Mounting Happ Super Joysticks

[3NF]

My plan for the new control panel is to mount these guys onto a piece of 3/4 Birch Veneered plywood.  I've read, in so many places, that some people feel that it isn't a good idea to screw the joysticks into the control panel from underneath.  I guess some felt that the screws would get loose after awhile.

Well, I'm considering doing the same here, so that the top of the board is nice and clean.  I'm wondering if the above concern only applies to control panels made of MDF  My experience with MDF is that once you take the screw out, don't plan on putting it back in.  The same applies to particle board.  It seems that plywood, or reall wood, is a little more forgiving.

[dac]

I've seen a couple of responses to this idea, several people say that if you're nice to your board, it should be fine to do this.  One dissenter to that opinion said that screwing it into plywood caused the first 2 layers of ply to give way...

I'm of the opinion that the bolts are best, they don't seem to get in the way of my play, and though I'm gentle to my cp (most of the time), I can't vouch for all of the people who I play with.

I used 3/4" Oak ply, with bolts,  a suggestion? when you cut the hole for the joystick, make sure enough of the joystick sticks out for your taste.  I ended up routing out 1/4" to give it "the right feel"... seemed much better, even though it wasn't a ton longer...

[SNAAAKE]

Use bolts at any cost  

After all the hard work,you do wanna play hard right?

[hyiu]

if you plan on screwing and unscrewing back and forth... then yes... the hole will get bigger and looser....

but if you're not doing this often... and like for say... after some time, it became loose.... you can still fix that loose hole....

go get come toothpicks... and fill the hole.... and cut it flat... then put some wood glue and fill that toothpick filled hole...
(I would prefer you to get those thicker round toothpicks than those cheesy thin flat toothpicks....)

once you put the wood glue in, screw it back on.... and let the glue dry.... after its all set, it should be nice and secure again....
(since the toothpick will give it support and glue will help hold everything together.... it works on all wood furnitures / book shelves... joints.. etc)

but since joystick is really "high traffic - high pressure" connections... I cannot guarantee how good it will hold / how long it will last....

(of course... this can only be done like once when its really bad.... but still better than nothing....)

hope it helps....
       

[3NF]

Thanks everyone for your feed back

Hyiu,

That is actually a very good suggestion!  I've only taken the screws out once and the joystick feels very snug in place.  I really don't see myself taking the screws out anytime soon, but I'll keep your suggestion in mind in case I ever need to do so

thanks again

[Dave Dribin]

FWIW, I used the black carriage bolts from Happ Controls that they recommend for the trackball plate.  I've got a black laminate control panel, so they blend in nicely.

-Dave