Hey there and welcome. Yes, I had to reread this entire thread recently, so I know where you’re coming from about the information being scattered about.
You can install a JLF or a couple of models of Seimitsu sticks in the V3, but for simplicity’s sake I’ll assume you want to install a Sanwa JLF and buttons. I will also assume you have no soldering knowledge or real technical skill (like me), and so I should warn you this will not be the prettiest method.
For that, you’ll need:
1 x JLF
6 x Buttons (Sanwa OBSF snap ins are recommended)
1 x JLF-H or similar joystick 5-pin harness
12 x Quick disconnects (2.8mm). More is strongly recommended because you will likely mess a few up
1 x Crimping tool (you can also solder, which is great, or just mash the QDs on with pliers, but this is not recommended at all)
4 x Screws (I forget which diameter, but basically you need shorter versions of the ones used to secure the stock Hori joystick)
You will probably also need the following:
1 x Quantity of 22-26 AWG stranded wire (thicker (lower number) might be easier)
1 x Wire cutters / strippers
1 x 5 point screw terminal
1 x 7 point screw terminal
1 x Roll of electrical tape
Buttons:
If you don’t have a soldering iron then your best bet is to cut the button pcb into bits so you can remove the stock buttons. First, cut the ribbon cable that connects the button pcb to the main pcb as close as possible to the button pcb (i.e. leaving as much ribbon cable as possible.
Now just get the pcb board off the buttons in whatever way you can. I suggest cutting the bulk away with scissors, enough so that you can remove the buttons successfully.
Now snap in your new buttons.
You will need to search for a pinout of the V3 board to work out what wire in the ribbon cable does what. There are 7 wires, 1 of which is ground. You need to connect the other 6 to the appropriate buttons (i.e. X, Y, R1 etc.), and the ground has to be connected to all of them.
Please read up on how to crimp, etc. for help with that. To connect the ground to every button, you should make a “daisy chain” of quick disconnects - look this up too.
You might find that the ribbon cable is not long enough to reach the buttons. If this is the case, then you’ll need to use a screw terminal block (recommended) or splice new wires onto the existing ones.
Joystick:
To remove the joystick, just unscrew the balltop (use a flathead driver in the base of the shaft if needed) and then remove the four screws you can see securing the joystick housing to the case. Cut or desolder the wires from the joystick as closely as is possible to the microswitches.
The next bit is best described in Laugh’s Paewang/Mayflash modding tutorial, which can be found in the tutorials sticky (seriously, the steps for the joystick are exactly the same), but I will summarise it here.
Ok, now take the JLF, turn it upside down and remove the gate (clear plastic thing) by pressing the four clips. Now, the pcb with microswitches attached can be removed easily - do that. Note: you might have to remove the e-clip from the joystick shaft first, but I can’t remember…
Underneath where the pcb was, you will see four shallow “posts” with a hole in (about 1.5mm high), which correspond in position to the screw holes in the case where the original joystick was mounted. These holes are what you will use to screw the JLF onto the case.
However, you have to remove the shallow posts first, or the screws will prevent you from putting the joystick back together.
So, use a craft knife to carefully slice off these posts until flush with the rest of the surrounding area.
Now, line up the holes with the ones one the case, and screw the JLF in place. Replace the pcb and gate (and reassemble shaft/e-clip if that step was necessary.
Ok, now you just need to wire up the stick. If you found a button pinout for the V3 pcb then you should also have a stick pinout.
To wire up the stick, you just need to connect the UDLR and 1 ground wires from the main pcb to a screw terminal, and then connect the 5-pin harness to the other side of the screw terminal. Plug the 5-pin end into the JLF. You can also look up a JLF pinout to help you work out which wire does what, but you can also just use trial and error until your stick works as expected.
Hope that helps, sorry it’s not a comprehensive guide with images - hopefully having all the info and steps in one post will help you out at least.
Also, if in doubt, just post here again rather than trying to guess stuff!
If all this sounds like too much then just get a TE or similar when they’re on sale - much better.
Post pics when finished, and good luck.