How I modded my HRAP 4 Kai KOF Edition to fit a Korean Joystick (Crown 309HelpME)

Tech Talk
1

This is just a quick thread explaining how to mod your japanese style arcade stick to fit a Korean lever which is great for Tekken 7, etc. Mine was a HORI RAP 4 KOF Edition which came with art glued/stuck onto the panel.

First, I had to remove the KOF art with a craft heat gun my wife had.

Then from there, I removed the panel and placed it between some cinderblocks topped with bricks on my patio.

You’ll need a powerful enough drill and a 35mm step bit you can get off Amazon.com. You should also use cutting oil, but I used some hair clipper oil I had around to lubricate the area I was drilling.

Drill the hole and go slow at first as the bit “steps” through to completion of the 35mm’s. Put the collar of the Korean stick into the hole and it should fit just fine.

Congrats! You’ve modded your stick to fit a Korean lever!!

Next:

I ordered some Carbon Fiber vinyl off Amazon.com for pretty cheap.

I rolled it onto the panel making sure to flatten the vinyl onto the panel with a credit card. Make sure to make it overflow on all four sides, because you’re going to use a exacto or box cutter to cut the excess away. Flip over the panel and cut the holes out and trim the sides to fit the panel properly. Also make sure to poke out the holes for the panel screw, or you can wait to do that at the end when you put the panel into the case.

Now for the joystick, since you are mounting on a Japanese lever mount, you’ll need a Kowal Universal Flat Pate from FocusAttack.com to mount the Korean lever. The collar will fit inside of it and you can mount the screws in the same place they are mounted on the Korean mount that the lever comes in. Here’s a link to it here: https://www.focusattack.com/kowal-flat-plate-converter/

Make sure when you’re mounting the lever to turn the Korean mount so it’s not blocking the Kowal plate’s holes.

You’ll also need a .187 connector to 5 pin connector cable which you should be able to order off FocusAttack when you order the Korean lever. Often times, it’s one of the options when adding the Korean lever to the cart. Here’s a link to it here: https://www.focusattack.com/187-to-5-pin-conversion-harness/

Next, just install the stick and put your buttons back and you’re all done!

I hope this helps someone out who is looking to do something like this. Later gators!

Edit: The stick was feeling light so I added some weights to it. I ordered some tire weights off amazon.com that had adhesive backs on them and just laid them onto the stick base on the inside. See the images below. Pretty easy and the stick feels sturdier on my lap now.
https://thumb.ibb.co/b5osVv/IMG_0932.jpg https://thumb.ibb.co/hnTWOF/IMG_0933.jpg

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Was the hole around the joystick warped when it was drilled? It looks that way from the pictures.

3

Yeah it was a little poky outty with a piece of metal shaving sticking up. I’ve since sanded it down and re-applied the vinyl since it had the “tape residue” that was holding the vinyl roll closed in the shot shown. Typically though, the step bit removes the poky up parts as it goes around but I got a little impatient.

4

That’s a pretty good tutorial, and honestly I forgot about the Kowal plate when telling people asking about modding Japanese sticks to accommodate Korean levers. I’ve always just told them to use the Japanese mount Korean levers.

Now I’m just going to refer them here.

5

Wow. I should look this over a few more times but it is helpful.

6

Nice guide.
…and that keyboard!! Man, I miss the old school Mac keyboards!

I see 300g/.66lbs of iron plates there. Does it make a lot of difference? I was thinking going this route after trying steel BBs encased in playdoh/modeling clay.

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lol, I copied your idea with the carbon fiber and the weights. The only slight downside with the carbon fiber is that since it isn’t that thick, the plate isn’t level with the case, but other than that it looks a lot cleaner.

The weights make it feel better for sure, but I think I might put more in it

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Yeah, with the way I evenly disbursed the weight it feels really good. That stick is super light stock and it feels much better this way. Not super heavy, just like you are holding an arcadestick.