Not another Agetec thread. Guide and worklog

Tech Talk
1

Oh god, not another one of these.

Yes I going to talk about the loose goose, t3h green goblin, the Dreamcast Agetec.

Agetec before mod

Worn out old back plate

Before I get started here are some reference links.
Information I left out will be in one (or more) of these links

Modifying Dreamcast Arcade Stick
Agetec Mod
http://shoryuken.com/f177/dreamcast-agetec-arcade-stick-playstation-2-a-175334/#post6096420
~ DC ~ Arcade Stick section introduces modifications procedures
Google Translate of ~ DC ~ Arcade Stick section introduces modifications procedures

If you had info/ link you want to contribute please do.

Tools:
Phillips Screw Driver
Flat Head Screw Driver
T10 torx screwdriver
Pliers
Wire Cutters
Wire Strippers
Dremel with Grinding stone
soldering iron
Exacto knife

First lets get that back plate pulled off

Since I am keeping the Agetec PCB, we need to remove the buttons and stock joystick. When you are cutting the wires going to the wiring harness for the agetec, cut closes to the original buttons and stick as possible. Do not worry if you break these buttons, for they are cruddy, not as bad as older SE buttons but not up to my standards any ways.

Next we got to modify the case to accept newer arcade parts

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b261/darksakul/Projects/Dreamcast%20Agetec/DSCF1253.jpg

The joystick area after I remove some plastic so a JLF can fit.

We also have to snap off the plastic wall around each button hole.

Next we ether have to make/ order a new plexy top panel for the agetec, or go Gung-Ho and grind the crap out of the metal by hand.

I have no pictures of the modded top place or me working on the plate unfortunately.
My hands hurt too much from all the manual cutting to remember to take photos.

Although a good tip if you cutting/ drilling or grinding the top plate holes bigger is to use painters tape to protect the surface of the panel while your cutting.

Here I have the JLF mounted and Sanwa OBSF-30 placed in.

I found out later than screw in works better on this project than snap-in. And Sanwa nuts are a little big, so I went with Seimitsu screw-ins because of the smaller profile nuts have. It is still tight as hell in there. I also realized my Happ sized hands can easily destroy a snap-in of any brand.

Here is the re-wired stick, with the Agetec board, a SF4 360 pad PCB and a ChImp.

Why I did not go with a MC-Cthulhu instead? Other than I feel my way was easier, I wanted to keep the VMU slot functional.

What about the system cords?
Glad you ask.

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b261/darksakul/Projects/Dreamcast%20Agetec/DSCF1319.jpg

Instead of using a RJ-45 jack, I went with a DB-9 connector

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b261/darksakul/Projects/Dreamcast%20Agetec/Agtetec9Pin.jpg

Here is the chart I made to keep track of want wire I want to solder to each pin.

Did you forget the 2 golden rules of Dual-Mod/Multi-mod PCBs?
Nope, it hard to see in the photos, and I left it out of my chart. Inside my stick, Pins 1 and 6 are solderer together as well as pins 5 and 9. This way both the Agetec and the ChImp gets there power/ ground from the system, cables.

Now the Finished product

The joystick is a Sanwa JLF-TP-8YT (no shaft cover) with the mounting plate removed, circular gate added and the spring been replaced with a LS-32 spring. Oh and a nice Sanwa Mesh ball. I also have 6 green Seimitsu PS-14-GNC 30mm Pushbuttons for the top. I wanted to keep the original color scheme but I also wanted to spice up the appearance a bit.

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b261/darksakul/Projects/Dreamcast%20Agetec/DSCF1316.jpg

2 Green Sanwa OBSN-24 on the side for L2 and R2 (or RT and LT for the 360)

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b261/darksakul/Projects/Dreamcast%20Agetec/DSCF1317.jpg

The Select and Home are 20 MM Sanwa snap-in, next time I should use smaller Radio shack buttons. Yes the Start button is still stock, it works fine although slightly difficult to push in the manner that there be no accidental start button pushing.

Yes I did mess up a bit on the yellow buttons I installed for Select and Home, I didn’t have the right size drill bit, so I hand cut those holes.

And here for the USB system cable I made a USB-B to DB-9 adapter just for this stick.

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b261/darksakul/Projects/Dreamcast%20Agetec/DSCF1321.jpg

Wiring for this was straight forwards, you can use the guide I have above for the pin out. Although Radio shack DB shells are hard, they are also so brittle when you try to cut them. metalized shells like I have here will conduct electricity, so make sure you insulate your connections to avoid a short. I use retarded amounts of electric tape inside. The USB jack is fixed into place with super glue and hot glue.

2

i was mislead…i thought this wasn’t another agetech thread :stuck_out_tongue:

3

If you rotated the 360 Fightpad pcb around you could then make a small slot in the front of the shell to have the mic jack exposed.

Instant wired microphone support.

4

What were you expecting then?

I though about that, and done it on completely different stick. But like my one Gundam Stick, long story short I didn’t feel it was feasible for this project. Any ways if voice chat is that big of a issue, I can always get a wireless headset.

5

I’m about to commence modding a pair of Agetecs, so I’m eating up any info I can find on them - this is a great thread, thanks :slight_smile:

I have one stock stick, and one which I obtained already modded into a Playstation stick with a PS1 PCB. My plan is to remove the PS1 PCB and put it into the virgin stick in a dual-PCB setup; the ex-PS stick will be receiving an MC Cthulhu, with removable RJ45 cables for Xbox1, Playstation, Gamecube, Dreamcast and USB.

Both sticks will be getting a couple of extra buttons on the right hand side for L2 & R2, and a small pushbutton for Select. At this point, I’m not going to be replacing any sticks or buttons; we’ll see how much success I have and how much use I get out of the sticks before I splash out on upgrades!

6

I have a handful of Dreamcast Agetec sticks, including two completely spare bases, so I have decided to start with a custom stick job. I have a Toodles Sixaxis ‘Axisdapter’, so I’m some of the way along.

I believe there are 28mm Crown type buttons that fit my faceplate without any cuttings. Does anyone know of any suppliers that ship to Europe? Are these buttons poor quality compared to Sanwa/Seimitsu buttons?

Are there any guides to fitting a Sanwa JLF or similar stick to an Agetec base?

7

Here is a guide how someone mods a Dreamcast Age tech to accept a LS-32, LS-40, a JLF and a JLW.
http://www.kowal.itcom.pl/ArcadeParts_pliki/modDCen.htm

8

That’s a great guide, thanks!!

I think I’ll be using a dremel to cut the 28mm to 30mm, hopefully it’s not too much of a pain. I have a bunch of these sticks which I’d like to mod, as it’s a really nice form factor.

I hadn’t considered the caps rubbing against one another. I might order Seimitsu buttons instead of Sanwa in this case.

9

The Agetec is a nice stick to mod if your up to it.
I had tri-moded mine, PS3, Xbox 360 and Dreamcast

10

I found what seems to be a good guide, but it’s also terrifying. I must confess, I had no idea modding the Agetec would be so much work. :.)
http://shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=27126

11

if you dont care about it being filed very clean like that one, it is really easy. I modded mine in1 hour without saw and dremel.

12

Without saw and dremel? What tools did you use?

13

i just brutal forced with a pliers and then hand filed some bits i couldn’t get rid of with the pliers. you can see the result here:

certainly not pro looking, but it works.

14

Hey guys, couple questions. I’m doing the same thing as well. The button wiring uses 3 pin connectors, and it seems an easy way to fasten the buttons to the wires, does anyone happen to know what connectors the buttons use? Currently they’re using the 3 pin, but that’s nowhere near wide enough. Is it possible to use an 8 pin connector? I’m assuming if I go this route I’ll need molex pins. Would it just be easier to use the .110" fastons? They seem like they’d fall off easier.

Second question. I’m looking for some small 3mmx10mm nuts/bolts/washers that would fit the Sanwa stick. I’ve got the chassis all ready to go, but can’t find these and was wondering if anyone could tell me if these are typically available at hardware stores, or if they’re available someplace online?

This is my first mod stick and I’m looking to get some experience under my belt before attempting anything harder, though it seems this is a rather harder project than I had anticipated.

15

I’d like to do this. Though I really only need DC/PS3 compatibility. What resources did you use?

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I just finished my mod on the stick last night and it works great. I went with a Xbox 360 color scheme, but I didn’t put in a multi-PCB since I have plenty of fight sticks for both the 360/PS3, and the extra hassle isn’t really necessary. I’m just glad I can play my Dreamcast fighting games now without having to use the worn out and crappy Agetec parts my old one had.

I used a dremel to enlarge the holes. I did draw circles using the plastic casing holes as a guide. I just flipped it over with the cover on top and then redrew the holes. I used a dremel titanium cutting tool. Looks like a drill bit but with an evenly spaced set of grooves along the shaft. It works great as long as you move slow and steady with it.

18

Scroll up and read.

I guess that works.

19

Yeah, it works. I have to admit though, I’d love to have a circular hole cutter like you have if that’s what you used as yours looked very clean. This was my first stab at any sort of serious mod and I’m just glad it’s done.

I think my next project is doing something with that crappy white Wii fight stick I have. I’d love to just tear out the whole thing and put it in another box.

Would you happen to know of where I’d look to find a guide on how to make the lamex designs/templates, what’s involved in doing it (like using photoshop and or other applications)?

20

I used uses a dermle, the button rimms are coveing up any rough edges. Used a spare button as a gauge to get the minimum about of space I need to fit a button though.

You can find a template for on Tek-cases, Scroll down to the Agetec section.
http://www.tek-innovations.com/arthobbies/index.cfm?loc=about&sub=templates