You just unscrew the ball top to remove it, you dont need metal to mount the buttons and stick, but its always better to have it more solid, but good lexan will do fine also. its strong. but i think plexi will crack with some force.
looks like i’m going to build my own stick. what kind of wood do i use when building the box for my stick?
SNKNuT
Most people use MDF (Medium Density Fiberboard).
For the cords I usually drill a hole near the bottm of the back board before I put the box together. Then before complete assembly, I insert the pcb and assemble the rest.
As far as wood, I usually work with particle board over MDF. It’s not as messy and cheaper and I don’t have to worry about extra work like routing out the joystick base a little in order to have a decent length of the joystick sticking out and not having a ‘short stick’.
as for the plexi-glass i’m about to use, whats the best way to make holes in them without them shattering or break? and how do i soften the sharp corners?
Because I feel like being nice, I’m going to tell you instead of saying search and read this whole thread, lol.
With the plexi clamped on top another piece of wood, drill your holes as you would if it were wood only slowly at first, then at a high speed. Don’t press too hard, let the spade bit do the work. Once it gets through, stop and remove the ‘disc’ (hole) off of your plexi/drill bit.
thanks rotendo. 
Also, for you guys who want`s to make it nice when putting in the pcb in the box:
http://www.shoryuken.com/forums/showthread.php?t=96700
New Custom from Dreaded Fist
Just thought I would share. I’ve never seen a mounting job like that on the stick.
meh. it seems like these tutorials are a few years old. the pcbs, imo, have changed alot and now i don’t see huge tracts of copper anymore. instead i see copper marks like [----] where [ ] are copper and the ---- is somekind of black strip. how do i work with these pcbs?
and yes the pcbs are from a mad catz microcon and performance dual impact 2 for ps2.
Does anyone know if I can just change out the joystick and buttons in my X-Arcade Solo stick? And if so what should I replace them with, my current problem with the stock stuff is that certain moves are harder to pull off then in the arcade like Super Arts. thanks ahead of the time for the help.
Most people still use these old PCBs for that very reason. They are a lot easier to hack. PS2 Dual Shocks have analog buttons making it more difficult. It’s possible, but is it really worth the work for a new stick builder? I’d have to say no…Even the most experienced stick builders still use PSOne Dual Shock or original Dual Shock 1 (specifically A series because of SpiffyShoes solderless hack). Newer isn’t necessarily better…
~Paik
I thought only ps2 dual shocks pcbs worked with converters like ps2 to xbox. does the dual shock 1 work with ps2 to xbox converters? if so i’ll use those pcbs.
SNkNut
Buy the PSOne pads, they work great with converter to xbox, DC, gamecube et.c…
If you’re just making a stick for ps1/ps2 useI recommend the following pads:
The street fighter pad- Can be found for $15 or less now and are probably the easiest pads I’ve ever soldered to. Official too!
The Mad Catz digital ps1/2 pad- Getting harder to find but check the used accessories section at EBgames or gamestop. You can usually find them for about $1.
Sony digital ps1 pads- Because they’re official and to an intermediate ar even someone with good observation skills they’re not too difficult to solder to. Really beefy cords too.
One more thing: get a multimeter or continuity tester to check all your connections before you wire it up to a stick so any connection problems are evident from the start.
heh. my gamestop had those official street fighter pads new for $6.99
those are my new pcbs now.
Does the 360 Joystick http://www.happcontrols.com/joysticks/50608300.htm carry a joypad as well. I’m trying to understand the process of making the joystick but i’m kinda stumped on what joypad(brain) i’m specifically looking for.
My joystick will be used for my dreamcast mainly.
-= SnapOut =-
By “brain” you are meaning PCB. Try to get a good DC-pad with big solderpoints so it will be easy for you. If you are using psx also then best would be a PSOne pad, then you can buy a converter for DC.
Mounting a happ competition stick
I’ve been searching through this thread, and couldn’t seem to find info on how thick the wood should be for mounting a happ stick. Can anyone give me advice on this? Thanks! I’ve only just recently gotten a happ stick.
It seems like the shaft height is adjustable, any info on how you can work with that would be cool too.
hey per, do you use a table router or a plunge router? your cuts are very straight!