Another Tron-lookin trigger-stick hack

[MinerAl]

Same general idea as the Raider hack, but this one is a Macsense FunStick Pro F-108 handle grafted to a Happs Super with a 3/8" (couldn't find 1cm) steel tube. 

(the blue part is about 6" long)





I have yet to make the trigger and buttons functional.  There are fewer wires coming out than I would expect for a hat and 4 buttons (3 thumb and one trigger).  I would expect 4 from the hat, 4 from the buttons and 1 ground, but I've only got 6 wires total. 

Either the hat is sending code down 1 and the 5 others are 4 buttons and 1 ground, or the hat is 4, all the buttons share 1, and 1 ground.

I'll figure that out tomorrow.

If it's wired wacky, I may remove the opaque blue plastic card with the hat and the 2 round buttons on it, replacing it with a graphic similar to the Tron logo, then just wire up the thumb and trigger manually (oy! soldering!).

I'll make a little how-to if anybody's interested.

I'm VERY pleased with how solid the whole thing came out.  No wiggle, and I used an original way to keep it from twisting (which I will reveal once I make sure it works).

My only problem is that there's no room for this on my present cabinet.  Dang, I'm gonna have to start another one!

[u_rebelscum]

I'll make a little how-to if anybody's interested.

I'm VERY pleased with how solid the whole thing came out.  No wiggle, and I used an original way to keep it from twisting (which I will reveal once I make sure it works).

Looks good.

I'd like to know how you made it not wiggle, if nothing else.  A how-to on the whole thing would be even better.  Thanks.

My only problem is that there's no room for this on my present cabinet.  Dang, I'm gonna have to start another one!

Join the club!  

[GamingGreg]

Yes, a how-to would be very helpful.  How "sturdy" is this kind of hack, do you think?  Will the handle soon wiggle it's way off?

[MinerAl]

I got to use a multimeter today to double check the wiring I figured out from tracing the leads on the pc-board.  The wires inside are:

Orange - Common (GND)
Black - Trigger
Brown - Offset thumb button
Yellow - Left top button
Green - Right top button
Red - Hat?

The idea that the red wire is for the hat switch is a guess.  No circuit was completed with the orange and red wires no matter what I did with any buttons including the hat.  I'm going to leave the blue card with the buttons and hat on the stick anyway, since the other two buttons each work.

I took one of the Happs Super base's switches off and drilled a hole in the (I thought) stationary cuff of the grommit thinggy that centers the joystick (part 96-1421-00 in the Happs exploded view) and drilled a corresponding hole in the shaft of the stick.  I lined them up, and stuck a little plastic clip in there to hold them together.  Then I put the joystick switch back.  Unfortunately the grommit thinggy does spin, but it is held against the bottom of the housing by the spring, so the friction is fairly high.  It won't spin unless you try to make it, so it's better than nothing.  I might try 1UP's no-spin hack later if it bugs me.

The reason the stick doesn't wiggle is because of the way the original Macsense Funstick Pro F-108 was put together.  The part that connects the blue plastic handle to the pots inside the base of the F-108 goes about an inch up into the handle and is secured by 4 plastic tabs.  That whole inch has a 3/8" hollow in the exact center.  All you have to do is cut the closed bottom off of that inch of the part, drill 4 holes in your 3/8" pipe and it fits like a frickin glove.  Solid.  No wiggle.  Really.

I would recommend thie Macsense Funstick Pro F-108 for hacking.  These, like the blue Raiders, are now thin on the ground, but it gives you two things to look for.  If the F-106's handle attaches the same way, it has an even more Tron-like look and isn't as right handed as the F-108.

[MinerAl]

I got a F-106 from MegaMac ($4.99!) a few months ago and its handle does indeed connect the same way.  I like the looks of the 108 better, but it's much harder to come by.

I've also just bought a spinner from OSCAR and will be making a Mini-TRON cabinet as soon as school gets out and I have a minute to think.

In order to make the super/F-108 act like a "mostly 4-way" TRON stick, I'm going to shave down the 8-way end of the hourglass actuator until you have to really try to get it into the corners.  So the 8-way end will still be bigger than the 4-way, but only barely.  This works beautifully in my head... we'll see how it goes in real life

I'll be making the 106s into super-triggers too.  The conversion is too easy not to, and they're useless to me otherwise.  Maybe I'll have a TRON cocktail someday.

[Kremmit]

In order to make the super/F-108 act like a "mostly 4-way" TRON stick, I'm going to shave down the 8-way end of the hourglass actuator until you have to really try to get it into the corners.  So the 8-way end will still be bigger than the 4-way, but only barely.  This works beautifully in my head... we'll see how it goes in real life

I was thinking of using a Reunion base and shaving the restrictor to BARELY allow the diagonals.  I like your idea better, though, since I already have a Super base, and would have had to order the Reunion.  The only functional difference would be the feel of the round restrictor instead of the diamond shaped one.

[daywane]

you could not find a 1 cm tube?
I just skimmed the post and my metric is foggy
i think 10 mm = 1 cm if so I have tons of it.
if 10 mm = 1 cm just tell me how long you need it, I will cut you off a piece.

I work in power steering lines at work. All our tubes are 10 mm thick
I can grab a section out of the scrap bin , toss it in the cnc lath and cut it to length. inner diameter hole is 7 mm. side wall are 1.5 mm thick
PM me if you need some tubes, I will forget this thread probably. 

[Hoagie_one]

did you figure out teh hat switch?

[MinerAl]

daywane: yeah 1cm=10mm.  How bendy is the power steering line?  Would it hold up to being a lever like a joystick handle is?

Hoagie_one:  I didn't get the hat switch working as a hat switch, no.  As I said, I couldn't figure out how it sent any signal down the red wire.  I'm good with things like simple switches, but the hat was too complex for me.  Really, since the joystick isn't going to be analog, the hat would've been redundant anyway. 

I'm strongly considering taking the blue plastic plate with the two switches and the hat and replacing it with a TRON or Gorf looking insert with just the two switches.  Maybe just shave off the hat and put an insert looking sticker over the hole.

[Hoagie_one]

yeah, if you cant get the hat to work....just replace it with a button or something

[19rjs99]

I have been working on this same project for about 1 year now. It is sitting in the closet right now. I added blue elwire on the inside of mine, and the glow is really cool. I used a peice of stainless steel brake line ($4 from autoparts) for my shaft. It works really well and no bending. It does fit like a glove. I removed the hat from the board. The ceter pops out and there is a little screw holding it on. I am going to add a tron design logo as well. If you get some thing that works please share the artwork. I am waiting for my new digital camera and I will add some pics.