There's only one person who can do this...RandyT

[arzoo]

Illuminated RGB ball-top joystick replacement handles. Randy – you've already got cool colored ball-tops for the various joysticks (including the 49-way). You’ve already got cool RGB illuminated buttons and trackball products. It seems like the next step should be illuminated joystick handles! Any chance this will happen?

[headkaze]

Hear Hear! I'm about to order some RGB Buttons from Randy, and wouldn't mind having a an RGB ball-top joystick to go along with it.

[squirrellydw]

And have it work with the U360 and reunion sticks

[RandyT]

There's always a chance

I actually have balls on my shelf slated for this project.  They are just waiting for me to do something with them.

There are a number of challenges to the implementation of the ball to the shaft however  (eghh!  this is starting to sound dirty...so please try to refrain yourselves  )

Some shafts have very small diameters that don't allow for holes to go through the center unless they are very small.  Then there is the issue of either a slip connection somewhere or a limiter to prevent stick rotation from winding up the wires until they snap.  2 wires are one thing, 4 is another. 

All that being said, the Retro edition of the OMNI-Stik Prodigy currently has a hollow shaft that would work for this and I have been contemplating just offering the RGB ball-tops for folks to do with them what they will.  Any interest in this?

RandyT

[horseboy]

There's always a chance

I actually have balls on my shelf slated for this project.  They are just waiting for me to do something with them.

There are a number of challenges to the implementation of the ball to the shaft however  (eghh!  this is starting to sound dirty...so please try to refrain yourselves  )

Some shafts have very small diameters that don't allow for holes to go through the center unless they are very small.  Then there is the issue of either a slip connection somewhere or a limiter to prevent stick rotation from winding up the wires until they snap.  2 wires are one thing, 4 is another. 

All that being said, the Retro edition of the OMNI-Stik Prodigy currently has a hollow shaft that would work for this and I have been contemplating just offering the RGB ball-tops for folks to do with them what they will.  Any interest in this?

RandyT

Yes, I would be interested. Also, technical jargon can sometimes be hilarious. 

[edge]

Randy - since we are talking about your sticks....

Any word on your new 49-way?

[RandyT]

Randy - since we are talking about your sticks....

Any word on your new 49-way?

I am hard at work on it.  The sticks are ready, but the new interface keeps having more features added to it.  It's all good though, as a few games will be playable properly that weren't before, and one of the new features adds some interesting possibilities for gameplay.

The most recent one has required a bit of a firmware re-write and each new thing requires additions to the software, so it's not going to be as soon as I would like.  But this is that last thing I will be adding (it has to be, I'm about out of memory on the chip  ) so it's on the downslope now.

RandyT

[Havok]

Put me down for a vote to have U360 shaft/ball upgrade...

 

(Ooohh I feel so dirty saying that!!!)

[fatfingers]

Put me down for a vote to have U360 shaft/ball upgrade...

I concur!

[arzoo]

I have been contemplating just offering the RGB ball-tops for folks to do with them what they will.  Any interest in this?

RandyT

That seems like a good solution - let the user decide how to handle the wire twist issue.

I wonder how SlikStik does it?

Anyway, put me down for one 49 and 5 Supers!

[Popcorrin]

I actually adapted a 49way joystick to accept one of slikstiks illuminated joystick handles.  The rgb one they sell is hackable to allow full color control.  Hopefully in the next couple of weeks I get around to doing the hack, just haven't had time.  I can't wait to try it out with headkaze's gameex led plugin and mala's led plugin. 

I don't think it would be easy to add an illuminated handle to a U360 due to the fact it has the pcb directly beneath the shaft and the shaft also has a magnet at the end of it.  It might be possible but I would be curious to know where you would run your wires.

[Kaytrim]

Some shafts have very small diameters that don't allow for holes to go through the center unless they are very small.  Then there is the issue of either a slip connection somewhere or a limiter to prevent stick rotation from winding up the wires until they snap.  2 wires are one thing, 4 is another. 

Just use real small gauge wire set and have a pin coming from the side of the shaft and a keyhole slot in the base to accept the pin.  This will prevent the shaft from turning and eventually snapping the wires.  The keyhole can be done by the owner with a dremel if needed.  I can see that as an option on my Midway 49-way bases.

Edit:  I just found a thread that modifies a SlickStick shaft to use a RBG led.  Thought it might give you some ideas Randy.

[arzoo]

So that's how SS solves the wire twist problem - it's nothing more than an audio jack at the base of the shaft.