General joystick mounting question

[zerocle]

Okay, I have a relatively simple question, that Im sure will get about a dozen answers. I am looking for the best way to mount my happ super josyticks. I have 5/8" MDF for my control panel, with a 3/32" sheet of plexi over it. In the plexi i drilled a 1 1/8" hole for the joystick to come through, and then cut out a 2.5" x2.5" hole for the base of the josytick in the mdf. Now I am wondering how to do the final routing for the joystick, I am wondering if I should just route it out, and make the route 3/8" inch deep, and screw in the joystick, and be done with it. My fear with that is that the mdf under neath the joystick will be to thin, and break under pressure. My other idea was route it again 3/8 inch deep, but also put a backing sheet underneath the joystick, and use machine bolts to sandwhich the backing, to the main cp, to the joystick. I am open to any ideas/ways other people have done it, success stories, and terror stories, so please discuss, and im sure this will be a learning experience for all. Thanks ahead of time 

[ahofle]

I think the best way to mount is from the bottom via carriage bolts over the plexi.  I was even lazier and just used wood screws to attach from the bottom.  It's been 3 years and I haven't had any issues with them.  BTW, you need a 1 1/4" hole for the stick to have enough play (not 1 1/8").  I sincerely hope you mounted this on a test piece of MDF, seeing as how you are not even sure how you are going to do it yet and you've already begun cutting. 

[needlesmcgirk]

How deep does the 1 1/4" hole have to be?  I thought the whole was only supposed to be as wide as the plastic ring that you put in the wood.  Are you supposed to have a hole with that dimension under a hole that is 1 1/4"?  Thank you for your help!

I am using 3/4" Ply for my control panel by the way.

[ahofle]

1 1/4" all the way through the wood.  The dust washer for the Happs Supers is significantly bigger than 1 1/4" so you will never see the hole anyway.

[zerocle]

right now i have a 1 1/8" hole drilled into my plexi, then i have a 2.5x2.5" hole drilled into my 5/8" mdf. my initial plan was to route 1/4" into the mdf, mount the joystick in there, with wood screws drilling downwards into the mdf. Then i got wondering to myself if the remaining 3/8" support underneath would be enough, and if I would have enough overhead on top for the screws. After I thought of this i started throwing around other ideas, adding a backer onto the control panel underneath the joysticks that is glued and then use machine bolts from washers underneath the sandwiched wood to the top of the joystick plate to sandwich it all together. Now waht I want to know is if the machine screws are overkill, the thickness of other peoples wood, and the depth of their route, also how they mounted the joysticks to the control panel. When you say you screwed up into it, do you mean you screwed directly up through the plastic?

[ahofle]

When you say you screwed up into it, do you mean you screwed directly up through the plastic?

I simply drilled a 1 1/4" hole in both lexan and MDF, centered the stick from the bottom of the MDF, and then drilled up into the CP and screwed the joystick base to the bottom of the CP (but short of the lexan).  If you really want more strength than wood screws, then you can do the same thing, except use carriage bolts through both the lexan and wood (but of course you will see the bolts on the top of your CP this way).  The shafts of the supers are adjustable for wood and metal CPs and the bat length was fine for me mounting this way.

[BlinKY1337]

where did you get 5/8 MDF??

[ahofle]

Home Depot, but that was 3 years ago.

[BlinKY1337]

Lucky I settled for a peice of wood that I had to sand and put this crap all on top to make it smooth enough so my cpo wouldnt have lil wood grooves in it.

[rdowdy95]

My Project Arcade book said 1 1/8" hole.  Isn't that good for the Supers?

[brophog]

1 1/8" works well for most joysticks and all Happs buttons.

[zerocle]

yeah thats what i figured, why would happ require you to buy two different size drill bits, and i got my 5/8 " at Lowes, its like a scottsdale home depot, at least thats the way i look at it, they are a little more expensive, but they had what I was looking for.

[ahofle]

I could swear I had issues with the shaft touching the wood with 1 1/8" holes but it sounds like it works fine too.  Sorry for the misinformation. 

[zerocle]

maybe its because yours is so deep?

[ahofle]

That could be as well.  I didn't route out any wood and there is a 1/8" piece of lexan in addition to the 5/8" MDF, so 3/4" total thickness the joystick shaft needs to clear.  Either way, use scrap wood to test everything out before cutting the real CP.

[rdowdy95]

Always important I will be using a whole scrap control panel that I cut out, but it has some screw ups in the outer cutting.  I am testing mine out in that.  Cutting wood for me is tough>  I even use a sawboard and everything.  I cut a straight line on the line with the sawboard, but then I lose some 1/8" due to the saw blade.

[zerocle]

YEah I used a guide for my circular saw, and i still got a crooked line, i forgot to account for the fact that as I get towards the center, its going to bed outwards, so i had to go at it with a planar, and everything worked out I guess