Mad Catz Street Fighter IV FightStick - Tournament Edition

I am officially taking back everything I said about this stick. I got a great deal on eBay for this, for a mere $100 with free shipping. I must say, this is THE BEST stick I've ever used. I will finish making my custom sticks, but I will have to make this my primary, and install a Cthulhu with an Imp switch to dual mod it for the PS3.

Update: I decided to use a hardware DPDT switch instead of the Cthulhu because its cheaper and lets you keep system compatibility set - eliminating the need to hold down a button each time you connect to the secondary system. (Say, if I ever need to leave the stick hooked up to my PS3 while the 360 is away for its 5th RROD repair...)

Ultra Combo Finish!

I just replaced the punch buttons on my BD stick with Seimitsu PS-14-GN 30mm Pushbuttons. These buttons improved the likelihood of an Ultra Combo coming out! So, I guess the Sanwas were too sensitive, after all... I must admit that it was a very quick test, so I'll have to see how it is once I've played some matches, but overall I'm very pleased with the new buttons!

Super Combo! (But No Ultra?)

It's done. Finally, I have a working wireless stick for the PS3 made out of the Sony BD remote controller PCB. I'm very pleased with the fact that I got it to work. The very last thing I had to do was to take out the common ground PCB for the Sanwa JLF, since the BD remote's PCB has different lines (kinda like grounds) for each direction. After that was all wired, the directions all seemed to be backwards, so the easiest fix was to just swap out the positions of the microswitches (up with down, and left with right).

Now the bad news...

Looks like something (either the PCB's design, my wiring/wires or the Sanwa buttons being very sensitive) is not making three simultaneous button presses register consistently/easily. I'm having the hardest time getting ultra combos to come out when I want. While I troubleshoot, I have temporarily solved the problem by mapping the R2 and L2 buttons to Px3 and Kx3. Focus attacks and other two-button moves work fine.

I'm tired. I need some sleep and then enjoy my new stick tomorrow. But, I have a feeling that once my MC Cthulhu comes (Still waiting, ModChipMan...), I'll put the wireless stick aside and just use a more reliable wired stick.

Cutscene

I spent most of yesterday cutting strands of a flex cable. Why? Because I figured it would be the best way to hack the Sony PS3 Blu-ray remote (can be bought for $20 or less) for my wireless PS3 stick.

I considered the solderless hack, but the flex cable connector used on the remote control didn't allow the wires to pass through to the other side, and was generally too difficult to ensure a reliable connection. So, I had no better idea than to order a 28-pin flex cable to extend the contacts onto a blank PC board...

You're still reading? If so, you must be planning to try this hack. I'm still not finished with it, but here are the pin assignments that I've tested. It should save you a step when wiring.

1: common line for 14 & 22
2: cl for 15 & 23
3: cl for 16 & 24
4: cl for 17 & 25
5: cl for 18 & 26
6: cl for 19 & 27
7: cl for 20 & 28
8: cl for 21
12: select
14: triangle
15: circle
17: square
18: x
19: home
20: L2
21: start
22: up
23: left
24: right
25: down
26: L1
27: R1
28: R2

The BD remote PCB does have tiny non-drilled copper contacts for each pin, but they are too close to one another to safely solder on all the necessary wires. So, I hope this helps some of you out there. Good luck!

10 Years Too Late

I haven't been posting regularly, so here's a catch-up post that covers some of the work that I've done in the past month...

I finally got around to painting the case using my Rust-Oleum Specialty Paint For Plastic Spray. I only gave it one coat, but the color seemed OK. I left it to dry completely, for a week.

Another thing I got done was putting in a spacer to correct the joystick height. I came across a set of chopping boards at Ikea that looked like it would give me about the right amount of spacing. Turns out the small board was just the right thickness! Now I have the joystick at the 23-24mm height from the faceplate. The chopping board was very easy to work with - I just cut it using a hacksaw and drilled the holes with my 15/16" hole saw and regular drill bit for the bolt holes.

Now, I'm waiting for my Multi-Console Cthulhu board to come in so I can make this work for my newly purchased PS3, also. So, come on ModChipMan, it's been about month (ordered May 10th) already!

Focus Cancel

Yep, that's right. For the FOURTH time, now. It all happened last Thursday after successfully testing my new buttons. I couldn't take it anymore, the first three times were during my Gears and Halo phase, and I stuck around because those games were 360 exclusives, but now that I was on a multi-platform game, the next step was pretty clear. I have already ordered my PS3, and will be modifying my stick with a Multi-Console Cthulhu board, as soon as I can get one. Maybe it'll be a dual system mod, or I'll just make it for the PS3. Good thing I bought the black PT-10, also. Who knows, maybe I'll even end up putting the 360 stick on eBay...

Round 1 - Fight!

I was able to get the main panel drilled over the weekend. I found a wooden table that was being thrown out, so I brought it home to use as a disposable workbench. Since the table was going to be thrown out anyway, I screwed the main aluminum panel onto it, instead of clamping - this is ensured that it wasn't going to move at all while being drilled. I used a hammer and a regular nail to make a pilot hole for the buttons, and went to town with my hole saw. I did run into a snag when the mandrel bit broke as I started to make my first hole! Luckily, I had a regular drill bit that I could replace it with. In the end, I had my 8 button holes drilled (using Slagcoin's transitioning layout by Hori) along with the smaller hole for the joystick.

Even though I had carefully measured the positions for the joystick mounting holes, they ended up being a little too far apart, so I had to slightly bend the panel to bring the holes closer. In the end, it worked out great, since the bend isn't noticeable, and the tightness helps to hold the stick in place even better.

After putting all the guts (hacked PCB) into the PT-10, I was able to test it out online in some Championship Mode fights. I must say, the Sanwa parts make a HUGE difference. Compared to my Hori Compact Joystick, the joystick is easier to move and is more accurate. The buttons are simply the best, since they don't get stuck and are VERY sensitive.

One thing that I did learn from testing, was that the 8 button layout is a little crowded for the PT-10 box. So, for anyone else making a stick with this box, I'd suggest only using 6 buttons or the smaller 24mm buttons, so that the joystick can be placed with more space on the left side of the panel for your hand to rest comfortably.

In Round 2, I'll be drilling the holes in the back panel for the guide, start and back buttons and cutting a rectangular hole for the RJ-45 jack!

Two-in-One

Over the weekend, I did another layout test. This time, I created a FedEx box stick using the size of the PT-10 aluminum panel. I also positioned the buttons differently on the two rows so I could see which one worked better. Overall, I think the PT-10 enclosure is a great size for what I'm used to and the layout of the buttons will be a custom modification to the Sega layout.

Also, I connected a RJ-45 jack to the four USB wires coming from the PCB. This way, I'll be able to use that jack for any other PCBs I might add later to my stick. Right now, I just have the Neo SE PCB installed, but I might add a PSX PCB later on. You can read more about using the RJ-45 jack here.

Head Drill

After much research into cutting holes in aluminum sheets, I decided to cut my top and back panels using hole saws. I found a great deal on all the tools I needed to cut 15/16" (close to 24mm) and 1&3/16" (close to 30mm) holes at plumbersurplus.com. Check out what it cost me:

DeWALT D180015 15/16" Heavy-Duty Hole Saw $4.53
DeWALT D180019 1-3/16" Heavy-Duty Hole Saw $4.73
DeWALT DW1800 1/4" Shank Mandrel (Fits Hole Saws 9/16" - 1-3/16") $4.81
Shipping $9.27
Total $23.34

I think that's much more reasonable than buying lower quality saws at Home Depot for about double the cost.

Can't wait to get these tools so I can get moving on my stick!

I thought you wielded greater power than this...

After doing a layout test on my FedEx box, I realized that the overall box size was too big for my tastes. People have raved about the TE stick, so I was eager to try out the feel of it with my FedEx box stick (roughly the same dimensions). Maybe it's because I don't like to play with the stick on my lap, or because I'm so used to my Hori Compact Joystick, but I decided not to pursue a large-sized box. Anyway, I got two Pactec PT-10 boxes already, so I'm kinda locked in to those...

How Will the Battle Shape Up?

According to USPS tracking, my parts from Lizard Lick have arrived at home! While waiting for the parts, I've been looking into all sorts of enclosure options for my custom stick. Everything from a FedEx Box (the old medium size/new large size, which is about the same dimensions as the Madcatz TE stick), a Rubbermaid container, my old VCR (which I'd have to gut) to building my own wood/metal box... LUCKILY, I came across this thread, today. After some thought, I ordered two (one of each color) from PacTec. I'm thinking that I'll paint the PC bone colored enclosure white, so that it'll match my Xbox 360.

...in search of the greatest recipes...

Lizardlick is taking a long time to get my joystick and buttons to me. It's been over a month since I ordered! Looks like SF4 has spiked the demand for upgrade parts... Anyway, in the mean time I've been working on the design of my custom stick. While I was planning on a build using MDF, metal top plate and plexi/lexan, it looks like I might give Tupperware a shot. Looks like a good foundation for a prototype, if not for the real deal...

A new warrior has entered the ring!

I decided to make my own Street Fighter joystick because I wasn't satisfied with my modded Hori Compact Joystick for the PS2/Xbox 360. I ordered a Sanwa JLF-TP-8YT-SK joystick and several Sanwa OBSF-30 and OBSF-24 buttons from Lizard Lick Amusements. While I wait for the parts to arrive, I'll be working on the case design. Although this project may end up costing me more than what I'd pay for a top-of-the-line stick (either the Hori Real Arcade Pro EX or Mad Catz Street Fighter IV Fightstick Tournament Edition), I think it'll be a fun project that might result in a stick that's easier to use because I can position the buttons how I want. Hopefully, this blog will have some useful info for others who want to make their own stick.