Happ joysticks/buttons in an Astro City cab

[imjustabill]

I recently picked up an Astro City cab, and the joysticks and buttons are all in bad shape. I'm thinking of replacing them with Happ. I know the happ controls require smaller holes, but was wondering if they'd still fit in the 30mm Sanwa holes in the cabinet.

[Jack Burton]

yep, they'll fit.   Just make sure you screw the nut on tightly since there will be a couple of millimeters of wiggle room on the sides.

[imjustabill]

Will the joysticks work as well? Or is the mounting system different?

[Jack Burton]

Probably not.  I don't know what kind of panel your Astro has, but if it is the original then you will need to do some modifications.  By default, I think Astro's come with a an s-shaped mounting plate underneath the joystick hole, so you would have to remove that and drill new holes for you joystick.  Also, the joystick hole would need to be made larger.   Then you would need to find something to put between the metal control panel and your joystick to make sure the joysticks were the correct height, since the metal is only a few millimeters thick, and the joysticks need to be mounted in 1/2" to 3/4" material. 

It might be easier to order a new panel from a member named richardp here on the board.  He sells custom panels for this type of cabinet at a very reasonable price. 

You can look at this thread for some examples.

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=34558.msg321830#msg321830

[HaRuMaN]

richardp doesn't live here anymore...

Last Active:  March 07, 2008, 02:35:29 PM

[HaRuMaN]

And why would you want happ controls over sanwa / seimitsu?

[imjustabill]

And why would you want happ controls over sanwa / seimitsu?

I really prefer the concave buttons and bat-style stick. Also they're usually 50% cheaper, and I'm pretty tight on cash.  I'll probably just stick with sanwas, at least for the joysticks. I don't think there would be enough room for an extra 3/4 inch of mounting material inside the control panel, even if I wanted to go though with the mod.   Thanks for the help, Jack.

[Ginsu Victim]

I really prefer the concave buttons and bat-style stick.

You know, you can get Sanwa and Seimitsu with bats, as well.

[Jack Burton]

If you are tight on cash I recommend you make a post on the buy/sell/trade section of shoryuken.com  and ask if anyone wants to sell some buttons from a Hori Real Arcade Pro joystick.

The Real Arcade Pro, or HRAP as it is called comes stock with generic Hori buttons, but the SF players take them out and replace them with Sanwa or Seimitsu.  They usually just keep the old buttons for back ups.

The Hori buttons are nice, just not quite as sensitive as a sanwa, and they fit the exact same hole. 

You could probaby get one of the vendors on there to sell you a couple of Seimitsu joysticks, which are cheaper than Sanwas, but still high quality, and some Hori buttons together as a deal.  I would not pay over 50 cents each, though.

You might even want to ask the guys at lizardlick.com if they can do that for you.

@HarumaN:  That's unfortunate, he was always a real nice guy to deal with.

[imjustabill]

Ok, one last noob question. Do I have to buy a stick that comes with one of the S-shaped mounting plates, or can I get one that comes with a flat one and replace it with the ones I already have?

[Jack Burton]

If you already have the old joysticks with their S-shaped mounting plate, you should be able to unscrew it from the old joysticks and put it onto the new ones. 

see here:

http://lizardlick.com/images/for_sale/joysticks/jlf_p_1s.jpg

The four buttons in the center are where the mounting plate attaches to the joystick.  Make sure you get sticks that will line up with the holes on your mounting plate, or drill new ones. 

Seimitsu's may use a different plate, depending on what type you get, so make sure all your parts line up correctly before you buy anything.

[imjustabill]

Gotcha, thanks for the help Jack!

[Ginsu Victim]

megaultrasuper, you really need this shirt if you expect us to call you Jack

[Jack Burton]

I will wear one of those if I ever attend an auction or meetup.  But I should look for a version as a T-shirt, you really don't want to see me in that one.  Ol' Jack has let himself go a little bit.

[Ginsu Victim]

http://www.founditemclothing.com/t-shirts/big-trouble-in-little-china-shirt.html