For Sale: Hollow joystick shafts, LED Lit for Sanwas/T-Sticks + More

[Franco B]

Oh, the socket works?

Great...but there's still the problem with the 5mm-LED reaching into the balltop.....I just tried it.....the 4 connectors of the RGB-LED are too big and cannot be set into the hollow shaft (4 in a row, if you get a LED where they are arranged in a rectangle, it might work).

It sure does

I got the hardware through this week (thanks Ben!) and I had a good few hours last night developing a shaft that would fit inside the standard JLW/U360 but still perform the same. If I had just been making it for the JLW it would have been easy as you could just hang the socket out the back but with the U360 you have to keep the hangout to a minimum to maintain the distance between the magnet and hall affect sensor whilst also still getting a socket (the same size as the original shaft), inside the shaft and still maintaining spring travel etc.

I don't know how you got your shafts machined but I added a 30 degree chamfer (to the thread OD) to the shafts I made to give more room for LED mounting. I'm pretty damn sure I will be able to slightly bend the wires into a 2x2 array , solder to them, heat shrink them and still fit them inside a ball and down the shaft. It will be a tight fit and some slight drilling of the bubble tops may be required (which is necessary with the never batches of closed end insert nuts ) but it will be done.

Hell, personally I only need to get two wires in a JLW but its more fun trying to get four in a U360.

[Luigi]

My shafts have a simple (hollow) thread on top. I don't do them on my own but have to order them. If I make changes to the shafts I'll have to pay more and people won't buy them if they are more expensive.


I'm looking forward to your solution 

[Franco B]

Ok, this is the plan. For reference, below is a 3/4 section model of the standard Sanwa JLW/U360 shaft assembly:



Ive coloured the components for clarity. The red part is the shaft, the yellow part is the steel elbow joint, the blue part is the upper spring keeper, the black section is the spring, the green section is the lower spring keeper/micro switch actuator and the pink part is the e-clip.

My solution has gone through quite a few changes and is likely to change very slightly again (dimensionally) but this is how the shaft assembly should look.





The 4-pole sockets I'm using require a mounting hole of 9mm. The standard shaft is 9mm so I had to enlarge the lower shaft to 12mm so it can house the socket. The only problem with this was that the shaft is normally inserted into the joystick base from the top and has to pass through the 9.05mm elbow joint and so the larger 12mm section would not pass though. I solved this by moving the e-clip to the left of the elbow joint so the shaft can be inserted from the bottom.

I have also taken the upper spring keeper and lower spring keeper/micro switch actuator out of the equation to allow the socket to be housed. Ive built the lower spring keeper/micro switch actuator into the shaft. It does not need the hood as its only in place on the standard shaft to keep the spring central as the standard shaft diameter is much smaller than the 'bore' of the spring. The increased lower shaft diameter will now keep the spring central.

The upper spring keeper will be replaced with a more basic nylon washer which will allow extra room for the socket and also for extra wiring clearance. Once again, it does not need the extra section of the standard spring keeper as the increased shaft diameter will keep it central.

Well that's the plan anyway. I'm off on holiday (vacation  ) for two weeks in a couple of days so I'm going to get a prototype made when I get back.

EDIT: Added another view if it helps to visualise it.

[massive88]

Franco,

I have PMed and emailed you about buying a JLF shaft with red LED and gotten no response?

Luigi, if Franco falls through do you ship to the US?  Could you quote me a price to ship a JLF shaft with red LED for 5v source wired up and ready to go to Dallas TX?

Thanks.

[Franco B]

Hey massive88. I emailed you this morning. I cant do 5v red with the resistors I have, Im sure Luigi can sort you out tho.

[massive88]

Hey massive88. I emailed you this morning. I cant do 5v red with the resistors I have, Im sure Luigi can sort you out tho.

Which email address did you send it to?  I have a yahoo account listed here, and I emailed you from my google account.

Id be willing to give it a shot wiring it myself (more gratifying in the end anyway).  Do you have the LED and shaft that you would sell/ship?  Or just the shaft?

[Franco B]

I emailed you back to your google address.

I have RGB LEDs and resistors for 12v. I cut the cathodes off that I dont need so Im left with a red, green or blue cathode and the ground anode.

I can quite happily send you a shaft + pre cut red RGB LED and resistor but I think you want a to power it from a 5v source do you not? I would pick you up a resistor suitable for 5v but im not going to get chance before I go on holiday.

If you want a 5v solution im sure Luigi will be happy to help you out.

[whammoed]

Franco,

Are you planning on attaching the magnet to the jack like Bender did?

[Franco B]

Yup, thats the plan. I made the first prototype, it just needs some slight adjustment.

Im hoping to take another look in a couple of weeks when I have some other projects out of the way.

[Twin-X]

Hey Franco,

I quit fiddling arround to find a way for a lighted ball top since you told you were working on one.
However i recently bought a restrictor plate and this is great!

Do you have a restrictor plate? As i am wondering if i can leave it on when you are done and eventually make me a few

[whammoed]

Yup, thats the plan. I made the first prototype, it just needs some slight adjustment.

Im hoping to take another look in a couple of weeks when I have some other projects out of the way.

How is it attached?  Glue?
Do you see any issues with accuracy or centering using this method?
Keep up the good work.  I don't have a desire to light one of these but it would give me a basis to make a cool Tron-Cocktailesque type trigger stick. 

[atxscarface]

Are these still for sale? Id like to purchase one of the hollowed shafts.

[Ummon]

Look up FrancoB.

[Neverending Project]

PM sent!

[Franco B]

These are no longer availibale.

Kaytrim sells modded shafts, his website is http://www.kaytrimskustoms.com/Shop/