The NEW Build Your Own Arcade Controls
Main => Main Forum => Topic started by: Jakobud on June 01, 2002, 09:37:54 pm
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Hey guys,
Been looking for bolts to use for my joysticks. Can't seem to find what I want at Home Depot. If you check out a genuine arcade cabinet, the 4 bolts used for the joystick are usually always smooth headed, like a carriage bolt head, making them tamper-proof. I can't seem to find bolts like this anywhere. I really don't want bolts that have torx, screw or hex holes in them. I want them smooth like carriage bolt heads. You ask "Why do I not just use carriage bolts?" then...well, have you ever looked closely at a carriage bolt? You know how they always have that square or hex shaped part underneath the head? I don't want that on there. With that, I don't think it will properly fit in Happ's joysticks anyways. I just want a plain bolt where the thread goes all the way to the head, and the head is smooth topped. And by the way, I will just fasten it but gripping the bottom of the bolt with plyers and then just screwing a nut on there. Anyways, the closest thing I can find at Home Depot is carriage bolts, but the heads on the carriage bolts are too big. The diameter I mean. They are larger than the heads on the normal arcade cabinets I have seen. Anyways, what do you guys think? Know where the hidden stash is? I looked all over Happ's website for them, but all I saw on there were carriage bolts. Not sure if those will work properly or not...
Jakobud
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By the way, I have checked Bob Robert's site. I see black 3/16" x 1-1/4" carriage bolts on there. But I need 1/4" ones, not 3/16" ones...unless anyone here knows whether or not those 3/16" ones will work with my Happ Competitions properly......
also by the way, I would prefer black bolts, not SS or Galv.
Jakobud
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By the way, I have checked Bob Robert's site. I see black 3/16" x 1-1/4" carriage bolts on there. But I need 1/4" ones, not 3/16" ones...unless anyone here knows whether or not those 3/16" ones will work with my Happ Competitions properly......
also by the way, I would prefer black bolts, not SS or Galv.
Jakobud
I am using 3/16" carriage bolts on my 3/4" wood control panel with Happ Competitions. IIRC, 1/4" bolts are too tight for the competitions. (Use nuts instead of screwing into the plastic, since metal is stronger that plastic.)
Carriage bolts supposed to help make sure the nuts tighten well, and prevent the bolts from loosening by turning freely. I don't know what to do on metal panels, though.
BTW, I was looking for bolts like you discribed when I was buying the stuff, but couldn't find any. That and everyone* else used carriage bolts, so I went with the carriage bolts.
*Some people countersunk screws on the bottom side so nothing showed on top, but that was too fancy for me.
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If you haven't tried them already check
Ace Hardware . They have a great selection of screws and bolts . I haven't seen a bolt as you described but if all else fails buy the carriage bolts and modify them with a grinding wheel of a dremel tool or modify the bolt holes in your joystick.
Slug54
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Okay thanks guys. It looks like I might be chasing the wrong thing here anyways. From what I am hearing from here, and from Bob Roberts is that 1/4" bolts won't even fit real well and that 3/16" ones are what I should go with anyways.
Thanks
Jakobud
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One more idea...someone posted somwhere about painting the tops of screws or bolts with black high-heat Tremclad spraypaint, which is used for painting BBQ grills etc. They said you just let the paint dry, then bake them in the oven for an hour, and they are almost impossible to scratch! Sounds good to me...Dunno where to get it though...
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I also used Home Depot's carriage for my joysticks... they do not really fit Happs joystick's screw hole... (the screws are just a little bit bigger...., so... I drill a good size drill bit thru it... and opens it up a little...) then it fits well....
when I do my joysticks, after a couple of tries, I now put an artwork on top and then put a piece of lexan for protection... (with artwork and lexan, MUCH MUCH better look and feel....)
also... I use a screw of smaller head for the joystick mount, but then dremel the top of the hole so that the screw head sinked into the wood (I use 3/4 plywood), so, after I put on the artwork and lexan, you don't see any screw heads anymore.... (only the 4 corner screws, and I use carriage bolts on those...) (btw, is that what other people call "countersink" ?? I don't know what that word means... )
I'm working on my site... but finally... I got some pics uploaded.... go to
http://www.geocities.com/hyiu/Arcade/pics
and look for nice_stick.jpg
that one only has 4 corner carriage bolts...
if you look at modified_stick.jpg or current_setup.jpg, you can see other sticks showed the other 4 bolts....
actually, its not that much more work hiding the screw heads.... I personally think its worthed the extra work...
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So far this is the best that I have found.
(http://erikruud.freeservers.com/arcade/joystickbolts.jpg)
I got these at Ace Hardware, they call them security bolts.
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hyiu.....
YO THAT'S MY CABINET :o
no........wait a second..i sold it already......
anyways...for the carriage bolts...dont use home depot carriage bolts,they are too DAMN big...go to ACE hardware...or little hardware stores...it was soooooo easy to find around here...
ACE would the first target...if everything fails then you always have arcade parts distributer...good luck ;D
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Hi me... (or should I still call you ArcadeKing here??)
yes... I got that cab from you....
and I'm starting to work on it soon... heee hee....
;D
(sorry.... not related to this topic....)
:P
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Okay, what I finally ended up was ordering some stuff for Bob Roberts. He has 3/16" x 1 1/4" BLACK carriage bolts. He said they fit the Happ joysticks perfectly :) And considering that they are black, that is even better :)
Jakobud
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hey sorry if im late, but what i did was got screws that were short enough and screwed in from bottom, thus no annoying screws on the face period
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You may want to try McMaster-Carr.
www.mcmaster.com
They have just about everything under the sun as far as hardware goes, and they usually have a very quick turnaround (next day in some cases).
I hope you find what you need.
Jim Mc 'G'
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"By the way, I have checked Bob Robert's site."
Can anyone point me to a URL for this site? I'm interested in the black tamper-proof bolts myself.
Rich
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It is simple to find. Click "Links" on the menu from www.arcadecontrols.com. Then click "Parts Vendors". Now scroll down just a little and you will find a link to Bob Roberts (http://personal.msy.bellsouth.net/msy/b/o/bob147/)