I made a stick with an unusual button layout, because I find my thumb is stronger and more dextrous than my 3rd or 4th fingers.
I also put a lot more space between the lever and buttons than most sticks have. This is more comfortable for me, and it feels like my left hand matches the lever axis better than having the lever and buttons closer.
I chose Industrias Lorenzo buttons because I like clicky buttons. Convex ones because they're much nicer on the fingers than concave. I removed the springs to make them lighter - for force details, see https://www.reddit.com/r/fightsticks/comments/1stw2hq/button_forcedisplacement_curves/
The front panel is angled, because the long buttons need quite a lot of space. Angling the panel allows a shorter front edge.
The base is held on by magnetic catches, so I can easily open it to change the restrictor gate between 8-way and 4-way. So I can play Donkey Kong ^_^
| Parts | |
|---|---|
| Sanwa JLX2-TP-8YT lever | £26.50 |
| Seimitsu-LB-30 ball top | €2.50 |
| M4 x 16mm bolts | £1.08 |
| M4 nuts | £0.85 |
| 9 Industrias Lorenzo PSL-L/CV convex buttons with Chery D44X microswitches | £28.46 |
| GP2040-CE Advanced Breakout Board Passthrough Edition | £21.50 |
| PCB standoffs | €1 |
| M3 x 10mm screws | £1.25 |
| 5-pin joystick cable | €2 |
| Red wire 3m | £1.34 |
| Black wire 3m | £1.38 |
| 4.8mm quick disconnect terminals | £1.79 |
| Neutrik NAUSB-w USB pass through connector | €8.90 |
| USB A to B cable 0.5m | £1.16 |
| USB A to B cable 3m | £2.82 |
| M4 x 14mm screws | £1.08 |
| M4 x 20mm screws | £1.32 |
| M4 x 30mm screws | £1.68 |
| Magnetic catches | £2.08 |
| 9mm plywood for top panel | |
| 6mm plywood for base | |
| 18mm x 70mm wood for sides |
Total cost: about £110
| Tools |
|---|
| Hand saw |
| Drill |
| 24mm hole saw (for joystick hole and Neutrik connector) |
| 28.5mm hole saw (for buttons) |
| Wire terminal crimper/cutter/stripper |
Shops I used
https://www.arcadepartsuk.com/
Best UK source for arcade parts. Highly recommended.
Based in France. Wide range of components.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/str/arcadeexpress
Based in Spain. Most extensive range of Industrias Lorenzo products.
CAD file
I don't seem to be able to upload it on this post, so here's a link to the DXF CAD file I used for the layout.
http://www.peterstock.co.uk/miscellaneous/joystick/Joystick.DXF
Feel free to use or modify it for whatever you want to do. The button spacing is 35.2mm.