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!