Custom Hollow Suzo 500 Shafts Compatible with 6mm thread tops

[Pinoy Pryde]

Let it be known before hand that I am a fan of japanese controls and have a preference of them (generally speaking) over other joysticks. This arose from a personal project documented here:
https://arcadestatic.wordpress.com/2014/10/13/project-stg-suzo-too-good-part-1-intro-to-the-suzo-500-and-custom-shafts/

That being said I recently obtained a Suzo 500 and soon it became my favorite game for STGs over every other joystick I've used. However I was missing the old 35mm balltops that I have played on so often as well as the difference in shaft size and height. With that in mind I took to Autodesk Inventor and modeled a basic Suzo 500 replacement shaft since the only other person I knew who sold them had disappeared.

The shaft will be stainless steel and hollow to fit 3mm LEDs and there will be 6mm thread to support JP balltops. By using an adapter this can also use 10mm threaded tops. The shaft would be shorter than the stock shaft by 7mm and will utilize 8mm E clips (provided by me) instead of C clips to hold the spring flange. There will also be a slot for a flat head screwdriver to tighten and remove the balltop.

Pics:





If anyone is interested i currently I have these priced at $20 as a pre-order while I finish talking with my supplier for a shipment date.
You can order here:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1yVr_hfloSB8vuDgs1QPeSz3Wi5B-Ta4HVSPKtGpazJo/viewform?usp=send_form

[Grasshopper]

Hmm, interesting. Suzo 500 joysticks have an excellent feel, and are very underrated IMHO. I recently tried to buy a few with blue handles. Unfortunately, I was unable to find a company that still holds stock, and it appears that they're no longer manufactured by Suzo.

I eventually settled on buying a few black ones which are still quite easy to get hold of. However, I still have a strong preference for blue handles, so your custom shafts are of interest to me.

I'd potentially be interested in purchasing at least four. However, I don't think I can justify paying $20 each right now, unless there is a hefty discount for buying more than one. That's actually more than I paid for the joysticks. So I'm out unless the price goes down. However, I do have a few comments and suggestions.

Firstly, I have concerns about the effect that the hollow centre will have on the strength and durability of the shafts, especially the threaded section at the top. Will solid versions also be available?

Also, why not cut a few extra grooves into the shafts, and make them compatible with other joysticks such as the Happ Super and Competition? That would widen their appeal considerably. Unfortunately, the market for shafts that can only be fitted to Suzo 500 joysticks is likely to be very limited, so you're unlikely to achieve the economies of scale that could potentially bring the prices down.

Nice CAD drawings BTW.

[Pinoy Pryde]

Hmm, interesting. Suzo 500 joysticks have an excellent feel, and are very underrated IMHO. I recently tried to buy a few with blue handles. Unfortunately, I was unable to find a company that still holds stock, and it appears that they're no longer manufactured by Suzo.

I eventually settled on buying a few black ones which are still quite easy to get hold of. However, I still have a strong preference for blue handles, so your custom shafts are of interest to me.

I'd potentially be interested in purchasing at least four. However, I don't think I can justify paying $20 each right now, unless there is a hefty discount for buying more than one. That's actually more than I paid for the joysticks. So I'm out unless the price goes down. However, I do have a few comments and suggestions.

Firstly, I have concerns about the effect that the hollow centre will have on the strength and durability of the shafts, especially the threaded section at the top. Will solid versions also be available?

Also, why not cut a few extra grooves into the shafts, and make them compatible with other joysticks such as the Happ Super and Competition? That would widen their appeal considerably. Unfortunately, the market for shafts that can only be fitted to Suzo 500 joysticks is likely to be very limited, so you're unlikely to achieve the economies of scale that could potentially bring the prices down.

Nice CAD drawings BTW.

I believe that the 500s are still stocked by ultimarc and on HAPPs website.

As for the price, it is something out of my control. Originally they were priced at $30 for but I have found a cheaper supplier. However due to the sheer volume of shafts that are the minimum requirement for the order when compared to the amount of potential buyers  (at the time) with shipping factored in, I had priced these at $20 in hopes of attracting a few more buyers.

Solid versions will not be available, as that would require a different run and add to the price. As for the inclusion of other joysticks compatibility, I do not own any of them and cannot take measurements. I'd imagine it is possible, but I don't have the resources to do it as of now.

Also the Hollow center has not caused problems so far with the prototype, and is at the same specs as similar stainless steel hollow shafts used for LED lighting in other joysticks.

For pricing please PM me and I can work something out with you.