The Official Custom Arcade Sticks Thread II: A New Era of Builders

Tech Talk
41

I saw these browsing HAPP’s site:
Small buttons
And they reminded me of sanwa screw-ins. But they’re too small to be game buttons so maybe start/select buttons instead.

Also anyone who is serious about building their own stick and already have a router I recommend these router bits:
Whiteside Router Bits
Thie place is an excellent source and their bits are industrial grade. Every bit I own is a Whiteside. Plus 4.99 shipping no matter how big the order is.

42

I’m currently making my first custom stick out of 3/4" wood and using byrdo’s small sanwa template. I haven’t cut the wood yet, but it looks like the top piece wont be easily glueable or screwable at an angle. My question is how do you make your top piece come to a perpendicular angle against your back piece of wood?

http://byrdo.org/small_sanwa_blueprint.htm

Is there a certain saw thats able to cut this kind of angle ? Pictured here : http://byrdo.org/images/Arcade%20Stiks/Makoto%202.jpgSorry if its been stated previously, but i have been reading this and other threads and havent seen shit on this particular question. Thanks in advance.

43

Anyone know where I can purchase like 2mm metal sheets from? I’m having a hard time finding these at my local hardware stores like Lowes and Home Depot. Also any advice on how to make straight cuts in 2mm metal sheets would be appreciated.

I’m kind of thinking if I need to be ghetto I could buy some baking sheet or something. Haha. Thanks guys.

EDIT: I did find some places online, but if there are local chains that people know of that’d probably be easier for me.

~Paik

44

sainthuey: A circular saw or table saw can cut those angles. If you don’t have access to those try just filling the gap in with fiberglass reinforced bondo. Tedious but it dries VERY hard. Sandable too.

Paik4Life: I think at the home centers it’s measured by gauge instead of actual thickness. Try checking by bringing a small metric ruler with you to Home Depot/ Lowe’s and you’ll probable find what you need in the sheet metal section.

45

Thanks again, Nitewalker. My Home Depot doesn’t even have a sheet metal section… : ( I even tried looking it up on their website to see if they had a section with no luck. Of course navigation on their website also sucks…but anyway…Thanks for the help.

~Paik

46

No prob. HD doesn’t list a lot of stuff on their site for some reason. Check yellow pages for sheet metal. Also keep in mind you only need a small piece for sanwa buttons/sticks so you may be able to get a deal on some scraps somewhere.

47

Two questions:

  1. Could someone give me a guide on how to mount a Sanwa JLF-TP-8YT joystick on mdf or wood thats 3/4 inches thick, what are the different methods used?

  2. I have a PSOne controller and when i opened it, it just wasnt what i was expecting, there is no soldier points as I there is in all the guides I’ve seen. So how can I mod a PSOne controller?

48
  1. Probably the easiest way to mount it is to make a square cutout where the joystick will rest and then rout the top and bottom edges where the mounting plate will rest so it’s flush with the top. This way you can hide it under the artwork and lexan (if you’re using).
  2. What kind of PSOne controller is it? Post some pics and I’ll be able to help better.
49

Thanks for the reply.
The control I’m talking about is the official PSOne controller that came out with the small model Playstations, heres a pic, and a closer one.

About mounting a Sanwa JLF, how deep where the mounting plate will placed should it be and which tool is to be used? A chisel?

50

The PCB on that one is a bit tricky but doable if you are careful. The solder points are the small parts where the buttons would be if the controller was put together. You have to scrape the black stuff off with an x-acto until you get to the copper trace. Pretty easy from there.
As for mounting, use a jigsaw (cut starter holes with a drill first) or if you don’t have a saw you can just drill enough holes to bore out the area needed for mounting. As for the recess just about a quarter inch for top mounting a sanwa. A chisel would work but it would be a SLOW process.

51

Hi, I was wondering if you guys could give me some ideas about how to build a joystick with a sega blast city panel in it.

I have this panel:

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=34558.0;attach=12747;image

I bought it awhile back from the user that took this image.

I want to build a custom arcade stick that uses this panel for housing the components, but I don’t know where to start on building a case to hold it correctly.

Suggestions? I would actually be interested in paying for a a pre-made case to put it in if any of you would be interested in building one.

52

That looks kind of big for a 1 player stick. But you could just use the metal part and build a custom box for it. That’s what I would do. When you build the case for it, make it so there is a square hole where the panel will rest, then trace the shape of the panel on the wood (or MDF or whatever you use) and rout it down setting the depth of cut to the thickness of the metal plate. This way the metal and the wood will sit flush with each other.

53

Is talking about sanwas/other sticks fare game in this new thread?

54

The metal part is the only part that I own, I don’t have a cabinet. That picture is the one the person who sold it to me took. I don’t have digital camera to take a less confusing one.

Anyway, that’s basically what I was thinking. I worry that there will be a seam between the wood and panel that would irritate my hand. Is there any kind of transparent material I could place over the seam to make it smooth, something like tape but prettier looking?

Also, size isn’t a concern for me. I know this is going to be a big stick, but since I usually play sitting on the floor with my stick in front of me I kind of want it that way.

55

I started on my agetec mod after building a bunch of different american sticks, and I just wanted to know, is there a specific place I can get a really thick laminate? My plan is laminate the cover work, glue it on top of the metal, paint and fill the plastic (accordingly). I just want a laminate that is not going to peel or come off, is there a good place to get this? Is there a good way to stop the laminate from peeling up? Like maybe placing it on then laquering the bejesus out of it? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

56

I don’t know if people will find this useful, but I was looking at some of the Japanese layout templates that were floating around and thought that they were a little off. I remember the right 4 buttons being square with each other and then tilted. I ran around and looked at for some Blast City/Astro City control panel pictures and found out that I was right. I decided to make a template based on that picture so that I could have it when I’m drilling the holes in my stick. Figured you guys might want to at least take a look. Anyway, here you go:

~Paik

57

J-ride: Your best bet is to use some Lexan on your panel. I’m not sure how the metal fits on an agetec but maybe you could try drilling the lexan where the metal plate holes are and then sand the edges smooth on the lexan. So the mounting bolts would also be holding the lexan down too.

Paik4Life: That’s pretty accurate. This is the one I’ve been using:

58

Yeah that’s the one I saw, but like I said the right four buttons aren’t square like they should be. That’s why I looked at an actual Jap cab as reference.

~Paik

59

Thanks for both of those templates, I appreciate both of them.

60

What size hole should there be for a jap stick?