anyone have the x-arcade tankstick?

[scurvy]

i'm probably going to get a tankstick, was wondering how easy it is to take apart, to paint the top, cause i dont like the top graphic.

[steveh]

if you are going to go threw all that why dont you just build it yourself?

[scurvy]

-i'm a noob
-tankstick is only $200
-plug and play usb sounds nice
-wires scare me

 

[Kaytrim]

-i'm a noob

We were all noobs at one time.

-tankstick is only $200

You can build a better stick for less then that.

-plug and play usb sounds nice

The interface cards that are available from Groovy Game Gear and Ultimarc are plug and play.

-wires scare me

Do you have nightmares of being strangled by wire or are you scared of fly-by-wire?    Seriously there is nothing to be scared of here.  The worst thing that can happen is that it doesn't work.  You shouldn't be able to fry anything let alone yourself.  The voltages that you will be working with are less than a 9v battery.  The parts won't even be plugged into the computer while you are doing the wiring anyway. 

Besides it is the painting that scares me

[Chris G]

Plus think of all the entertaining stories you might be able to provide us!   

Seriously, I can respect your decision if you just don't have the time, interest, etc... But keep in mind that if you do decide to DIY and get stuck, there's always someone here to help you work through it.

(I don't have one of those sticks or I'd answer the original question)

 
Chris

[scurvy]

its just it seems so much easier to buy it, like i bought a gutted arcade cab from someone, instead of making one.. i just am a bit scared with wood and tools.  lol hopefully this project will come out decent.

[Organic Jerk]

Well ultimately any new endeavor is going to be scary, but if you want a wortwhile job done at anything, you need to brave the storm and go at it.

You can do what you wish, as it's your cab, but coming into a place names "Build Your Own Arcade Controls" and asking about a pre-made construct will get you a majority of answers fitting the name of the place. (that and the X-arcade line doesn't really have the utmost of respect around here)

Wires, wood, and tools aren't really all that scary.  Like anything in life, it's key that you be educated and do things right, and that's what the majority of us are here for, as a community. 

If anything, maybe the CP by itself is the best way to weather the storm and help you build confidence, as it's a smaller construct, not very risky weight-wise, and mostly everything is re-usable..

If you wanted to make your own cake, but you didn't want to bake because you're scared of flour and heat, you could just buy a cake, but the satisfaction that comes with eating a great cake you baked yourself would definitely outlive any pre-purchased cake.. that and the knowledge you gain will help you with other endeavors, like...pies.

[knave]

If you wanted to make your own cake, but you didn't want to bake because you're scared of flour and heat, you could just buy a cake, but the satisfaction that comes with eating a great cake you baked yourself would definitely outlive any pre-purchased cake.. that and the knowledge you gain will help you with other endeavors, like...pies.

Sounds like he wants to buy the cake strip off the icing, install new bits of chocolate/fruit and then re do the icing.  Sounds like a lot of work...for a second hand cake. 

[Herk]

Scurvy,

     I have a tankstick.  Yes, it is very easy to take apart, but if you are scared of wires, beware, there are a lot of wires, you will be frightened.  The top graphic is embedded into the plastic overlay.  You could recover the top but painting it IMO would look very odd.

Herk

[patrickl]

Maybe you can cover the top with a new print?

BTW if you don't already have powertools then be prepared to spend a lot more than $200 on building that yourself.

[urbecrisch]

Scurvy, 3 months ago I knew nothing about BYOAC.  Since then I have been able to build two control panels and put together a CAB (like a test pilot).  I was able to successfully order all the parts, wiring, etc.  To be honest the best part of the whole CP experience for me was to wire it up.  I bought a solderless KeyWiz from Groovy Game Gear (GGG) and it was actually fun to wire it up and then use the KeyWiz software to remap some buttons.  The best part of working on this project is that I'm doing it myself.  Depends on what satisfies you but it's such a cool story to tell people and your friends will be blown away that you actually wired buttons, etc. for your own arcade game.  I even was able to use the CPU power supply to wire up my translucent trackball and NovaGemCDR™ Coin Drop Replacement Pushbuttons from GGG.  3 months ago I would never have been able to do that!
 
Now the CAB, that's a different story.  I originally picked up a gutted out Defender to learn that it was too small for my huge CP.  So I'm off to an auction to find a larger CAB I can clean up for my ultimate machine.  The Defender CAB is being used as my test machine and I will either keep it or sell it off to help pay for my ultimate dream machine.  If I cannot find anything locally or at this auction, then I'll build my own CAB.

The point I'm making is that it's OK if you want to pay for someone else doing the work but if you have the time and patience, you can make a really cool CP that you customized and built yourself and learn a lot during the process.  Add your built CP to your CAB and your on your way to a great arcade experience.  Read the forum daily and ask a lot of questions.  Most everyone on this forum are willing to help out and will give you some great advice.  We all started where you are at one point in time so good luck and keep us updated!  Whatever decision you make is respected and we're still here to help you on your way.  Cheers!

[steveh]

If you take apart the x-arcade tank stick, you will have to put it back together.  and this will require just as much wiring work, as building it from scratch.  The bonus with the scratch build is you can make it how you want, not how they want it.   

In the end it is up to you.  If you are not comfortable with the building then i would say buy the x-arcade, and leave it at that.  It is going to be alot of work to disassemble it and paint it, then reassemble it.  About as much work as building it from scratch. 

[FrizzleFried]

Prior to last September I had never soldered anything short of a couple of car stereo wires.  Flash forward to today and I have re-capped (replaced the capacitors) 4 different chassis,  I have replaced and entire tube,  yoke,  purity rings and all in one monitor,  I have wired  up 3 different cabinets,  got a dedicated Joust to work,  and I am working on my 5th cabinet.

Not bad for a dude who had ZERO experience in electronics before September.

Just JUMP IN bro...you won't regret it.