Author Topic: mounting joysticks (supers)...question (Read 2486 times)

hulkster · « **on:** March 22, 2004, 01:25:04 pm »

ive done a control panel before and when i mounted my supers, i mounted them from underneath because i didnt have a router or mounting plate or anything like that. ive noticed that some people have their supers higher up because they have routed some. my question is, is this necessary? does it make that big of a difference if the joystick is higher up on the cp than if it was mounted underneath? i have a router now, and can route out, im guessing underneath the cp top so that i can push the joystick up a little more so that more of the shaft (heh) is sticking up. opinions are welcome.

steve_pss · « **Reply #1 on:** March 22, 2004, 01:33:52 pm »

I was really happy with the length when I under-mounted on 1/2" MDF. With a more standard 3/4" CP I think I would def. take some material off before mounting.

hulkster · « **Reply #2 on:** March 22, 2004, 02:09:21 pm »

yeah i have 3/4" mdf on mine. so you are saying i should route out some space underneath each joystick?

Minwah · « **Reply #3 on:** March 22, 2004, 02:14:13 pm »

If you were happy with your sticks on an un-routed panel then you would probably be OK doing that again. I think it is personal preference, but I would be inclined to route through 3/4" MDF about half-way to mount those sticks. It just gives them a different 'feel', hard to describe really $:-\$

steve_pss · « **Reply #4 on:** March 22, 2004, 02:29:19 pm »

mamwah speaks the truth. I say route a 1/4" of and your golden on the supers.

paigeoliver · « **Reply #5 on:** March 22, 2004, 03:26:56 pm »

Um, guys, use 1/2" plywood for your panels, not MDF.

steve_pss · « **Reply #6 on:** March 22, 2004, 04:09:40 pm »

I love MDF. It's the friend of all less than perfect woodworkers and anybody that like to huff formaldahyde fumes.

MMMmmmmmm... MDF

hulkster · « **Reply #7 on:** March 22, 2004, 07:29:33 pm »

Quote from: paigeoliver on March 22, 2004, 03:26:56 pm

Um, guys, use 1/2" plywood for your panels, not MDF.

ummm, no.

theres no way im going to cut and drill and sand and do all that crap again on another piece of wood. mdf works fine, unless you plan on powerbombing your little brother on top of your control panel. but yeah, ill probably route out underneath.

froggerman · « **Reply #8 on:** March 22, 2004, 07:41:02 pm »

Quote from: paigeoliver on March 22, 2004, 03:26:56 pm

Um, guys, use 1/2" plywood for your panels, not MDF.

You must have a reason for your choice of 1/2" plywood. What would that be?

crashwg · « **Reply #9 on:** March 22, 2004, 08:12:15 pm »

I'd suggest trying mounting the stick on scrap at various depths and finding what you like best.

NoOne=NBA= · « **Reply #10 on:** March 22, 2004, 08:57:25 pm »

I'm happy with mine just screwed to the bottom of the 1X poplar I used.
The REAL depth is right at 3/4".
The wood that is sold as 3/4" plywood usually has an actual thickness of 11/32", or so.

I'd try it out for a few days, and see if it's really going to bother you that much before doing all the extra work.
If you do decide to do the extra work, I'd recommend practicing on a few pieces before cutting on the real CP.

hulkster · « **Reply #11 on:** March 22, 2004, 09:01:52 pm »

well routing out 1/4" undear each joystick would probably take only about 15 min. so its not like its a huge undertaking, but im just wondering if its necessary. right now im my first cp, the joysticks are fine, but thats because i dont know any different....as in ive never played on a cp that had the joysticks higher. so thats my crossroads.

NoOne=NBA= · « **Reply #12 on:** March 23, 2004, 12:05:14 am »

I've used mine in thicker and thinner boards, which is basically the same as effect as routing.
I didn't see a huge difference in playability when using the same stick at different depths.
It may be the way I hold them while playing.
(Hand over the top like a ball top).
Messing with the throw on them made a HUGE difference; and changing out stick length made a BIG difference, though.

hulkster · « **Reply #13 on:** March 23, 2004, 07:04:11 am »

what do you mean by the throw of the joystick?

Minwah · « **Reply #14 on:** March 23, 2004, 01:44:40 pm »

Quote from: hulkster081 on March 23, 2004, 07:04:11 am

what do you mean by the throw of the joystick?

The distance you have to move the stick before it registers and/or reaches the extent of it's travel.

Sephroth57 · « **Reply #15 on:** March 23, 2004, 02:00:53 pm »

i have a 3/4 inch panel with competition joys mounted from the bottom and i didnt route anything. the sticks feel fine to me and im weird with that kinda stuff. at first when youre constantly thinkign about it they "look"short at first. but theyre really not and none of my friends or anyone even mentioned it so i dont think its a big deal.

also i have a direct comparison since my gauntlet legends has routed out joys and they are up more, but it doesnt affect gameplay at all

hulkster · « **Reply #16 on:** March 23, 2004, 02:15:25 pm »

cool thanks dude. yeah my friends never said anything about the joysticks on my first cab. so ill just save myself the trouble.

GGKoul · « **Reply #17 on:** March 24, 2004, 01:19:19 am »

I would test it out before you decide.

Get a piece of scrap MDF and try it out. Router a section of the MDF @ 1/4 or 1/2 inch and mount the joystick and right beside it, mount an unrouter joystick. And test.

I personally feel spending the extra minutes routing the joysticks makes a world of difference.

GroovyTuesdaY · « **Reply #18 on:** March 25, 2004, 03:53:22 am »

Quote from: paigeoliver on March 22, 2004, 03:26:56 pm

Um, guys, use 1/2" plywood for your panels, not MDF.

Why do you prefer plywood over MDF paige? To me it seems like plywood splinters more.

Personally, i have been thinking about making a cabinet out of playdoh LOL.
Same with the control panel, that way i can mold it to be whatever i need it to be. hehehe. If i need a steering wheel......BAM!!! I got a steering wheel . lmao.

groovY~

paigeoliver · « **Reply #19 on:** March 25, 2004, 09:51:47 am »

Quote from: GroovyTuesdaY on March 25, 2004, 03:53:22 am

Quote from: paigeoliver on March 22, 2004, 03:26:56 pm
Um, guys, use 1/2" plywood for your panels, not MDF.

Why do you prefer plywood over MDF paige? To me it seems like plywood splinters more.

Personally, i have been thinking about making a cabinet out of playdoh LOL.
Same with the control panel, that way i can mold it to be whatever i need it to be. hehehe. If i need a steering wheel......BAM!!! I got a steering wheel . lmao.

groovY~

Ok, out of the gazillion original cabinets I have owned/examined, not a single one has had an MDF or particle board control panel. Everyone was plywood, steel, or steel over plywood.

Using plywood instead of MDF allows you to use thinner wood. Using thinner wood eliminates the need to route anything.

A real overlay will look just as perfect on plywood as it does on MDF.

froggerman · « **Reply #20 on:** March 27, 2004, 12:16:28 am »

Interesting comment about the 1/2" plywood. I am sure that Baltic Birch would make a great control panel.
Just as an aside, my Konami Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cabinet has a particle board control panel. I am sure that it is the original as you can still see the holes for the 4 joysticks and 8 buttons.

krick · « **Reply #21 on:** March 28, 2004, 02:57:55 am »

My cab from 1992 (probably was originally either a Sega "Arabian Fight" or "Golden Axe: The Revenge Of Death Adder") has a 3/4 MDF control panel. It has what appear to be Happ Ultimate or Competition joysticks (I can't tell the difference) and they aren't routed out underneath. The shafts might be longer than other joysticks though. I have nothing to compare them to.

The control panel has 3/4" t-molding around the edge that fits perfectly. No overlap.

A problem with plywood I've seen mentioned here is that when routing the edge for t-molding, often the router bit takes out a whole layer of the plywood "sandwich" and you end up with a groove that is too wide. The result is t-molding that doesn't stay in the groove without glue.

Will all this said, what do you guys think about metal joystick mounting plates?...

Bob Roberts sells them...
http://www.dameon.net/BBBB/parts.html#joysticks

Lilwolf · « **Reply #22 on:** March 29, 2004, 08:37:21 am »

btw... before spending too much cash...

routers at wallmart are about 34 bucks.

and you will use them a lot.

The only trouble with my super cheap router... Is that its a full time plunger... You can't really just set it at a specific depth and let it go... because the mechanism to do that really sucks.. So it sucks for t-molding

BUT...

you can get for 20 bucks a non-plunger rounter.


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