Q&A about Joystick Building, Parts, and Purchasing

[Lumiere]

Since I've already set my mind into getting a fight-stick...which one would any of you suggest?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0057WDBHA/ref=oh_o00_s00_i00_details

or

http://www.madcatz.com/productinfo.asp?page=347&GSProd=3416&GSCat=130&CategoryImg=PS3_Controllers

?

What strikes my curiosity the most is which one of those two button configurations are present in the arcade version of BB?

Also, which one of those two are easier and/or cheaper to modify (mostly the plate so I can place my own artwork in there).

I'd love it if you guys have any suggestions for a beginner fight stick besides the two I mentioned above.

[mr.mortified]

actually they're both almost the same specs for modding

there's no more extra hassle with working on the cheaper horis now since they have mounting screw holes for a JLF with a plate, the only hard part is desoldering the hori buttons

The SE however is just drop in replacements, no extra work necessary

as good as the SE is, if i had a choice of the two, i'd choose the hori over the two since i like a slimmer and somewhat wider stick

[Lumiere]

actually they're both almost the same specs for modding

there's no more extra hassle with working on the cheaper horis now since they have mounting screw holes for a JLF with a plate, the only hard part is desoldering the hori buttons

The SE however is just drop in replacements, no extra work necessary

as good as the SE is, if i had a choice of the two, i'd choose the hori over the two since i like a slimmer and somewhat wider stick

Budget-wise, it seems to be the best choice, too. Thanks for your input! I'll get to it when I can.

[-ERC-]

I've got a pretty major problem with my stick. It occasionally becomes unresponsive and I'm pretty sure it's because of the cord. Basically the way it is housed inside the case has caused kinks on the cord, I can seem to fix the problem if I straighten the cord and take off the bottom of the case to give it room but I can't really play like that. The only solution I can really think of is either replacing the cord ( which I don't know how to do) or building an entirely new case. I would rather not have to use such drastic measures though.

The stick is a liscensed ps2 Hori RAP and the cord is very thick.

[mr.mortified]

I am going to make a psychic guess that you have actually wrapped the cord around the stick and that the part of the cord near the stick connects to is like coming off a bit?

when you say unresponsive, you mean it disconnects right?

[-ERC-]

I am going to make a psychic guess that you have actually wrapped the cord around the stick and that the part of the cord near the stick connects to is like coming off a bit?

No the the part at the end is fine. If I separate the stick into three parts, with part 1 being the face plate connected to the pcb part 2 being being the part that the faceplate is bolted to and part 3 being the bottom that is screwed on to part 2, I can say that the part of the cord that looks damaged is the part of the cord which goes between stick parts 2 and 3.

when you say unresponsive, you mean it disconnects right?

Well GG has no disconnect notification but I think so.

[mr.mortified]

no i'm talking about the console cord,

you said it was warped and stuff, i'm believing that the problem is the cord since it is warped

my explaination for the warping is my question of you wrapping the cord around the stick

the kinks on cord on the inside of the case is irrelevant as they are there for strain relief

the real problem area is when the cord leaves the inside of the case and goes outside

[-ERC-]

Okay, I think I fixed the problem because it didn't disconnect for the last 12 hrs. It was the cord in the case not being stored correctly, I must have accidentally moved it at some point.

[-ERC-]

What's the best tool for cutting a button hole in a metal surface?

[mr.mortified]

Step drill bits

[Kanashimi]

What is the latest Hori AS model for the Xbox?

[mr.mortified]

the LATEST latest is the hori fighting edge which isn't out yet for here

[glod]

Hey guys, I'm looking to buy some sanwa parts (8 buttons and a stick + balltop). I tried ordering from lizardlick months ago but never heard back and had to file a claim with my bank to get my money back, so if anyone knows anywhere else (in the US, preferably) to order stuff like that, I'd appreciate the help! I looked back a bit and only saw EU and Asian stores. If those are the only good options that is fine, but I thought I'd ask first.

[mr.mortified]

focusattack is another good place if you're in the states

or videogamesnewyork

[Airk]

focusattack is another good place if you're in the states

or videogamesnewyork

What about etokki? Any experience with them?

[Wander]

What about etokki? Any experience with them?

I ordered a set of buttons from them a long time ago, they ship from Korea I think, so the shipping might take 7-10 days if you use airmail (maybe 2 weeks max). Items were packaged good, I would recommend assuming their service hasnt changed.

Edited April 14, 2012 by Wander

[glod]

I gave videogamesnewyork a try, since focus attack was out of the stuff I wanted, supposedly my stuff will get here within a week so we'll see

edit: everything arrived today! very fast, very nice. thanks for the recommendation

Edited April 20, 2012 by glod

[-ERC-]

I was swapping out the buttons in a mayflash ps2/usb stick & the USB part stopped working when I was soldering the start button. It doesn't register at all on PC or PS3 right now.

If Someone could give me an idea of what exactly went wrong and how to fix it that would be appreciated.

[Bang_Em_Banks]

I have two Hori RAP Premium VLX sticks and I was looking to simply change the artwork on each of them. My problem is, I don't know how. What is the best way to go about doing this? I am hoping to find an effectively simple way to do this that will still produce an attractive look. So far I have had no luck, though I have seen some awesome modifications of the stick around the web. I'm not the most technically savy or DIY guy around so a little help would go a long way. I just don't want to ruin these beautiful sticks.

Edited May 9, 2012 by Bang_Em_Banks

[sakabato24]

Best bet : Get plexi-glass for your HRAP VLXs, download the .psd template for the VLX and start start creating artwork with said .psd template, get them printed out and put them under the plexi-glass, and voila! An easy, simple mod for your visual stimulating needs for your VLXs!

If you don't want to go the plexi route, you can always print out the art on lami-label at your local FedEx Kinko's or printing store of your choice.

Link to .psd for VLX template :

http://arcadestickdiy.sknzw.com/2011/01/03/RAP-VLX_template.psd

Talk to chuu on SRK.com for plexi :

http://shoryuken.com/forum/index.php?members/chuu.13830/

[mr.mortified]

I was actually going to see chuu next week. I can ask if he's still making VLX plexis.....

If LLC was still in business, blklightning21 on srk would have been the next best choice for plexi

Edited May 10, 2012 by mr.mortified

[destruction_adv]

I'm looking to mod my joystick and was wondering if I could get a pro/con list for an octogon restrictor plate. If it makes any difference, I use a Hori VX for Xbox. I'm also looking to dual mod it and I'm wondering how that works. I see a few places to buy a dual-PCB, but I don't know anything about how to put it in and such. I was also looking to change the buttons out with some sanwa or semitsu buttons, how exactly does that work?

[Airk]

I posted this in another thread, and it seems relevant here.

I thiiiiiink there is a kitty board for the Hori VX, which would make it very similar to the TE dual mod I did, and means it's...about as easy as you could reasonably ask. Lemme check. Yup. Here we go.

Button switching is generally easy, you just need to figure out whether you want screw in or snap in buttons, disconnect them (not sure if the VX uses soldered connections or not - if so, that'd be slightly more tiresome), remove buttons, put in new ones, reconnect. Probably best to do some nosing around youtube or something, but I'm sure there's a video tutorial for that stick.

[destruction_adv]

I posted this in another thread, and it seems relevant here.

I thiiiiiink there is a kitty board for the Hori VX, which would make it very similar to the TE dual mod I did, and means it's...about as easy as you could reasonably ask. Lemme check. Yup. Here we go.

Button switching is generally easy, you just need to figure out whether you want screw in or snap in buttons, disconnect them (not sure if the VX uses soldered connections or not - if so, that'd be slightly more tiresome), remove buttons, put in new ones, reconnect. Probably best to do some nosing around youtube or something, but I'm sure there's a video tutorial for that stick.

Thank you, the only thing I see is that my stick is a VX no a VLX...so does that make much of a difference?

[Airk]

Thank you, the only thing I see is that my stick is a VX no a VLX...so does that make much of a difference?

Oh, crap. Uh. maybe? I'm actually not in my area of expertise with stick models. So... maybe your best bet is to post in that thread and ask? Other dual mod solutions tend to be a little bit... more...freeform, I think, so you'll definitely want to do your research.