Joystick mounting advice

[Babs]

I'm starting my first build this weekend (single player CP), and I've invested in a J-Stik from ultimarc (teardrop handle). I'm going to be building from either 3/4" or 1/2" wood (I may be able to get away with the thinner with smaller size of CP), and I'm wondering what some of the old hands would recommend when it comes to mounting it.

I realise if it's mounted from underneath it's best to route the board a little thinner to get the full play of the stick, but on some of the examples I've been reading here I've heard of people mounting it from the top. Is this just a case of routing down a little and screwing in? Then what about covering it?

Any 'I wish I'd done it that way' stories would be good

[steve_pss]

Ive mounted J stiks top and bottom. Top mount involoves a slight route to accomodate the flange, and in the case of 3/4" a bottom route to accomodate the body and also to accomodate the microswitches. If your using a vinyl overlay the flange will be visble and quite ugly. IMHO do yourself a favor and just bottom mount. If you make yourself a template out og 1/2" you can line up centering points, screw it down and use it as a fence for your router. VERY good results if you take this road. Depth is a matter of opinion but I think leaving just a touch under a 1/2" makes for great stick length and provides plenty of strength.

my 2 cents.

[patrickl]

I actually "middle mounted" my joystick. The flange sits sandwiched between two sheets of wood.  

Advantages:
+ I could put a normal overlay on it with no bolts showing
+ allows to use short handled sticks and is still sturdy
+ looks better than putting plexi/lexan on top
+ much easier to hide those ugly dust covers (just route out a circle in the underside of the top layer)

Disadvantages
- it's probably a bit more work
- much harder to make an L shaped CP
- you need to take the whole thing apart if you want to swap a stick (allthough you would have the same problem with top mounting)

[Rawker]

mounting mine from the top, 2 router jigs used (easy to make with a table saw, skill saw, or jig saw) to create a ledge for it to sit on and i'll have art laminated to the underside of my plexi. the main reason i mounted from the top is to have taller sticks as i like to hold mine like a wine glass.

i never really thought of mounting them from the bottom because when i looked at them they are designed to be mounted from the top. they have proper support when they are mounted from the top whereas if you just screw them from the bottom the only thing holding them is 4 screws which are being used backwards to boot and over time with good use they will become loose and possibly fall off.

i could see mounting them from the bottom if for instance you don't have a router, but if you do then there really should be any question as to how they should be mounted.

[patrickl]

Rawker,

I think most people mount from the bottom.

I don't understand your problem with support for a bottom mounted stick. In both cases it's held by the same 4 bolts. Actually I'd say bottom mounting is the most sturdy solution (no big hole made in the panel).

[Rawker]

untrue, when mounting from the bottom the weight distribution is on 4 screws that are being use upside down so the only thing holding the weight is the teeth of the screw and over time with use they will work their way out of the wood. will that be over 2 years or 10 years i can't tell you as it depends on the type of wood, humidity in the house, etc.

when mounting from the top the woods strength is not disrupted at all by cutting a hole in it. the shelf distributes the weight much better and the screws hold the joystick box secure from being pulled up or twisted.

if you don't believe me then try a test, cut a square hole out of a piece of wood, screw another piece of wood that covers the hole from the underside, then flip it over and beat it with a hammer and come back here and tell me it's properly supported.

it's easier to mount it from the bottom and that's why "most people mount from the bottom" however it's not properly supported and over time it will not hold as well as a top mounted joystick.

[patrickl]

You're supposed to drill 4 holes and use countersunk t-nuts when you mount from the bottom. Nobody uses screws (or at least I hope nobody does)

Take a look at the Timewarp Cocktail thread

Oh and BTW, the forces on a joystick are mostly facing upwards. So I'd say bottom mounting is stronger for that. Apart from the fact that you only need a small round hole instead of something like a 3"x 3" hole. Allthough strength of the panel is not really the issue here. Actually, if you're using screws from the top, you'd be pulling the stick right off the top too.

Also, mounting from the top often means you need to take the stick apart to be able to mount it. In fact several sticks are impossible to mount topside (on a wood panel anyway) since they are too "shallow".

[froggerman]

Most people don't use wood screws to mount their joystick, instead they use t-nuts and machine screws or carriage bolts and nuts.

[Rawker]

that looks fine, it's better then screws   however mounting them the way they were designed to be mounted (from the top) will provide better support and they won't be lost in the thickness of the wood (stubby). don't you think the top would be flat and not have beveled edges if it was ment to be mounted that way?

[patrickl]

Really, all sticks are designed to be bottom mounted. Think about it ... what's the beveled edge for?

[steve_pss]

Can't we all just get along?

[patrickl]

Who's not getting along? Just clearing up something.

[Minwah]

Really, all sticks are designed to be bottom mounted. Think about it ... what's the beveled edge for?

I thought all sticks are meant for bottom mounting too.  A great deal of arcade panels are metal so routing is not an issue, and top mounting wouldn't be possible in metal.

As long as you use bolts (most arcade panels use carriage bolts) then you'll be fine either way.