cleaning up cheap joysticks...

[tmasman]

I know, I know... Half of you just want to tell me to "save up my money and get a real joystick", but that'll only be an option as soon as you buy it & have it shipped to my front door. Until that day comes, I'm looking for ideas with modifying & cleaning up the cheap stuff I have on hand.

I've got a couple of the X-Gaming sticks (yes the $19.99 auction for 2 joys & 20 buttons) and I also have an odd ball-top stick I picked up on ebay.

Well, on to the questions...
These sticks have a ridge around them where there was a seam in the mold, or 2 halves were put together, or something like that. I need a good way to clean this up without screwing up the sticks permanently.

I thought of a few ideas, but I wanted ya'lls opinions first. (Maybe some of you have had to do something similar).
- Sand paper (but will this just make it worse? I don't want to get rid of the ridge to now have an odd texture)
- razor blade (I'm just afraid I'll slip & cut a notch in the stick...)
-

Any other ideas or suggestions?

Thanks guys.

[Hoagie_one]

if you use sandpaper on the rubber ball tops it dulls the finish.  You can get it shiny again with a good buffing though.

[3dmacman]

Hey I was going to buy those sticks too
Are they as cheap as everyone says they are? Which is confusing since how much the x-gaming units cost.  I'd go that Happs route but I don't have that kind of money.  Maybe I should call my cabinet the cheap-cade.
Not to hijack this thread, I would use a low grit sand paper like a 110 or less.

[tmasman]

I haven't really even had a chance to play with any others (but I've been fiddling with the different sticks at the arcades).

yeah... They are REALLY clicky, but it feels good enough to me.
I'm not a real arcade aficionado, so slightly sub-standard parts are going to be good enough for me.
It's one of those things that I figure I can always upgrade to something better when I come into a little money.

I don't have my cabinet built yet, but I do have a temporary control box I threw together over a weekend w/ scraps and I love playing with the joystick & buttons. It is so much more fun than messing with the keyboard or gamepad.

[Spaced Invader]

I have 16 sticks...including several HAPPS (so I have something to compare to). A couple of those are X-Gaming sticks; and to tell the truth these sticks really aren't bad at all. The guys around here talking about how bad they are are nitpicking (IMHO). If the clicking or "feel" bothers you, just replace the X-Gaming microswitches with Cherry microswitches and you have an excellent fighter stick. As always, opinions vary!

Now, if you're talking about that small lip aroung the top of the ball, I hadn't even noticed it until you mentioned it. I say just run an exacto knife around it if it bothers you...if you sand the ball, you'll loose the texture. Any other seams will be hidden once the stick is mounted.

Good luck on your project!  

[spidermonkey]

Tmasman, if you have a dremel or similar multi purpose rotary tool then you could pick up a miniature sanding disc for it and carefully sand down the casting marks or get a couple of the little buffing wheel bits and get some buffing compound that you would use on a car's finish. That might get rid of the casting rings on your balltops. If you have access to a bench grinder you can get a buffing wheel for that to polish up the whole thing afterwards.

[tmasman]

Spaced Invader, Thanks for the input, Like I said, I hadn't played with many other joysticks, so I couldn't really tell whether they were top-notch or not. They do seem kinda clicky, but then again, the only sticks I remember messing with much were probably leaf switch sticks.  I'm glad to know that the sticks I have aren't that bad compared to the rest.

I kinda figured I was going to be taking a blade to the balltop, I was just hoping some one might have had a better (read safer & easier) way.

Thanks for the input guys.

~ tmasman

[Geekboy]

Just thought you would like to know tmasman.  I have a pair of Utimates (I know everyone hates them, whatever).  They have Cherry switches in them, and they are very clicky also.  I don't know how much you would benefit by replacing them.  

As long as your happy with them, who cares.  

[iamderek]

I really like my X-Arcade parts, they feel good, and the price was right! I'm not a nitpicker, so little things like the clicking don't bother me.

[Zeitgeist]

I really like my X-Arcade parts, they feel good, and the price was right! I'm not a nitpicker, so little things like the clicking don't bother me.

Agreed...
Since I've gotten into this hobby a few years back, I have ammassed lots of sticks, buttons & panels with all different types of controls FWIW.
The X-Arcade stuff does not have the exact same "feel" as the Happs but they are great for the price.
Mabey it's just me but in side by side use, I really don't see that big a difference between the joysticks.
The X buttons click a bit louder but function perfectly just as do the Happs.
I just ordered a bunch of stuff to put together a few more panels for friends & relatives & this is what I will use.
I can assure you that they will be happy with their controls.
A few people here rag on the X-Ardcade parts as being cheep or chincy but what the heck; I have just as much Happs stuff & I like it all.
Besides, nothing that I have tried is as nice a good old red ball Wico leaf stick