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Building an arcade stick: And So Can You!

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Posts

  • wonderpugwonderpug Registered User regular
    edited July 2011
    If it pops apart again you really might want to consider adding dowels or biscuits to the joints, as chrishallett83 mentioned. It really will make your joints rock solid, which is especially useful for something like an arcade stick that's going to get a lot of physical abuse.

    wonderpug on
  • HounHoun Registered User regular
    edited July 2011
    I was wondering how long it would take for an "I told you so" post. But, yeah, if it pops again, I'll look into tearing it apart.

    Houn on
  • wonderpugwonderpug Registered User regular
    edited July 2011
    If the box was going to have some lighter-duty purpose I think it'd be less of an issue, but you're going to be banging on the buttons and repeatedly moving the joystick all around and such. The joystick movement especially is going to be putting a lot of stress on the box edges, since it's basically going to be repeatedly shoving the top plate against the walls.

    I guess you could do some kind of external bracing on the corners, if you didn't want to have to undo anything, but I don't know, it just seems like you're asking a lot for glue to do under tension rather than compression.

    wonderpug on
  • HounHoun Registered User regular
    edited July 2011
    I was toying with the idea of putting in some corner bracing on the inside, but I'd need a right angle adapter for my drill first. Same goes for pocket holes.

    Houn on
  • wonderpugwonderpug Registered User regular
    edited July 2011
    The side pieces are solid, right? Not plywood? For a simple reinforcement you could also just use screws. Either use decorative screws so it still looks slick, or use wood plugs to keep the clean wood look.

    wonderpug on
  • HounHoun Registered User regular
    edited July 2011
    Yeah, the exterior is a dark bocote (mexican rosewood).

    Houn on
  • kazanmakazanma Registered User regular
    edited July 2011
    I'm always happy to see this thread get revived. I'm not a hardcore fighting game guru, but I love doing DIY stuff.

    Before I go to bed here I'll throw up a couple pics of my custom arcade stick. The project was primarily a way to learn some metalworking at my job's machine shop. I've been working on the stick extremely infrequently over the past few years. Right now it is PC/PS3 compatible using a Cthulhu board.
    _MG_1542Version2_rvs1fg73pnkwkfuhukpr.jpg
    _MG_1487Version2_3068rk5z1miwpwtj7hcu.jpg

    There is still a lot more I want to do. A MadCatz 360 controller board will be wired in sometime in the future, hopefully by the end of the year. Another button will be added. The aluminum needs to be sanded down and finished as well; anodizing is a possibility.

    I have more pics of the build process and some detailed writeup text if anybody wants to see those.

    Keep building those projects! :^:

    kazanma on
  • Donovan PuppyfuckerDonovan Puppyfucker A dagger in the dark is worth a thousand swords in the morningRegistered User regular
    edited July 2011
    No need to anodize, powdercoat instead!

    Donovan Puppyfucker on
  • HounHoun Registered User regular
    ARISE THREAD! I CALL YOU BACK TO LIFE!

    So, I finally got my hands on a router and table today.

    IMG_20121006_140438.jpg
    IMG_20121006_140448.jpg

    Now, finally, the end of this project is in sight!

  • HounHoun Registered User regular
    Got my Neutrik USB adapter, hole drilled (it's the exact same size as the smaller buttons up top, 24mm).

    IMG_20121015_181837.jpg
    IMG_20121015_181851.jpg

    Tomorrow, I'll start the poly coat.

  • HounHoun Registered User regular
    I realize this thread is dead. I acknowledge that.

    Still, it's the only place for me to post this:
    IMG_20121105_191706.jpg

    STICK COMPLETE!

  • acidlacedpenguinacidlacedpenguin Institutionalized Safe in jail.Registered User regular
    nice

    GT: Acidboogie PSNid: AcidLacedPenguiN
  • TefTef Registered User regular
    @Houn, that is really damn good. It looks slick as fuck. Have you got a pic of the underside?

    help a fellow forumer meet their mental health care needs because USA healthcare sucks!

    Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better

    bit.ly/2XQM1ke
  • HounHoun Registered User regular
    I will grab one tonight.

  • HounHoun Registered User regular
    More Pics, including the horrible messy wiring that I'm too lazy to redo on account of needing to cut new lengths and re-solder.
    1352249808502.jpg
    IMG_20121106_165721.jpg
    IMG_20121106_165732.jpg
    IMG_20121106_165741.jpg

  • TefTef Registered User regular
    Out of sight, out of mind!

    Looks good mate, I'm a fan

    help a fellow forumer meet their mental health care needs because USA healthcare sucks!

    Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better

    bit.ly/2XQM1ke
  • acidlacedpenguinacidlacedpenguin Institutionalized Safe in jail.Registered User regular
    I've seen worse wiring. I've participated in worse wiring.

    GT: Acidboogie PSNid: AcidLacedPenguiN
  • Donovan PuppyfuckerDonovan Puppyfucker A dagger in the dark is worth a thousand swords in the morningRegistered User regular
    Houn wrote: »
    More Pics, including the horrible messy wiring that I'm too lazy to redo on account of needing to cut new lengths and re-solder.

    Bro. Dude. Bro.

    That ain't shit on messy wiring. Poke your head into a server room sometime, or better yet, stick your head up under the dash of a Cessna 172. Hundreds and hundreds of wires, all the exact same fucking size and colour, with only tiny printed numbers on the insulation to distinguish one from another...

    If you want to smarten your efforts up a bit, make with the zipties and bundle 'em up.

  • HounHoun Registered User regular
    Oh, I know how to make it look nice (my server rack was always the neatest >.>), in this case I'd have to cut new lengths of wire and solder new quick-disconnects on in order to have lengths condusive to bundling right, which some day I'll get a bug up my ass and do, but for now, just happy to have it functional.

  • minor incidentminor incident expert in a dying field njRegistered User regular
    That looks amazing, @Houn. I love the artwork, and the plexi bottom panel is a really nice touch. I've never gotten around to building a custom enclosure for my arcade stick. Sadly, it's still living in the shell of a dead Mad Catz stick I got for free that had already been gutted.

    Did you use a cheapo Gamestop 360 controller? I was going to use one of those because all the wiring tutorials said to, but I couldn't find one in stock, so I cannibalized a Mad Catz fight pad for the nerve center of my stick. Your wiring looks pretty similar to mine. I think I even used the same radioshack terminals.

    Ah, it stinks, it sucks, it's anthropologically unjust
  • HounHoun Registered User regular
    Yeah, it's the Gamestop Wired 360 Controller, which is Mad Catz.

  • minor incidentminor incident expert in a dying field njRegistered User regular
    Great job, then! The wiring's pretty nicely done, especially for such a compact enclosure. If you ever wanted to tidy it up with almost no effort, a bit of cheap spiral tubing makes it REALLY easy to make it look super clean.

    Of course, I wouldn't fault you for not bothering. I bought a whole package of the stuff and never even bothered to open it. =[ It's easy to get lazy about something you never see.

    Ah, it stinks, it sucks, it's anthropologically unjust
  • loschurrosloschurros IT Guy Orlando, FLRegistered User regular
    edited January 2014
    HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYBODY!!!!!! not sure if this thread is dead as I am starting on mine. A friend of mine gave me his Hori fight stick 3 which he tried to mod with Sanwa buttons and couldn't figure it out. So it is somewhat in pieces. I could just try and put it back together, I decided I could easily make a custom enclosure which would look nicer. So far cuts are of course amateur, for 1st try I don't care, but wondering how to cut the holes for the buttons and they stay in place, I'm using mdf & arylic for the top and bottom.

    20131227_120400.jpg

    sku_231350_1.jpg

    loschurros on
    76561197987255491.png
  • HounHoun Registered User regular
    1. This thread is never dead, just in hibernation.
    2. If you're going to be working with MDF, make sure you wear a mask and work in a well-ventilated area. MDF is full of some nasty shit you don't want to breathe.
    3. Standard Sanwa button is 30mm, the smaller ones are 24mm; I picked up a pair of hole saw bits for my drill for these.
    4. http://www.slagcoin.com/joystick.html. Just take a read through, it's great.

    Speaking of, I need to figure out what to do with my stick. I don't own a 360 anymore, and while it wouldn't be a big deal to convert it into a PS3 stick (grab a cthulhu or something), I'm kind of waiting to see how peripheral support shakes out on the PS4.

  • acidlacedpenguinacidlacedpenguin Institutionalized Safe in jail.Registered User regular
    Yeah, so far I'm hearing the DS4's PCB is an absolute whore to work with. I recently switched my custom stick from a 360 PCB to a Cthulhu, and with KOF13, Street Fighter, and Injustice all on the PC now I'm hoping this generation we'll be getting fighting games at the same time as consoles.

    GT: Acidboogie PSNid: AcidLacedPenguiN
  • loschurrosloschurros IT Guy Orlando, FLRegistered User regular
    Houn wrote: »

    Standard Sanwa button is 30mm, the smaller ones are 24mm; I picked up a pair of hole saw bits for my drill for these.

    How do I cut notches so they stay in place?

    Also I've read on almost all sites most people use wooden dowels or some wooden anchor on the frame,
    I'm tempted to say F that and just glue and screw.

    76561197987255491.png
  • HounHoun Registered User regular
    Probably a dremel. I used the screw-threaded buttons myself, so it was just cut hole, place button, screw on plastic nut.

  • DiannaoChongDiannaoChong Registered User regular
    I'm glad someone else dug up the thread, as I didnt want to do it. I am in the process of making 2 controllers for divekick using wood/buttons in the same fashion the Houn made his above in this page. I got the frame together, but putting in blocks to glue on a top and bottom is just the worst so far. :\ So I am about as far as loschurros after 3 months.

    steam_sig.png
  • minor incidentminor incident expert in a dying field njRegistered User regular
    The best advice I can give for building a frame like that is to clamp the shit out of anything you glue at least overnight. Most wood glue will be fine within a couple hours, but I never chance it. Once it cures overnight you'll have a joint that's stronger than the actual wood. Make sure you have small enough clamps to wedge in there and clamp down the corner blocks.

    Ah, it stinks, it sucks, it's anthropologically unjust
  • tsmvengytsmvengy Registered User regular
    Yes, you definitely need clamps for something like this.

    steam_sig.png
  • loschurrosloschurros IT Guy Orlando, FLRegistered User regular
    Which do you think is better to use, screws or nails. My dad is pretty good at these sort of things, wood working with his hands, and he suggested to nail the frame together. I don't see why one would be better than the other.

    76561197987255491.png
  • AiouaAioua Ora Occidens Ora OptimaRegistered User regular
    I like screws better, you can predrill the holes to avoid the wood splitting, and get a better hold. Screw heads are more obtrusive though, if you don't like the look.

    life's a game that you're bound to lose / like using a hammer to pound in screws
    fuck up once and you break your thumb / if you're happy at all then you're god damn dumb
    that's right we're on a fucked up cruise / God is dead but at least we have booze
    bad things happen, no one knows why / the sun burns out and everyone dies
  • minor incidentminor incident expert in a dying field njRegistered User regular
    Honestly, I would just do wood glue alone, no screws or nails. Trust me, it'll be rock solid, assuming you have nice clean, straight joints. If you're still a little worried, a pair of small countersunk screws in each corner if all you could ever need. You can pick up some small wooden plugs at a hardware store to cover up the screw heads if you're worried about the looks.

    Ah, it stinks, it sucks, it's anthropologically unjust
  • HounHoun Registered User regular
    If you did this

    dowel-joint.jpg

    You wouldn't need the pieces glued into the corners, and the joint would be much stronger regardless.

    But, each to his own.

    Shamelessly quoting this for relevance.

  • minor incidentminor incident expert in a dying field njRegistered User regular
    Yes. Dowel and biscuit joints are the best joint that any schmuck with a couple tools can put together, but if you don't own a drill you can still get a lot of mileage out of a simple corner block joint.

    And also, the corner blocks actually serve a useful dual purpose in an arcade stick build by acting as the platform on which your MDF/acrylic top panel sits.

    Ah, it stinks, it sucks, it's anthropologically unjust
  • loschurrosloschurros IT Guy Orlando, FLRegistered User regular
    After just gluing the frame together, this is what It looks like. Came out wack, a bit uneven, messed up cuts (which are at the bottom). I'm thinking sanding the edges could help hide the bad cuts.

    20140116_064835_resized.jpg

    76561197987255491.png
  • minor incidentminor incident expert in a dying field njRegistered User regular
    An hour with a sanding block or a handheld sander can make those rough cuts look totally fine. Do that, then get some stain on that thing and it'll look pretty badass.

    Ah, it stinks, it sucks, it's anthropologically unjust
  • loschurrosloschurros IT Guy Orlando, FLRegistered User regular
    edited January 2014
    get some stain on that thing and it'll look pretty badass.

    Thanks for the suggestion, I concur it would look quite badass. I'm debating on whether to do a dark or light color as the artwork I put together in PS is bruce lee themed.
    Also now I have to figure out how the hell I'm gonna put in corner blocks.

    loschurros on
    76561197987255491.png
  • DiannaoChongDiannaoChong Registered User regular
    Yeah when I worked on mine, I clamped the shit out of it, and I agree, clamps are your friend for this project. I tried to router the edges to make it look fancy, and more or less fucked it all up. I think with fixing the uneveness with sanding, I can retry the routing on a deeper pass and get it right. I have to wait for better weather though.

    steam_sig.png
  • loschurrosloschurros IT Guy Orlando, FLRegistered User regular
    Screwed the frame together:
    20140116_212649.jpg

    One of the fuck ups on the bottom:
    20140116_212722.jpg

    I started sanding last night, I'm thinking I could also put a thin sheet or artwork/decal on the sides to hide it?

    76561197987255491.png
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