How To Build A Pro Arcade Stick - Easy Way
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 24 ก.ค. 2014
- I built a new arcade stick and this time I was aiming to make it as easy as possible.
I made a wood case and used authentic arcade parts (Myoungshin Fanta lever and Sanwa buttons).
I had no access to a workshop, I completed it on our balcony in couple of days work and the only power tool I used was an electric drill.
This tutorial video shows how I did it. Remember I am no woodworking expert at all and I am no electric expert, this can be done by anybody.
Tools include an electric drill, hole saws, hand saw, hand plane, wood rasps, sandpaper (hard and soft), clamps.
First plan the desired layout. I used the Namco Noir.
Plan how to cut the wood.
If you are no expert don't cut it yourself. Go to the store, give them the plan and let them cut it for you.
Tell them to be very accurate.
You might still need to adjust the panels a bit. Use the hand plane and sandpaper.
After the dimensions are right glue pieces of the frame together.
I used wood glue to join the elements. Wood glue these days make a bond that is stronger than the wood itself.
I used the top panel to position the support blocks.
Beware not to glue the top panel yet.
I marked the lines to round the edges. Round edges are not necessary BTW.
I cut the edges roughly with the hand plane.
It can be tricky without a fixed table but doable.
I used the rasp to round the edges further.
Finished with sandpaper.
For the USB cable I drilled a hole first.
I cut the rest with the hand saw.
And used a rasp and sandpaper to soften the edges.
I taped the layout on the top panel.
Marked the holes with a wood screw.
The pilot holes must be drilled very accurately.
Sanwa buttons require 30mm holes.
The Korean stick requires a 35mm hole.
While drilling the wood might burn a bit so take it slow and interrupt a few times.
I sanded the holes.
I tested the holes with the buttons and the stick.
Positioning the lever and the holes must be done very accurately.
Widen the holes in multiple steps.
I used threaded inserts for the M4 screws.
The hole depth must be very accurately drilled or the top panel will break through.
It was a bit messy but the threaded inserts are inserted and stable.
One hole went through the top panel and the others got humps too so I was not accurate enough.
I used wood glue and saw dust to cover the hole and sanded it.
I used acrylic for the bottom panel but it is not necessary. Actually plywood would be more stable.
Hole must be drilled in the acrylic before inserting the screws or it will break.
I glued the top panel and the case was ready for the varnish.
To sand the surfaces between layers I used a P240 grit sandpaper.
You can stop here and the case is finished but I wanted a darker and shinier surface and that needs multiple layers.
Sand, dust off, apply varnish, wait 24 hours and repeat a couple of times.
For the last finish I wet sanded with a P2000 and P2500 grit sandpaper.
Not really the result I expected so I added one last thin layer.
Professionals can get a beautiful mirror surface but I think this the best I can do.
The case was finished so I inserted the lever and the buttons.
These are 30mm Sanwa snap in buttons but they don't need to snap. Just push into the 30mm hole and they will stay.
I bought a cheap PCB (USB encoder) with prepared wires for the Korean levers (Crown or Myoungshin Fanta) and Sanwa buttons.
It does not require soldering.
If you have no access to a PCB like that you can always extract the PCB from a controller and solder wires to it.
Check my video about the PCB soldering.
Cable ties are useful to organize the cables.
I used small wood screws to fix the PCB and a hook screw to tie the cord.
It is important to fix the cord to something solid so you don't rip it off the PCB accidentally.
I secured the bottom panel with felt pads and the case is assembled.
Tested the stick and all the buttons and it is ready to use. :)
Music:
- Way Out West, Spaceman
- Belladonna, Meltin' Guitar
Check this link if you are interested how I built my old custom ardcade stick:
• Custom DIY Arcade Stic... - เกม
I'm probably not gonna do this ever, but I love the music, detail, and amount of effort you put into it.
Good work.
watching this makes me want to go build one. very nice workmanship.
Excellent craftsmanship...he could probably create a nice little side business doing this.
Nice video! This really shows that anyone who takes simple care and attention to details can create a very professional looking stick.
I love that you were able to make this on your own. And it looks like it works well with TTT2
NICE! As soon as I saw the Fanta lever, I knew where this was going and sure enough, during the testing, YEP! Definitely a Tekken player!
Great work, bro.
Amazing stuff, man! One of the best custom sticks i've ever seen.
If you'd still like some tips for the mirror finish, at 6:04 you can see the orange peel. You've sanded off the high parts which have become scratched by the sandpaper.But the low parts are still glossy. The purpose of wet sanding is to level the finish entirely and keep sanding until all the glossy low parts are gone. But then you still don't have a mirror finish. You get that by applying a rubbing compound and then a even finer polish or swirl remover. They smooth out the scratches caused by the wet sanding and get it mirror smooth.
It will however take a few wets that are wetsanded down in order for it to be completelty flat without a grainfiller, I think there are even transparant ones. But you can do it with just wet sanding. Just be prepared to give it a few extra coats beforehand so you dont worry about wet sanding bare wood.
The wavedash though! beautiful
Impressive job! I really liked the bit at 4:15 where you used glue and sandpaper to fix a mistake. I will have to keep that in mind for future projects. Kudos!
I love this, like every other video uses some complicated specialized tools but here I actually think i can make this
I feel like another feature to add to this which would make the stick beyond perfect would be a custom wood burned front plate. Would make the stick super unique. The stick is still real cool man keep up the good work
This came out REALLY good! Great job here! 😊
Inspired me to make a wooden stick. Going to build it a bit different though. Very nice work!!!
Lovely stick, and beautiful backdash-canceling at the end!
Thanks for posting this, I've wanted to try a stick for a long time but I'd much rather make one myself :D
Great video, broke down making a case in very easy steps i suck at wood work but I feel i can do this now!
I am sure you can. Just make sure that you have spare wood parts in case you mess up something (like I used to do :)
WOW!!! That is very artistic and creative. What a cool way to have a uniquely person fight stick!! Awesome.
Even more impressive when you realise he did it all with one hand
This is beautiful, well done.
awesome work. I honestly liked the look prior to staining.
what a great video. this is exactly the information I needed
Amazing job man. That fight stick turned out f'ing beautiful 👍
Very inspiring. That is a masterpiece.
Look that waves, awesome. Good job.
Excellent, thanks for sharing with us.
Thanks for this. I bought the same Zero Encoder on ebay. Works well. I just need a cool wood case like yours. Currently using my old MadCatz Brawlstick. Btw, the last song is too good!
Nice work. The tools i would need to buy to make it tho would cost more than the stick it self :D
Meglepodtem mikor lattam a magyar ujsagot ! Hasznos kis video !
That stick is fire, you should sell them. I'd buy one.
You made it look easy, great job!
amazing work, but what were the dimensions of the top/bottom panel? the blueprint shows the thickness but not the dimensions.
Great! I needed this! Thanks!
that is awesome. Great work dude
This is great you have inspired me to make my own
This is an awesome build
Nagyon szép munka! Gratula hozzá :)
very neat work. well done bro!!
I m a good player in arcade games....thanxx for the video
Pretty cool stuff
You did a splendid job.
=)
you did a great job, man ;)
Gave me some good ideas, thanks!
Looking at this, i wonder what's the hard way
Adding a plexi and pad hacking.
Uh huh... *nods and pretends he understands*
+Abbs Quqa (Kyutorias) plexiglass is a cover that some use which can be hard to work with.
Padhacking involves taking the motherboard of an official console controller and soldering the buttons and stick to that.
Maybe without tools, cuttin and perforating the wood with your bare hands.
@Anthony James "soldering the buttons and stick to that." what does that even mean?
GREAT JOB :)
Great job!!!
Congratulations!
I make arcade stick, mini arcade cabinet etc... I'll place my works on my channel soon.
The wiring starts at 6:33 and it is very simple with this PCB that comes with prepared wires. If you are interested in pad hacking and soldering check out my other video.
***** where do you get that pcb with prepared wires? I'm interested in doing it that way 'cause I'm very bad at soldering...
It is called Zero Delay USB Encoder. It has several versions.
***** if any for sale
***** contact me in gustavovaladez17@Gmail.com
***** Can you tell me, where did bought the arcade parts please?
Beautiful
Hey,man.
I gotta say your content is awesome.Its helping me a lot with planning my arcade stick.But i just cannot seem to find a good answer to how to paint a wooden stick black.I dont know anything about woodpaiting and i think it would be awesome if could make a video about it.Thanks and stay shrap!
Hey, thanks. :) I assume it is the same as any other color. You get a black paint and apply transparent warish or you can buy black colored warnish, too and apply multiple layers. I suggest to go to a local paint store and ask them which one would be better.
I cannot believe that any of you are saying this isn't easy, or that he is some kind of pro. It is a 4 sided box with bracing for the top. That's it. As for him using/owning a plane, damn, pretty simple tools. He did exactly what he says in his title....it is a sharp looking, mature design. He could not have explained it any easier. For those of you complaining that it is far from easy, or that too many tools were used, then I suggest you stay away from ANY building. This build couldn't be easier. Great video man!
Great job, thanks
Nice work
you sir are talented
nice video man I'd totally buy this from you!
that final wavedash!!
Well done!
awesome!
granted i dont plan on doing this (maybe i will in the future), but i did find this video very entertaining to watch
Thanks for the great video
Hey, thx for watching. :)
Nice!!
what are the dimensions of the wood you cut?
great job!
I have 3 arcade sticks and on the look out for more :)
Mike Younes can make vids pls
cool! great job.
Awesome
nice wave dash bro :D
Good job, i have a homemade set up very similar but with ball top,.
This looks great. I just impulse bought an arcade sanwa kit on eBay. Are those sanwa snap in buttons? If so how did you install them into the plywood with an acrylic layer, I'd like to avoid using acrylic if I can!
wow thanks for this video
Very happy I stumbled upon this video. Me and my friend are planning on making our own sticks soon and have been looking for guides and videos. We'll be sure to reference your video when we begin the process. May I ask how much you spent on the making of the stick?
Good luck and have fun. :)
The materials (like wood, varnish, glue, screws, sandpapers) cost about 60 USD and the lever, buttons and PCB was around 90 USD. But I live in Europe and prices may differ. Also I already had all the tools I needed.
***** Thank you for the reply and the info. Much appreciated!
great job!! looks really good can i get overall dimensions I would like to try this project myself Your Design is really good thanks!!
For a guy who says he's not a professional that's a pretty fine looking case.
Really nice job man. I plan on making a joystick similar to this myself, that is why I checked out this video. I plan on using Walnut though, and I am going to use dowels to make the joystick a little sturdier.
Did you use Sanwa parts?
It is a Really nice build, When i make mine I will record it and share it with you, if that is okay?
Nice work! Would it be possible to build one for the PS4 that had both the hitbox button configuration and a functional stick?
fantastic video
Chet bro sweet vid you for me wanting to build my own Fightstick now to can you please tell me were you got the lay out for the front and if you cut the plexiglass or dose is already come like that and we're can I get it?
Looks great! Wow!
Also... Hungarian newspapers... hmmm...
I'm good with the housing but I'm not sure which wires I should buy and the right connections
The PCB I used in this video comes with prepared wires. That is the easiest way. But if you want to make your own wires, then Quick disconnect size for Sanwa buttons is .110 and for the Korean stick it is .187. Almost any electrical wire will do. I also have an other video about how to solder the wires to a PCB.
Nicely done! Pretty much how i made mine cept i used a KADE controller.
Another thing that you could do is tear open an old controller for your preferred console (if you use one) and connect the relays after checking the compatibility. I built a wireless "PS3" controller by tearing apart my old one and adapting a few cables for the new buttons and analog.
beatiful
szép munka! : )
what were the dimensions of the stick? And what wood did you use? lastly what were the metal things you put in the drill holes? thank you
Nice
Szép munka! Grat!
Do you still have your wood cuttingp plans, becasue im reall loving the look of this stick and i want to make another case for my stick parts.
Did you post mesurements of the different wood pieces?
I'm interested in doing the same thanks you!
Sick
That stick is awesome looking. Can you share where you got the knob and base?
Wow nice self made and tekken player.I like how that stick u can make easy wave dashes or should I mean it has great response on the sensors.is that a Korean stick model?if it is which one would u recommend Korean or Japanese model stick for wave dashing and back dashing too.
Great video! Really enjoyed your other arcade stick build. I have one question, you said that the Sanwa buttons fit into the holes without snapping with no problems. Do they feel secure or would you suggest drilling out the back to accommodate the snap? I have a fairly thick panel with a 4mm piece of plywood on top, if it's really necessary I'll just let it clip into the top plywood but would rather avoid it if it's not needed. Thanks in advance!
Also, the wires you use (red and black), when they connect to the PCB from the buttons, do they somehow need to connect to a Ground section? Or are they already grounded when the Black and Red wires connect to the PCB? Cheers!
Yes, the buttons feel very secure in a 30 mm hole without snapping in, too. They don't move at all (not even after years in my other arcade stick). If you want to replace them you need to push them out with a bit of force that is how secure they are.
Connecting this PCB to the buttons is very easy. The wires came in prepaired signal and ground pairs and you don't even need to know what ground is.
That's awesome! That makes everything so much easier. Thanks for the help and quick response, really appreciate!
Hi there dude nice video it explains the steps to make it easy, but can you make one for xbox one since the pcb is alittle diferent, its a little complicated for me the connection / soldering part. Thanks.
Hey man I was going to have a go at building one myself but I was wondering what the dimensions of your box was, how thick the plywood top is and how thick the acrylic bottom is. Thanks.
A magyar újság befigyel. Amúgy nagyon király!
Could you provide any denominational data? You have a superb build I would like to follow it as closely as possible, with whatever adjustments I need.
You and I have considerably different definitions for Easy Way.
I have one more question if I make my fightstick just like this will it work for pc too ?
This is very late but do you know if putting the buttons in order on the motherboard is important if playing on pc, where I can remap any way?
I was wondering do you need a joystick with that PCB because I only need one button (I'm trying to make a hand brake for a pc wheel )and also how difficult is it to set up
you said pros make them better but dude thats fuckin beautiful, if you were to start selling these i would most def buy one