Star Wars Yoke Build

[jdbailey1206]

Everyone knows that with any hobby sometimes you don't have the cash or really want to fork over the cash for certain things within your hobby.  That is where I am at.  I neither have the disposable income nor do I want to spend up to $300 for a Star Wars yoke.  The problem I have is I always wanted to experience the controller.  So after perusing the internet I came across a how to on the old arcade controls website. 

It can found at the following address here.

My questions to everyone are as follows:

Has anyone tried this tutorial?

If you have tried to make it how successful have you been?

Thanks for the insight before I waste my time collecting parts for this project. 

Another quick thought:  Has anyone converted a Stun Runner yoke for use with any of the Star Wars games and the newer Trilogy game itself?

[HairyDVD]

I am currently making a Star Wars Yoke, and have looked at the internet to either buy one or scratch build one.
I am making one from MDF and Acrylic for the handle sides.  I have never posted images on these forums, if someone tells me how to I will show you come picture of my success.

I looked at that site and thought it may be a little flimsy when complete, but does look quite good considering the items it is made with.

[Le Chuck]

X2 has made his own from scratch.  It was so amazing he deleted the post or something like that. 

Anyway, there used to be some users round here that had used that DIY design and had good experience with it.  Think they're all in Odinsleep now though.  I think there is a lot you could do at home to build one with a little doing. 

I made one for SW Micro at 1:4 scale and it works alright

[Generic Eric]

I remember watching the brainstorming happening from way back when.  It was quite awesome and full of thrift!

Thing would be considerably easier now.  At that stage, I may be wrong, but it wasn't widely known what the correct number of teeth and pitch where on the gears.   The gears where from spinning candy suckers if I recall correctly. Online ordering wasn't as easy as it is now either. 

If I was to do this now, hopefully with access to the correct parts, I would

Use a kade instead of the dual strike hack.
Order the gears from mouser, mcmaster or some similar place.

Instead of using toys, would find a good image of a pistol grip and trace it on to card board until it was scaled correctly.    A person could even use a power drill as better example.  Then use that as a template to fashion out of plywood and route as necessary.

If you need help with pictures of the original, just ask.

In regards to the materials in that tutorial, it wasn't for arcade use.  It also wasn't designed by industry giants that access to engineers to make proto types.  Chances are the first Atari proto-types where from pop guns with holes drilled in them and bolted on to ready rod.  But I digress. 

No to all the other questions.

BTW
: YEAR OF STAR WARS :

[HairyDVD]

Handle design


Rotating mechanism


Cut out handles with felt inserts for acrylic to rotate freely and stop dust ingress.  Overspray on mating faces ( edges sprayed matt black to match black acrylic sides )



Figure out how to post images....

Pictures of design and cut out on CNC machine.  I cut out mechanism tonight, just need to work out how to add enocder wheel to it to interface to xbox.  Got a flight sim stick from ebay and may take that apart to see if I could make a mechanism to attach to pots.

I will start my own thread rather than hijacking yours and it may be of use to you as we both construct a yoke.

[Generic Eric]

Damn I just dropped my lightsaber.  You da real jedi tho
:
YEAR OF STAR WARS

[PL1]

Has anyone converted a Stun Runner yoke for use with any of the Star Wars games

S.T.U.N. Runner manual here -- see pgs 39-41 for yoke diagram and parts list

Star Wars manual here -- see pgs 51-53 for yoke diagram and parts list

To convert the Stun Runner yoke to a 4-button SW/ESB compatible yoke:

  1. Remove the stop plate (047-121-01) that keeps the Y-axis from tilting down. (SR, pg 39)

  2. Change the Y-axis potentiometer and 14-tooth gear center position to allow for the increased range of motion.

  3. Add thumb buttons.  Not sure if you'll want/need to replace the handle shells.   



TwistyWrist has the pins and connectors so you don't have to hack up the original yoke harness to connect to a KADESTICK board.   

ArcadeFixIt has Heavy Duty Extended Life replacement pots and other parts.

:
YEAR OF STAR WARS

The only thing missing is analog input for AAE.   


Scott

[Generic Eric]

Scott

Scott used :the force: it was very effective. & informative

Really the only thing missing from your post was the info about the gears and a discussion about limiting the rotation on the vertical axis; I mean something stops it from spinning.   My yoke is in a box.

Good show.

[PL1]

Thanks, GE.   

Really the only thing missing from your post was the info about the gears and a discussion about limiting the rotation on the vertical axis; I mean something stops it from spinning.   My yoke is in a box.

Info about the gears -- Only thing that needs to change is mentioned.  If the handles are turned sharply down before the pot is centered, the pot will turn until it can't turn.  Then the force from the 60-tooth gear can break the much weaker, relatively thin-walled 14-tooth gear.



Y-axis rotation limitation -- The oval hole in the front weldment is the upper and lower stop for the cross-pin.  The Stun Runner stop plate covers the top part of the oval hole.



Better view of the oval hole.



Scott

[Generic Eric]

I concur.   I meant missing from building a scratch unit.

BTW

Do you have mc master part numbers for the gears? 

Also, I wanted to link to the yoke plus thread but I haven't found it yet.
yoke plus

[PL1]

The Yoke Rebuild wiki page mentions metal gears at the top, but I don't remember any confirmation on someone successfully using them.   

PROTIP: Either go with plastic gears or metal gears.  Don't mix them or the plastic ones will get torn up.

Good catch on linking Le Chuck's Stun Runner re-theme.  Meant to do that earlier. 


Scott

[Generic Eric]

The Yoke Rebuild wiki page mentions metal gears at the top, but I don't remember any confirmation on someone successfully using them.   

PROTIP: Either go with plastic gears or metal gears.  Don't mix them or the plastic ones will get torn up.

Good catch on linking Le Chuck's Stun Runner re-theme.  Meant to do that earlier. 


Scott

The wiki has it all. 

[Le Chuck]

If converting SR to SW I'd recommending adding a second centering spring for they Y axis.  SR commonly has just one spring and that limiting post.  You can make your own replacement with a blow torch, some needle nose pliers, a medium tension screen door spring from bigbox and about 20mins of trying not to burn the ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- out of yourself and failing miserably. 

[HairyDVD]

Lots of great info on links and this thread.  Wish i had when i started.

[menace]

Damn--10 years just flies by...it's hard to believe I ever had that much free time--I'm glad to see the quest continues to build your own yoke!

[jdbailey1206]

I am currently making a Star Wars Yoke, and have looked at the internet to either buy one or scratch build one.
I am making one from MDF and Acrylic...

15 minutes for someone to hijack my build thread.  Must be a new BYOAC record...

Its also good to see I can use a Kade encoder and the Dual Strike I picked up is obsolete.

The more I read up on everything I have a feeling it might be easier to just wait for a yoke and not build one.  I wanted to save my money for the cab build itself but it looks smarter to just buy one outright and hack it to the kade.