stupid question, but i have to ask

[hulkster]

im a newbie of course, but im getting ready to build my first cp, and i know how big the holes are for the buttons, but is it the same for the joysticks?  1-1/8"??  i just want to make sure!  and all buttons are the same correct?....oh and my joysticks are super 8's from happ.

[J_K_M_A_N]

That is what I used. Good luck.

J_K_M_A_N

[jhsmith321]

That was the mesurement that I used too!

[hulkster]

well i just looked at the post about "shaft not being long enough" (heh) and it showed at the bottom, a dude having a big square cut out of his cp.  thats what i was wondering.  see i dont have my parts yet, but im going to build the cp and then put the parts in when they arrive.  but it looks like on that dudes cp that he cut a big square in his cp as apposed to a 1-1/8" hole for the joystick like i mentioned earlier.  now im confused!!!!  tell me yes or no, can i just use a 1-1/8 hole saw for drilling on my cp if all im putting in are buttons and super8 joysticks???

[grafixmonkey]

That's me...  I used Happ joysticks, and they all had a 2.5" square measurement on that box that sticks through the panel (the square hole).  To get it to sit flush I had to use a router to shave a border off the top of the hole, which wasn't hard at all but you might not have one.

Some people mount those to the bottom, and let the joystick stick through.  I dunno which is better, this is the first time I've done this too.

[hulkster]

okay, well for personal pref. i would rather mount the joystick box underneath the cp and have the stick itself up above the cp.  how thick should the mdf be then?  i also want to put some contact paper/design as well as some lexan over the top.  so with all this taken into account, how thick should the mdf be?  i already read the post below that talked about this sorta, but it involved routing.  anyway, can someone help me with my question?

[madk]

My sticks are mounted on the bottoms of my 1/2 inch mdf.  On top of the wood I even have 1/4 inch lexan and I still have plenty of room.

[hulkster]

okay, thanks man.  i think ill go with that,  unless anyone else can contradict it

[hulkster]

well i have another question, along with my super8's, i also got a 4 way joystick from happ.  however, i was reading something about people having to buy a mounting plate???  huh?  why wont the 4 way work the same way as the super8?  all i have to do for the super8 is drill a hole and mount from the bottom, is the 4 way not the same?

[AlanS17]

If you're talking about the Ms Pacman replacement 4-way then you're talking a totally different joystick. It has a MUCH shorter shaft since it is specifically made for the new Ms Pacman/Galaga machines which have a short stick and a short "throw". This means it has to be mounted right at the surface to get the proper placement. That means you need a plate or you have to flush mount it into the top of the panel.

[hulkster]

hmm, well i cant remember exactly what kind of 4 way i ordered.  but i DO remember, that ordered extra super8 joysticks, and i know that they are 4-8 way switchable.  im not a perfectionist, so i dont need the best possible control, but if i switch the control to a 4 way on the super8, will it be okay?  

[AlanS17]

Well I tried it and I didn't like it. It's supposed to keep it from registering the diagonals, but the thing still moved in a circle. Ontop of that, mine really didn't work and I kept hitting the diagonals anyways... Maybe you'll have better luck.

[meta87]

From what I've heard, it should still go in a complete circle, but the diagonals won't register while your playing.

[Happy_Dude]

Couldn't you just hook the diagonals up to a on/off switch ? seems like the simplist solution

[paigeoliver]

Couldn't you just hook the diagonals up to a on/off switch ? seems like the simplist solution

There are not separate switches for the diagonals. A diagonal is when it activates two switches at once. Thus no on/off switch is possible.

Also, unless the stick's movement pattern is diamond shaped, then it will feel wrong for 4-way games (which is the problem with most 4-way/8way sticks).

[hulkster]

so i guess ill have to order a mounting plate from oscar right?  will that fix it?