ghaleon109

^ QFT JLF's have softer springs and longer throws (Octo and Square gates avalible) (JLF's are loud as fuck though if you don't have an enclosed box, Seimitsu sticks are as well but just a tiny bit quiter than Sanwa's JLF) LS-32's have medium throws and siffer springs (Square and Circle gates avalible) LS-40's have short throws and stiffer springs (Square and Octo? gates avalible) (LS 33's and 56's are just compact versions of the LS-40 with differing shaft lengths) Or you can get all tricky and take a JLF, toss in an extra spring from an LS 33 to make it stiffer and Happ cherry microswitches to make the throw shorter and the clicking quieter but that's another story Iora hit the nail on the head about the buttons.

I was stuck in a rut thinking about which console to get... then my GF got me a 360 for christmas and I really couldn't be happier. The ONLY game I miss is MGS4, but it seems that future MG games will be released on both consoles so ehh. You cant go wrong with either or... A dual modded stick makes all the difference though. All of my friends have PS3's and I've got a 360. Now that I built my stick for 360 and PS3 It's really not a problem anymore. Sticks are kinda funny though, the most expensive stuff isn't always the best. It's all about preferance. You could get a JLF and a set of OSBN-RG's for $75 and decide it feels like shit, yet you may end up liking the LS-32 and set of Seimitsu snap-ins for $35 instead. Just find out what company's parts you like best and go with that. And just FYI it doesn't have to be the same company for the joysticks and buttons. I know a lot of guys that like an LS-32 paired with Sanwa Snap-ins. So try everything out (if you can) If you were thinking of going fully custom though check out the SRK trading outlet. There are a few guys there that do exceptional work. Look up: Ecksnine Voltech Souji5 Kaytrim They all do great work and are pretty competitive pricewise. I build sticks as well, but I'm not sure how many more I'll put out after BB hits the consoles.

Edit: I tend to ramble... so if you aren't interested in all of the jumbled sentences below skip to the * below... Depends on how custom you want to go... If your talking compatibility with multiple systems you can actually leave the stick out of the entire equation if you already have one you play on now. Say you were able to snag a SFIV TE stick, or hell even an SE: Best case senario: You bought an Xbox 360 stick. You can just piggyback that PCB with a Cthulhu to add PS3 and PC compatibility to your already working xbox 360 stick. (you can add a Multi Console Cthulhu for $5 more and gain PSX/PS2/Xbox (not 360)/Gamecube/(maybe sega saturn, dont remember...) to the compatibility above. Other Senario: You didn't buy your SE or TE sticks for the Xbox 360, you bought it for the PS3.... Well You'll still need to buy the Cthulhu and still have the same options as above, just now you need to go to gamestop and buy a $25 Madcatz gamepad. Ok so... if you decided to go with the regular Cthulhu everything can be functional from ONE USB cord... simple as that. Pull out your USB printer cable hook one end up to the console and the other to the stick and your good to go. If you go the Multi Console Cthulhu route you'll have to use an ethernet style cable. One for your USB systems (PS3/360/PC) and another for each additional system you want it for. IE: PS2/Gamecube/Xbox those each need their OWN individual cables. One end goes into the system like normal then the other end gets modified to go into the ethernet jack on the stick itself. Now one thing I haven't commented on is the way that you change from system to system. To put it simply you just buy another small PCB called an "Imp" and it allows you to easily change systems with a button. Now that may seem daunting... but if you have any experience soldering then it's really not that difficult to do. It's just very time consuming. And here's the good part... Cthulhu = $20 Multi-Console Cthulhu = $25 Imp swtich = $9 Xbox 360 PCB = $25 * So worst case senario you have a non-madcatz and non-xbox 360 stick... and you want 360/PS3/PC/PS2 compatibility... MC Cthulhu + Imp Switch + 360 PCB = 25 + 9 + 25 = $59 Now if you need someone to do that for you, you'll end up paying more because it takes hours to do it all, and labor isn't free. But if your good with wiring there you go A fully custom stick can varry drasticaly depending on what you want though if you were looking to go that route. Personally I've had real basic sticks sell for around $225-$250 and top of the line shit go for $350+ Hope that helps

If your savy with electronics you can use a Multi-Console Cthulhu from Toodles over on SRK to replace your current stick's PCB with that. You'd also get Gamecube, Xbox (not 360), and Sega Saturn compatibility along with your PSX/PS2/PS3 and PC compatibility (Think all of those are correct, not 100% on the sega saturn though...) and it's super cheap at 25 bucks... If you just want it simple thegame4ever above has the answer, just sucks they're out of stock.

Oh my bad I didn't see the screw comment. The screwless plexi is more difficult to do because basically it needs to fit perfectly into the corners. If even one is off it'll float up and be able to be pushed up and down. If you can get it right then it'll fit really tight in there and not go anywhere.

Thanks HFA From the top it goes: 1/8" plexi, art, then 1/2" MDF. The MDF makes it a really solid surface to back up the buttons and mount the joystick to. Also gives it a nice weight. For the joystick mounting plate the wood gets routed out 1/4" so that from the top of the plexi to the bottom of the balltop it's just under an inch (was regulation height I believe) On this one I wired it just a bit differently since I put 4 buttons in. (I didn't have to, It really only needs 3 but I wanted it symmetrical) in the photo above from left to right it goes: Start - Home/Guide - USB Port - Imp Switch - Back/Select Typically to save space you can wire the Imp switch and Home/Guide to the same button... but I was trying to keep the half black half white theme.

^^ Lol.. Took some better photos today with my strobes... ...It's not making waiting for BB any easier

Been a hell of a week but finals are over and I actually had time to work on my stick It was a real bitch getting everything to fit -_- Zebrawood ultra slim and compact case Sanwa JLF w/ Meshball + OSBF's 360 and PS3 compatible via Imp switch Need to pull up the plexi a bit to let the blacks in the art dry up so it doesn't splotch like that.

That's pretty sweet! It's awesome how even the cables go with the whole scheme. I'm kind of kicking myself for not using a MC Cthulhu in my build for the PS2 compatibility now. I heard them talking about the band on SRK when Mike posted the photo of your stick, but what was it again? I'd definatly be floored though if they asked to use the photo ^_^ If you don't mind me asking what was the price on it? Also here's Michael's site (Kaytrim) if any of you are interested http://www.kaytrimskustoms.com/Shop/

Klaige, I love the colors on that one. Blue + White always looks sweet, especially with the case all black. Just a question with the MC Cthulhu though, are those wires attached to the stick? Or are they just ziptied for shipping? Kaytrim does really nice work! Have fun with that thing! Also just got conf on my buttons being shipped today, nothing special just all white but I'll post up photos when I finish it later this week. I've got anxiety problems waiting to use this thing... lol

NP! Congrats on your new stick! Now that you have your first stick you can guage what you like about it, that way if you ever need something else in the future you'll know what you like. The SE is sweet though man, get to mashing those SRK's and super motions. If it feels really weird you can always get an Octo gate for your stick, (it has a square one in there stock) Hit me up if you end up wanting one, I think I have a couple here since I didn't put them in all my customs.

TE: -Costs twice as much -has a sanwa JLF + Sanwa OSBF's -Very wide and low -Plexi top (with the ability to buy replacement aftermarket plexi for the top from a guy on SRK) -Removable pieces (IE: beazel (sp?) and side pieces) SE: -Costs half as much as the TE -Knock-off buttons and joystick -Taller and less wide than the TE -Art is printed on some sort of "lami-label" type deal -No plexi top -No removable pieces You say you want to mod the stick but I'm not quite sure how far you want to go with it. The TE already has Sanwa hardware in it so there's no real need to swap parts (unless you want to go with Seimitsu, but you said you've never used a stick before... so just get used to Sanwa most arcades use that anyways) So if you were just planning on changing out the artwork or painting parts of the stick without having to worry about new buttons and a joystick then it looks like the TE's for you. If however you wanted to do buttons, joystick, art, paint, whatever then the SE might be a good choice for you. The only reason I say this is due to the fact that a JLF + OSBF's will set you back around $60... and if your already going to pay the high price for the TE then why go swap out the buttons and joystick that you paid more for in the first place. TE's are definatly easier to swap out art on just due to the fact that you can slap a photo down, cut it out then throw plexi over the top (arthong on SRK sells it) With the SE you have to find a place that does the Lami-Label thing (basically a photo printed on semi-canvas-like paper that's sticky on the back) and pray that stuff doesn't start to unstick after time. I'm pretty sure both can be dual modded to work for both the 360 and PS3, but if you're looking to do that I think you'd need to get the xbox version of those sticks, then add the PS3 board. So basically it depends on what you want to do. I'd say TE if you don't want to fuss with getting buttons and a joystick from suppliers and just want to change the art or color of the stick.

^^ Doesn't Arcade in a box have a long ass waitlist? I do like their slim models though. Pretty sweet.

An Ikaruga Stick I finished for a customer. From the same plank of Zebrawood as my personal FLCL stick. Dual modded again, PS3/PC/Xbox 360 compatible. Sanwa JLF + Sanwa OSBF's (limited black/black version) I've got to stay busy waiting for BB to drop. Don't have a PS2 anymore so I can't play AC either

Yeah I used to do it by hand and it's definatly rough... Really blows when you've got it stable the whole time then something catches and bam gouge in what otherwise would have been a smooth surface =/ I just have some cheapo craftsman router table I picked up used from Sears. All you really need it to do is hold the router stable while you run the wood along the bearing =]

At Gwyrgyn Blood, I use a roundover bit for the front/back, and a chamfer bit for the sides of my sticks. Just pop those in my router and then use a block sander to clean things up after and it comes out pretty sweet =]

^^^ Lol, going back and reading that comment now I probbly should have worded it differently.. It's not complete yet... but I like the way this one turned out It's African Wenge

This one's actually mine It's not compltely done yet just because I've got some special things in store for it... but it'll be done in the coming weeks I'm starting to make a couple different blank sticks out of exotic wood like African Wenge, Purpleheart, and Zebrawood like that one. I might be able to throw together an actual complete stick for some of the guys here if they were looking for something like that. This community is really cool, and the info here helped me improve my HOS like ten-fold. So since I cant really add anything to it in the way of strats or techniques, I'd be more than happy to help anyone if they had questions about joysticks, or were looking to get one made.

The only thing that blows about making a stick that uses two different connections (IE: USB and the PS2 connector) is that unless you want the cables from two different systems hanging out from it all the time you'll have to make your own cords for each system out of ethernet cable. You'd have to have a DPDT switch on there somewhere as well. But it can definatly be done. Toodles over at SRK made a multi-console board, (off the top of my head it works for PS3, PC, PSX, Original Xbox, and Dreamcast I think... so pair that with a dual PCB Xbox 360 job and you'll have a very versatile stick... but I haven't looked too much into it as it would require you to make a cable for each individual system that you intended to play it on... and I make really... really shitty cables.

The 360 hook up? You mean the part you plug in the USB cord to? You plug it into the same slot. 360 was set up as the primary so you just plug it into the 360 and it works, if you want to use it for PS3 you'd hold in the "L" button on the back then plug it into the PS3. There are differen't PCB's for the Playstation board and the 360 board, and then there's another board which deals with the button that switches between the two systems. I'm not sure about what you are talking about with the converter though?

Unfortinatly I dunno how AC works on the PS3... I've always wanted to know actually. I only have a 360 so I play AC on PS2. I did the dual compatibility just due to the fact that a ton of people on here have PS3's (look at the BB console thread..) and all of my buddies have PS3's.

My new stick since I sold my old one. Not completely done yet, but it's dual PCB so it works on both 360 and PS3... since I have a 360 and everyone else has a PS3 lol. Made it out of Zebrawood, and it has a Sanwa JLF + Sanwa RG's. Once the rest of the parts come in all the RG's will be yellow and I'll have a meshball on top. Looking forward to to BB

Akihabarashop Per is closed untill May to catch up on backorders. Lizard Lick Chad has been closed for almost 2 months now and he is JUST finishing up orders placed in February.

I dunno what you want to spend but i've got a couple sticks I'll be putting together within the next month. I'll have 2 wireless Xbox360 sticks, and 2 wired cases that'll work on both the 360 and PS3.

Not really a joystick made for fighters... but a joystick none the less... For the retro games my GF plays on Xbox Live Arcade. Wireless Xbox 360 and Full Seimitsu EDIT: Just found http://dustloop.com/forums/showthread.php?t=659 I take it I'm posting in the wrong thread? If so I'll take it down...