Glue Boo Boo - rewiring vs software vs woodworking

[maliusmaximus]

Hi all! First post.
I'm building my first ever cabinet and its been smooth sailing up until now. But have a made a total n00b error.
I have 3/4" MDF routed out to about 1/4" thickness, with a Mica surface (see photo).
On first go because I hadn't stuck the mica to the MDF + I was using self tapping screws, drilling in the joysticks caused the mica to lift and in one instance get a hairline fracture.
Sooo I called in my friend the carpenter, who secured the mica and instructed me to glue in the joystick with a500 Silicone rather than drill it (yeah, oops). I didn't object because he's a pro, so it wasn't until I asked what I do when the joystick needs maintenence that he was like, "Oh".

So of course the Joysticks have been glued in inverted and I now have three options:
1: Try to swap the wires (this seems like best option but I've never done this)
2: Deal with the issue at a software level, by attempting to do axis inversions
3: Try to route out the hole and prise out the joystick (least desirable, only want to do after joystick fails and this is necessary).

Welcome your feedback.

[javeryh]

What kind of joystick is it?  Looks like maybe a Sanwa JLF or something?  I assume the 5 wires coming out of the stick are up/down/left/right/ground so I'd just cut and splice the wires and be done with it.  You'd need to figure out which wires did what - a quick google search and it looks like it goes ground, down, up, right and left in that order.  Hard to tell because your wiring harness doesn't have a black wire for ground on one side.  You could also reverse up and down in MAME in the global settings but not sure what software you are planning - your front end may need changing, etc.

[morton]

I had a similar issue with a stick being upside down and one direction didn't work, then realized my wire was upside down... Sad that can't be the problem here. There are 5 wires that need to be rerouted to the correct pinout. Just working from memory I can't think of how you'd do it easily, but there has to be a "least resistant" method of doing this. One of the outside wires is the ground if memory serves correct.

I love my tradespeople friends. They're some of the best resources I've got. That said, they rarely see the big picture in the same way we do, and you have to really cover your bases or you get the "that's too complicated, do it this way" recommendations. They mean to make your life easier but may miss the finer points of why you wanna do it.

If you can get the sticks out, do you think you can guilt your buddy into throwing a new panel together for you? Dunno how your cab is set up or if you have extra mica etc. Maybe worth the extra effort to have was headache down the road.

[PL1]

You might be able to cut through the silicone adhesive using dental floss.   

If that works, consider using the "Under mount (support blocks)" method described in the FAQ.

http://wiki.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/FAQ#Joysticks




Scott

[BadMouth]

Just swap the wires around.  (cut them if necessary)
The only incorrect orientation for joystick mounting is angled.

When I build a cab, I mount the joystick and then figure out what wire is which.
Figure out which one is ground (outside end if it is a JLF or decent knockoff) and tap it to the others going to the encoder to see what direction each is.

Software would be a nightmare to keep straight with various emulators and pc games.

[yamatetsu]

You should be able to get the wires out easily by pressing the metal thingy (red circle) down with a screwdriver and pulling the wire gently out.

- pull out wire #1, fire up MAME, test the joystick. If it doesn't work at all, wire #1 is GND and has to go back in.

- if wire #1 is GND: Swap wire #2 & #3, swap wire #4 & #5

- if wire #1 is not GND, wire #5 should be GND, so swap wire #1 & #2, swap wire #3 & #4

[lilshawn]

remove restrictor plate....remove switch PCB board...reinstall 180 degrees around.

 

[maliusmaximus]

Wow guys thanks for the detailed and helpful responses. Seems I've come to the right place.
So it seems like re-wiring is the best option until later when I have to bite the bullet

@Javeryh its a Sanwa clone from Blee arcade in China. Sanwa don't ship to Vietnam unfortunately.
@Morton I did all the cabinet work myself, let me try to upload a pic (it wouldn't let me before). pretty proud about how it looks so far. I've taken my time, bought a router and all necessary woodworking equipment as this is also a skill building project
@PL1 Thanks for the advice on mounting. This is exactly what I needed. I'll do this down the road when I have to fix / replace the controllers.

@Lilshawn thx but the issue is there is no way that I can see for how to access the screws that connect the restrictor plate to the rest of the assembly (since they are on the silicone-glued side). If I've missed something let me know.

@badmouth, @yamatetsu, thanks heaps, I tested it in Windows using the generic USB controller that the zero delay board includes. All buttons work, its just in upside down so I'll re-wire as per the guides you've provided. Thanks heaps.

[BadMouth]

@Lilshawn thx but the issue is there is no way that I can see for how to access the screws that connect the restrictor plate to the rest of the assembly (since they are on the silicone-glued side). If I've missed something let me know.

The little black tabs that pass through the clear restrictor plate on the bottom can be pushed in toward the middle.
That will release the restrictor plate and allow it to be removed.  Then the circuit board with the switches can be lifted out and rotated.
That will work as long as everything is currently inverted (left/right and up/down).

EDIT: Lil' Shawn is smarter than us. 

[lilshawn]

(for posterity's sake of course)

[spisi]

Is that cupholders I see!!!

[maliusmaximus]

(for posterity's sake of course)

Lilshawn is officially smarter than us. Thanks mate, this is exactly what I needed!

Is that cupholders I see!!!

Spisi you bet! These are plastic with chrome edging. I also brought some pure aluminium ones from marine supply. I prefer the look of these ones though

[maliusmaximus]

So reversing didnt work due to button proximity will try rewiring

[lilshawn]

So reversing didnt work due to button proximity will try rewiring

BOOOOOOOO!

yeah, rewiring is the next best option.

carefully stab flat the little hook and push the metal back. try not to pull too hard on the wire, often they pull clean out and make it a pain to fix.

use a small jewler's screwdriver or something like that to push the metal flap back out again so it clips back in nice and firm.

[maliusmaximus]

So reversing didnt work due to button proximity will try rewiring

BOOOOOOOO!

yeah, rewiring is the next best option.

carefully stab flat the little hook and push the metal back. try not to pull too hard on the wire, often they pull clean out and make it a pain to fix.

use a small jewler's screwdriver or something like that to push the metal flap back out again so it clips back in nice and firm.

Thanks! I love the phrase "Carefully stab".
It all worked and the cab is now almost done
Cheers again