Soldering/mounting joysticks?

[Tahnok]

I just received two T-Stik Plus joysticks in the mail when I realized I have no idea how to install them. Will a 1 1/8" hole be good for the stick portion to come through? The joystick will be bottom mounted under 3/4" MDF.

Also, how do I secure it? Will some short wood screws do the trick or do I need to use bolts?

And the last thing, should I solder to the micro switches? It seems like you don't hear of people actually soldering to the controls, is there something that I'm missing?

I think this has been discussed before, but the search didn't return the information that I needed.

[MasTequila]

I believe the 1 1/8 hole should be sufficent though I may be wrong.  

I would not use wood screw to secure it though, carriage bolts are used and so are T-nuts I think they are called.  T-nuts install on the top of the cp and give you a thread underneath so you can have nothing showing on the top of your cp.

You can solder to your switches but I think almost everyone uses female disconnects.

Hope some of this helps.

~Mas

[TalkingOctopus]

A 1 1/8" inch hole is fine.  

I'd recommend using bolts, but there have people have reported using woodscrews succesfully on this board.

I think that most people go solderless.  Get a crimper and use quick disconnects.  It is really quick and easy as the name suggests.

[NoOne=NBA=]

The 1-1/8" hole should be more than big enough.

How to install them will depend alot on personal preference.
You CAN just screw them to the bottom of the CP.
If you have the stock bat-style handles, this should give you a high enough stick.
If you have the short balltops, you will probably need to rout them into the bottom of the CP a bit.
The long balltops come out a bit short for most people if you just screw them to the bottom, but I actually like them that way myself.

I would suggest that you drill a hole for the stick in a piece of scrap wood, and then screw the joystick to the bottom of it.
Play around with that for a bit, and decide if it feels OK to you.
If you find the joystick too low, you can rout the base into the piece of scrap wood a bit, and try it again.
(I would start with routing 1/4", and then go 3/8", and 1/2" absolute max., if necessary).
The 1/2" won't give you much left.

If it STILL feels too low, you might try another piece of scrap wood, but rout the joystick into the TOP of the wood, so that it flushes up with the top of the piece of wood.

If THAT feels too low, you're pretty much out of luck, as that is as high as the stick will mount nicely.


That said, I solder ALL my connections (except the screw terminal ones, obviously).
Soldering is a personal preference; but I've NEVER had a solder connection go bad on me, and have saved ALOT of money buying my $3.19 roll of solder vs. all the quick disconnects I would have had to buy over the years.

[Tahnok]

All right, that is all encouraging. I think I will try screwing it to the bottom of a scrap and see if it feels sturdy enough for me (I don't bash sticks very hard). I am also glad to hear that I can solder the stuff without worry. Thanks!

[NoOne=NBA=]

If you mount it straight to the bottom, the sturdy part shouldn't be too big an issue.
It's more an issue of how the stick height feels.

As you start to rout, I'd really consider going with the carriage bolts on MDF.
I use screws even in my routed mounts, but my CP is 1x Poplar.
The screws have less chance of powdering the wood, and coming out, in the solid wood.

[Tahnok]

If you mount it straight to the bottom, the sturdy part shouldn't be too big an issue.
It's more an issue of how the stick height feels.

Oh, OK, thats good. I don't have a router so I will have to be happy with the height. The only thing I was unsure about was how sturdy it would be.

[danny_galaga]

That said, I solder ALL my connections (except the screw terminal ones, obviously).
Soldering is a personal preference; but I've NEVER had a solder connection go bad on me, and have saved ALOT of money buying my $3.19 roll of solder vs. all the quick disconnects I would have had to buy over the years.

ditto

[Sylentwulf]

Do a search for T-nuts as well if you want a really nice way to secure the joysticks and not have bolts showing on the top of the CP.

[Tahnok]

I just installed one of the joysticks with screws going up through the bottom with no problem. The stick is very secure.

I think I may end up using the quick disconnects though. Soldering has turned out to be quite a pain. Something about the metal the joystick buttons are made out of makes it rather hard to get a good connection.

[reebboy]

I have 4 t-sticks that I mounted under the panel with some beefy wood screws. With 2 young children yanking on them they have remained solid.

[DanteBK]

Not trying to hijack thread but I had this same question about Happ Supers. I tried test fitting them from underneath with extra wood but it seems WAY short ... Then since they have that extra lip and I dont have any current plans for an overlay, I thought I might just jigsaw a hole from the thinner part and top mount it using the lip.

I think that will be totally functional and secure but might end up looking ridiculous. I borrowed a router to make t-molding slots but have no idea what kind of bit I'd need or even HOW I would rout an impression and despite relentless google and thread searching can't find someone who actually spells it out for inexperienced woodworkers like myself.

Any advice would be appreciated.

[gregor7777]

I borrowed a router to make t-molding slots but have no idea what kind of bit I'd need or even HOW I would rout an impression and despite relentless google and thread searching can't find someone who actually spells it out for inexperienced woodworkers like myself.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Are we talking about routing the underside of the wood CP? I had no idea either till I gave it a shot. Bascially you just buy the proper bit size(you can ask at Home Depot or whatever) and set the depth adjustment on the router base to 3/8 or whatever and go to work. You may or may not need a "pilot hole" to start with depending on whether or not you have a plunge router. Ididn't, so I had to drill a hole first.

Someone may be able to explain better I'm sure but it's REALLY easy.