Sanwa stick in wooden case?

[Esker]

I’ve got a crappy stick I bought at EB Games some time ago that I’d like to mod to have decent buttons and a decent stick. The case itself is quite similar to the SF Anniversary Collection one, with the same crappy knock-off stick.

I’m perfectly happy to replace the buttons with Happ Competition ones, but I dislike both bat sticks and square gates. Therefore I’d far rather fit a Sanwa stick with a ball top and octagonal (or circular) gate.

My question is: is this possible, and how much work would be required? Does a Sanwa JLF or JLW stick match up with a Happ for mounting holes?

I’ve never modded a stick before, so I’m really not sure how hard it would be - and trying to research things myself hasn’t acheived much more than making me more uncertain.

[pc1x1]

Its completely possible. Just browse the measurements off the forums, and we can help you along the way. Expect a decent amount of work though.

[tl613]

Is it the Pelican Real Arcade stick? That’s the only wood stick I can think of that EB ever sold. If so it should already fit a Happ base perfectly, then you can get a custom ball top to fit like these:

http://tornadoterrys.com/surplus.htm

[Esker]

Is it the Pelican Real Arcade stick? That’s the only wood stick I can think of that EB ever sold. If so it should already fit a Happ base perfectly, then you can get a custom ball top to fit like these:

http://tornadoterrys.com/surplus.htm

No it’s not. It’s “self” brand, which I’d never heard of before. Seems rather similar to what I see the Pelican described as here, except that the stick is awful, and it has two trackball-like domed “sticks” for the two analog sticks on the controller.

Unfortunately I can’t find any mention of it online at all.

EDIT: The start/select buttons are above and slightly to the left of the stick, and all buttons are black, with the top of the case having a glossy black finish itself.

[Esker]

Okay, so I’ve basically got it straight that I’ll have to route out a hole for the mounting plate to go into, and I’m going to get some clear acrylic sheet cut to shape so that I can place my own custom image. I’ll also get said acrylic cut with 30mm holes instead of 1.125" holes , widen the existing holes in the wood and get some Sanwa snap-in buttons since they seem to be used more often in custom sticks from what I see.

Two big questions now:

1. Can I use regular paper for the image, or does need it to be laminated? And if laminated how much of a height difference will that make - if it’s a lot I may need to get 2mm acrylic instead of 3mm.
2. Will I need to cut holes for mounting screws in the top acrylic sheet, or are the screws countersunk into the bracket?

[tl613]

1. Most people used vinyl that has adhesive on the back. You can go to Kinko’s and have them print the artwork onto that stuff. The height difference depends on how thick the acrylic you get is (but I think people prefer lexan). So you may have to route out more wood for proper stick height or put a washer where the ball screws onto the shaft.

2. The artwork and acrylic should cover the screws so that you don’t even see them. The buttons should be good enough to hold down the acrylic.

And for a wood stick you will want screw-in, not snap-in buttons. Snap-ins are for metal top control panels. They will not hold well in wood unless you route that part of the wood as well.

[Esker]

1. Most people used vinyl that has adhesive on the back. You can go to Kinko’s and have them print the artwork onto that stuff. The height difference depends on how thick the acrylic you get is (but I think people prefer lexan). So you may have to route out more wood for proper stick height or put a washer where the ball screws onto the shaft.

2. The artwork and acrylic should cover the screws so that you don’t even see them. The buttons should be good enough to hold down the acrylic.

And for a wood stick you will want screw-in, not snap-in buttons. Snap-ins are for metal top control panels. They will not hold well in wood unless you route that part of the wood as well.

I meant the height difference caused by inserting an image, not by the acrylic (what’s the difference between acrylic and lexan anyways?) I’m replacing an opaque piece of 3mm acrylic (or maybe lexan?) that’s already there.

Also, what I was thinking with the snap-in buttons was to have them grip onto the acrylic (or lexan), and with the holes underneath made large enough to not interfere. Will that not work? I figured that the Sanwa screw-in buttons wouldn’t be long enough, considering they’re replacing Happ-knock-offs.

EDIT: I just took one of the buttons out to get a proper look at it. The hole is 30mm wide (I thought it was 1.125" from measuring without taking out the button) and 15mm deep. Will Sanwa screw-ons fit that deep a hole?

Also the case is MDF rather than actual wood. My bad.

EDIT TWO: An interesting discovery - the buttons themselves ARE 1.125" buttons. They’re actually a little loose in the hole, they simply have been tightened hard enough to stay put…

[Esker]

On the off-chance that anyone cares, I have decided that it’s not worth the effort putting Sanwa parts in, so I will be replacing this stick’s parts with Happ Competition - and buying a custom stick as well that does have Sanwa parts.

[tl613]

Nothing wrong with having more than one stick. Some people, such as myself, like to use different sticks for different games, ie. Happ for MVC2, Fanta for Tekken, Sanwa/Seimitsu for everything else.