that sumbitch, but it looks really cool when it's all black like that.

I would like to drill two holes for the other shoulder buttons on my next piece, but I dunno how tolerant the plexiglass will be when it comes to drilling. Maybe armad1ll0 can help us out with it.

[VEGA_OMEGA]

How do you guys put on your graphics!?

I just ordered the redoctance impact V-series Xbox stick

http://us.st5.yimg.com/store3.yimg.com/I/adux_1789_1050166

and 7 new competition buttons, and now i'm working on a graphic for it...prob. is I don't know how to put it on.....

anybody that helps gets a cookie:D

oh also, the graphic i'm working on isn't gonna cover the whole thing, it's gonna go about half way then the edges are gonna be fadded and it's gonna have an ice effect to it. I'll post a pic of it as soon as it's done, but someone pleaaase help..thanx

[Shin-RoTeNdO]

Originally posted by mastermind


If you look at my stick again, you'll notice that I used ELECTRICAL TAPE. Yeah that's right. Regular ol' black electrical tape. Took two or three tight layers to that sumbitch, but it looks really cool when it's all black like that.

I would like to drill two holes for the other shoulder buttons on my next piece, but I dunno how tolerant the plexiglass will be when it comes to drilling. Maybe armad1ll0 can help us out with it.

Been a while since I posted. Been busy with personal shit and my own projects. I currently finished:

Modifying my 2 player setup
Sixtymhz's Third Stick upgrade
my Real Arcade Universal stick mod.

Anyway to your situation: When drilling the holes for your plexi. Have a piece of board behing it to support it. I'd recommend using some clamps to hold it down when drilling. When using the 1 1/8 boring bit, start drilling slowly. When it gets to drilling the overall hole, you can go ahead and drill faster. Just take your time.

[Shin-RoTeNdO]

Originally posted by VEGA_OMEGA
How do you guys put on your graphics!?

I just ordered the redoctance impact V-series Xbox stick

http://us.st5.yimg.com/store3.yimg.com/I/adux_1789_1050166

and 7 new competition buttons, and now i'm working on a graphic for it...prob. is I don't know how to put it on.....

anybody that helps gets a cookie:D

oh also, the graphic i'm working on isn't gonna cover the whole thing, it's gonna go about half way then the edges are gonna be fadded and it's gonna have an ice effect to it. I'll post a pic of it as soon as it's done, but someone pleaaase help..thanx

Some people get the artwork printed on vinyl with the adhesive on the back and stick it on the stick. Or you can lay it over, and cover it with plexi. Me, I have the plexi on my stick, then I get the artwork, place it under the plexi (off the stick) trace the holes and cut them out with an exacto knife.

[Juniorv376]

I have an enforcer. Is that easy to use to make a custom stick. And how would I sodder that. If U know how and can help me plz post or PM me. Thank you.

[N64FanBoy]

Originally posted by Juniorv376
I have an enforcer. Is that easy to use to make a custom stick. And how would I sodder that. If U know how and can help me plz post or PM me. Thank you.

You should read up on basic soldering skills and multimeter use before you start trying to wire a stick. The easiest way to see if the Enforcer is easy to solder is to just open it up and look. If it has big contacts on the circuit board you can solder to, or preferably holes drilled in the board, it should work well. You also want to make sure the stick has a common ground, which you can find out doing a continuity check with a multimeter. If you have a knowledge of basic soldering and multimeter usage, you should not need advice on a specific controller, you should be able to figure out any controller just by checking it on your own. If you search Google or look at the various threads on here, you should be able to find basic instructions for making a joystick. Another good thing to do is find some controller you don't need anymore, open it up, and practice soldering and using a multimeter, especially the continuity check.

[Zandwich]

Originally posted by Zandwich
Wait, so it only has X, Triangle, Box, O, R1 and R2? Not R1 and L1? Or R2 / L2 ? What do you mean by molding? again

[Gaijinblaze]

Whoa... Rotendo, thanks for the informative posts. They help out a lot.

Question for anyone: This may seem like a basic question, but I don't remember seeing it in the thread before. What is the bolt size used to mount a Competition joystick? I would bring the mounting plate to the store and just get the biggest one that fits, but the body is already assembled and I don't want to bring it anywhere, with the microswitches exposed and everything.

Thank you.

[Shin-RoTeNdO]

Originally posted by Gaijinblaze
Whoa... Rotendo, thanks for the informative posts. They help out a lot.

Question for anyone: This may seem like a basic question, but I don't remember seeing it in the thread before. What is the bolt size used to mount a Competition joystick? I would bring the mounting plate to the store and just get the biggest one that fits, but the body is already assembled and I don't want to bring it anywhere, with the microswitches exposed and everything.

Thank you.

It's 3/16 (size) 10-24 (thread size of something) X 1 1/4 (length I normally use)

For the nuts, 10-24 keps (thread size)

You'll be able to find these at a True Values hardware store. Lowe's my carry them, but I'm not too sure about that size because it's smaller than what they normally carry. The Lowe's where I live (both locations) do not carry them at that size, but those are the size that will fit your joystick base for any type (super, comp, ultimate, x-arcade, etc...)

[Shin-RoTeNdO]

Rack, check your pm's. :D

[tbuxton]

I got a question on the SvC chaos stick, is there a difference between the SNK(blue) and the Capcom(white) versions? I hear that the SNK is a little looser but this hasn't been confirmed at all. Also, are these sticks any good? sorry if this post is repetitive but it's a REALLY long thread. :D

[VEGA_OMEGA]

After someone answers tbuxton's question...could someone hook me up with a site on how to change buttons!? like how to wire them and all the crap you need!?

[fragment]

yeah, no L1 and L2. It wasn't an issue for any PS2 fighting games, but when I used my Saturn adapter, I had trouble with Marvel VS Street Fighter! The PCB has L1 and L2 support, so you just gotta use the soldering skills.

Originally posted by Zandwich
Wait, so it only has X, Triangle, Box, O, R1 and R2? Not R1 and L1? Or R2 / L2 ? What do you mean by molding?

[Shin-RoTeNdO]

Originally posted by VEGA_OMEGA
After someone answers tbuxton's question...could someone hook me up with a site on how to change buttons!? like how to wire them and all the crap you need!?

Please be more specific. Changing buttons for what, an existing stick and what type.

[RACK]

hey rotendo,

i just got the stick today.. works great and looks great! thanks a lot.. with the cds also and converter... i could tell you put much effort into everything (including packaging and such).. thanks.. and dont worry much about the delay.. i been busy too and i totally understand.. thanks again.

-trent

[Shin-RoTeNdO]

Originally posted by RACK
hey rotendo,

i just got the stick today.. works great and looks great! thanks a lot.. with the cds also and converter... i could tell you put much effort into everything (including packaging and such).. thanks.. and dont worry much about the delay.. i been busy too and i totally understand.. thanks again.

-trent

You're welcome. I'm glad you're enjoying it. That was quick shipping! I didn't expect it to get there that fast, anyway enjoy. :D

[catchafire]

Hey everyone!!!
So after much debate and procrastination, I finally decided to build my stick over the weekend. I somehow managed to get my friend to build one with me, and so our adventures began!!! We started working on it around 2pm on Sat. and only managed to get the box put together (w/out plex, artwork, or holes drilled in the box-- we intend to add these things :D ) Along the way, we encountered a few problems:

1. My friend took a jigsaw to the plexi-glass and it shattered (we're going after the pro-clone shape). What is the best way to cut the plexi-glass so it ummmm... doesn't break?

2. Since the plexi cracked, we decided to see just exactly what would happen if we took the 1 1/8" drill bit to it (to make the circles for the buttons). that cracked too... So what would be the best way to put the circle in it?

3. I have a dreamcast and he has a ps2, and I was wondering if wiring the stock dc pad would be any problem at all? (we're using competition joysticks) He's thinking about wiring a ps1 joystick for his system. Any suggestions, links (on how to wire dc pad), or tips? anything would help.

These are my major issues for now, and thanks for all the future help :)

[catchafire]

also, what is the molding tape used for?

[Shin-RoTeNdO]

Originally posted by catchafire
Hey everyone!!!
So after much debate and procrastination, I finally decided to build my stick over the weekend. I somehow managed to get my friend to build one with me, and so our adventures began!!! We started working on it around 2pm on Sat. and only managed to get the box put together (w/out plex, artwork, or holes drilled in the box-- we intend to add these things :D ) Along the way, we encountered a few problems:

1. My friend took a jigsaw to the plexi-glass and it shattered (we're going after the pro-clone shape). What is the best way to cut the plexi-glass so it ummmm... doesn't break?

2. Since the plexi cracked, we decided to see just exactly what would happen if we took the 1 1/8" drill bit to it (to make the circles for the buttons). that cracked too... So what would be the best way to put the circle in it?

3. I have a dreamcast and he has a ps2, and I was wondering if wiring the stock dc pad would be any problem at all? (we're using competition joysticks) He's thinking about wiring a ps1 joystick for his system. Any suggestions, links (on how to wire dc pad), or tips? anything would help.

These are my major issues for now, and thanks for all the future help :)

1) Have the lines drawn out on the plexi. (make sure that the clear film is still on it though, however you may remove it if you want, the lines can be removed with rubbing alcohol, I say to keep it on because it may get scratched.) Then place some masking tape over the lines/area you are going to cut. This will prevent little pieces of plastic from flying everywhere and stuff. With a jig saw, you want to purchase a fine blade (ones that are used for metal) the more teeth it has, the better. Using those large teeth will rip through plexi... bad. Then when cutting, cut it slowly. Another thing to remember is the thickness of the plexi. The thinner it is, the more fragile it is.

2) Read 16 posts back for your answer :D

3) ...and the answer to this question is a few pages back. I believe that there may have been a thread started for this alone since its been asked so much.

remember, we are all here to help you... :lol: damn, do that sound like an advertisement or what? :D

[Shin Ace]

Plexi can also be cut by scoring it with a sharp knife. A box cutter/utility knife/exacto works great. Just use a ruler to make the first score straight and use multiple passes(preferably on both sides of the plexi), then snap. A few seconds with some 300+ grit sandpaper and that edge will be real nice. This is assuming the plexi is 1/8" thick.

[Shin-RoTeNdO]

Originally posted by Shin Ace
Plexi can also be cut by scoring it with a sharp knife. A box cutter/utility knife/exacto works great. Just use a ruler to make the first score straight and use multiple passes(preferably on both sides of the plexi), then snap. A few seconds with some 300+ grit sandpaper and that edge will be real nice. This is assuming the plexi is 1/8" thick.

Yeah, that too. I ended up messing up and scoring unto the area I was going to use when I slipped with the plexi knife. You can buy one a your local Lowe's or hardware store or Home Depot. With a jigsaw however you have the ability to freely cut curves and the like on plexi. Which is why I use jigsaw over plexi. I round off every corner. One stick I made for a friend and the only complaint was that the plexi was cutting them when playing. It wasn't dull enough and I didn't cut off or rounded the corners. Said that "so sharp, it could put the eye out of his ferret", :lol: so from then on out I made sure to round off corners and edges. Preference I guess, but I have kids too and they love to play on my joysticks so now even the corners and edges of the wood are rounded. :)

Thanks Shin Ace, I've been noticing how helpful you've been on this thread when no one is around or has the answers.

[Shin Ace]

If you only want to round the corners to make them dull, use some 60 grit sandpaper, preferably a sanding drum *drool*, to give it the shape you want. I'd sand it so that it has about the curvature of a dime.

The reason I like this method is because it's faster than using a jigsaw and requires less in the way of tools. But there are times when a jigsaw will be better.

[Shin-RoTeNdO]

I hear a dremel will do too, but I have yet to invest in one. :(

[VEGA_OMEGA]

Originally posted by VEGA_OMEGA
After someone answers tbuxton's question...could someone hook me up with a site on how to change buttons!? like how to wire them and all the crap you need!?

Originally posted by RoTeNdO
Please be more specific. Changing buttons for what, an existing stick and what type.

oh sorry, I have the Red Octane V-series Xbox stick

http://us.st5.yimg.com/store3.yimg.com/I/adux_1789_1050166

i'm looking to put in some round top buttons (competition I think) but i'm am totally new this stuff.....

Do you think it's easy enough for someone new to this like me to do myself!?

[Shin-RoTeNdO]

Originally posted by VEGA_OMEGA




oh sorry, I have the Red Octane V-series Xbox stick

http://us.st5.yimg.com/store3.yimg.com/I/adux_1789_1050166

i'm looking to put in some round top buttons (competition I think) but i'm am totally new this stuff.....

Do you think it's easy enough for someone new to this like me to do myself!?

Should be a piece of cake even for a newbie like you! Get the competition buttons. Open up the RO stick, unscrew the bezel rings for the existing buttons, then replace those buttons with the new competition buttons. Bam!! Easy huh?

[fragment]

I was able to drill the plexi that came with the RO box using one of the 1 1/8 blades (not the round one). I first made a pilot hole using a small drill bit, then started realy slow with the blade, it cut just fine! Found that size at Home Depot.

[fragment]

Originally posted by catchafire
also, what is the molding tape used for?

well, for looks i guess. take a look at my original picture of this joystick with the crappy RO orange/red tape:

CLICK HERE FOR OLD PHOTO (http://www.shoryuken.com/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=1508636)

Compare that to the attached photo after that nice tip from Mastermind with the electrical tape....


Hey Mastermind, what did you do for the front part of the RO box? Did you use tape there too?

[VEGA_OMEGA]

Originally posted by RoTeNdO


Should be a piece of cake even for a newbie like you! Get the competition buttons. Open up the RO stick, unscrew the bezel rings for the existing buttons, then replace those buttons with the new competition buttons. Bam!! Easy huh?

ah sweet thanX!

[mastermind]

Originally posted by fragment
Hey Mastermind, what did you do for the front part of the RO box? Did you use tape there too?

Yeah. I took a couple layers of electrical tape there, too. Make sure it's wrapped pretty tight or it'll peel off pretty fast; I'm sure you already knew that though. :p

Did you skip out on the plexi that came with the RO box, fragment, and just not use it altogether (if you did use it, what did you use to scrape off the RO logos and designs)? Also, did you go by a template to drill the extra two holes, or did you just eyeball it and go at it?

[KingWang]

Hey everyone me and a friend are going to take a crack at making a stick. I had a couple questions:
1. does anyone know if you can have leds powered by the dreamcast?(including resistors i assume u can, just need to know where)

2.if u drill a hole in the side of plexi-glass and stick a laser led in will u get a glowin effect to the glass?

info before u post:
i've been on a robotics team for 3yrs so dont need u to dum it down for me really i know about wiring soldering and stuff
The stick will have a dc integrated into it, mounted really, gonna use extensions for the power and av hookups so that u dont have to sit next to the tv
:rolleyes:

[fragment]

I used the Plexi that came with RO stick. Armad told me that you could use 90% rubbing alchohol. I only had 70% and that didn't work very well, so my wife told me that maybe nail polish remover would work. Sure enough, she had this one brand that she bought from Walmart, and that worked like a champ! Just dab the cloth, and then wipe in a back and forth motion. Keep holding it up to the light to make sure you get all the residue off. then give it a good clean, and use some plastic polish to give it a nice finish (Meguires makes a good clear plastic polish and cleaner).

As for the holes, I studied the Modeverything.com RO photos like crazy. I printed them up, and just kept eye-balling my joystick. I used round items similiar to the size of buttons to simulate where they would be placed. At first I was going to go with a straight line, but found that it wasn't very erginomical. So the staggard layout is the way to go, and it works great with many different fighting games. When it is staggard, it really doesn't have to be perfect, but I just found what was comfortable, drilled the pilot hole, and then drilled with the blade!

Erik


Originally posted by mastermind


Yeah. I took a couple layers of electrical tape there, too. Make sure it's wrapped pretty tight or it'll peel off pretty fast; I'm sure you already knew that though. :p

Did you skip out on the plexi that came with the RO box, fragment, and just not use it altogether (if you did use it, what did you use to scrape off the RO logos and designs)? Also, did you go by a template to drill the extra two holes, or did you just eyeball it and go at it?

[Shin Ace]

You can definitely use led's inside the DC, just find the power supply board and tap into the 5v and ground pins on it. Or if you want to use lots of leds, use the 12v.

[KingWang]

Originally posted by Shin Ace
You can definitely use led's inside the DC, just find the power supply board and tap into the 5v and ground pins on it. Or if you want to use lots of leds, use the 12v.

thx alot, can anyone anwser question 2? i was talking with somebody and they said the led light would just shine out the other end, so if u put the led in at an angle could u get better refraction?

[Shin Ace]

I've lit up plexi by sanding the surface with 320 grit. That way you get a makeshift diffuser. Simply sand the surface your hands won't be touching and you should still get the frosted effect.

[CriticalHit!]

Hey guys, hope someone could help me out here...

I have an official DC pad and a Reflex Xbox pcb
in my stick. I hooked them both up, and they don't
want to play nice with each other... If only one pcb
is hooked up to the stick it works just fine, but if
they're both hooked up at the same time everything
goes haywire. If I hit a direction or a button, ALL the
buttons register.

Is there a way I can toggle between the two pcbs
without having to connect/disconnect everything all
over again? I'm using a barrier strip for the buttons
and the directions are hooked up directly.

I've looked at J & D's Arcade (http://mywebpages.comcast.net/jdpyle1/index.htm) to get some ideas, but
I'm curious if anyone has found a simpler way of doing
that (since I don't have the means to solder).

[SNAAAAKE]

You can't wire both together.Wire it for dc and get this converter.
http://www.lik-sang.com/info.php?category=166&products_id=1892&

there are other ways you can have both using 15 pin molex connector and manually switch between systems but converter is a lot less hassle.

[Shin Ace]

Critical hit, if you wire the 5v from both pads together, it will work. But then make sure you DO NOT plug the pads into both consoles at once, only have 1 plugged in.

the problem is that one pad might get 4.9v from the console and the other 5.1v. Well, that's 0.2v of contstant charging and hence, mucho wasted power. You could possibly even blow out a port.

[THChardcore]

I have a pressing question. As of late, the ultimate buttons on my MAS have forced me into the competition's arms (well, not really). So, I want to swap out my crap ultimate buttons with the horizontal comps, which brings me to two questions...

I was toying with the idea of doing a new daisy chain for the ground and quick connecting the buttons up, but I realized that the microswitch on the Ulitimate is universal (95-07333-01 on both button types) so I was just thinking that I could unscrew the nylon nuts on each on the buttons and then unscrew the "one screw" design that holds the Cherry in place, then reuse that on the Comps as to avoid having to hassle with a new ground and q-connects. So, will this work?

Also, I have no idea on what I should use to unscew the nylon nut on the underside on the Ultimates. They are so close together that using a conventional wrench or socket or even the Happ nut remover seems impossible without clipping some wires. I don't want to disturb the wiring as it is integral to the entire idea above.

Thanks

[Shin Ace]

Grab onto the button itself and twist clockwise.

Best way to tighten and loosen without a wrench.

[THChardcore]

Not to sound retarded...
From the inside, right?

Also (more pressing) is the idea from the first post is sound?

Thanks Shin-Ace

[Shin-RoTeNdO]

Originally posted by THChardcore
Not to sound retarded...
From the inside, right?

Also (more pressing) is the idea from the first post is sound?

Yeah. Disconnect the microswitches, then do the twist method. I use to do that all the time to fasten my bezels tight until I bought button wrench.

[Dreaded Fist]

Originally posted by THChardcore
I have a pressing question. As of late, the ultimate buttons on my MAS have forced me into the competition's arms (well, not really). So, I want to swap out my crap ultimate buttons with the horizontal comps, which brings me to two questions...

I was toying with the idea of doing a new daisy chain for the ground and quick connecting the buttons up, but I realized that the microswitch on the Ulitimate is universal (95-07333-01 on both button types) so I was just thinking that I could unscrew the nylon nuts on each on the buttons and then unscrew the "one screw" design that holds the Cherry in place, then reuse that on the Comps as to avoid having to hassle with a new ground and q-connects. So, will this work?

Also, I have no idea on what I should use to unscew the nylon nut on the underside on the Ultimates. They are so close together that using a conventional wrench or socket or even the Happ nut remover seems impossible without clipping some wires. I don't want to disturb the wiring as it is integral to the entire idea above.

Thanks

Yup. You can use the switch from the ultimate buttons with the new horizontal buttons. If you haven't got them yet then I would just get the plunger part, because thats all you need. Its the plastic part that goes in from the top. You can reuse the switches and the plastic nuts. You'll have to rewire the grounds though, since happs use a grounding style that will only work with ultimate buttons because you can place them so the ground tab is really close to each other. Soldering wires to the microswitch tabs is really easy so you shouldn't have any problem. Just stick the wire into the hole, then bend it so it stays in place and solder.

And since the nut is covering the screw on an ultimate button when mounted, you'll have to take the nut off first, then the screw. Ultimate buttons are just a pain to work with IMO.

[KingWang]

noob question:

How do u solder the daisy chain for the ground? can u use multiple wires as long as they connect cause doing it with one sounds hard

[Shin Ace]

Originally posted by Shin Ace
A daisy chained ground looks like this:
www.geocities.com/alainprice/ground.jpg

Don't copy tit for tat, there's only enough disconnects on this one for 6 buttons and 4 directions, no start. The wire was cut off for a reason I forget.

a few pages back. Making it with a single piece of wire is doable, but you have to cut it anyways and end up with about 12 pieces. In the picture, I used red/black/red so it's easier to see.

[Shin-RoTeNdO]

www.streetfightercontroller.com

Utter crap!

[Zandwich]

Ultimates/Supers/Comp joysticks?

I have a super in my current stick, but I was wondering which was best. I hear it's super but a lot of people are telling me I should get the ultimate.

Do I get horizontal microswitches or vertical?

[fragment]

JOYSTICK REVIEW <------CLICKY (http://www.oscarcontrols.com/joycompare/joyreview1.shtml)

here is a good review of the sticks. I would say that a Ultimate is a step in the wrong direction.

[Shin-RoTeNdO]

I'll keep saying this again, and again until you guys get it in your heads. :D It all comes down to preference. I happen to like ultimate joysticks over supers, and competitions over ultimates and etc... I can play on any joysticks, doesn't matter, but 100% of the time when I build a stick, it is going to have a competition js installed.

[Zandwich]

Originally posted by fragment
JOYSTICK REVIEW <------CLICKY (http://www.oscarcontrols.com/joycompare/joyreview1.shtml)

here is a good review of the sticks. I would say that a Ultimate is a step in the wrong direction.

:O thanks for the link, I think I'll go for the competition stick :)
Can someone tell me whether to buy pushbuttons with horizontal or vertical microswitches? I heard bad things about the vertical ones, but then again I also heard that I shjould buy ultimate joysticks which turned out to be pretty wrong :)

Thanks

[fragment]

I am not sure why, but everyone seams to say the horizontals are the way to go. I know for my stick, verticals wouldn't have fit, but I think there is a quality issue as well. Someone please clarify? I know if you did some searches you would find more detailed information.

[SylvesterTheCat]

hey snaaake are you still making custom sticks? i will send you a PM with details later if you are. :cool:

[Shin-RoTeNdO]

Originally posted by fragment
I am not sure why, but everyone seams to say the horizontals are the way to go. I know for my stick, verticals wouldn't have fit, but I think there is a quality issue as well. Someone please clarify? I know if you did some searches you would find more detailed information.

You can get competition non-horizontals if you want.

[phfreq]

Could someone tell me whether or not the RO box (the plain version no PCB or anything, http://www.redoctane.com/arcadestylecase.html ) has the same dimensions as their pre-made boxes? Also from the pic on their site I don't think the empty box comes with a plexi top.. would it be easy to add plexi on it without too much trouble?

[Slªde]

Someone asked a similar question earlier but this is just a little different.

I have no experience building sticks, and need a new one for Xbox. Extra points for xbox base, instead of PS1/2 with converter.

I was thinking, instead of paying $130+ for a good one, how about this?

Buy the RecOctane V-Series Xbox Stick, prob like $30 shipped.

What I would want to do then is switch out the buttons with 6 convex ones I already have.

Then, buy a Happ competition stick or something (I have a super that I don't like), and switch that in there too.

The earlier post seemed to make it sound like button swapping was a cake, how about for a new stick? And would I have any problems, like stick height, etc? (short = bad)

This would be such a cheaper solution overall and yet still a great stick it seems. Is it easy?

[fragment]

Originally posted by phfreq
Could someone tell me whether or not the RO box (the plain version no PCB or anything, http://www.redoctane.com/arcadestylecase.html ) has the same dimensions as their pre-made boxes? Also from the pic on their site I don't think the empty box comes with a plexi top.. would it be easy to add plexi on it without too much trouble?

the dimensions look identicle, and it wouldn't make sense for them to make those in a different dimension that the ones that are for sale. They don't come with plexi, but if you do some searching I am sure you will find several options.

[mastermind]

So the empty RO boxes DON'T come with plexiglass? I was under the impression that since the RO box with a PS2 PCB came with a sheet of plexiglass, that this one would too. I ordered the box with PCB for my last stick...I ended up throwing the plexi sheet away because it was fubared upon arrival and I bought a custom cut/drilled sheet of Lexan from armad1ll0. And the PCB was garbage so I ripped that out.

Shit, well that sets back my plans for my next stick. I might as well spend the extra $5 for a RO box with a PCB and yank that PCB out. Just for the plexiglass. :o

EDIT: Well, the RO site for the box+PCB (http://www.redoctane.com/arcadecasepcb.html) doesn't have a plexi sheet on their picture, yet the box+PCB I got came with one. So....eh? :p

[fragment]

oh wait the $25 comes with plexi? Well maybe I am mistaken about the $20. Let me know. What was the deal with the PCB? I didn't seam to have any problems with the two PCB's that I got from them.

[mastermind]

When I got my box, the PCB was shotty. Most likely bad soldering work. Nothing worked after all the wires from the PCB were connected to the switches, my PS2 and my PSOne didn't even recognize the controller was in the slot. At the time, I didn't have any soldering skills, so I just let it sit in the corner of my room after yanking out the PCB in anger. :p

A couple months later, I grew some balls, learned how to solder, and gutted an old PSOne controller and used that for the guts. Working fine now. :D

[mastermind]

Dunno if anyone's done it yet, and if they have, feel free to point me in the right direction.

Has anyone mounted a Perfect 360 stick into a Red Octane box? If so, do you experience the same crazy short stick height as you would with a Competition or Ultimate stick? Just wondering if I'll have to route some of the particle board on the RO box I'm about to order to keep the same P360 height that I see at most arcades.

[Slªde]

^ How do you fix that? I'm getting an RO xbox stick and am going to put a happ competition stick in there, but I need the correct height.

[mastermind]

Other than routing the particle board from underneath to kind of countersink the base of the joystick to the box, I don't see any other way of remedying the shortness of a Competition in an RO box.

[catchafire]

rotendo, how much would you charge for an arcade box w/out joystick and buttons, and pcb that has the wiring on it?

p.s. to anyone who can answer, what is the best way to attach the cord from the pcb to the box?

[phfreq]

I had one more question about the RO boxes. I noticed their premade boxes don't have 4 screw holes around the stick.. is this because of the non-happ sticks that they use or what? Because on their capcom stick with happ parts is does have 4 screw holes ( http://www.redoctane.com/joystick-capcom-happ.html ).

But I look at fragment and mastermind's boxes and I believe they're using happ sticks but I don't notice the 4 holes. Could someone explain this?

[Shin-RoTeNdO]

Originally posted by catchafire
rotendo, how much would you charge for an arcade box w/out joystick and buttons, and pcb that has the wiring on it?

p.s. to anyone who can answer, what is the best way to attach the cord from the pcb to the box?

About $20 plus shipping... but since I'm heading to Japan and the movers already packed all my tools (except for my fucking work benches, bitches) I won't be able to do anything until late next month. I'll be glad to hook you up later on though. For now, I can however refer you to a few people if you are trying to get one now. DreadedFist I know wouldn't mind and maybe SNAAAKE.

[mastermind]

Originally posted by phfreq
I had one more question about the RO boxes. I noticed their premade boxes don't have 4 screw holes around the stick.. is this because of the non-happ sticks that they use or what? Because on their capcom stick with happ parts is does have 4 screw holes ( http://www.redoctane.com/joystick-capcom-happ.html ).

But I look at fragment and mastermind's boxes and I believe they're using happ sticks but I don't notice the 4 holes. Could someone explain this?

The 4 screw holes are there, but a 1/8" thick dab of felt is glued on each of the screw heads included with the box (as shown in that link you posted..you just gotta check it a little closely), and countersunk onto the particle board and underneath the plexiglass to avoid the presence of the screws altogether. I seemed to have misplaced my digital camera, so I can't take an up-close picture of the screw holes. Rest assured, they're there. :)

[fragment]

mine has the holes, just the artwork overlay is covering them up! =)

I may have to take everything apart though. I never really tightened up the bolts, and it got a little loose the other day. I am thinking that I will have to take off the plexi and tighten those really good. I can kinda get it tight just by tightening the nut underneath, but then they just spin when I tighten to a certain point.

[phfreq]

What's the difference between happs competition pushbutton and their "pushbutton with horizontal microswitch"? They both have convex designs and horizontal microswitches...

Only thing I noticed is that the latter version actually mentions the cherry name. I'm just making sure before I order like 10 of these things..

Part #'s for easy reference:

Pushbutton w/horizontal ms: 58-91xx-L
Competition pushbutton: 58-96xx-L

[Gaijinblaze]

The "Pushbutton with Horizontal Microswitch" actually has a concave surface. Other than that, it is generally agreed that the feel between the two is quite similar.

[armad1ll0]

I find that the concave buttons have a smaller outside diameter and thinner collar/sleeve part. I like this and generally like the feel of the concave vs the convex.

Although I totally agree that the convex does have a couple of points where it's technically a better button. It's faster and masher friendly. The advantages are small though.

[VkreW]

hey what do you guys use to make the holes on the joystick and how do you measure it to be the perfect size?

[Shin Ace]

Use a 1 1/8" spade bit and you'll get nice round holes. It's not like you want to be cutting out 11+ small holes with a jigsaw.

[VkreW]

with a drill or ?

[Dreaded Fist]

with a drill.

[KingWang]

is there anyway to cut a grid on plexiglass on just 1 side?

like on a 1/4in sheet how could i make a grid on the bottom thats only1/8 deep

[Nexx]

I'm building a PS2 stick and would like to use it on my Xbox Live for CvS2. Any recommendations? Thx.

[Dreaded Fist]

damn Kingwang, that sounds hella hard, if you mean routing out 1/8" on plexi. Pretty sure thats not possible with standard tools.

[KingWang]

Originally posted by Dreaded Fist
damn Kingwang, that sounds hella hard, if you mean routing out 1/8" on plexi. Pretty sure thats not possible with standard tools.

ya my friend was spouting about some sort of clamp i could use to cut into it or something

nexx there are threads already for converters the top ones are the dreambox and dragonbox, personally ive only encountered the joybox which did not work with my stick so dont get that

[Tha_Yizzah]

This is the case I have: http://www.geocities.com/pungstad/case.html

What I want to know is how do I make my artwork/underlay, and where can I buy lexan and how thin/thick must it be? Also, how do apply both to my stick?

Also, what about the nuts and bolts?

[GreatLlama]

As far as making the artwork/underlay, you can use photoshop to create just about anything you want. Lexan is not easy to find, in my opinion its not necessary to use bullet proof glass for an overlay. If you have a lowes nearby you can get the duraplex plexiglass and it will do just fine. But if you still insist to buy lexan i believe Home depot might have it.

[Shin Ace]

The box itself could potentially be made of lexan. Sometimes you'll see a subwoofer box made out of lexan instead of plexi because it compresses air and needs to be as solid and rigid as possible. The artwork should rest under plexiglass. The plexi will and should get scratched with time, but it's cheap to replace.

[FMJaguar]

i don't suppose that guy is still around is he? i liked his boxes

[Shin Ace]

Which guy? I had no clue someone actually spent the time and money to make a lexan box, unless I'm more confused than I realize.

[mastermind]

Originally posted by mastermind
Dunno if anyone's done it yet, and if they have, feel free to point me in the right direction.

Has anyone mounted a Perfect 360 stick into a Red Octane box? If so, do you experience the same crazy short stick height as you would with a Competition or Ultimate stick? Just wondering if I'll have to route some of the particle board on the RO box I'm about to order to keep the same P360 height that I see at most arcades.

Bumping my question. Worth a shot to see if anyone can chip in an answer.

[El Juegador]

Originally posted by Tha_Yizzah
This is the case I have: http://www.geocities.com/pungstad/case.html

What I want to know is how do I make my artwork/underlay, and where can I buy lexan and how thin/thick must it be? Also, how do apply both to my stick?

Also, what about the nuts and bolts?

I posted this already. Few posts back actually.

[Shin-RoTeNdO]

Originally posted by El Juegador


I posted this already. Few posts back actually.

Yup... I sure did. :lol: Sorry about that. My account is in working order now. :D My alias can go back into hiding until WWIII breaks out.

[V Ryu]

can someone link me to a place show u how to hack the pa1 or 2 pads im gonna make my first stick and i was told use the ps bored . thanks to anyone who can help with the link

[nomrah]

Can anyone give me some advice on artwork? The casing of my stick is made of wood but the top has a layer of, how do I describe it, "counter-top" like material. It's really plain so I was thinkin about some artwork. Does anyone know if I can bring in a floppy disk to Kinko's, and then have them blow it up and print it on sticker paper? Seems kinda ghetto to just stick it onto the front of the stick. The only other thing I can think of is to secure it down with plexiglass, but I really don't wanna do that. Thanks.

[mastermind]

Originally posted by V Ryu
can someone link me to a place show u how to hack the pa1 or 2 pads im gonna make my first stick and i was told use the ps bored . thanks to anyone who can help with the link

http://mywebpages.comcast.net/jdpyle1/controls_playstation.htm#PS1%20Dual%20Shock

That's the link I used to wire up my Dual Shock PSOne PCB. Pretty self-explanatory. Good luck! :D

[controlcommerce]

Hello Rotendo, in one of your very first posts on this thread you said you made all your sticks with solder free controllers. I'm looking for a DC controller with no soldering required. Could you elaborate further on your findings?

[Juniorv376]

Ok What im about to ask has prob been covered alrdy. But looking at how many pages there is. I dun think Ill ever find it. SO plz dun flame. Can anyone direct me to or tell me how to Hack a dc Control's PCB to work with Happ butt Thanx in advance.

[Shin Ace]

There really aren't any solderless pcb's. You can find stuff like red octane boxes where the soldering is done in advance, but if it breaks, you'll need your soldering iron still.

For DC, find yourself a madkatz. I could solder to one of those with my eyes closed, one hand behind my back and a hot chick blowing me all at the same time. GOOOO MAD KATZ!!!

[controlcommerce]

Originally posted by Shin Ace
GOOOO MAD KATZ!!!

I hope you don't scream that out while your having sex.:lol:

[Shin Ace]

It's what I yell when I see a bitch fight.

[controlcommerce]

:lol: :lol: :lol:

[Shin-RoTeNdO]

Originally posted by controlcommerce
Hello Rotendo, in one of your very first posts on this thread you said you made all your sticks with solder free controllers. I'm looking for a DC controller with no soldering required. Could you elaborate further on your findings?

Ahh, solderless wiring. I'd recommend going this route if you are new to soldering and have little to no skill soldering and/or afraid of messing up your pcb or if you are in a hurry to play and perhaps don't own a soldering iron.

-Fast wiring
-No chance of fucking up your pcb
-Saves time
-Almost 100% garauntee no wiring problem

Since the soldering job has already been done, all you have to do is crimp on some quick disconnects and presto!

Some pcbs with the wires soldered to them already may be too short for you to just crimp on quick disconnects and then connect them to your microswitch, due to the length it has to reach and etc... so you'll have to use barrier strips, but that has already been mention eons ago in this thread about doing that... anyway.

First you have the infamous Agetec joystick's pcb. A perfect start if you don't care to spend $40+ on a Agetec just to use its pcb. Agetec's die in time and some people don't know how to fix them or get parts to replace the bad ones. What happens to them? Some sell them on ebay thats what, and some just trash 'em.
Save the pcb and parts. Shit, save it all. Someone may want to buy your unsused shell with joystick and buttons on it *cough* DreadedFist :D to use them for their own projects and etc... but anywho.
You can use it non the less. There are two sets of grouped wires that you can use and those are the ones going to the buttons and the ones going to the joysticks 'mini' pcb. Just detach them (carefully) Crimp on some quick disconnects on the buttons set, and you may want to use a barrier strip for the joystick set to lengthen the wires to reach your joystick. If you're going to use a barrier strip for it, then go ahead and use a barrier strip for the buttons set. Why? Uniformity (...but everyone has their own preference) Some people don't care and just want to play and its not like someone is going to be checking out what under the hood and admiring the cleanliness of your work right? Right.

I have also found that the Enforcer's pcb (huge) allows a half solderless project. For the buttons, you'll have to do a little soldering, but the damn contacts are huge enough to not fuck it up.

I haven't found anymore else for the DC, but there are more that exist for a PSX/PS2 solderless project or partial solderless project:

PS Arcade joystick by Interact(RIP) *good luck finding this ANYWHERE (I have 2 in storage [MIB] and I won't see them for another 3 years)

Namco joystick by Namco (the grey/yellow buttons/joystick)

Enforcer for PSX

Pelican's Arcade joystick

Shadowblade (PS2) by Interact

usually most of the 'joystick' controllers with a ball top are either full or half solderless hacks.

Hope that helps.

Although the preferred method is to hack a 1st party controller as it will allow 100% compatibility with your system(s) and convertors.

[allmostthere]

this is probabbly a dumb ? but, why do u need 8 buttons. the only reason i can think of is to plau soul calibur but other then that im comming up short.

[mastermind]

Square, Triangle, X, Circle, L1, L2, R1, R2

10 buttons if you count Select and Start.

[red_plague]

I've been trying to hack psx controllers for use with my new stick, I've fried several of them so far. Does anyone by chance hav a picture of their wiring/pad hack? I am using a PSone Dualshock, and I have a PSX digital pad also. I would prefer a map of the psx digtial pad, I am soldering my wires onto the contacts, but I need the location a common ground so I can daisy chain it insteasd of running sperate grounds(which is probabyl why I've been screwing up).

[sundu]

I have a circuit board that is easy to use, but I don't know what kind of contrller it came from. It has semi-circular contacts for the d-pad, solder points for every button (they are the size of a dot from a sharpie), and concave analogue sticks. Anyone know what this came from?

[Shin Ace]

Post a picture of the plug on the end of the cord, that's all we need.

[fragment]

Originally posted by mastermind


http://mywebpages.comcast.net/jdpyle1/controls_playstation.htm#PS1%20Dual%20Shock

That's the link I used to wire up my Dual Shock PSOne PCB. Pretty self-explanatory. Good luck! :D

you hacked an original sega DC controller? I thought you couldn't do anything with the L and R buttons since they were analog. :(

[sundu]

I don't have any way to post a picture, but it is grey and square-ish with rounded corners (not the jalf cirlce plug shape).

Also, I got a pelican ultimate joystick with ps, gc, and xbox plugs and it works with my cube and xbox but not my ps2. Anyone else have this problem or know what is wrong?

[Dc1]

I asked in a thread I created but I guess this is the right place and the fastest way to get a answer

I want to use my dc only mass stick to play on ps2 , at first I was thinking of buying a converter, but somebody said that i can just solder the ps2 line into the slots that's already on my mass stick chip

so I go with this route and cut the line for my official ps2 dualshock controller to expose the colored wires inside

however there are two more wires than the holes available in the "psx" section fo the mass stick chip.

There are holes for:
(from up to down)
brown
green
orange
blue
black
red
yellow

but I have two wires more than that on my ps2 controller:
purple
the wire without the outter rubber cover

so what do I do with the left over two ?

please help, detail instructions and pictures are more than welcome

[mastermind]

Originally posted by fragment
you hacked an original sega DC controller? I thought you couldn't do anything with the L and R buttons since they were analog. :(

Check the link again there, big guy. I hacked a PSOne PCB. :D

[armad1ll0]

Originally posted by red_plague
I've been trying to hack psx controllers for use with my new stick, I've fried several of them so far. Does anyone by chance hav a picture of their wiring/pad hack? I am using a PSone Dualshock, and I have a PSX digital pad also. I would prefer a map of the psx digtial pad, I am soldering my wires onto the contacts, but I need the location a common ground so I can daisy chain it insteasd of running sperate grounds(which is probabyl why I've been screwing up).

www.modeverything.com
The info is there... Dec 2003 posting
The common ground is nearly everything on the main board. It's all over the place.

[red_plague]

Thanks, you're awsome. I'd be lost with our everyone at Hardware Technical Support.

[TGC]

Anyone possibly know a website where they sell madcatz controllers for DC?

It's really hard to find here in az, so help is appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[Dc1]

can anybody answer my question in my previous post please:(

[controlcommerce]

Looks like you guys have to ebay it. You'll probably get it cheaper than your expecting.

[Treybonew]

Originally posted by Dc1
I asked in a thread I created but I guess this is the right place and the fastest way to get a answer

I want to use my dc only mass stick to play on ps2 , at first I was thinking of buying a converter, but somebody said that i can just solder the ps2 line into the slots that's already on my mass stick chip

so I go with this route and cut the line for my official ps2 dualshock controller to expose the colored wires inside

however there are two more wires than the holes available in the "psx" section fo the mass stick chip.

There are holes for:
(from up to down)
brown
green
orange
blue
black
red
yellow

but I have two wires more than that on my ps2 controller:
purple
the wire without the outter rubber cover

so what do I do with the left over two ?

please help, detail instructions and pictures are more than welcome

Sorry to break it to you, but you just can't put a ps2 cord on a mas board. They have their own proprietary chip that you have to install onto the pcb also before can use it for psx/ps2. Whoever told you otherwise obviously doesn't know what they are talking about. I have a mas stick with dc and ps2 support and it has a chip set for both systems. I also have two other mas sticks that are just DC and just ps2, and they both have their individual chips on the board. Mas doesn't install all of the chips on all of their boards initially just for the reason that you want to do it. If they did, then they couldn't make anymore money by selling duel/multi setup sticks.

[J-ride]

I was just wondering what is a cheap PS2/1 controller that has dual shock so I can wire p360? I want one with decent sized contacts, but I dont want to go and buy 2-3 different controllers to find an easy one. Im too lazy and cheap for that, so someone tell me a good one to buy please. When I say easy, I mean one that is just 1 ground, maybe 2. I took apart one that had 3 grounds, and threw it away... :lol:

[Dc1]

Originally posted by Treybonew


Sorry to break it to you, but you just can't put a ps2 cord on a mas board. They have their own proprietary chip that you have to install onto the pcb also before can use it for psx/ps2. Whoever told you otherwise obviously doesn't know what they are talking about. I have a mas stick with dc and ps2 support and it has a chip set for both systems. I also have two other mas sticks that are just DC and just ps2, and they both have their individual chips on the board. Mas doesn't install all of the chips on all of their boards initially just for the reason that you want to do it. If they did, then they couldn't make anymore money by selling duel/multi setup sticks.

cool thanks for clearing that up for me

so do you have recommendation for a good dreamcase to ps2 converter ?

[Dreaded Fist]

Originally posted by Dc1


cool thanks for clearing that up for me

so do you have recommendation for a good dreamcase to ps2 converter ?
they don't make dc to ps2 converters.

I dont know if I should make a seperate thread for this but I found an artist/drafting desk at a thift store for $30 and the top is slanted. This would be great for a stick, all you need to do is drill the holes. If you have a thift store in your area, it won't hurt to pay it a visit.:)

[KingWang]

Kingwang here,

Just want to make sure on this , do you guys think a 1/2inch of plexi will be a good top for a stick? as in will it take the beating?

[Shin Ace]

LMAO! hell yeah. 1/2 plexi could be the entire front panel

[KingWang]

Originally posted by Shin Ace
LMAO! hell yeah. 1/2 plexi could be the entire front panel

it is the front panel....

1/4in plexi

[Dreaded Fist]

better not let toan play on that shit.

[KingWang]

Originally posted by Dreaded Fist
better not let toan play on that shit.

no shit that guy uses his stick to practice his ninja smash attacks and w/e:rolleyes:

i think the plexi will be pretty sturdy with an inlay and screws....
if not i can run a support across no biggie

[masterofking]

quick question I have a happ comp stick with a med spring its not as tight as I'd like it to be I called happ and they said they don't sell hard spring is there anything I can do to make my stick tighter
or were can I buy a hard spring from thanks in advance

[Shin Ace]

Remove the joystick handle, E-clip and actuator. Then there will be 4 screws on the back holding the 2 pieces of the comp housing together. Remove them and take the spring out. Stretch it out at most 1/2" and put it back together.

You can get it tighter, but there's no easy way to make it looser after that, so be careful. Do it slowly. You just want to be able to feel the stick more, not get a crazy forearm workout.

[masterofking]

Originally posted by Shin Ace
Remove the joystick handle, E-clip and actuator. Then there will be 4 screws on the back holding the 2 pieces of the comp housing together. Remove them and take the spring out. Stretch it out at most 1/2" and put it back together.

You can get it tighter, but there's no easy way to make it looser after that, so be careful. Do it slowly. You just want to be able to feel the stick more, not get a crazy forearm workout.




Thanks alot will do:D

[GalacticPhantom]

I'm working on a custom joystick, and I'm almost ready to build.

I have all the instructions on soldering and connections, and I'm done drawing out the blueprints... however I need to know one thing.

Is a Nuby "Soul Caliber 2 Arcade Stick" controller usable for this project? I have one just lying around, and I used it once but then shelved it again because of the poor performance. So if it usable, It would save me 20$ from buying another controller.

If it usuable, is there anything I should be aware of, somthing that might be different from using a regular controller?

Thank you for any help that is given.

[Shin-RoTeNdO]

Originally posted by masterofking
quick question I have a happ comp stick with a med spring its not as tight as I'd like it to be I called happ and they said they don't sell hard spring is there anything I can do to make my stick tighter
or were can I buy a hard spring from thanks in advance

You know why they said they don't carry hard springs? Because they only carry regular and HEAVY springs. :lol:

I've posted it here many times. So look through here for the item#

[Gaijinblaze]

I hope this question isn't too specific, but which drill speed (in RPM) do you think is sufficient for drilling through plexiglass or a similar material? My old drill runs at (allegedly) 1200 RPM, and I'm wondering if that's fast enough.

I know people have said to drill at a fast speed for plexi, so I'll find a different drill if I have to.

Thanks.

[Shin-RoTeNdO]

For drilling regular holes, I drill at the highest speed in reverse. For buttons holes, I start off slow to set the blad in place, then full speed. Only worry about breaking the plexi if its too thin.

[Debokin]

does anyone know where i could info on wiring up ps2 duel shock 2 pads? i have built a few joysticks before but before i used ps one pads or DC pads. any help would b appreciated. thx

[loborine]

does nayone know if home depot drill th holes for the buttons?

[2d_Empire]

anyone here knows where I can find a MVS/neogeo button layout
template?

[KingWang]

Originally posted by loborine
does nayone know if home depot drill th holes for the buttons?

they sure don't.... they will do STRAIGHT cuts for u with a big saw just make sure they cut on the same part of the line each time otherwise ur boards will be off by 1/8 in

[Shin Ace]

Originally posted by KingWang


they sure don't.... they will do STRAIGHT cuts for u with a big saw just make sure they cut on the same part of the line each time otherwise ur boards will be off by 1/8 in

If your cuts are off with that wall saw, that's because the employee doesn't know how to operate the saw. Secondly, there is no line to be drawn, you set the saw to X inches just like a table saw.

[loborine]

since they dont, does nyone know where i can go to drill the holes? cause im broke :(

[armad1ll0]

borrow a drill and buy a 1 1/8" spade for $5

[Shin Ace]

Originally posted by armad1ll0
borrow a drill and buy a 1 1/8" spade for $5

You read my mind.

If you try to get someone to do it for you, it'll likely cost more.

[agentz]

I already have a custom DC joystick, would it be possible to wire a PS PCB to the buttons and joystick and make it work with a playstation also? Would having 2 PCB's cause problems

[TheSquelched]

First off, this thread is so goddamned long....

Anyway, I have a question about the Red Octane box with the PCB. Does the PCB have the capability of handling the L2 and R2 buttons, or will I have to put my own PCB in?

EDIT: If this has already been answered earlier, I'm going to feel like a cock...

[doujinshi_2001]

My competition stick is starting to cause a lot of problems lately. I've noticed that when I hit down back to block low, my character ducks, stands up then ducks again real quick. I've also noticed that sometimes when I do a full circle on the stick, I hit something but I have no clue what it is. Any help as to what my problem is?

[2d_Empire]

I have a little request if anyone here who is good at doing button layout template can make a template out of this layout.

[Shin Ace]

agentz, find the "custom arcade stick customizing thread".

Soulblade, just replace the switch. Also clean out some of that dust while you're at it.

[accord]

Sorry if this question has been answered already but the thread is too damn long too read. Please dont flame. Anyways, how big should I drill the hole for the stick? Is it the same as the buttons? I'm planning to use sanwa sticks for my joystick. By the way, anybody selling sanwa sticks here? I'm looking for a red one and any help would be GREAT!!!!

[Shin-RoTeNdO]

same size... 1 1/8

[fragment]

Sorry if this question has been answered already but the thread is too damn long too read. Please dont flame. Anyways, how big should I drill the hole for the stick? Is it the same as the buttons? I'm planning to use sanwa sticks for my joystick. By the way, anybody selling sanwa sticks here? I'm looking for a red one and any help would be GREAT!!!!

Wow, you just had to look 1 page back and your answer was right there. Aint flaming you, but just do a search on this thread.



Originally posted by armad1ll0
borrow a drill and buy a 1 1/8" spade for $5

[armad1ll0]

Originally posted by TheSquelched
First off, this thread is so goddamned long....

Anyway, I have a question about the Red Octane box with the PCB. Does the PCB have the capability of handling the L2 and R2 buttons, or will I have to put my own PCB in?

EDIT: If this has already been answered earlier, I'm going to feel like a cock...

on my website, there's a map to the RO PSX PCB. Check the right side under tutorials.

[RowJoe]

Umm, I need some help with plexi. I've got a RO PS2 box with Happ parts and a stick already installed. Well, my friend and I each got our own stick and fucked up the plexi with Goof-Off to get that paint off. I think it just melted the plexi. :( Anyway, we took the plexi to get a new piece cut and stuff at Home Depot and some local glass shop. They both did a shitty job with the angles and couldn't drill holes. We have a drill bit, but we can't cut the plexi ourselves. Should I just e-mail Red Octane for new plexi?

Thanks for your time.

[Zandwich]

Another RO Box question. I don't like the plexi on it, even after I cleared off that awful paint they put on it. I decided to go without it, but there's a small ridge now all around the box because there's no plexi there. anyone know what I can do to get rid of this ridge/cover it up?

[armad1ll0]

Just a little clue with the RO Plexiglas

1) the paint comes off with 90% isopropyl alcohol.

2) you can clean the light scratches with meguirs Plastic polish.

[gaijin]

Hey everyone! I've been lurking the last few days (before signing up), kind of taking in as much information as possible, and I just wanted to say thanks!

I found this place while looking for a decent stick, and thanks to you guys, I'm now building my own for less money without sacrificing quality. Shit, I might even be making a higher quality stick than I could've bought from mas or x-arcade.

Anyway, I've hit a snag here and there (fucked up the holes when drilling out the first box and fucked up the contact paper on the second one), but it's coming nicely. I almost gave up a couple times, but seeing your awesome sticks has sort of inspired me to see this through to the end... even if my own is rather plain.

I went with a red competition stick and red competition buttons on a black box (no art because I suck with Photoshop 7), and sort of blantantly ripped of tha-darkside's curved button layout. I wanted to use a matching red sanwa stick, but couldn't navigate their japanese site. :\

Hope my first post isn't too gay. Just wanted to give you guys the credit you deserve for bringing me into this crazy shit. I've found it pretty addictive; makes a decent hobby. And I'll post some pics of my newb stick once it's complete!

[Shin-RoTeNdO]

Originally posted by gaijin
Hey everyone! I've been lurking the last few days (before signing up), kind of taking in as much information as possible, and I just wanted to say thanks!

I found this place while looking for a decent stick, and thanks to you guys, I'm now building my own for less money without sacrificing quality. Shit, I might even be making a higher quality stick than I could've bought from mas or x-arcade.

Anyway, I've hit a snag here and there (fucked up the holes when drilling out the first box and fucked up the contact paper on the second one), but it's coming nicely. I almost gave up a couple times, but seeing your awesome sticks has sort of inspired me to see this through to the end... even if my own is rather plain.

I went with a red competition stick and red competition buttons on a black box (no art because I suck with Photoshop 7), and sort of blantantly ripped of tha-darkside's curved button layout. I wanted to use a matching red sanwa stick, but couldn't navigate their japanese site. :\

Hope my first post isn't too gay. Just wanted to give you guys the credit you deserve for bringing me into this crazy shit. I've found it pretty addictive; makes a decent hobby. And I'll post some pics of my newb stick once it's complete!

I'm glad this thread could be of good service to you. Which is why I created it in the beginning and thanks to those to other builders who have contributed to the thread: SNAAAKE, DreadedFist, Armid1ll0, Shin Ace, Great Llama, and others.

Make sure to check out our websites.

[gaijin]

Originally posted by RoTeNdO
Make sure to check out our websites.

Hahaha, Hell yeah! I bookmarked that shit as soon as I stumbled on it! I was like, "No fucking way!" It was too good to be true! X-Arcade... HA!

It's a testament to a lot of these guys' awesome talent if I can take their detailed resources and make something based on that myself. Many thanks to anyone who contributed to this thread or has a website outlining their ideas and projects.

[2d_Empire]

Im goin buy a Masstick fuck all this shit.

[gaijin]

Ha, yeah, that's what I said after building (and subsequently fucking up) 2 seperate boxes and wasting a fistfull or two of cash. I was all, "Fuck this! I'll buy a box from RO or something."

Of course, then I built a third box anyway because I'm a stubborn son of a bitch. It turned out pretty decent. Though I fucked up the paint job, soldered through 3 PSOne gamepads before getting that shit right, and I even managed to break a small switch off of the Happ competition stick while installing it. :mad:

Regardless, I'm quite proud of it now. And given the choice, I think I'd enjoy building another. Especially since now I fully understand what it's all about. I can think of worse ways to kill an afternoon -- or in my own case, an entire week of afternoons trying to get it right. :p

edit: I forgot to mention the best part! Which is of course, when a friend comes over and sees it, they're like, "Sweet! Where'd you get that?!" And I can answer, "Oh that? I built it myself." :D

[armad1ll0]

In all Honesty, MAS aren't that good. I think that they ride too high, can't stand carriage bolts, find the overhanging sides design annoying and many people seem to have problems with their encoder PCB's.

They do work fine and provide an arcade exp. simply because you can get them w/ Happ parts. Then again, you can always get Happ parts form just Happ.

[armad1ll0]

In all Honesty, MAS aren't that good. I think that they ride too high, can't stand carriage bolts, find the overhanging sides design annoying and many people seem to have problems with their encoder PCB's.

They do work fine and provide an arcade exp. simply because you can get them w/ Happ parts. Then again, you can always get Happ parts form just Happ.

[J-ride]

Originally posted by gaijin
I forgot to mention the best part! Which is of course, when a friend comes over and sees it, they're like, "Sweet! Where'd you get that?!" And I can answer, "Oh that? I built it myself." :D

"Congradulations, you are now a Jedi, for you have constructed your own lightsaber." Some random guy's paraphased quote from over a year ago. Ive built like 7 jsticks now and yeah it was really frustrating at first. Now I plan ahead and build everything before hand, so I don't get nearly as frustrated. I built one of those multisystem jsticks and never built another one, Id rather spend the money on converters and do less work... :lol:

[gaijin]

Yeah, I like that idea alot too, but I don't quite understand the wiring procedure for the multi-system stick yet. I'm looking into it though. I just need to find a rersource with greater detail because I'm a bit slow, I guess. :rolleyes:

[koogy]

Do RO boxes (just the 20 dollar make yourself box) come with Plexi already on it? Or must I get a better box? Appreciate it.

[J-ride]

Originally posted by gaijin
Yeah, I like that idea alot too, but I don't quite understand the wiring procedure for the multi-system stick yet. I'm looking into it though. I just need to find a rersource with greater detail because I'm a bit slow, I guess. :rolleyes:

There is a website somewhere that has a guide on one, I have to get to my other computer and see if I can find it. The way I did it was the project boxes and 18 pin ports that just hook up to each project box so only one controller is plugged in at a time. I also had a cable with 18 pin hanging about 5 feet out of the box so my jstick had a really long cord. But I would just wire a PS2 analog controller and buy some converters, because a converter is about the same as another controller or cheaper.

[gaijin]

Alright! I finally figured out everything I need to make a multi-system box! Hooray! After I run up to Radio Shack tommorow to get everything, I can get started.

This is what I think I'll need:
1 - 15w Soldering Iron (I sort of ruined my last one :rolleyes: )
1 - pack of female quick disconnects (can never have too many!)
1 - pack of crimp-on spade-tongue terminals
1 - dual-row barrier-strip to accomodate at least 15 connections (4 directionals + 10 buttons + 1 common ground)
1 - pack of crimp-on pin connectors
1 - D-sub pin insertion and extraction tool
1 - D-sub pin crimper
1 - female crimp D-sub connector (15 position or greater)
3 - male crimp D-sub connectors (15 position or greater) for starters; 1 for PS1/2, 1 for XBox, and one for USB

This is what I've got:
- All the necessary gamepads to hack
- Plenty of solder and flux
- LOTS of small gauge, stranded wire (solid core is WAY too rigid to work with for me, personally, and creates lots of comfort issues... not to mention how my shitty soldering skills seem to have little to no effect when using solid core :( )

Anyway, wish me luck because I'll surely need it! :)


Originally posted by kugler
Do RO boxes (just the 20 dollar make yourself box) come with Plexi already on it? Or must I get a better box? Appreciate it.

I was actually wondering about this myself. I've still got enough fiberboard and plexiglass to make myself at least one more box, but after that, I'm thinking it's just so much easier to order one. Especially if I overlook something and just end up wasting my limited resources. Not to mention how much nicer the RO boxes look when I compare mine to theirs.:bluu:


edit: Heh, thanks J-Ride! i just missed you. :p

But *I think* I've got it figured out... So I'm going to go ahead and give it a shot. If it doesn't work... Well, then I'd like to say, "I'd definitely just buy a bunch of PSX adapters," but in truth I'm too damned stubborn for that. I'll torture myself over it until I do it otherwise. I don't graciously accept failure. I'm more of a tantrum kind of person. :sweat:

[TheSquelched]

Well, I got my RO box today, but it seems like the quick disconnects are sized all wrong. Some are way to friggin small (think TINY), and the others are a tad to big (don't connectly snugly with any of my Happ parts). Should I just cut off the old disconnects and replace them with correct sized ones?

[gaijin]

Doesn't sound like a bad idea to me, and it's really simple to do.

[Dreaded Fist]

NEW LAPSTICK MODEL: THE LAPTAP™(tentative name)


Introducing the new model of sticks that I will also be providing from now on, at a playa price. This is ment to be both a lap stick and a table-top stick. It is taller to provide a better angle and when you put it on the floor, it won't be so low. When you put it on your lap though, you will notice that the 2 extending sides will fit over your lap and "tap" into it. It will elliminate the problem of the stick moving from side to side.

This will start at $75 and $12 shipping and will only have a contact paper finish since it isn't fully closed, painting only the outside will look tacky and painting the inside too will take too long. I will not be putting plexiglass over this but all other options(japanese layout, hardspring, p360 will still be available)

Pictures below:
http://home.comcast.net/~dreadedfist/laptap1.jpg
http://home.comcast.net/~dreadedfist/laptap2.jpg
http://home.comcast.net/~dreadedfist/laptap3.jpg
http://home.comcast.net/~dreadedfist/laptap4.jpg
http://home.comcast.net/~dreadedfist/laptap5.jpg

The first two pictures is the prototype I made for SFMC with a Pelican universal arcade gut. I haven't wired the other stick yet.

Once again:
LAPTAP™ stick at a playa price
starting at $75
shipping= $12

[d2k]

fucking...some jackass second cousin or some shit fucked up my stick with his scrubbery. when i press down, the character crouches like 3 times instead of once.....and sometimes when i let go of down, he jumps. dive kicks are also an impossibility. what could my problem be? actuator? soldering? stick? any help would be much appreciated.

[Seerd]

So...now that the forum is back...

You can modify the square gate on the bottom of sanwa sticks really easily. I used a dremmel and a sanding band to round it out. The sanding band heats the plastic while its sanding, so it makes it easy to shape the plastic without cracking or shattering.

$4 of pennies in the bottom of a stick is almost perfect weight. duct tape penny rolls to the stick and it'll be nice and heavy.

[Dan Fury]

Hi Everyone,
I just wanted to shout out a big THANKS to all of you who contributed in this thread, I wouldn't had even thought about building my own stick without you, because I didn't think I could do it.
A very Special Thanks to Kevin Reems for his site, it rocks!
The only problem I had was with recalculating Inch to mm etc. (1 1/8 holes are roughly 28 mm in Europe, maybe you can add that information).
I also made my own Template , since I dislike parallel Capcom style Templates, when there are more than 3 buttons per row.
I also kept the programmable buttons, because I found them very handy in things like Mission Mode at GG XX or for three left/right clicks to be faster at Tetris.

Remember, it was my first try and the second arcade stick lies in single parts beneath me and will be assembled way better.
This one was just for functinality and to see if I could get the programmable buttons to work with zero knowledge about soldering and wiring.:)

My Template:
http://www.danfury.com/Template_12_Button-B.gif
Screens:
http://www.danfury.com/FuryStick.gif
http://www.danfury.com/Front.gif
http://www.danfury.com/Innenleben.gif

[DarkChylde]

Whoa, that's crazy. I'm a neat freak so doing something like that would make me feel sick to my stomach. But props for you doing everything yourself. I just bought a RO box and letting DF do my soldering.

[gaijin]

Heh, nice. I was wondering what black contact paper would look like. I've been priming and painting my own boxes, and it takes forever. At least you actually completed your first stick. I got fed up and moved on to the second. Then I screwed that one up too and just made a third. :p

I never posted any pics though, so I guess I may as well, right? I've only got pics of my (late) 3rd stick though:

Left Side (http://www.geocities.com/jude_ian_2002/all-done.txt)

Right Side (http://www.geocities.com/jude_ian_2002/done-at-last.txt)

Belly of the Beast (http://www.geocities.com/jude_ian_2002/decent-wiring.txt) -- yes, it is actually that ugly. I found out quickly that I hate working with solid core wire. Bleh.

I'm on my fifth box now, and I'll be honest: Because I'm such an obsessive-compulsive person when it comes to perfecting a project, I've taken apart both my 3rd and my 4th boxes too. However, I'm really taking my time on this one, and I feel that I'm slowly coming into my own; that this will certainly be my best one yet. Of course, I still suck at soldering. :\

[Dreaded Fist]

hey gaijin, just a tip, if you want your wiring to look cleaner, I would put the pcb on the same panel as the button, that way you can minimize the length of the wires. Very nice box if i do say so myself.

[gaijin]

Thanks for the tip. I'm hoping that I'll get better at soldering so I can circumvent all of the extraneous PCB altogether and just solder directly to the part of the PSX board that houses the analog sticks. Then I could fit that much closer to the actual buttons without losing room to work (I kind of have large, clumsy hands).

Running the wires as long as I did, I actually ran out of wire for the last couple joystick switchs, which I'd wired last. I had to scrounge around in my garage for like half an hour to find some spare wiring (the blue wires). Luckily for me, it was stranded, and my nightmare with the solid core stuff was over.

Thanks for the comments, man. It means alot coming from a builder such as yourself. :)

[thaBadGuy]

I have a question about the holes on arcade sticks
All the sites I see on the net say to use a 1 1/8 bit to cut holes but when i printed out the official capcom button template it said the button holes should be 1-3/16 and 1-3/4 for the joystick. did I miss something

[gaijin]

I'm not sure what brand of parts that template meant for you to use in your box, but I can assure you that, at least for the Happ parts I've used so far, 1-1/8" is perfect for both buttons and sticks. For the Happ sticks, 1-1/8" gives more that enough room to push the stick as far in any given direction as the cherry switches attatched to the bottom will allow it to move.

I also believe for the 30mm Sanwa buttons, 1-1/8" is a close enough approximation to work as well. Sanwa sticks are another matter entirely, and one I'm soon going to have to deal with, at that. :p

[Seerd]

Originally posted by gaijin
I'm not sure what brand of parts that template meant for you to use in your box, but I can assure you that, at least for the Happ parts I've used so far, 1-1/8" is perfect for both buttons and sticks. For the Happ sticks, 1-1/8" gives more that enough room to push the stick as far in any given direction as the cherry switches attatched to the bottom will allow it to move.

I also believe for the 30mm Sanwa buttons, 1-1/8" is a close enough approximation to work as well. Sanwa sticks are another matter entirely, and one I'm soon going to have to deal with, at that. :p

Sanwa sticks should work in a 1-1/8" hole (mine did).

[KingWang]

just wanted everyone to know, that the madkatz on dc - Z and C buttons are the triggers so solder to them...


sorry spent a while figuring that one out:lame:

[ShAix510]

I just wanna contribute to this thread. Awesome thread.

[gaijin]

Quite nice! Though my favorite part is definitely the small graphic on the dust cover at the stick's base. I've never seen or thought of something like that before. Suweet~!

[ShAix510]

Originally posted by gaijin
Quite nice! Though my favorite part is definitely the small graphic on the dust cover at the stick's base. I've never seen or thought of something like that before. Suweet~!

hehehe :) . It was my very own little creation. You can print it out using the left over circle sticker of the cd labeling sheets.

[gaijin]

Hey! That kicks ass, man! Thanks for the tip! :D

[gaijin]

Hey, I was looking for a specific piece of cord-protecting hardware found in many gamepads. I wanted to use something similar for all my project boxes, since there's nothing to really secure the cord. I don't know if this makes any sense. so here's a picture of what I mean. Any help in locating someplace that sells these things is greatly appreciated!

What is the part that the arrow points to called? (http://www.geocities.com/jude_ian_2002/what_part_is_this.gif)

Please note that you may have to copy and paste because Geocities sucks ass. :\

[Shin-RoTeNdO]

Originally posted by ShAix510
I just wanna contribute to this thread. Awesome thread.

Niiiice! :D

[ShAix510]

Originally posted by gaijin
Hey, I was looking for a specific piece of cord-protecting hardware found in many gamepads.

you don' t need that piece of rubber. If you want to secure your cord from pulling out, just tape some electrical tape around the inside of your cord.

[gaijin]

Hey, yeah, that would work! Thanks for the tip. :D

I should've thought of that... I guess I got caught up in the asthetics, and the little cord protector I was looking for would look very nice (and professional) on the back of all the project boxes I use to house the hacked pads. I'll keep looking, but I'll definitely use your suggestion until I find them -- which may very well be never, anyway. :p

[doujinshi_2001]

I've been thinking about getting a Red Octane case for a while now, though I hear mixed stuff. Things I hear is how bad the plexi is, stuff being broken when it comes in, etc. Is the $25 case really worth it? I wanna be able to put a P360 in it and competition buttons. Artwork too if that's possible. Thanks.

P.S: If you've any experience dealing with these cases, please post on how you think of them.

[DarkChylde]

I bought some RO boxes a few weeks ago and for me it was the best option. I made 2 so it was $40 flat cuz of free shipping and had to put a 2 hours or so of work into them with an additonal $10 or so on extra supplies to fix em up.

Personally, I don't know if they shipped em wrong but my cases came with plexi, 8 buttons, a PCB, and the bottom part of the joystick. So I ripped out all that junk and was left with the actual box with some ugly plexi and trim.

The trim was easily removed, but the adhesive was a pain. Didn't try Goo Gone as some have stated on the boards, but if it's around $5-7 a bottle, it'd be well worth it especially if it's on 2 boxes. I just had to use plain ol' elbow grease.

The plexi had a few more things wrong with it, ugly RO paint, scratched up and plexi wasn't sitting on the box right when they drilled the holes. Taking advice from amad1ll0, I used 91% Isopropyl alchohol to take off the paint (make sure to let it sit for a min or two, and can be bought at the local pharmacy for like a buck), then used some plastic polish to remove the surface scratches and scuffs (bought at an auto parts store, ask for stuff to fix up convertible tops), and lastly used some sandpaper my dad had lying around to widen the holes a bit in certain areas so that the buttons would fit when placed right.

I'm pretty happy about how they came out and I'd recommend it to anyone who wants a "budget" box.

[ShinHed]

I'm anti PSX or PS2 (except when it comes to Gran Turismo) so, I converted one of my Namco sticks ($9.99 @ KB Toys several years ago) to a USB PC stick using a Gravis PSX pad clone. Very easy to do except for the fact the the action buttons don't share a common ground.

[ShinHed]

As if ya'll don't know what a Namco stick looks like...

[mike729079]

do you need those .187 connector thingies if you use

http://www.wrongcrowd.com/arcade/joystickp2.shtml ?

because it isn't listed on that site but it is listed on

http://www.darkravenwind.com/cdvision/panel.html

[DarkChylde]

No, you don't need quick disconnects if you can or are willing to solder. But if you plan on changing out stuff often or are afraid to solder, quick disconnects, basically, are crimped on the wire, then attached to the "plug" looking terminals of the microswitch. If you solder then you just solder the wire to it.

[Ferny84]

members.cox.net/joysticks/ Kevin's Badass Arcade Sticks

is dead

:(

[Shin Ace]

Damn man, I remember checking that site before I ever got started. Shit's heritage.

[Dreaded Fist]

It has been moved.

http://nuclear-playground.com/joysticks

[Pimp Willy]

Maybe somebody can help me save my sanity here...

I've been trying to Mod a Sidewinder pad into a stick for my friend to use in Mame. The problem is that it doesn't detect fluid motions as well... like a fireball motion won't come out 90% of the time. I have checked everything from settings to changing sticks to modding the actuators to make it hit the switches easier, and so far nothing.

Anybody know the cure to the problem?

edit: Forgot to mention, its a Microsoft Sidewinder USB 1.0 pad running on windows XP

[ShinHed]

Detailed pics of your wiring would help.