Tips for mounting Seimitsu/Sanwa sticks?

[Vulgar Soul]

Just wondering, anyone have any experience or tips for properly mounting Seimitsu or Sanwa sticks to a wooden panel?

I'm trying to figure it out with my Seimitsu LS-32, but (unless my routing skills suck) the sticks base is so wide it's hard to cute a big hole for it and still have area for the bolt holes on top!

Take a look: http://www.slagcoin.com/joystick/attributes_brands/ls32_b.jpg


I don't mind having bolt heads exposed on the panel. Actually I prefer it, feels authentic to me, so that's no issue.

Anyone can share some good tips or experience on mounting these sticks?

And before you link me to slagcoin, yes I am familiar with the site. Very helpful diagrams, but I'm more looking for first-hand advice, even helpful pics, from anyone who has done this before.

[Hituro]

I would top mount this stick.  Especially if you want to have the bolts show.  You're probably going to have to remove that blue plate on the bottom.  Then I would cut a hole in the top of the panel that's the size of the square bottom.  And then route the shape of the top mounting plate that extends off around the base of the stick.  The area your routing is also going to be where you'll drill holes for the bolts.  If you have Control Panel art, and a plexi overlay, this will help hide the plate.  If you don't have CP artwork, you'll want to bottom mount the stick.  And in this case, you will just route the shape of the mounting plate on the bottom (underneath) of the control panel.  And then make a hole big enough for the stick to poke through, and make sure the hole gives you enough room to move the stick around (I'm sure there's a dimension for the hole size somewhere), then just drill holes for the bolts, and you can still have the bolts show from the top this way too if you want.  Hope that helps some.  I'm not exactly the best at explaining things.  If you have more questions about what I said just let me know

[Vulgar Soul]

I would top mount this stick.  Especially if you want to have the bolts show.  You're probably going to have to remove that blue plate on the bottom.  Then I would cut a hole in the top of the panel that's the size of the square bottom.  And then route the shape of the top mounting plate that extends off around the base of the stick.  The area your routing is also going to be where you'll drill holes for the bolts.  If you have Control Panel art, and a plexi overlay, this will help hide the plate.  If you don't have CP artwork, you'll want to bottom mount the stick.  And in this case, you will just route the shape of the mounting plate on the bottom (underneath) of the control panel.  And then make a hole big enough for the stick to poke through, and make sure the hole gives you enough room to move the stick around (I'm sure there's a dimension for the hole size somewhere), then just drill holes for the bolts, and you can still have the bolts show from the top this way too if you want.  Hope that helps some.  I'm not exactly the best at explaining things.  If you have more questions about what I said just let me know

Well the thing is, the restrictor plate (the blue one on the bottom) doesn't get in the way as much as the pic makes it seem. Its really the damn prongs sticking out the microswitches at each side that really complicates cutting a hole for the body to simply slip into. By the time I make a hole to fit the switches AND the entire body, there's no room for two of the bolt holes.

The switches actually stick out near the bottom of the base, so I was thinking maybe I cut out a hole to fit just the top of the base, than route the mounting plate area, and connect the top base to the bottom of the mounting plate?

[Hituro]

That could work too, just push the base up through the bottom, and then put the mounting plate down on the top and reattach them.

[mgb]

another option is to use a Pacman joystick adaptor plate.
http://www.twistedquarter.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=5&products_id=443

That is assuming that the seimitsu is a standard bolt pattern which I believe it is.

[Vulgar Soul]

I was considering an S-plate, but the method I went with above worked fine!

disassembled the ball top and mounting plate, cut a hole large enough for the the top of the stick's base, put the mounting plate on top, inserted the base from the bottom, and screwed them in place.

Even without actual bolts the stick was top mounted very securely to the panel like this. Pretty good.

I can't think of any other way to top mount this stick to a thick panel properly without cutting a hole too big to bolt it securely.

[Franco B]

[This] is how I top mounted some of mine.

[Hituro]

did you route the area on the top for the top plate?  or did you just attach it on top?

[Franco B]

Yes. If you click on the >[This]< link in the post above you will see how I did it.