Build Your Own Arcade Controls Forum
Main => Project Announcements => Topic started by: somunny on January 10, 2009, 09:11:16 pm
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I didn't take any progress pics of the first one I built (the red one in the pics below) so I thought I'd try to document the second one a little better. The construction of the box will be the same. Black laminate this time. Different color t-molding and different cpo.
First stick:
(http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh37/somunny/DSC02515.jpg)
Second stick - parts cut out and parts glued to laminate.
(http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh37/somunny/DSC00019.jpg)
(http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh37/somunny/DSC00020.jpg)
The sides are 5/8" and the top is 1/2" with .010 plexi on top. Tomorrow I'm planning on trimming the pieces and getting the sides glued together.
Hopefully by the time I'm done with this stick, the gold laminate I have on order for the Ark will be in and I can get back to working on that beast. ;)
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can I get the plans for that? I cut the wood for a stick and it looks like crap compared to that
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can I get the plans for that? I cut the wood for a stick and it looks like crap compared to that
I didn't really use any plans but I'd be happy to draw up the dimensions for you.
Also, is it me or does the wood look all wavy in the second and third pics? Must be the shadows.
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I like!! Nice clean and simple.
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jeez man. take it easy on these things. you're making me look slow. ;)
can't wait to see how it looks. I'm still waiting to get the t-molding in for my next stick...
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can I get the plans for that? I cut the wood for a stick and it looks like crap compared to that
I didn't really use any plans but I'd be happy to draw up the dimensions for you.
Also, is it me or does the wood look all wavy in the second and third pics? Must be the shadows.
that would be awesome. If you could send me the artwork file too, to use as a template, I'd appreciate that too
EDIT:Removed email addy
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Got the pieces trimmed today and glued the corner blocks to the front and back panels. I also routed out the lexan. Unfortunately, something got underneath the router and scratched the Lexan through the protective film. Total loss on that.
(http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh37/somunny/DSC00025.jpg)
(http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh37/somunny/DSC00027-1.jpg)
(http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh37/somunny/DSC00032-1.jpg)
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Nice sticks, they certainly seem more repeatable (less complicated joins etc) than my own.
Have you routed T-molding grooves in the side walls, and the CP top?
Is that plexi over the artwork? Did you have any trouble shaping the plexi and the artwork to the CP surface (ie rounding the corners, etc)?
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looks really good man. What are you gonna use to put the bottom box together?
I got all the pieces cut out for my next 2 sticks. Just gotta get the laminate.....no luck finding a local distributor though. I asked everyone I could at Lowes and Home Depot...and no one seemed even slightly interested in helping me find what I needed. So I talked to a couple of managers (one in each store) and told them I didn't care to shop there if no one was willing to help.
So...gonna have to order it online somewhere.
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Have you routed T-molding grooves in the side walls, and the CP top?
Is that plexi over the artwork? Did you have any trouble shaping the plexi and the artwork to the CP surface (ie rounding the corners, etc)?
Thanks, dm. These are pretty much your basic-square-box-controllers. Yep, all the t-molding routing is finished. I use the cp as a template to route the Lexan out so it is the exact same shape (for better or worse!). Once I adhere the cpo to the cp, I trim off the excess and it's all done.
looks really good man. What are you gonna use to put the bottom box together?
So...gonna have to order it online somewhere.
I assemble the sides using glue only and then screw the cp and the bottom cover on. No clear bottom for me. This thing is big and there still doesn't seem to be enough room for a fancy wiring job.
Man, I can't believe it's so hard to get laminate out your way. Hopefully you'll find a hook-up.
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I think most of us started with one of these kind of projects. The thing I hated with mine (besides the crappy woodworking) was how high it sat up in my lap and just how big the whole assembly was.
I love your first stick and now I'm thinking of building one, but with a focus on the ergonomics of it all. However with yours, I bet the size and the angle of it makes it mighty confortable. Let me know how it feels on your lap during a long play session.
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I think most of us started with one of these kind of projects. The thing I hated with mine (besides the crappy woodworking) was how high it sat up in my lap and just how big the whole assembly was.
Were you using Japanese parts or American?
My first Xbox stick I built (well, and all of them afterwards) were using japanese parts, and the box isnt tall or bulky at all imo.
Here are three that I have made (first two had the same build design):
(http://meekrob.omgbbq.com/ArcadeStick/ArcadeStick6.jpg)
(http://eminent.omgbbq.com/misc/VGT2008/vgtstick1.jpg)(http://eminent.omgbbq.com/misc/VGT2008/vgtstick6.jpg)
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I think most of us started with one of these kind of projects. The thing I hated with mine (besides the crappy woodworking) was how high it sat up in my lap and just how big the whole assembly was.
Were you using Japanese parts or American?
My first Xbox stick I built (well, and all of them afterwards) were using japanese parts, and the box isnt tall or bulky at all imo.
Here are three that I have made (first two had the same build design):
(http://meekrob.omgbbq.com/ArcadeStick/ArcadeStick6.jpg)
(http://eminent.omgbbq.com/misc/VGT2008/vgtstick1.jpg)(http://eminent.omgbbq.com/misc/VGT2008/vgtstick6.jpg)
what kind of stick is that in the 2nd one? It doesn't look like a JLF.
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The Texas and Yankee sticks are using JLFs
The Black/White/Red stick is using a Seimitsu LS-32. Its original purpose was to be a 4-way controller for a game competition/legacy trophy, and the Seimitsu rocks the 4-way much better than the JLF. In fact I now want to replace the Happ 4-way in my stand-up machine with Seimitsu's because I like the feel so much better.
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Yeah, your sticks are great. My first box had a Happ Ultimate (ugh), which has a very tall base and Happ Ultimate buttons which gave the cherry microswitch terminals pointing straight down. Needed 3 inches of clearance at least. Plus I built it out of 3/4" particle board so the thickness of the wood added a lot to the size.
When I have more time, I'll search for your project thread to see the images of the underside/insides. If you don't have one, please post one up. Thanks a bunch!!
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I can't tell from your first post whether the back & front walls have an angled cut on them?
I can see an angle on the side walls so that the CP surface angles towards the player (excellent!) but I was wondering if you had to angle cut the top edges of the back/front walls, and whether that added a lot of complexity?
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I can't tell from your first post whether the back & front walls have an angled cut on them?
I can see an angle on the side walls so that the CP surface angles towards the player (excellent!) but I was wondering if you had to angle cut the top edges of the back/front walls, and whether that added a lot of complexity?
Yes the fron and back pieces are cut to match the angle of the side pieces. If you have a table saw it's pretty simple to cut the angle. I used the side piece as a guide to set the blade. Just butt it up to the blade and adjust.
(http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh37/somunny/DSC00028.jpg)
The height of the box is only 4 1/8" at it's tallest point. Haven't played with it on my lap, though. I normally set my other stick on the coffee table and play it that way. My other stick is quite a bit bigger than the red Street Fighter one however.
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When I have more time, I'll search for your project thread to see the images of the underside/insides. If you don't have one, please post one up. Thanks a bunch!!
Dunno if this was for me or not. But I detailed my build here (http://omgbbq.com/tfight360.htm) which includes some shots of the inside.
Mine are all 2 1/8" tall overall, I think you could make it as small as 1 3/4" with the Japanese parts, but I wanted some extra room for my first builds. Also the wiring on the Texas stick is a nightmare, I did much better by the third one (the b/w/r one).
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A little more progress tonight. Tomorrow, I'm going to try and route out the Lexan and drill the holes in the top deck.
(http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh37/somunny/DSC00039.jpg)
(http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh37/somunny/DSC00040.jpg)
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Looking really good man. Any idea on the artwork? or are you saving that for the big finale?
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That does look really sharp. I think Im going to have to try some laminate on my next project.
Have you ever considered making the laminate go all the way to the corners on the base, so that there is no T-molding on the bottom? I think that would be the only change I would make if I did something like that.
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Looking good! Have you seen this trailer for SF4 yet? It looks sooooooo good. I wish I had the time to build a dedicated stick...
http://www.gametrailers.com/player/44357.html
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Glad to see Akuma still has his Raging Demon... >:D
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When I have more time, I'll search for your project thread to see the images of the underside/insides. If you don't have one, please post one up. Thanks a bunch!!
Dunno if this was for me or not. But I detailed my build here (http://omgbbq.com/tfight360.htm) which includes some shots of the inside.
Mine are all 2 1/8" tall overall, I think you could make it as small as 1 3/4" with the Japanese parts, but I wanted some extra room for my first builds. Also the wiring on the Texas stick is a nightmare, I did much better by the third one (the b/w/r one).
Yessir, that was exactly what I was looking for. I want US arcade controls without the mess underneath. I can't have both and always wanted to get a balltop anyway. Looks like I'll be looking for some candy cab parts soon. ;D
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Thanks for all the positive comments, guys! :cheers:
Any idea on the artwork? or are you saving that for the big finale?
;) Yes, but it's not anything real dramatic. Just a different design. I prefer the red artwork to this next one but we'll see how it comes out.
Have you ever considered making the laminate go all the way to the corners on the base, so that there is no T-molding on the bottom? I think that would be the only change I would make if I did something like that.
Yes, and I may do it that way on some future sticks but for now I'm doing it like that for two reasons: a) it's easier and b) the t-molding looks pretty decent when
color coordinated with the artwork. I'll admit, a nice mitered corner is hard to beat.
Looking good! Have you seen this trailer for SF4 yet? It looks sooooooo good. I wish I had the time to build a dedicated stick...
SF4 is looking better and better. I can't wait!
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Progress tonight: Lower box assembly is complete. Re-routed the Lexan. No scratching this time. Laid out the joystick and button placement.
(http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh37/somunny/DSC00041.jpg)
(http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh37/somunny/DSC00043-1.jpg)
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looking really good man. cant wait to see the finished stick.
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Yes, and I may do it that way on some future sticks but for now I'm doing it like that for two reasons: a) it's easier and b) the t-molding looks pretty decent when
color coordinated with the artwork. I'll admit, a nice mitered corner is hard to beat.
I have yet to work with Laminate at all, but what about not making mitered corners, and just putting the laminate to cover the butt joint? For instance, laminate the long peices first, then glue the box together, then apply laminate on the short piece + ends of the longer pieces. Trim and be done.
Just asking because I dont know!
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Essentially finished the box today. Still need to apply the artwork and t-molding (waiting for delivery).
Lexan and control panel drilled.
(http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh37/somunny/DSC00051-1.jpg)
Pic of the drilled control panel.
(http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh37/somunny/DSC00052.jpg)
Installed the USB pass through. I'll paint the screws with some black nail polish later.
(http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh37/somunny/DSC00055-1.jpg)
Attachine the top to the box.
(http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh37/somunny/DSC00056.jpg)
Bondo can be a pain to work with sometimes but I like the way it comes out versus wood putty.
(http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh37/somunny/DSC00057.jpg)
A few minutes with the palm sander and...
(http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh37/somunny/DSC00059.jpg)
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Wow, looks great! :o
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sweet. I've gotta putty up some sticks in a day or two. Just waiting for my 30mm cutter bit to come in the mail so I can drill all the buttons out before I glue the next sanwa case together.
I'm hoping to have some photos up tomorrow night of my sticks progress. Got 4 in the works at the moment.
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Wow, looks great! :o
Thanks, man. When are you gonna build one? :)
Got 4 in the works at the moment.
It's nice to have customers, right? Looking forward to the pics.
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Got the last of the buttons I was waiting for this afternoon. The box is finished. No controller or wiring, though. I'm thinking of just selling populated shells and letting people do their own controllers and wiring. I do have some hacked controllers left in the event someone wanted the whole package.
Anyway, on to the pics...
(http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh37/somunny/DSC02533.jpg)
(http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh37/somunny/DSC02539.jpg)
(http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh37/somunny/DSC02538.jpg)
(http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh37/somunny/DSC02541.jpg)
(http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh37/somunny/DSC02542.jpg)
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:notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy:
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:applaud: :applaud: :applaud: :applaud:
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Woah! :applaud:
So how much d'you think you'd be charging for box+controls?
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That's great man. What are the side buttons? Triggers or Back/Pause? Is the button that is next to the USB port the Xbox Guide button?
Just trying to figure out what kind of admin panel I should build when I put my Xbox in my SF2 cab.
Edit: What is the purpose of having the LB and RB on your layout? Are they going to be used for SF4 do you think?
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Thanks, guys. :)
Woah! :applaud:
So how much d'you think you'd be charging for box+controls?
Thanks! Sent you a pm.
That's great man. What are the side buttons? Triggers or Back/Pause? Is the button that is next to the USB port the Xbox Guide button?
Just trying to figure out what kind of admin panel I should build when I put my Xbox in my SF2 cab.
Edit: What is the purpose of having the LB and RB on your layout? Are they going to be used for SF4 do you think?
Thanks. The side buttons are start & back and the button next to the USB passthrough is Guide. I went with the 8 button layout because, IIRC, the first Street Fighter released on XBLX let you map P and K x3 to those buttons. I'm not sure if they'll play any future role but you never know...
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did you really have to use american buttons? they are whack compared to japanese sanwa. just a thought. give those a try you wont regret it. stick itself looks great though and nice artwork.
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did you really have to use american buttons? they are whack compared to japanese sanwa. just a thought. give those a try you wont regret it. stick itself looks great though and nice artwork.
What about the stick? Happs Comp versus Sanwa? A valid suggestion that I may give a go. I can't have my sticks being whack now, can I? ;)
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competition stick is probably the best american stick for fighting game so thats fine. personally I dont really like sanwa because its little too lose and sensitive. Ive used american sticks since the beginning of time and now I use seimitsu which is a hybrid between sanwa and american sticks. stick is all about preference but button is no brainer. sanwa buttons> ALL :cheers:
as for any suggestion, try seimitsu ls32 its awesome!
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I think a stick that pretty would sell either way. Happ or Sanwa.
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Regardless of the stick or buttons used, that is one clean stick 8)
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May sound dumb but I'm a noob. How is the bottom done? Top was drilled on but how did you do the bottom?
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May sound dumb but I'm a noob. How is the bottom done? Top was drilled on but how did you do the bottom?
The screws go through the rubber feet into the corner braces. My wiring isn't clean enough to warrant using a clear bottom. Not yet, anyway. ;)
(http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh37/somunny/DSC00060.jpg)
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If you plan to sell I'd look into offering Japanese style layouts and parts. Great craftsmanship you got there for sure. :applaud:
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Thanks. I started building three more over the weekend so I'll look into finding a Japanese button layout template.
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Try http://www.slagcoin.com/joystick/layout.html.
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Try http://www.slagcoin.com/joystick/layout.html.
hehe you beat me to it. Those are the same ones I use all the time. Works great.
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I have used this layout for all my sticks, I forget who I got it from originally, so my apologies there. It feels perfectly comfortable to me, and the button circles are perfectly sized for the button plunger and rim.
The TIF inside the zip is at 200 dpi, you will need to scale it accordingly if you are printing to a different size.
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Ugh, I hate that arched layout. If the buttons aren't in a matrix, I can't find the buttons when I need them quickly. Plus, when you need to press Fierce or Roundhouse repeatedly for a combo, are you really using your ring finger for this? No, you're constantly moving around. Arched buttons are less effective in this way in my opinion, but hey, whatever you're used to is what works.
Anyway, I love buttons that are straight across. 20 years of typing, NES playing, and SF2 playing (on Dynamo cabs with straight-row Happ Comp buttons) can't be wrong. :)
EDIT: That sounded harsh. I'm an ass, don't take it personal, it's me not you. ;D
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Hey i'm a complte n00b to the whol arcade scene, but I have ordered everything i need in order to make a custom arcade stick in anticipation of SFIV. I am just wondering how do you attach the plexi to your CPO? Sorry if this has been answered before I searched but couldnt find anything.
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Thanks for the info. :cheers:
Hey i'm a complte n00b to the whol arcade scene, but I have ordered everything i need in order to make a custom arcade stick in anticipation of SFIV. I am just wondering how do you attach the plexi to your CPO? Sorry if this has been answered before I searched but couldnt find anything.
For something this small (relatively), the buttons and T-molding are enough to hold it down.
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Thanks for the answer! Just hope I can reproduce something as nice as this when I get started. Just out of curiosity where did you get the black laminate from. Thanks!
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Ugh, I hate that arched layout. If the buttons aren't in a matrix, I can't find the buttons when I need them quickly. Plus, when you need to press Fierce or Roundhouse repeatedly for a combo, are you really using your ring finger for this? No, you're constantly moving around. Arched buttons are less effective in this way in my opinion, but hey, whatever you're used to is what works.
Anyway, I love buttons that are straight across. 20 years of typing, NES playing, and SF2 playing (on Dynamo cabs with straight-row Happ Comp buttons) can't be wrong. :)
EDIT: That sounded harsh. I'm an ass, don't take it personal, it's me not you. ;D
Everyone can have their own opinion. If you are mashing a button repeatedly, yes I will slide my fingers over, which I can easily do if its arched or straight. If I am comboing by pressing say, roundhouse > strong > jab or something like that (all across the buttons) then no, my hand stays still and easily hits all the buttons. Or if I'm not sure which button is going to be used, at a rest position I can quickly, easily, and comfortably hit any of the six buttons in an instant. You don't move around as much with an arched layout, because you don't have to. But you still can if you want or need to.
Curved buttons have been in Japan just as long as straight buttons have been here, and the NES isn't really a fair comparison since there are only two buttons. The SNES had a diamond matrix (not in a row) which has been copied ever since, and the Genesis controller if I remember right had an arch to their 3 and 6 button controllers. Course I also use ergo keyboards, but again, its just a matter of taste.
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Plus, when you need to press Fierce or Roundhouse repeatedly for a combo, are you really using your ring finger for this?
When you are chaining between diffrent attacks you don't have to time to hunt and peck with your index finger. This is why higher level players tend to use an arched layout. For just random button mashing straight works just as well.