After browsing the forum and admiring the beauty and craftmanship of custom sticks I have decided to attempt making my own. I have explored many of the links on this thread and the previous custom arcade thread and have learned a great deal from them but I still have some questions that need answered in order for me to begin.
I should probably first explain what functions I want in the stick before asking any questions. I will be using it for the Xbox or PS2 for 2d fighters and do not need live/online support. Keeping that in mind, here are my questions:
What is the simplest custom build? Kevin’s badass arcade sticks shows detailed walkthroughs for both the Reflex and Madcatz but one user here indicated that a SFAC controller was perfect for a custom build ( I have 2 xbox SFAC at my disposal). In short, I am looking for the simplest and cheapest custom build for the xbox/PS2. This will be my first custom so simplicity is very important.
Cheapest place to buy parts? By parts I mean the actual stick and buttons. Since this is my first attempt (and will in all likelyhood make many mistakes) there is no reason for me to purchase top-of-the-line products. Are there any vendors who deal in used/discounted arcade parts or am I stuck buying new?
Any general advice before I begin?
I am so glad i stumbled onto this site. Even if I can’t build a decent stick just admiring the great custom jobs here will make me a regular. I look forward to any responses or advice.
If you want the simplest, just go with a PS1 Dual Shock A-series and do the solderless hack. Get an xbox-ps2 converter to play on the xbox since you don’t need live/voice support.
here’s a purely cosmetic question, nothing to serious at all, but it’s just I do not know where I should ask this.
(btw I’ve been lurking quite a bit gathering as much info as I can, thanks a lot guys!)
so here is the image I wanna place underneath my lexan:
going with sanwa buttons and a jlf stick, what’s the best color choice???
and while I’m at it, how about color for the painting of the wood???
thanks!!
EDIT:
I read in another thread somebody said this (regarding joystick mount):
is it common to just print an image on paper using an inkjet printer to be used as the cosmetic face of the joystick between the wood and lexan???
I ask because if I were to do that, would there be stress between the image and the metal mounting part of the stick, possibly causing the paper image to eventually rip??
in other words, what are my best options to printing out my awesome phoenix wright picture??
EDIT DEUX:
also, has anybody from the US ordered from gremlin solutions in the UK??
is their shipping reasonable, and is the delivery speed okay??
becoz they carry green and blue screw in 30mm sanwa buttons that himuragames does not list as available
Alright, it’s been a while since I’ve modded a stick, and I have a challenge for anyone that could help me think…
I have a busted AGETEC, it won’t see downright/downleft anymore (but see’s down, left, right).
I have a LS-32 (NOT the s plate) Seimitsu stick and 8 (I’d be using 6 for this I guess) screw in seimitsu buttons.
The real question is, any ideas on how to mod the agetec case so I can use this stick? It’s not like a sanwa, if I were to put it in a wood stick, I’d need to route only the depth of the mounting plate (very shallow) and nothing more.
The agetec has a metal CP, but under the stick there is a depression for the stick length that can be routed out completely, I believe.
it’s okay! ^_^v they weren’t too important at all, and I got most of them figured out now!!
anyway, new questions. This is one of the most recent pics in the show-off thread:
how do u mount the top like that without any visible screws???
I’m a noobie so don’t be too harsh if I am asking something too common :looney:
EDIT:
it’s like 1:40Am pst rite now, most of u guys are sleeping!!
so… I’ma edit and ask another general question!!
the lexan stuff is 3/32 inch thick, with a laminated piece of artwork adding another small smidge of thickness.
if I wanted to use the snap-in buttons as opposed to screw-in, should I remove all the wooden area where the buttons are to be placed??
in other words, will the thickness of the lexan (and artwork) be enough to hold the button in place??
I just wanna know, I cannot answer these myself as I do not possess any buttons on me at the moment (other than happs, but I’m not asking about those.)
Usually you can skip the top screws if you’re using screw in buttons and a panel thin enough. The screw ins will be tight enough to keep the lexan on securely - same thing can be done with happ buttons.
And yes, you should clear the area of wood if you use snap-in buttons, or use a very thin sturdy wood/metal panel; I never use snap-ins so I can’t say I’m right, but from what I’ve read that seems to be the way to do it.
so I assume that means there is wood underneath the lexan and that is top secured by srews, then lexan is placed above that and held in place by screw-in buttons. that’s cool!!! thanks!
TAIJIRI>>> I think the answer to your questions 2 is you can use some kind of a wood router to cosmetically round out the edges of your stick’s box. Also, to make the joints/corners looks smoother wood putty is used prior to any painting/routing. Am I right???
Where can i find a custom stick?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? None of the links on the first page of this thread helped except www.byrdo.org on that site those are exactly the type of custom stick i want except with a picture of my choice anyways can someone plz tell me where i can find someone to make or help me buy a premade custom stick? specifically for use on my xbox but it would also be nice if it worked on my ps2 as well.
The shape of the custom stick i want is pretty much identical to the 1 posted in the picture in the middle of this page so any help would b appreciated i have no idea where to get a custom stick for my xbox n been looking for a long time.
That’s how I’ve done it every time, Sambao. It was pretty ugly when I cut it with just my hands and the saw, but now I have a miter saw and some clamps, comes out much nicer.
oh awesome! I don’t kno what that is, so I searched at home depot / lowes. You can get a good one of those for only ~$15! With built in clamps AND a stand. Way better than doing it freestyle. Plus I can afford $15!!
