Build Your Own Arcade Controls Forum
Main => Main Forum => Topic started by: arzoo on January 30, 2007, 10:55:48 am
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Illuminated RGB ball-top joystick replacement handles. ;D Randy – you've already got cool colored ball-tops for the various joysticks (including the 49-way). You’ve already got cool RGB illuminated buttons and trackball products. It seems like the next step should be illuminated joystick handles! Any chance this will happen?
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Hear Hear! I'm about to order some RGB Buttons from Randy, and wouldn't mind having a an RGB ball-top joystick to go along with it.
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And have it work with the U360 and reunion sticks
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There's always a chance :)
I actually have balls on my shelf slated for this project. They are just waiting for me to do something with them.
There are a number of challenges to the implementation of the ball to the shaft however (eghh! this is starting to sound dirty...so please try to refrain yourselves ;D )
Some shafts have very small diameters that don't allow for holes to go through the center unless they are very small. Then there is the issue of either a slip connection somewhere or a limiter to prevent stick rotation from winding up the wires until they snap. 2 wires are one thing, 4 is another.
All that being said, the Retro edition of the OMNI-Stik Prodigy currently has a hollow shaft that would work for this and I have been contemplating just offering the RGB ball-tops for folks to do with them what they will. Any interest in this?
RandyT
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There's always a chance :)
I actually have balls on my shelf slated for this project. They are just waiting for me to do something with them.
There are a number of challenges to the implementation of the ball to the shaft however (eghh! this is starting to sound dirty...so please try to refrain yourselves ;D )
Some shafts have very small diameters that don't allow for holes to go through the center unless they are very small. Then there is the issue of either a slip connection somewhere or a limiter to prevent stick rotation from winding up the wires until they snap. 2 wires are one thing, 4 is another.
All that being said, the Retro edition of the OMNI-Stik Prodigy currently has a hollow shaft that would work for this and I have been contemplating just offering the RGB ball-tops for folks to do with them what they will. Any interest in this?
RandyT
Yes, I would be interested. Also, technical jargon can sometimes be hilarious. :laugh2:
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Randy - since we are talking about your sticks.... ;)
Any word on your new 49-way?
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Randy - since we are talking about your sticks.... ;)
Any word on your new 49-way?
I am hard at work on it. The sticks are ready, but the new interface keeps having more features added to it. It's all good though, as a few games will be playable properly that weren't before, and one of the new features adds some interesting possibilities for gameplay.
The most recent one has required a bit of a firmware re-write and each new thing requires additions to the software, so it's not going to be as soon as I would like. But this is that last thing I will be adding (it has to be, I'm about out of memory on the chip :P ) so it's on the downslope now.
RandyT
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Put me down for a vote to have U360 shaft/ball upgrade...
>:D
(Ooohh I feel so dirty saying that!!!)
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Put me down for a vote to have U360 shaft/ball upgrade...
I concur!
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I have been contemplating just offering the RGB ball-tops for folks to do with them what they will. Any interest in this?
RandyT
That seems like a good solution - let the user decide how to handle the wire twist issue.
I wonder how SlikStik does it?
Anyway, put me down for one 49 and 5 Supers!
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I actually adapted a 49way joystick to accept one of slikstiks illuminated joystick handles. The rgb one they sell is hackable to allow full color control. Hopefully in the next couple of weeks I get around to doing the hack, just haven't had time. I can't wait to try it out with headkaze's gameex led plugin and mala's led plugin.
I don't think it would be easy to add an illuminated handle to a U360 due to the fact it has the pcb directly beneath the shaft and the shaft also has a magnet at the end of it. It might be possible but I would be curious to know where you would run your wires.
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Some shafts have very small diameters that don't allow for holes to go through the center unless they are very small. Then there is the issue of either a slip connection somewhere or a limiter to prevent stick rotation from winding up the wires until they snap. 2 wires are one thing, 4 is another.
Just use real small gauge wire set and have a pin coming from the side of the shaft and a keyhole slot in the base to accept the pin. This will prevent the shaft from turning and eventually snapping the wires. The keyhole can be done by the owner with a dremel if needed. I can see that as an option on my Midway 49-way bases.
Edit: I just found a thread (http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=52509.0) that modifies a SlickStick shaft to use a RBG led. Thought it might give you some ideas Randy.
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So that's how SS solves the wire twist problem - it's nothing more than an audio jack at the base of the shaft.