This may end up going nowhere. I’m not trying to use this for money, but I think it should exist somewhere at least to keep stick cases from being trashed.
The idea: I’d like to have a repository of drawings and gerber files (the files used to get pcb’s made) of the oddball daughter boards required in some sticks.
An easy example would be the Paewong Revolution. Most people gut the stick for the pcb. Sadly, this leaves the stick case completely useless because the pcb was what held the four control buttons in place and had the copper that those buttons were pressing against to activate those four buttons. With a quick drawing, it’d be easily to replace that part so the four buttons would stay in place, not look ghetto, and still be usable as buttons for whatever you threw into the stick.
There’s a similar daughterboard in the Namco stick; if that piece gets worn down, you’re stuck with a useless Namco. Unless there’s a way to get a replacement.
What I’d like to do: I’d like to have a repository of sorts that has the gerber files needed to make replacements, and the EAGLE files that created them, up and available. I’d be happy to host the files and link them here, and/or put them up on BatchPCB so they could be individually purchased for nothing more than what BatchPCB would charge to make them. I’ll even draw the files up from measurements.
What you can do to help: If you have a stick open that contains one of these boards, all you’d need is a scanner. Throw the pcb on your scanner, with the side the buttons make contact with DOWN, and scan it in with the highest resolution you can, and send the image file to me. I’ll use the scan to take measurements and get a replacement laid out. I’ll send back an image of the laid out board ready to print. You print it out, cut it out, and check how the layout matches your daughterboard. If all is good, I’ll have one made in my next batch of prototype PCBs I get made, and mail it to you.
Why should you care: I have an empty Paewong case that I’d like to make into an NES or SNES stick for my 2y/o niece to bang on. You may have a Namco with dying control buttons. Or want to use the sliders on the HRAP2 case with your new wizbang stick. Or want to replace the TvC stick LED board with one you can use with your padhacked 360 controller. These little slide switches and LEDs and smoosh down buttons are there, built into the stick. We should be able to keep using when we upgrade the rest of the stick. This isn’t something anyone can make any money off of, but we can keep otherwise good cases from being thrown away.
So, if you’d like to help, scan away. Some of the important ones I think should be started with:
Namco control button daughterboard (L1, L2, Start, Select board)
Hori HRAP1/HRAP2 slider board
Paewong Revolution main board <— Done!
Hori corner smoosh button board (GC Soulcalibur 2 stick, Tekken 4, Tekken Tag stick, tons of others)
Hori Wii arcade stick (turbo slider board)
Currently available daughterboards:
Paewong Revolution: http://www.godlikecontrols.com/DBA/paewong.zip
Namco: http://www.godlikecontrols.com/DBA/namco.zip
HRAP/HRAP2: http://www.godlikecontrols.com/DBA/DBAHRAP.zip