Top fire joysticks... has anyone made their own?

[LeedsFan]

The Happs top-fire stick hasn't had great reviews. And I just wondered if anyone has ever tried to make up their own in some clever way? Kinda like the guy that made those illuminated ball tops by drilling through the shaft.

I would like to try and incorporate a tiny button into the ball top of a U360. But as I think about it drilling through the shaft on this particular stick is a no-no as the bottom of the stick moves around over a sensor. So anything poking out at the bottom may infringe on the stick working properly. Also the ball top may not have enough material in it to incorprate any kind of switch, no matter how small.

I've though about making a separate attachment with the correct thread to house a small switch, and then run the wires somewhere down the side of the shaft. Would be a bit unsightly though.

Anyone tried anything like this with some modicum of success?

[Tahnok]

The only one successful attempt I know of off hand is RayB a long while back:

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?board=1;action=display;threadid=20914

[unclet]

Sounds like a lot of effort .... why not just buy a Happ Super Top Fire Button and put time/effort into something else?

[AllisterFiend]

Good luck trying to find one.  I've been waiting for years for a decent one to come out.

Sounds like a lot of effort .... why not just buy a Happ Super Top Fire Button and put time/effort into something else?

In my case, I just do not like the Happs, they are about as ugly as can be, and not very comfortable.  They just do not go with the way my cabinet looks.  I would like top fires to look like most of the normal joysticks that come out, kinda like the old wico ball tops and bat sticks that I use to have back in my commodore 64 days.

Allister Fiend


(Still hoping after all these years that Andy or Randy comes up with something.)

[LeedsFan]

That example in the link is exactly what I imagined in my mind. That is an excellent piece of ingenuity. Dunno if I could pull it off myself though... specially with a U360. And the thread is over three years old too.