and the dunce award goes to......

[DYNAGOD]

ME!!!
okay I did a really stupid thing.. And i knew how dumb it was only after the instant i did it..

I mounted up my new SNK LS-30 to my control panel ,and popped back on the cap,
BUT i didnt leave enough space under the head of the knob to get the removal tool in..
hell theres only about a 16th to a 32nd of space

Am i going to have to cut my control panel to pieces to free this thing?
any helpfull tips from someone who has perhaps done the same?

[CitznFish]

Man, no one has replied yet? I don't know anything about these, but www.oscarcontrols.com has info on how to remove the handles, maybe you could create a smaller tool that would work? There's got to be a way without hacking your CP.  Or, you could hack off the plastic handles and get replacements.  

[jerryjanis]

The same thing happened to me.  I managed to get it off, but not without leaving some scratches on the yellow knob (which I now regret).  I know that one of the 2 "legs" on the yellow cap ended up broken.  I think that I might have used little screwdrivers and dug the cap out from the top.  It was NOT an elegant solution.

[Lilwolf]

look at wires for sure.  

And routers ARE your friends  

[jerryjanis]

@!#?@! chinese finger trap.

[DYNAGOD]

i tried 18-22 awg wire to remove it, i tried plastic wire wraps,i even tried to brutally pry the damn thing off,i destroyed the little black ring that covers the hole and i knocked off both yellow little indicators on the bottom of the stick.
th eonly solution i can think of is
A: cut the control panel to pieces...
B drill two .065" holes in each side of the stick and push in the legs with toothpicks there and use suction to remove the cap.

[Lilwolf]

did you try a curved coat hanger (rotate it in?)  or is it even smaller then that?

[19rjs99]

Did you try loosening te joystick from the underside of the control panel to give you some extra room?

RS

[DYNAGOD]

  !!!;D ITS FREE!! !!!

I sacrificed the little black dust cover with a pair of cutters to get some more real estate under the knob.then I dremmeled the hole  a little to get the angle i needed, but not so much that a new dust cover wouldnt hide it though..
I then used two prebent paper clips as i saw in another ls30 thread.
its a little beaten as i desribed above from its ordeal, or should i say my temper, but at least its off..
These things should DEFINETLY come with a warning!!!
 

I had NO room under this thing,I mount my sticks very close to the panel so I can use the edge of my hand for support.
good idea for standard sticks BAD IDEA for LS30's  
the irony of it all is im in another thread posting up cad files for the removal tool CRUEL IRONY

[alphasqorner]

the irony of it all is im in another thread posting up cad files for the removal tool CRUEL IRONY

Lol DYNAGOD, I didnt notice it was you who was posting on my thread concerning the rotary joystick replacement parts.  That IS irony at it's finest.  How's the knob and tool fabrication going, btw?

[DYNAGOD]

as far as the removal tool. to make a TRUE clone replica of the original tool , without a minimal injection mold, its not worth making from a financial standpoint.
i quoted rapid prototyping from Protomold ,but the initial tooling cost is about 2500$,and about 1.70 a piece thereafter...making it not really worth it unless i could sell several hundred removal tools.
the handle is no probelm. just a matter of getting to it.