http://img226.imageshack.us/img226/4932/sam0054le.jpg
http://img226.imageshack.us/img226/6161/sam0061vc.jpg
http://img226.imageshack.us/img226/3183/sam0074nj.jpg
http://img226.imageshack.us/img226/5790/sam0085gg.jpg
i had to mod this because the parts were way too used. 
the top plate was rusted, the buttons jammed a lot, the stick was ating weird, and the case was in bad condition. but i bought it for $12, so it’s all good. 
filing button holes = boring.
Best I’ve ever seen, and there was a damn good one a few weeks back.
The only thing you “missed” was that start button. Why is that?
Is it still running the Agetec PCB?
Details on the metal plate fab, please.
awesome, thanks. 
i used the stock metal plate, and i just filed the holes open.
i didn’t use the stock start button cause when i got it, it was dead. the switch was gone for some reason. O_o i couldn’t just leave the hole blank, so i decided to just put it in there to plug the hole.
i’m into using external encoders now, so it’s on a DB15 plug. i put the Agetec PCB on a project box too.
Hey that’s a very nice job, that’s my favorite color combo, white & red.
One question though, I know you have to widen the holes for the buttons, but what work do you have to do for the stick? Cause I’m interested to mod one and I heard the stick part is hard.
thanks!
the stick part is easy IMO. here’s what you have to do:
if you’ve tried modding other sticks, this will be no problem.
i like this mod, since the stick is mounted on a recess on the surface. this causes the Sanwa to come up just as short as i like it. it’s still too much work though.
nice mod. quick question. what did you do to make the plate so shiny? did you put plexi on it? second is the art? how is that done? did you just print it on like a laminate sheet or something and just put it over the metal plate? please describe the process. thanks.
i got an advice for you regarding the start button situation. i thought about it when i did my mod, but since yours didn’t work at all, perhaps you should just remove it, fill the hole with hot glue to almost to the top, take plaster and smooth it out then repaint it. i think it would be better to do that than to have a dead start. but that’s me. if you like it’s, that’s all that matters.
i didn’t use plexi or lamination. i used an acetate sticker sheet to cover the art. it’s basically a huge piece of adhesive tape, so i covered the art and stuck the excess “tape” to the back of the plate.
that’s a good idea about the start button. but i don’t know, i don’t think i wanna go take that apart that again. i may just use wood filler on the button’s lettering and paint it red.
Hey, I got a beat-up agetec just like yours, except I didn’t get it for $12 but my “friend” beat the hell out of it for me when he was supposedly “fixing” the stick.
My main concern is the amount of rust I see everywhere. I see rust on the top metal plate & its screws and the bottom plate. Since you used the same metal plate, what did you do about the rust?
so you printed the art, slid it ontop and put a sheet of tape over it? Sounds like that would be a bit tricky to line up properly. Must be very strong tape too. I might try this if the tape doesn’t peel off anytime soon. Of course I’d rather have a plexi top, but I’m not sure there’s even enough room for one on this stick =/
very nice mod
What did you do for the paint job in general, to get it so nice and smooth on plastic and the metal top panel?
Step by step would be nice. (down to even the kind of paint you used)
Later,
[Ramon]:
i don’t remember the step by step process, because it was so long and i made so many mistakes. take a look at the Stick Building 101 thread. i’m sure they’ve written everything you need to know about painting there.
laugh:
i just sanded the rust away and stuck the art on. i’m not sure if that’s enough, but it’s been working well for me and the mods i’ve done. i don’t know what to do about the bottom plate, though. i just leave rusty bottom plates alone for now, cause no one really notices them anyway :B
Kingbuzzo:
and it won’t peel. at least not in my experience. i’ve used this acetate in pretty much all of my mods, and none of them have peeled. i leave a LOT of excess acetate so i can stick that to the underside of the plate. that way, it’s the underside that’ll peel first.
Very nice. Agetec’s about the only thing I can mod, but I like them. I always use the start button though… doesn’t always work for some reason. You can read my other post about that.
You can widen the holes with a dremel. It’s pretty easy. Takes a few minutes per hole. Just make sure you wear a glove b/c the metal plate heats up. 
For the stick, check out this page. It’s Japanese, but you can see the pictures. Again, dremeling works here, or good old fashioned “ripping out”. As before, it is a pain, but I like it. I have no possible way of making a box, so this is the perfect mod for me. Clean enough to do indoors.
Here’s my default one I did a while ago. Terrible soldering job… ugliest you can find, but it works.
http://dynamic.gamespy.com/~japangaming/gomi/stickmod.jpg
try a school / office supplies store. it’s REALLY hard to tell them what you want though, cause there are a dozen products called “acetate.”
another name for the sticky acetate: book covering tape.
Indeed. Worthless fact: Often prototype music (for DJs) is first recorded on acetate. Lasts about 100 plays and it’s over.
Quick Question;
For when you painted the plastic case, did you use any primer? Did you sand it by chance after applying primer? (this is what I do with metal panels) but I wasn’t sure if the same rules apply for plastic.
Or did you just wash–dry then paint the plastic?
How many coats were necessary?
Later,
i think using some good krylon fusion and some gloss is all you’d need to get nice results.
I looked up the acetate and this is all I could find
http://www.happcontrols.com/monitors/49519500.htm
is this what you used? I can’t see this being the correct kind since it’s only 1" wide :xeye: