I couldn’t find this anywhere in the search so sorry in advance if it was brought up already.
I recently purchased the Arcana Heart 2 stick for the sole purpose that it was only $80 and all other ps2 sticks of that quality go for much more in price (~150). Well needless to say I have never played Arcana Heart and never plan to, and although I am comfortable with my sexuality, I am looking for the easiest way to change out or mod the image on the front of the stick.
The stick is being shipped now so I don’t have the measurements, but from the looks of it it looks like all other HRAP 2 stick layouts. Can anyone confirm this or not? If it is can someone link me to a thread or share information on the easiest way to change the image.
you would need to do some solder work because the buttons are soldered to the PCB. Once you are able to remove the buttons you can add artwork and a plexi to it to protect the artwork.
I have that same stick and its very good, at the time it was the cheapest PS2 HRAP i could find($120 shipped), and had that particular button layout too. Pretty close to TE/Vewlix style. Good job on the price BTW if you got one for $80.
I also modded it with full sanwa controls, and like Digital said, this is one of those HRAPs with the dreaded Buttons-soldered-to-PCB setup. Heh this was the mod that forced me to finally learn to how desolder/resolder, as well as to use a dremel to grind off those damned tabs. Easily the most work i’ve EVER done on stick modding.
Later I plan to go to this site and order plexi & artwork for it:
^^ I have not asked them yet but soon i will check to see if they offer plexi & artwork cuts, with the button holes slightly bigger than normal. This way i can just easily place the new plexi & artwork over the buttons & secure the side bolts, without having to open up the stick and pull apart all my custom work.
If the guy allows that, and you don’t plan on modding yours with full sanwa, then that would be a good option and save you a lot of trouble. IMO the stock hori buttons were pretty nice.
Edit: here is a good thread for already made custom art that fits this layout:
Follow the mod guides for the Tekken 5 sticks… A Search for the Tekken 5 mod will bring up the old FAQ for it on this board.
Everything you need to know is in that FAQ. There are very few differences between modding the Tekken 5 and AH2 sticks. The process is essentially the same.
*The one thing you don’t have to do is throw away the stock stick. The stick in the Arcana Heart 2 is a Sanwa JLF. You WILL have to remove it to be able to mod the faceplate safely but it’s not a big deal. The stick harness is also fine and should NOT be cut if you can help it.
If you’re really deadset on changing the artwork, you’ll have to use an agent for removing glues and gums like Goo Gone. You have to spread it over the sticker art and let it work for a 5-10 minutes THEN wipe it the sticker art with your fingernail or cloth. It’ll be messy but less destructive than sandpaper/sandblock which WILL scratch the metal face of the faceplate.
After removing the sticker art and grinding down the 30mm Hori pushbutton tabs (assuming you want to put in superior Sanwa or Seimitsu pushbuttons), you might also want to spray the faceplate with Rustoleum. At the very least use the clear enamel. It will stave off corrosion/rust for the faceplate…
my friend is looking for one of these. his srk handle is Jblair. i would pm him and see if he wants it. then you could spend the money on another stick that you actually like. He also has a hori tekken 5 ps2 stick that he might wanna trade for it. Maybe you would enjoy that art more than the arcana heart one?
Well I got my stick in, and although I have never played Arcana Heart, the stick has grown on me and I’ll keep the trademark. It’s just that much more satisfying to beat someone with a stick that has a girl making on heart with ribbon on it. Griff223 I got the stick off Amazon.com under the buy for new or used from the market place. You could see if they are still selling them for your friend
I’ve seen it in person. It’s actually aesthetically a very tasteful and well designed stick. If you can stomach the pink. I can’t. And I’m an Arcana Heart player.
It is a very good stick. Good find getting it for $80. Also, Arcana Heart 3 is an amazing game. You should give the series a chance. AH3 is only in Texas I think, but you could get the first game for very cheap. lol
i dint know there was a thread about the stick. sweet!!
im also am looking to buy one of these sticks. reason is that it will connect to the ps3/GC/360 with those adapters, this model will work right?? is they stick any good?? i know its a sanwa but its still good right?? square based?? is there any where that i can find custom top panels for it?? i prefer the hrap3 button layout to this.
