So my Start button on my BrawlStick has died and I don’t want to bother to try and find the replacement board for it. Has anyone here drilled a 24mm hole on the brawlstick or SE stick before? If so, what do I need to drill the hole with?
I plan on re-using my spare 24mm Sanwa buttons to replace the Start/Select buttons.
24 mm forstner or hole saw at the same dimensions.
IIRC, if you don’t use the turbo button on the top panel then you can take the pressure pad from that and swap it with your damaged one to get it working again.
@mr.mortified Ah forstner was exactly what I was looking for! Thanks.
@gahrling I tried that and it didn’t work.
Then are you sure it isn’t a problem with the wiring or something else?
Yup tried everything. I should mention this is dualmodded with PS360+
Drill slowly. Too fast and you’ll melt the plastic. Good luck.
If only I could attach my 24mm spade bit to my dremel.
Before you drill, it can save you some aggravation to make a “nick” or smaller hole in the material you’re going to drill a larger hole (say, 23mm or bigger) through.
It gives a guide for your drill tip and can keep it from “dancing” on the material that you’re drilling… IF you don’t have control, you can ruin or at the very least etch some unwanted lines.
If you’re lucky and have a variable speed drill, start slow first and when you have a good solid drill hole going accelerate the drill speed. (For smaller holes, you can go ahead and use a Dremel. For anything like 24mm drill piece or above, a drill’s almost mandatory. I sure couldn’t fit drill pieces that big onto my Dremel!) IF you do this right, you usually have plastic material in the shape of a cap. KEEP IT. It can be used to plug drill holes if something goes wrong OR as filler in a future project. IF you ever have to plug a hole, it’s easier to do this with a plastic “plug” instead of relying solely on putty filler/fiberglass fixer. The material holds and cures stronger. Think of it as analogous to steel-reinforced concrete.
Melting plastic can be a given depending on material. This was a problem I had with the Agetec case. That plastic DID melt and worse it also emitted a toxic gas when it melted. Not much you can do about that; it happens with cases where you have to do more drilling. It’s usually not an issue where you’re just drilling holes for 24mm START/SELECT button positions. I don’t know what Hori and Mad Catz use for their plastic cases but I have never encountered melting or toxic emissions like I did with the Agetec.
It goes without saying that for plastic you are best drilling in an open, ventilated area with a breath mask if you have own one.
I think I’m going to die from modding sticks.
Me too apparently!
They’re not cheap, but if you’re a seasoned modder, I’ve seen An Irwin Unibit available in a 20-34mm (2mm increments). I had a buddy that was a car alarm installer, and he used these to drill holes in dashboard panels for the alarm’s LED indicators. They leave a very clean, precise hole, and don’t burn the plastic as much as conventional drill bits do…
At $90 though, it’s quite the investment. 
At this point I think I might just remove the Madcatz Brawlstick PCB and add a board there to put the buttons in. I know the button placement is inconvenient but it’s not like I’m gonna be using Start/Select a lot…
This is TRUTH. 
So everything worked out just fine! Thanks for the warning about the toxic bit! Here’s my result:
All I need now is the 2 Sanwa Screw-in Rims and I’m all set.