Modding a PS1 Namco stick

Tech Talk
#1

I just bought this stick at a local game store for $20. I was wondering, how easy is it to mod? I noticed that the buttons were soldered directly to the PCB. If I were to unsolder those points, the buttons can then be removed. What type of buttons would fit in this stick? How about the joystick? Also, it seems relatively easy to put art on the stick. Is this true?

Thanks for the help in advance! :bgrin:

#2

This stick is great by itself.

to mod it you need a new PCB and to fit a sanwa in there you need to cut it all up.

I’d say keep it as is, the buttons are more sensitive than sanwa’s.

#3

None of what you said is true.

  1. You don’t need a new PCB to mod it. There are plenty of ways to keep the stock PCB in there.

  2. You can put in a JLF without doing much cutting at all aside from a square in the plastic (which you won’t see anyway) and a little bit from the JLF. You don’t even have to do any cutting if you do parts swapping with the stock Namco parts.

  3. The microswitches on the stock buttons are not more sensitive. If anything, they are less sensitive.

Personally, if you’re not comfortable with modding, you probably should keep it the same. It is, as ParryPerson said, a great stock stick, which is why it is so highly sought after even now.

~Paik

1 Like
#4

Here’s for the joystick:

http://arcadestickmonk.com/asm-namco-sanwa-mod.html

#5

Thanks for the suggestions.

I really don’t plan to mess with the joystick but rather deal with the art/buttons. I would like to use Seimitsu push-ins. I think that they are 30 mm and have the same style pins as the Sanwa. How hard would that be to put some art and plexiglass? Anyone ever done that before?

#6

what you got there is one of the greatest joysticks ever made. I have a friend who has played regional tournaments in soul calibur II (and he was voted teh best US kilik player on namco’s soulcal site) and he has the same exact joystick and he swears by it.

#7

was that the only one there? that sticks a damn good find

#8

Dude, that was a 100% steal

#9

Ha. I went to Game Force (name of the local store) and was browsing around for a PS1 DC controller. I saw it for $20 and it looked like a solid stick. I remember hearing some good things about it but I wasn’t too sure of it. I went to a friend’s house and after checking SRK, I found out that it was indeed the Namco stick that everyone had said great things about.

I quickly came back to the store and picked it up. The owner said that the stick had been sitting there for months, lol. Only real problem is on the side of the case, someone scratched in their initials.

Are there pics of mods of this out there? I saw that one site that was linked and it will be of great help. But I do wanna see if people made art modifications to it. I love it and all, but the stick is pretty plain. Like I said, I don’t think it will be too hard but I was just wondering.

#10

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/Paik4Life/Mods/th_P1010697.jpg
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/Paik4Life/Mods/th_P1010730.jpg

Here are two I did. First one is JLF and OBSF-30 (Did it just because). Second one is just black Sei balltop on the stock stick with PS-14-G buttons (for Makoto Scrub). Obviously, the second one has plexi and artwork.

~Paik

#11

Sexy. Thanks a lot man :tup:

#12

One last question for you, the stock stick is feeling a bit “loose.” By this I mean that you can slightly move the stick in all directions and rather it returning to neutral, it is at “directional neutral.” So for example if I barely press up, it will be at “up-netural.” It doesn’t effect the gameplay as it won’t register up on the stick. I’m sure this is just from normal wear and tear but is there anyway to tighten the stick?

#13

You can fix that by replacing the spring, which I did.

also, you might want to “re lube” it up, either with the real stuff, or chap stick works (look at whats REALLY in chap stick).

#14

Thanks. Where can I get a replacement spring? Also, what type/size of spring do I need? Am I correct in assuming that I need to get a particular style of spring or will any that will fit in the joystick be fine?

#15

Bump.

#16

Don’t know about springs, but if you wanted to replace buttons without having to get a new PCB, you can just desolder the stock buttons, drill 3 mm holes trough the existing one and then bend the prongs on the Seimitsu buttons so they are allineated and push the buttons trough, then solder.

It’s already described in the arcademonk page, but here’s a short tutorial I’ve made. Unfortunately it’s in my language (Slovenian), but pictures should explain it enough (under each one is a ling for bigger size).
http://pretep.konzole-slovenija.com/forum/viewthread.php?tid=772

#17

Cool. That makes things much easier to change the buttons. I like the stock stick but I might be SOL…

#18

about the spring someones definitely willing to trade or send you one for cheeeeap, and im pretty sure any jap stick spring would work.

#19

Have fun! I really enjoyed modding my namco stick, had a blast doing it. I didn’t see ArcadeStickMonks modding guide, would have been a lot easier than the why i did mine.

P.S. You got one hell of a deal… wish i could find some namco sticks for $20, may I ask where you went?

#20

woohoo…just won one of these off ebay for $26 + shipping

I’ll probably want to try and mod somewhat…let’s see what condition it arrives in first