the two boxes are connected using a pair of 3-line DB15s, which also bridge the two PCBs housed in it (Hori Fighting Stick PS PCB and a random nameless USB pad). they are mated using a toggle switch.
the DB15 is currently the only thing holding these two together. although they don’t disconnect involuntarily, they move around and are rather unstable at the moment. i hope rubber feet will solve this problem.
i totally forgot about the Start and Select buttons :B i’ll find really tiny buttons tomorrow and mount them somewhere.
the sanwa is a bit too tall for my taste, but it would hit the PCB if i mounted it any lower. also, i mounted it with nuts and bolts. i wanted it to use countersunk screws, but i’m no good at countersinking.
the stick isn’t actually uncomfortable on the stick side because it has the hand rest, and the buttons aren’t really that hard to press either. i haven’t tried wavedashing or triangle jumping like mad yet, but i don’t expect it to be that hard.
This is a very interesting project. I’ll give you 10/10 on innovation and creativity. I’m curious as to why it’s in two parts however. The only reason I could think of is that you want to be able to change the setup and use different sticks and different button combinations which is also a pretty creative idea. What kind of enclosure did you use? They look like plastic boxes of some sort. Maybe they are large project boxes?
As far as practicality/comfort. I think I would personally have a hard time playing on it. And the lack of start/select might be a little inconvenient : ) Heh heh. But once you get those in, it’ll be a very nice piece. Once again, very creative way to do the whole interchangeable parts problem.
the whole point of this was portability, hence the small buttons. but yes, i intend to do a bigger interchangeable stick with these some time. they are project boxes, and i wouldn’t call them “large” at all. :B by using two parts, i won’t need to carry a huge bag to put my stick in, and i can put one on top of the other when in storage.
and as far as the button box hand rest goes, i don’t think i’ll need to worry about that, since i can go anywhere and find a book or something and put it in the space there.
Very interesting idea you have there. How about Seimitsu DS-412 buttons for start/select? 16 mm in size and only available in red/black, but that does fit your colorscheme nicely. I bought two of them from Per but haven’t gotten around to using them for anything yet.
wow. that is awesome. i might just copy this idea for my next box . i really really like it.
the db15 connections you have, those are just mapped in parralel right? straight through to the other side? the REALLY AWESOME thing about your project is the buttons. with having the db15 connection, you can easily buy another box some more buttons and make a layout-interchangeable arcade stick.
also, if you have room in there; you can use a dummy db15 for stability in connecting the boxes together.
i think i do have room and a spare DB25 lying around. i could try doing that but only after i look for locks at bookstores and such. i find it quite difficult to make holes for DB25s, so i’m currently holding out for better options.
mayhem:
16mm buttons? sounds good, but i’m not sure if they’ll fit given the real tight space in there. i’ll be looking for REALLY small stuff tomorrow, like 5mm buttons or smaller. it’s probably not going to be an arcade button anymore. i’ll get the smallest thing i can find that would work as a button just so it’s an easy mount.
short description:
it’s really tight, and there’s almost no space in there to try to make things look good. i’ll get blurry pics again later when i stick the start / select buttons in.
Kenzilla:
definitely. i’m looking for a solution for stability right now. rubber feet will help, but i’m sure that won’t be the end of it.
Stellarola:
well, if you have friends who can’t play on Japanese parts, then you can swap out to Happ (fakes included) and Korean stuff. i doubt a project box this small could fit a Happ, but i people around here don’t use Happ anyway.
i managed to find buttons and install them today. unfortunately, imageshack is being an ass right now. O_o
i should’ve posted this yesterday when i remembered about it.
the PERFECT start/select buttons for that size of a box would be mini-micro-pushbuttons. like the ones found soldered on pcb boards inside radios and such. smaller than 1/4"(3/8" maybe) and about as tall as 2 pennies stacked on top of each other.
You know, with a few design changes, that could be a seriously useful stick. When it comes to playing other games you wouldn’t neet to use an entirely different stick, since you could just change the button box. Even if you preffered different combinations you could simply mix and match different boxes to make a completely different stick each time. You might be on to a winner here leaveal.
^^^^
yeah thats what i was thinking maybe a neo geo 4 button layout, then the 5 button layout, then have the 6 button layout, no need to go into button config. nice idea.
does anyone have ideas on how to bridge the two boxes together besides extra DBxx connectors? they seriously won’t fit unless i modded the sanwa, which is something i totally don’t want to do. :B
pxldtz:
sounds like i won’t even be able to mount those buttons, man. the plastic on the box is 3mm thick.
does anyone know what’s up with imageshack? i can’t get it to upload stuff at all.
. i really really like it.
