Add a top fire button!
I haven't seen this done on here (at least, I couldn't find any in the search), so I thought I would post this up.
I'm planning my Mame cab, and I'd really like to play as many games as I can, so I picked up the Mag Stiks- and I got to thinking. One of my favorite games was Assault, and I realized that I really couldn't play it without a top fire stick. I took the Mag Stik apart and decided it wouldn't be too hard to add one.
What's the WORST that could happen, right?
I happen to have a super cool job that allows me access to a shop that is basically the world's ULTIMATE garage- CNC mills, routers, laser cutters, lathes, etc. So I decided to take advantage. The Mag Stik has threads at the bottom, and I was super concerned with ruining them. Someone suggested turning a whole new shaft out of hollow tube, which could be done- but seemed like a lot of unnecessary work.
Also, I didn't have a drill bit long enough for the lathe to go all the way through the shaft. The Mag Stik has a plastic sleeve between the knob and the body, and inside it was pretty much a shaft- I would just have to keep the wires clear of the 4/8 way switching mechanism. I decided to go through the knob as deep as I could- then go into the threaded end up until I was clear of the mechanism. I would then pop out the side and run the wires through a slot in the shaft that would be covered by the sleeve.
So that's what I did. I had a P1/2 start button from a Ms Pac cocktail I used for the top fire. Came out pretty slick. I may do it to the P2 stick so that it matches. I made the hole juuuuust bigger than the switch- it doesn't thread in, but it's a nice press fit. I can dig it out if I have to.
Now, how to keep the wires from twisting up?