NeoGAF Arcade Stick Thread

Status
Not open for further replies.
So I finally decided what I'm doing for my arcade stick - It turns out the Tatsunoko vs. Capcom Fighstick for Wii has parts that are comparable or better than the SF4 Fightstick SE, so I'll just get one of those and padhack it for 360. Shouldn't be too much work, and all the Fighsticks are extremely easy to mod, meaning it will be a breeze to upgrade to Sanwa/Seimitsu parts later on.
 
I have... done some things.

1. I have ordered a plexi and art from Art's Hobbies. It will look like this:

Okami_Stick_Checkit.jpg


2. I also ordered a set of TE-S wood sides from Focus Attack, here:

http://www.focusattack.com/products/TE-S-Wooden-Sides-for-MadCatz-TE-Joystick.html

So the main body will be clearish blue, with natural (though I will finish) wood sides. The buttons are Seimitsu clear grey, except the face buttons which I've done in PSX classic colors (blue, pink, red, and green).

As for the stick, I've ordered a Seimitsu spring for a little more resistance, and I'm replacing the ball top with a red bubbly clear Seimitsu one.

God, what has become of me?
 
_dementia said:
Say, does Sanwa or Seimitsu manufacture any limited edition Turquoise parts?
Not yet, but you could always try blue-ening green parts, green-ening blue parts, or just turquoise-ing white parts with Rit dye on stovetop. Works pretty well on ABS plastic as long as you're going from a lighter color to a darker one.

To elaborate the process involves putting a package of fabric dye into a pot some near-boiling water, lowing in the parts you want to dye, then removing them after a few minutes with tongs or a similar implement. You can only die parts to darker colors, and the coloration isn't always perfectly even, but the results can be pretty damn snazzy if the plastic and dye get along. Also, for arcade pushbutton parts, you'd probably have to sand off the glossy outer layer for the dye to infiltrate the plastic.
 
Is there a solder free dual system mod available for TEs yet? I have a 360 TE and a PS3 TE and I'd really like to dual mod one of them.

Edit: Whoever said balltop is better for double-tap motions was right. After a month on bat I just put this balltop back on; let's see how I do.

Edit2: I think my biggest problem with oct gate is that all 8 corners feel the same, so occasionally I'll hit a direction that's 45 degrees off from the intended one, and it's hard to tell that I'm doing so. I think that a few times when the pressure was on, I failed to block a super because I was holding up instead of up-back, or mess up a low block cause I'm actually holding straight back instead of the intended down-back. That seems like a mistake that wouldn't happen on square gate.
 
Parallax Scroll said:
Is there a solder free dual system mod available for TEs yet? I have a 360 TE and a PS3 TE and I'd really like to dual mod one of them.

Edit: Whoever said balltop is better for double-tap motions was right. After a month on bat I just put this balltop back on; let's see how I do.

Edit2: I think my biggest problem with oct gate is that all 8 corners feel the same, so occasionally I'll hit a direction that's 45 degrees off from the intended one, and it's hard to tell that I'm doing so. I think that a few times when the pressure was on, I failed to block a super because I was holding up instead of up-back, or mess up a low block cause I'm actually holding straight back instead of the intended down-back. That seems like a mistake that wouldn't happen on square gate.
They aren't shipping for a while and they're going to be in short supply, but these are 360/PS3 PCBs with header blocks. Not sure if there's anything about the TE in particular that would make these a bad match for it.
 
Konosuke said:
This includes international markets? Both amazon.it and amazon.fr don't have them : |

God I hope so. I've been trying to get my hands on TE stick since mid-March, preferably a Marvel or Chun-Li one but it's nigh-on impossible to find a normal one here in Belgium. Amazon is an option I guess but even there pickings are very very slim. Other than that I've asked every big or niche retailer here and searched practically every webstore. No dice.
 
Parallax Scroll said:
Is there a solder free dual system mod available for TEs yet? I have a 360 TE and a PS3 TE and I'd really like to dual mod one of them.

There are two that are specifically for TE sticks that I know about. Both are for adding ps3 functionality to a 360 TE.

The first are the "Kitty"
http://shoryuken.com/f177/official-kitty-class-boards-thread-268272/

Install Instructions
http://www.godlikecontrols.com/download/kitty/TEKitty_Install.pdf

I installed one of these and it was very easy. The hardest part was cutting the glue off of the wiring harnesses on the original PCB. It is designed specifically for the TE and fits over the posts that are already in the stick. In addition, the board is an MC Cthulu. This means that if you are so inclined, you can add an ethernet port to the outside of your case and make cables to use your stick on a Dreamcast/Saturn/NES/SNES/PS1/PS2 and Xbox.

The other option is known as a TEasy Stirke.
http://www.phreakmods.com/products/teasy-strike

Install Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DA7nLKVIbUA&feature=player_embedded

This doesn't require any soldering either. What you do is line up certain points of your original 360 pcb over the TEasy Strike "pogo" pins and clip the PCB in place. It's best to watch the video to see what I mean. When I used this mod on one of my sticks it took a few tries to get everything to line up, but wasn't hard either. Installation took less than 15 minutes even with having to reseat the PCB a couple times.

An important note is to make sure you order the correct PCB for your stick. Either the TEasy Strike or the TEasy Strike-S depending on what version of the TE stick you have. How to tell which on you need is explained in the installation instructions.

In both cases you'll have to have to cut the USB wires an put them into a screw terminal or a punch terminal. This might sound worrying, but is painless and sounds more technical than it is.

Hope this helps.
 
Raife said:
There are two that are specifically for TE sticks that I know about. Both are for adding ps3 functionality to a 360 TE.

The first are the "Kitty"
http://shoryuken.com/f177/official-kitty-class-boards-thread-268272/

Install Instructions
http://www.godlikecontrols.com/download/kitty/TEKitty_Install.pdf

I installed one of these and it was very easy. The hardest part was cutting the glue off of the wiring harnesses on the original PCB. It is designed specifically for the TE and fits over the posts that are already in the stick. In addition, the board is an MC Cthulu. This means that if you are so inclined, you can add an ethernet port to the outside of your case and make cables to use your stick on a Dreamcast/Saturn/NES/SNES/PS1/PS2 and Xbox.

The other option is known as a TEasy Stirke.
http://www.phreakmods.com/products/teasy-strike

Install Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DA7nLKVIbUA&feature=player_embedded

This doesn't require any soldering either. What you do is line up certain points of your original 360 pcb over the TEasy Strike "pogo" pins and clip the PCB in place. It's best to watch the video to see what I mean. When I used this mod on one of my sticks it took a few tries to get everything to line up, but wasn't hard either. Installation took less than 15 minutes even with having to reseat the PCB a couple times.

An important note is to make sure you order the correct PCB for your stick. Either the TEasy Strike or the TEasy Strike-S depending on what version of the TE stick you have. How to tell which on you need is explained in the installation instructions.

In both cases you'll have to have to cut the USB wires an put them into a screw terminal or a punch terminal. This might sound worrying, but is painless and sounds more technical than it is.

Hope this helps.
It helps a lot! Thanks!

Orayn said:
They aren't shipping for a while and they're going to be in short supply, but these are 360/PS3 PCBs with header blocks. Not sure if there's anything about the TE in particular that would make these a bad match for it.
What's a header block?
 
Parallax Scroll said:
It helps a lot! Thanks!


What's a header block?
Bleh. Terminal block. My bad. It's a type of solderless connection that's a little line of ports that you attach quick disconnect wires to, then tighten down with Philips screws.
 
Parallax Scroll said:
Is there a solder free dual system mod available for TEs yet? I have a 360 TE and a PS3 TE and I'd really like to dual mod one of them.

Edit: Whoever said balltop is better for double-tap motions was right. After a month on bat I just put this balltop back on; let's see how I do.

Edit2: I think my biggest problem with oct gate is that all 8 corners feel the same, so occasionally I'll hit a direction that's 45 degrees off from the intended one, and it's hard to tell that I'm doing so. I think that a few times when the pressure was on, I failed to block a super because I was holding up instead of up-back, or mess up a low block cause I'm actually holding straight back instead of the intended down-back. That seems like a mistake that wouldn't happen on square gate.

You can actually install a ChIMP into a 360 TE without soldering. Takes scissors, a tiny bit of crimping and some time (maybe an hour or two). It's easy as hell.
 
sankt-Antonio said:
this is why i love gaf, thx a lot!
You're welcome! To be on the safe side, you should probably get the adapter they're talking about in that thread, but the PS3 supports all driverless USB peripherals, which includes most video game controllers connected via adapter.
 
You know that toggle on Madcatz sticks that has the stick act as either the right analog stick, the left analog stick or the d-pad? What should I be setting that to?
 
shadyspace said:
You know that toggle on Madcatz sticks that has the stick act as either the right analog stick, the left analog stick or the d-pad? What should I be setting that to?
If you're playing a fighting game, it should be on "DP". Digital control is best for those games.
The options for analog sticks were included if a game hypothetically only reads analog inputs, but that shouldn't be an issue in fighters.
 
_dementia said:
If you're playing a fighting game, it should be on "DP". Digital control is best for those games.
The options for analog sticks were included if a game hypothetically only reads analog inputs, but that shouldn't be an issue in fighters.

That's what I thought. Thanks a lot, man.
 
Major props to Paradise Arcade. My parts shipped a couple of days ago from Hawaii and managed to get here in Georgia today. Both PA and LizardLick are both very solid options, looking forward to using the next time I mod a stick.

Now I just gotta wait for my etched plexi and bezel :p
 
102_0378.jpg

102_0380.jpg


My girlfriend's custom. When I went to get the art printed, she had the pdfs on a bedazzled Hello Kitty thumb drive. I went to kinko's, handed the guy the thumb drive and he looked at me funny. Then he saw the art i wanted printed and he looked at me even funnier. then when he pulled the thumb drive out he held it as loosely as he could. :lol

I think it came out really good. It's a fiddleback wood, seimitsu buttons, sanwa stick.

I'm kinda digging the feel of the Seimitsu buttons. They're a lot stiffer than Sanwa, feel more clicky.

I've got another case I'm going to get wired up soon. It shall be my Valkyrie Profile stick.
 
Is it crazy to think I can get a brand new TE stick for 100$ or less? Because I might pull the trigger on one this month.
 
Parallax Scroll said:
Is there a solder free dual system mod available for TEs yet? I have a 360 TE and a PS3 TE and I'd really like to dual mod one of them.

CHiMP SD is available at www.lizardlick.com and isn't too terrible of a process. I put one in my 360 Femme Fatale TE earlier this year. Its time consuming and the install instructions aren't the greatest if you're new to this, but if I figured it out anybody can. If you get one of these, PM me with questions and I would be happy to help.


Serperate question for others: I burned out the board on a 360 SFIV SE Fightstick. What's a good replacement 360 board that could eventually be dual-modded with a CHiMP SD?
 
Moofers said:
Serperate question for others: I burned out the board on a 360 SFIV SE Fightstick. What's a good replacement 360 board that could eventually be dual-modded with a CHiMP SD?
Why not just get a PS360 PCB (360 and PS3 support in one board already)?

http://www.focusattack.com/products/Akishop-PS360-Tri-Mod-Joystick-PCB-(3rd-Wave).html

Otherwise, any common ground 360 PCB will work, though you'd have to padhack it (which is kinda annoying).

http://www.slagcoin.com/joystick/pcb_diagrams/
 
Odd question..

Does anyone know where I can find a specific Madcatz TE stick template?

When the stick 1st came out along with sf4, there was a template that had the ink splatter along the buttons already in it. I can't seem to find it anywhere, and since I suck ass at photoshop it's kind of hard to add myself. If anyone has it saved on their computer or has a link i'd greatly appreciate it.

Also if anyone would be willing to help with an opinion on the stick art I've attempted or to add anything to clean it up i'd also be very grateful..
 
Chavelo said:
Hmmm.... so does that mean I can take out the PCB in my Hori Stick (PS3) and replace it with this? Or is it only for TE sticks?
Yep, you can use it in anything. Totally self-contained.
 
I tried to PM Markman about this, I think he's really busy and hasn't responded so I'll ask here. To any people that has been to past EVO's. Does Madcatz sell sticks at the tournament? I would like to get a SF4 Chun Li stick but they are pretty rare in Canada new and the places that do have them charge quite a bit (understandably) for shipping. Thanks.
 
Lando Jones said:
Odd question..

Does anyone know where I can find a specific Madcatz TE stick template?

When the stick 1st came out along with sf4, there was a template that had the ink splatter along the buttons already in it. I can't seem to find it anywhere, and since I suck ass at photoshop it's kind of hard to add myself. If anyone has it saved on their computer or has a link i'd greatly appreciate it.

Also if anyone would be willing to help with an opinion on the stick art I've attempted or to add anything to clean it up i'd also be very grateful..
Is this is?
http://www.mediafire.com/?ctgl28l5dfz3fbj

I had it on my thumb drive
 
Thanks for all the dual-mod tips from everyone. I'll bring this thread back up when I'm ready to get one.

Parallax Scroll said:
When I flick the stick down and then release on my TE, my dude always superjumps in mvc3. In other words the stick snaps back up far enough to register an up-input. I have the sanwa bat top and octagonal gate mods. I probably just have to tighten something, which I'll try right now, but I'm wondering if this is a common stick issue.
Bumping my old question since I'm still trying to figure this out. I switched my TE back to the original balltop, so now it's stock everything except for the octagonal gate. I turned on input display in mvc3 training mode, and it looks like if I flick the stick in any direction and hit the corner of the gate, then let go, the stick usually snaps back far enough in the opposite direction to register an extra input. So if I flick right, the game sees right->left. If I flick up, the game sees up->down. I'm thinking this might be a side effect of the octagonal gate, but it's a pain to switch that back out just to test it. Is this a common stick issue?

Edit: I put the original square gate back in, and the issue is still present.

Plus I can't ride the gate anymore ;_;
 
Cool beans! Thanks for replies, Stick-GAF.

Looks like a new project has been decided... I will be changing the art and PCB on the Hori Stick. Now for the planning and learning! Weeeee!

Question to you guys... what picture would be the best to work around with on a template?

RJkKZl.jpg


or

44eQMl.jpg


Let the voting start! GO.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top Bottom