arcade stick
Custom controller for arcade-type video games.
There’s no shortage of commercial arcade sticks to pick from, but none of them really match what I want. In most cases, they are large, have 8+ buttons on the face, feature a lot of (cheap) plastic, and don’t have the parts I want.
It might be clear from the picture, but I prefer a relatively compact body, balltop stick with only 6 buttons on top, and something not all plastic. To be more specific, I used a Seimitsu LS-40-01 stick with square gate and Sanwa OBSN-30 buttons. Removable USB cable is a must and I use a Neutrik panel-mount connector for that. The walnut wood body is much smaller than most sticks but still leaves enough room to rest my hands. It also feels sturdy and looks good.
The art is from BEMANI and I went with white buttons and balltop with a clear dust cover to keep a clean, light look. It is reminiscent of the days before Street Fighter IV when commercial sticks were much less common and many people had to build or mod their own.
In 2018, I updated this stick with a Brook FIGHTING board for compatibility with modern game consoles. I used 3M Command strips to secure the board in the case for easy removal/replacement in the future. I kept the wiring tight and bundled with zip-ties.
This is actually the third arcade stick that I’ve built. Below is my second one built around 2009.
I can’t find any pictures of the first one (ca 2007). It worked but it wasn’t very nice — thrown together with whatever wood and acrylic scrap I had laying around. I eventually tore the parts out and used them for the second one.
