Convert a Madcatz TE2+ to a “hitbox”, best way to add a SOCD cleaner?

Tech Talk
1

Hi everybody,

I recently got back into fighting games after almost a decade without playing any of them. I’m playing Dragon Ball Fighter Z, Street Fighter V and Tekken 7 on PC at the moment and PC will be my main platform in the future.

I’m playing on a Hori Rap4 right now and I’m thinking about getting a hitbox. I checked various prebuild cases, the option to build my own and modifying an existing arcade stick into the hitbox layout. The boxy shape Hit Box Arcades controller or Jasens Customs Panzer Fight Stick doesn’t appeal to me and in the end my favorite option would be to modify a Madcatz TE2+ .
You can buy most things for the conversion pre-build from what I can tell. Jasen Customs sells the steel plate, plexi cover and the JFL adapter cable to hook the 4 direction buttons up to the stick port. Other than that, I’d obviously need 11 24mm buttons and 1 30mm one.

That part should be easy, but while researching the term SOCD cleaner came up all the time. I think I get the basic idea of the issue, but I’ve also read that in modern games that issue should be filtered in software. First of all, would I even need one in the above-mentioned games?

I haven’t found a definitive answer, but I assume the default PCB in the Madcatz stick doesn’t contain some kind of SOCD cleaner? What would be the easiest way to add one then?
I found a prebuild one to add the functionality to the MadCatz PCB (any tips how to do this exactly?) and I know that the Brook Universal Fighting Board has one build in. Adding a whole new PCB just for the cleaner seems a bit ridiculous though, especially because Ill never use the stick on an Xbox or a Switch.

Is there anything else to keep in mind with the conversion?

Kind regards,
Cyberratchet

Followup: I just found a listing for a non-plus TE2 PS4 version for 75€ including shipping, so basically half the cost of a new TE2+. If its not sold already, should I just take the TE2 and put the 75€ saved into a Brooks and the TE2 EZ mod? From what I could found, I would lose the ability to have L3, R3, turbo and a touchpad button active at the same time, only 2 functions would work.
I couldn’t care less about the touchpad on PC and turbo in general, so that wouldn’t be an issue. Would there be any other difference between a TE2 and a TE2+, both with a Brooks?

EDIT: The TE2 is still available.

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The Xbox pcb would not be a waste as you get that xinput compatibility

3

Gummo has nickel sized socd cleaners you can solder to existing setups.

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I haven’t even thought about the Xbox Version. The problem is that the TE2+ cost about 35€ more than the PS4 version and I haven’t found them used so far.

What would you choose, a OG TE2 with Brooks or the TE2+ with a SOCD cleaner? If I buy the used TE2, the price difference wouldn’t be that much. Brooks would give me native xinput and the possibility to use it on different systems, the TE2+ route would preserve the original PCB.

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Me personally I’d go the brook route since from what I remember the te2 pcbs aren’t the best. If you want to preserve the og te2 pcb look into the te2ezmod. It’s currently what I’m using and gives you a really easy setup for changing the aux buttons on the te2 and of course using a brook board.

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I bought the TE2 yesterday, I’ll go with the Brooks and the EZmod. You’re right about the original PCBs, I’ve found posts about them dying as well. They aren’t getting any younger, so the Brooks will be the better option in the long run.

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@Cyberratchet When you get the brooks EZ mod, you just set the original TE2 PCB off somewhere safe and you can always put it back in later…

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@VarmintBaby

Sure, I’m not planning on throwing the original PCB in the trash ^^. I bought everything last weekend, shit got a bit more expensive with the international shipping then I was hoping but what can you do.
I can’t wait to assemble the controller.