U360 and J360 mounting method in 3/4" MDF : rock solid and no bolts

[doctorhifi]

When I was building my CP the actual method of mounting I was going to use for a Ultimate (U360) joystick was uncertain until I actually had one in hand.  I found this thread useful as a starting point:
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=66766.0

Based on my research on this forum I had decided the following criteria:

-I wanted my sticks mounted below the cp.  I planned on recessing it 3/8".
-I wanted the standard handle shafts that the U360 shipped with to stick out of the top enough so I didnt have to order longer shafts.
-I wanted the stick to be easily removable in case of failure and replacement being necessary (no glue, epoxy, etc. holding it in place as some had suggested)
-I wanted no bolt or screw heads showing on the top of the CP
-I wanted the stick secured to the CP in a solid way that didnt allow for screws to strip out, or pull out of the MDF over time and rigorous gameplay.

I thought I'd share what I came up with since although I'm sure its been done by others before me, I didn't see this detailed anywhere.

1.  First I remove the metal plate from the top of the U360.  Unscrew 4 screws and it pops off.
2.  I routered a 3/8" deep recess in the bottom of my 3/4" thick MDF control panel based on the exact size of metal mounting plate.  Precision was important because I wanted the boundaries of the recess to lock in the U360 so it couldnt move at all.  BTW I'm using a 3/8" diameter router bit here so the radius of the recess is a match for the U360 plate radius. 

[doctorhifi]

3.  Then I reassembled the U360 to the mounting plate and set it in the recess so I could measure the distance between the bottom of the mounting plate and the bottom of the control panel.  I used this measurement to cut two wooden shims

[doctorhifi]

4.  Setting the joystick in place I then placed the shims in place.  The shims were also cut with precision and then sanded so they provided a snug fit.

Notice how I wanted the shim to be even with the bottom of the control panel

[doctorhifi]

5.  Finally, I used some thin but rigid metal pieces I had laying around to hold the shims in place and screwed them down.  The metal allowed me to use a few 3/4" screws to really bite into the MDF.  No worries about these pulling out over time.  You could use virtually any material here to hold the shims in place: 3/4", 1/2" 1/8" as long as it was rigid. 

Now I realize that I could have simply screwed through the metal U360 mounting plate into the 3/8" of MDF that was left to screw to in that recess and not bother with the shims and all, but I didnt have confidence that screwing into 3/8" of MDF was enough holding power.  After all, its not like screwing into oak.  This mounting method meets all my criteria and leaves me confident that these joysticks will not budge over time.  The joysticks are easy to remove or replace.

Of course you can combine the shim method AND screw into the 3/8" in the recess if you want to, you'll just have to notch out the shims to account for the screw heads.

BTW the J360 joystick housing is exactly the same size as the U360 so this method works great for the J360 too.

[javeryh]

Awesome.  I thought of doing this exact thing myself but got lazy.  I screwed into the 3/8" material anyway.  It feels rock solid but if it ever comes loose I'm going to be making myself some shims...   

[Chris G]

Good timing for me - I'm just about to mount mine in the panel I'm finally finishing.  So thanks for the idea and also the inspiration to be creative.


Chris

[Lakersfan]

Great pics. Thanks for taking the time to share.

[patrickl]

I sandwiched the metal plate between a top and bottom layer of wood. It's sort of a mid mount (instead of top or bottom mount) I bound the layers together using t-nuts and a bolts. The two layers of wood together make it pretty strong.