Joystick mounting help request

[Torc]

Ok I'm at the point where I'm ready to mount my joysticks.

I've created my router templates and i'm ready to go. my last dilemma is do I want to mount the sticks from the top or from the bottom.  FYI, the thread on making joystick templates here was awesome. It really helped.

I am leaning towards routing the top of the CP and dropping the sticks in that way. some of the drawbacks that come to mind are that I plan to use lexan or plexiglass as an overlay. If I do this and I need to remove any of the sticks It means I'll have to remove all the buttons to get the stick out (ouch). The other option would be to cut the lexan into segments so the part covering the button and sticks are separate pieces.

I don't like the idea of mounting the sticks from the bottom because all the material that has to be above the stick (1/4" Plywood, 3/16" of Lexan 1/16' of laminate) all this lowers the pivot point considerably below the level of the base of the control panel.  Generally speaking a standard joystick (i.e. happ super) which is flush mounted to the surface of the control panel, the pivot point lies around 3/4 to 1 inch below the deck. If you mount the stick from below, you're lowering the pivot point to 1.5 to 2 inches.
Does this pose any serious concerns or am I investing way too much thought into this?

any suggestions or thoughts will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

[severdhed]

i mounted mine below the panel, it makes the stiks a little shorter, but they work fine for me.

[Dervacumen]

I think it depends partly on what joysticks you are using and the length of the shaft on them.

I mounted two Happ Supers from under the CP and a Ms. Pac / Galaga Reunion stick from the top.  My CP is 5/8" plywood, with 1/8" Polycarbonate overlay.

[severdhed]

i have x-arcade sticks, which are modeled after the happ supers(i believe anyway).  i also have a betson space invaders 4way stick, which is also deep enough to be bottom mounted

[Torc]

I decided to mount em from the top.

I'll let you know how it works out as i progress. Here are some updated pics.

[NiteWalker]

Bottom mount. It's much more stable than top mounting. Also, a joystick CAN be mounted too high. The standard for happ super and competition sticks is 1/2"-5/8" from the TOP of the joystick base to the top of the control panel. What this means:
Say you're using 3/4" MDF for your control panel; you want your stick depth to be 5/8". You'd have to rout away 1/4" of material from the bottom creating the recess. Like this:

You'd then mount the stick like so:

Look at how the stick is mounted. Small machine nuts and bolts. Not coming loose anytime soon. Very sturdy and the height is perfect. --->

FYI, the height is about 1/8" lower than an x-arcade stick. I designed it this way because as the pivot lowers, there is less movement necessary to activate the switches. Basically it's a bit more responsive than a flush mount. I also like doing it this way because it avoids the need for visible mounting bolts on the top of the cp.

EDIT:
Oops...I was a bit late on this one....
Helpful info either way...

[AtomSmasher]

I top mounted mine, once my cab was complete I never needed to take the joysticks out, so I never had any problems.