Super "NeoGAF Arcade Stick Thread" II TURBO

Why does the ball top come unscrewed on my HRAP EX-SE?

All my other sticks you can twirl the top and its just fine but after playing on the seimitsu stick sometimes the top starts to come unscrewed. What do I need to fix?
 
Why does the ball top come unscrewed on my HRAP EX-SE?

All my other sticks you can twirl the top and its just fine but after playing on the seimitsu stick sometimes the top starts to come unscrewed. What do I need to fix?

Pop the top off the stick, use a screwdriver to hold the shaft still from the bottom, then tighten the balltop by hand.
 
Some good stuff from Hori at E3 it seems. I can't really find any more infos other than what arcadeshock has been posting on their facebook. Rundown includes (potential?) stateside releases:

A new mini style controller
A prototype White Edge (beyond sexy)
A new form-factor V3-SA for NA market
New mini Fighting Stick N3-SA
WRAP shown
iPad dock arcade stick

Not sure if these are actually or eventually releasing but some neat stuff.

I'm pretty stoked, too, on the new Mad Catz stick. I'm all for generic branding even if it is in the MC red and black scheme. Seems like there are a lot of little hidden things about it not quite revealed yet. Something certainly to get for Killer Instinct. I'm guessing GAF won't be buying it since they seem pretty down on the XBO. But nice to see the first new stick for the coming generation!
 
Some good stuff from Hori at E3 it seems. I can't really find any more infos other than what arcadeshock has been posting on their facebook. Rundown includes (potential?) stateside releases:

A new mini style controller
A prototype White Edge (beyond sexy)
A new form-factor V3-SA for NA market
New mini Fighting Stick N3-SA
WRAP shown
iPad dock arcade stick

Not sure if these are actually or eventually releasing but some neat stuff.

I'm pretty stoked, too, on the new Mad Catz stick. I'm all for generic branding even if it is in the MC red and black scheme. Seems like there are a lot of little hidden things about it not quite revealed yet. Something certainly to get for Killer Instinct. I'm guessing GAF won't be buying it since they seem pretty down on the XBO. But nice to see the first new stick for the coming generation!

OMFG. So they actually listened to me.
 
Woohoo! My Kraylix arcade cabinet came in yesterday.

Had a few misadventures wiring up the Akishop PCBs - first stupidly mixing up the punch and kick wires, then later didn't have the ground wires done right. Just dumb mistakes, but it all came out in the end. I love playing on this thing. Stick ends up at the perfect level for playing and the Samsung LCD has much lower lag than anything I've been playing on.

Need to get some better art for the marquee, but this will do for now.

More pictures here.

Sexy Kraylix. I'm ordering mine soon. Do you like how it feels? Having a wooden cab?
 
The TE2 is pretty interesting.

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Details and more pictures here. No word on color schemes or possible backwards compatibility yet.
 
I've just fulfilled a childhood dream of owning Neo Geo hardware.

The stick actually isn't terrible, though I'll definitely build something better at some point in the future. I actually really enjoy the slope of the plastic, it's incredibly comfortable and the size is ideal. The buttons squeaked a little when I got them, but a quick open and clean did the trick. Replaced the super cracked ball as well, though I have saved it just in case I want the original someday.

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The Omega hardware is absolutely incredible, by the way. Really feels like a classic console. I've got a multi-cart in there now, but some authentic MVS carts on the way.

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amazing stuff, envious. It's funny because I started a project to make my own home Neo setup; I have an MV-1C PCB and practically everything else I need to finish it plus KoF98 and 2k2 carts lol. Need to jump back on the project ASAP! Regarding replacement sticks though, there are PS1/PS2 to Neo converters out there that I imagine will save you a lot of trouble but if you wanna go hardcore and build from scratch then go for it.
 
After wiring up a 4-player control panel (all Happ parts, a usb trackball and an IPAC4) for my brother's new cabinet I definitely no longer fear the prospect of making my own stick. No pictures of it right now but I'll see what I can do next time I'm over there.

And I just got a PS3 so there's my excuse...I think I'll wait on PS4 backwards compatibility news first though. No rush, but I'd LOVE for a PCB that works on a Wii U too if that's even possible. But I'd rather just have a cheap solderless solution since PS3/PS4 will be my priority. Not that I'm terribly frightened of soldering considering I modded a hori EX2 before, but that thing was an evil little gremlin.

Still thinking about the exterior. I've got the stuff here to make it out of wood and the panel we built for the cabinet looks nice and feels great. I suppose I'll need thinner wood if I want Sanwa parts though, them Happ buttons are huge.

I already have a HRAP VX SA and it serves me well, but I guess it'll just live on as my PC stick. Thanks Microsoft.
 
Should I get the SCV Soul Edition stick or the SFxT Pro stick for PS3? I don't care much for the art on either but I read they use different layouts?
 
Should I get the SCV Soul Edition stick or the SFxT Pro stick for PS3? I don't care much for the art on either but I read they use different layouts?

They are different layouts, but you can easily fix that by opening the SCV stick and swapping a couple of inputs. no big deal, took me about 5 minutes.

If the SCV stick is still 70 bucks on amazon, id suggest it.
 
It's worth it. His paint jobs are absolutely gorgeous!
Awesome. You guys convinced me that it's worth it haha. Maybe I'll see if I can pick it up rather than getting it shipped though. I can probably save a few hundred that way and he only lives a few hours from me...
What about sticks that are licensed by Sony, like the HRAP line? Hope springs eternal, but probably not.
The newer MadCatz sticks are licensed by Sony as well. If those don't work, I doubt the Hori sticks will.
Should I get the SCV Soul Edition stick or the SFxT Pro stick for PS3? I don't care much for the art on either but I read they use different layouts?
They're both fine sticks. In my personal opinion, I think the classic TE style of sticks (like the SCV) are better than the Pro line from an aesthetic standpoint. I think the Pro line looks/feels cheap personally. They're both great though.
They are different layouts, but you can easily fix that by opening the SCV stick and swapping a couple of inputs. no big deal, took me about 5 minutes.

If the SCV stick is still 70 bucks on amazon, id suggest it.
Yeah the buttons themselves are positioned differently, but also the SCV stick has a Namco Noir layout while the SFxT sticks have a Vewlix layout. That means that the buttons are in different spatial conditions relative to one another. Like the 7th and 8th buttons on the SCV stick are lower than the 7th and 8th buttons on a SFxT stick.

In any case, you probably won't notice the difference unless you grew up on Japanese sticks. I'd recommend the $70 SCV stick on Amazon as well. It will probably take a while for them to restock though. If you need one soon, you can PM me and I can see if I can find you a new one at a similar price.
 
With this news sounds like it's now 0% chance of current gen wired sticks working for either the PS4 or One right out of the box.

http://www.joystiq.com/2013/06/13/playstation-4-incompatible-with-ps3-mad-catz-tournament-edition/

Hopefully there will at least be some kinda of converter options available soon.

As I said in the other thread, I don't buy that. He said the PS4 will require a whole new set of peripherals. Sounds like he's talking out of his ass without knowing anything for sure. A Sony rep said that most "should" still work but he's not entire sure.

What that boils down to is this, they're no intentionally restricting older PS2/PS3 USB accessories along with generic USB devices just like they did with PS2 and PS3. He doesn't want to confirm it and then have it come back to bite him in the ass if it doesn't work. The only way we'll find out is if someone gets a hold of a PS4 and test all kinds of stuff to see what works and doesn't work or for us to do it ourselves when we get it.

Here is my opinion, if USB headsets, sticks, wheels, and all other kinds of generic devices like web cams or that USB Saturn pad that everybody buys from China works and Mad Catz sticks doesn't then I'm sure Mad Catz had some kind of arrangement with Sony to lock out their devices from being used on PS4.
 
Here is my opinion, if USB headsets, sticks, wheels, and all other kinds of generic devices like web cams or that USB Saturn pad that everybody buys from China works and Mad Catz sticks doesn't then I'm sure Mad Catz had some kind of arrangement with Sony to lock out their devices from being used on PS4.

lol. no.

nice theory crafting though.
 
I'm willing to spend twice as much on mods to my current sticks as it would cost to buy new ones. I'm not into rewarding people for trying to fuck me.
 
i recently got a good find, a HRAP2SA for well under $100 :) very minty condition too.
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did some subtle mods
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FLASH1 optical joystick pcb, and OBSF-30RG's. and two hole plugs, ill get to those two other buttons later on haha. I used spring from an ASCII optical stick :)

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pretty much a silent joystic, i dunno if i wanna keep it looking stock or keep the FLASH1 dustwasher, i think it kinda clashes, but serves as good 'label' for the joystick inside. :)

RG buttons are pretty cool :D they feel very sturdy.
 
You should post your entire collection hibachi...unless it is too much work. I'd be curious to see it. Seems like you have some nice stuff in it.
 
Awesome hrap2sa mod hibachifinal.

I'd be fine with the yellow dust cover. Maybe use some yellow/black OBSF-24s on start and select for some balance?
 
I'm seriously thinking about getting a Foehammer stick. I know it's fucking expensive, but it looks like everything I want from a stick. With a couple of adapters and extra cables, I could use it on GC, Wii, Wii U, DC, PSX, PS2, PS3, XB, and 360.

I basically want the S7 minus silent buttons and paint on the plexiglass plus whatever custom art I choose for it.

Do any of you have one of these or played with one? Have any of you dealt with them? How are they?
 
Hi from Germany,

about 9 months ago, after a bit of asking around here in this thread, I decided to get me a cheap arcade stick for "beginners" instead of a more expensive one. Main reason was that I couldn't find one that was compatible with both PS2 and PS3 for some reason. So now, that the stick finally started to make some problems, I thought it is a good idea to write up a little report. IIRC I've promised to do one back then.

So here is the thing: It goes by the name of "Lioncast Arcade Fighting Stick". Lioncast is apparently a German manufacturer and seller of console equipment and accessories comparable to Big Ben.
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First things first:
For its price point of €20, it's a fantastic deal. This is the only cheap stick, or only stick to that matter, I know, but I can't image getting a better price/value ratio anywhere else. The stick itself is made of solid iron with the ball top being screwed on top. The case is made of thin plating, coated by plastic on the side and on top. The "faceplate" is nothing more than a big decal. I'm glad that the motive is so unobtrusive. I hate some of those designs. Operating the stick is (was :) ) pretty nice. You hear gentle clicks (obviously, as I found out) when moving it around, not much pressure needed and the way the stick travels is just right. The gate is round. The buttons on the contrary don't make a clicking sound. When you tap them, they sound pretty hollow which gives you a cheap impression, but on the other side, they have been reliable so far (9 months). No problems at all with them.

A very neat feature is the dual connector for both PS2 and PS3 (and other consoles with USB based controllers?), but I must admit I haven't even tried connecting it to my PS3 yet:
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So the stick started making problems recently. The right direction didn't connect reliably anymore. You could still play more or less but this is no way to play a game, of course. This was after 9 months. Actual playtime is hard to estimate, I played a good deal of VF4, Contra, Gradius in that period, though. Most of it daily for some weeks I guess. So it was time to find out if the stick was moddable/repairable. I still don't know about the former since I've never seen original arcade parts, but repairing it actually worked out quite well.

First step was opening the casing. The screws holding the base plate are hidden under the anti-slip thingies, which were glued on with double-sided tape, so that was already a bit shitty. The tape came off a bit and also got wrinkled when I removed the feet with a screwdriver:
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The inside was actually pleasing to the eye, though. You can hold the stick from the back with a screwdriver to screw off the ball top. The top is not too big and relatively heavy. Screw thread surrounded by massive plastic? There is also this thin plastic ring to protect the gate, you can juggle it around - it's not fixed:
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The stick compartment is fixed with four long screws and could be easily removed from the casing. The connecting cables are soldered on the stick side, but can be simply plugged in at the main board side. To access the buttons, you must screw off another board, but since I didn't have any problems with them yet, I didn't mess with them so I can't really say how they're connected:
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Now for the interesting part: The stick can be opened very easily by bending back the four plastic clamps. You can then remove the cap, revealing the switches for the four directions inside. They are simply placed in adequately shaped molds, not glued or anything. I figured the problem lied in the switch for the right direction having the problem since there was no visible problem with the mechanism itself. The lower part of the stick widened with a plastic ring presses against the switches, this still worked well. The built in switches read "TIAIHUA KW8-XILIE". I even found them online here, but I figured ordering from the US could be a hassle.
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When I started looking for arcade sticks back then, I already discovered www.arcadeshop.de, a great online store for arcade parts, fortunately happens to be situated in Germany, too. So I had the vague hope that I could get compatible replacement switches there - which was not a given from my knowledge since my stick was a cheap "no-name" stick and the shop sells mainly official Sanwa/Seimitsu parts. This almost exactly looked like what I was looking for and were cheap, too (€0,65 a piece), so I ordered 10 of them. Apparently they're up 10 cents now, lol. Here's one of the ordered ones:
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The main difference between the replacement switch and the built in ones was that the new switches feature a metal lever that can be pressed against the actual switch (a little plastic nub that can be pushed inwards). The longer lever makes the whole mechanism more reliable, but unfortunately I couldn't utilize this since the lever would get in the way of the neighboring switches. Other than that, the new switch looked exactly similar. I found no easy way to remove the lever altogether without being brutal, so I just cut it off halfway using side pliers:
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I noticed, that even the switches from the US shop I cited have levers, so perhaps Lioncast removed them? Or perhaps there is a good way to remove the levers. If anybody has deep knowledge about arcade stick switches, I'd be interested to hear details. :)

To replace the switch, there was need of a basic soldering job to connect the new switch to the connecting cables, but this was pretty easy. I also feared that the lever will cause problems, so I was eager to find out if the stick worked. After reassembling everything I tried it for some hours, and voilá, problems gone!

There was still a little difference though. Moving the stick to the right now requires a bit more pressure now than before. When playing, though, I hardly notice it at all. The clicky sound is also a bit different. Don't know if purists would be annoyed by this, lol.

So that was my little experience report with my stick, hope you find it interesting. As I said at the start, I can recommend it to gamers that don't want to spend too much for an arcade stick without hesitation. At least the stick is easily repairable if you have access to replacement switches and a soldering iron. The little soldering job you have to do is really a cakewalk. Cutting off the switch lever also wasn't a problem. If you don't want all that, you can still choose to buy a new one since you can buy roughly 6-7 of these for the price of a tournament stick. Not sure about availability. It presumably gets a new batch every now and then which then sells out rather quickly.

I don't think you can put any more expensive parts into the thing, though. The stick uses standard switches, but it's probably still built differently. I've never seen a Sanwa or Seimitsu stick with my own eyes but I strongly suspect that the switches are placed a lot more spaced out and there's a more sophisticated mechanism for triggering them. In my stick, the lower end of the pole was simply guided through a square shaped gate with rounded edges so it would trigger the switches by their nubs directly with its plastic ring.
 
Looks pretty standard for a low end microswitched lever. Pretty much all levers use that basic design, where you have four microswitches being triggered by the actuator surrounding the shaft. Speaking for the most common models, Sanwa JLF levers typically do not have levered microswitches (similar to your stock switches) while Seimitsu LS-32 normally does. It shouldn't make a difference as long as your actuator style supports what you're trying. Images for these sticks are easy to find if you want to draw some comparisons.

You didn't seem to mess with the buttons at all so I can't tell for sure, but that seems too shallow to possibly be microswitched buttons, which is probably the biggest thing that separates your stick from the standard. It looks a lot like what I found inside a Mayflash, where the "buttons" are just rubber membranes pushing onto contact pads. Modding real buttons in is probably more work than you want to put in; if it's anything like the Mayflash you would end up having to drill out the button holes to widen them to standard arcade size, but it would make a world of difference.
 
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