How to mod the MadCatz SE Fightstick

UPSLynxUPSLynx :KAPPA:Redwood City, CA Icrontian
edited September 2011 in Gaming
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Comments

  • UPSLynxUPSLynx :KAPPA: Redwood City, CA Icrontian
    edited August 2009
    In B4 Thrax mentions that I said 'Phillips head screw drives' twice..
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited August 2009
    Your prescience is truly uncanny.
  • RyanMMRyanMM Ferndale, MI Icrontian
    edited August 2009
    Great narration, I laughed a few times, and a great tutorial overall. Nice work!
  • Cliff_ForsterCliff_Forster Icrontian
    edited August 2009
    Anything worth doing is worth doing right. Sanwa arcade parts for the home SFIV experience is just plain doing it right. Epic win Bobby.
  • rolleggrollrolleggroll Next to a bowl of rice
    edited August 2009
    It is very important to note that when modding the SE stick that you use the Sanwa JLF-TP-8YT-SK. Any other Sanwa sticks will work but you will run into multiple problems such as:

    1) the orientation for the power plug will be on the wrong side (right side) which will cover the space where the pushbuttons are

    2) some of the other Sanwa sticks might not use the power plug included in the SE stick (which means you get to wire it yourself [PITA] and have fun)

    3) some of the other Sanwa sticks are not compatible with the SE stick's built in mounting bracket

    Also important tidbit regarding the screws attached to the mounting bracket, they are all attached to the bracket on top of some little ring (which keeps the screws in place, although not necessary) and that they are all covered in some kind of waxy/glue-like substance that is going to be red or yellow. This is perfectly normal. Remove the metal ring on top of the bracket and remove the waxy substance. You don't need em.

    Another important note is that you are not limited to using the Sanwa OBSF-30 Pushbuttons (Snap-ons). The threaded Sanwa OBSN-30's (screw-ons), Seimitsu PS-14-KN 30mm Pushbutton (pretty clear ones), Seimitsu PS-14-GN 30mm Pushbutton (solid colors) all work just fine with the exception of the button that goes in the "x" position (Light Kick) will need to have the "lugnut" around it sanded or grinded down a few millimeters.

    Lastly, lets talk about price.
    The Tournament Edition (TE) stick is $149.99 retail. It already comes with Sanwa parts.

    The Special Edition (SE) stick retails for $79.99. Combine that price with a replacement Sanwa Stick $24.95, eight replacement Sanwa buttons $23.60, and a nice pretty replacement balltop to match your new buttons $4.95. That comes out to $79.99+$61.49 = $141.48

    I'm not knocking the whole modding process though. I prefer the feel of a modded SE over a TE any day (I'm in the minority though) but the amount that you saved isn't as much only $10. But if you were unsure about a joystick in the first place then this is definitely a good idea.
  • UPSLynxUPSLynx :KAPPA: Redwood City, CA Icrontian
    edited August 2009
    Protips for Eggroll:

    1. In the video I mentioned that I was installing the Sanwa JLF joystick. This was to provide clarity, as saying "JLF-TP-8YT-SK" is hardly an efficient means of communication for a how-to video.

    It's precisely why I linked to the JLF-TP-8YT-SK in the introduction paragraph preceding the video. It's a question of clarity in presentation, simply.

    Good point on the different types of pushbuttons. I should have mentioned that.

    Regarding price - I did not pay $140 for this stick. Though I will admit the number I mention at the end was not entirely accurate, it wasn't far from the mark of what I paid. I found the SE stick new on amazon for ~$55, and $24 for the Sanwa parts, so I ended up paying somewhere between $80-100 total. A significant savings over the TE stick.

    And, when you mod, you customize and do things your way. That alone makes it worthwhile.
  • KoreishKoreish I'm a penguin, deal with it. KCMO Icrontian
    edited August 2009
    Heh, "find the hole then push it in." "feels like a great stick"
  • NiGHTSNiGHTS San Diego Icrontian
    edited August 2009
    Feels like an awesome stick, you say? Hmm...

    Very well done Lynx,
  • UPSLynxUPSLynx :KAPPA: Redwood City, CA Icrontian
    edited August 2009
    Yeah yeah, I knew that one was coming too.

    It's just one of those things, you know ;)
  • mas0nmas0n howdy Icrontian
    edited August 2009
    nice work.
  • MAGICMAGIC Doot Doot Furniture City, Michigan Icrontian
    edited August 2009
    I do hate phillips head screw drives, or screws(as i regularly refer to them as).

    Nice write up though.

    Is that streetfighter themed faceplate removable?
  • UPSLynxUPSLynx :KAPPA: Redwood City, CA Icrontian
    edited August 2009
    MAGIC wrote:

    Is that streetfighter themed faceplate removable?

    It is, though it does require a bit of work. It's the next thing I plan on doing once I do a bit more reading up on it. Haven't decided what design to replace it with yet....

    Dangit, can't find the link Eggroll sent to me.

    Eggy, halp!
  • UPSLynxUPSLynx :KAPPA: Redwood City, CA Icrontian
    edited August 2009
    Thanks a lot!
  • rolleggrollrolleggroll Next to a bowl of rice
    edited September 2009
    That is the cheapest 360 SE stick I've seen online. Its a steal. Nice find.
  • UPSLynxUPSLynx :KAPPA: Redwood City, CA Icrontian
    edited September 2009
    Buy.com once in awhile comes through with some outstanding deals. It's where I bought my logitech Z-5500 speakers years ago.

    Surprised the PS3 edition of the stick is priced at $63 dollars. They must have an overstock of 360 editions, as far as I know the two sticks are similar with the exception of console interfacing.
  • rolleggrollrolleggroll Next to a bowl of rice
    edited September 2009
    360 stick has headset jack, also is easier to dual mod should you choose to.
  • UPSLynxUPSLynx :KAPPA: Redwood City, CA Icrontian
    edited September 2009
    Ah, good to know, thanks for that.

    ... but wouldn't that generally make the 360 version more expensive, having additional hardware?
  • edited October 2009
    Hey, I tried modding just the joystick and found that the connector keeps coming undone. I tried using tape, but that was unsuccessful. I noticed in your video you said we can use glue...any suggestions on what kind of glue to use. Thanks in advance for your help.
  • UPSLynxUPSLynx :KAPPA: Redwood City, CA Icrontian
    edited October 2009
    I would suggest a glue that's non-conductive, but it's not necessary as you're gluing a plastic piece (as long as you're careful to keep the glue on the plastics only.

    A hot glue gun would probably do the trick, as long as you're careful with the application. This will hold it tightly, but won't be terribly difficult to break the seal if you decided you need to later down the road.

    You could probably use epoxy as well, though I don't think it would be as forgiving as a hot glue gun.

    Eggroll, any personal experiences that would serve as a suggestion?
  • edited October 2009
    Thanks for this awesome guide! Now my FightStick SE is a lot better with Sanwa parts.
  • edited December 2009
    Update on PS3 stick pricing - I got my stick from amazon for ~ $45. That was during Black Friday sales, but I just looked again, and the price is still about the same.

    This was an awesome guide, thanks so much - gonna try mod this thing now.
  • UPSLynxUPSLynx :KAPPA: Redwood City, CA Icrontian
    edited December 2009
    $45 is an INCREDIBLE deal for these sticks. If anyone is interested in doing this but has been afraid to spend the money, you'll find no better time to buy than now.

    Let us know how the mod goes, riverfr0zen!
  • edited December 2009
    Question about the joystick you recommend - on the Lizard Lick site, it says it has a square gate. Is that the same kind of gate as this stick has out of the box?

    Just, I'm finding it hard to pull of simple moves like hadokens with the stick. Granted, it has been a long, long time since I've used a joystick, so I'm practically a n00b again. Are there any joysticks with octagonal or circle gates that can be used instead, and would you recommend them to play Street Fighter?

    Ultimately, I'd want to be playing with controls as close to the arcade as possible (within a similar price range as this mod), so if you could base your response on that, it would be great. Thanks so much again.
  • UPSLynxUPSLynx :KAPPA: Redwood City, CA Icrontian
    edited January 2010
    apologies for lack of response, I somehow missed that comment.

    Yes, the MadCatz SE stick comes with a square gate.

    You can buy separate gates for the joystick without having to replace the entire stick. On the lizard lick joystick page (http://www.lizardlick.com/pages/joysticks.shtml), Look for the Sanwa GT-Y Octagonal Restrictor Plate about half way down the page. This will replace the square gate on the Sanwa JLF joystick. Gate's snap on and off, pretty easy to change out yourself.

    If you're playing fireball motion characters like Ryu and Ken, then 8-way octagonal gate is probably the best way to go.
  • edited January 2010
    cool stuff man, yuu rock. maybe i will try to use a damn joystic not restricted to ryu or ken. thanks again.
  • edited January 2010
    I opened my Mad Catz SE Fight Stick and it looks like you skipped some steps because there are a bunch of wire/connections to chips that need to be also disconnected because if you don't it is almost impossible to disconeect to the connecter that is glued to the joystick. I see when you opened it up you didn't have any of these extra wires/connectors. Is this because your madcatz SE stick is for the computer and not XBOX or did you just leave that step put. At 9:05 in your video that green chip above the joystick has no wires on mine there is 3 or 4 more glued connections that need to be taken apart to get a clear ability to get the joystick glued part undone..also in the botton left corner I have a ton of wires wrapped around where in your video you have none. Any help?
  • UPSLynxUPSLynx :KAPPA: Redwood City, CA Icrontian
    edited January 2010
    My Madcatz SE stick is actually for the PS3. I bought the PS3 edition because it is also compatible with the PC.

    I'm not exactly sure what wires/connections you're talking about, but I think it may be for the Xbox 360's live functionality or headset.

    I've consulted our resident joystick expert on the matter. You should have an answer soon.
  • rolleggrollrolleggroll Next to a bowl of rice
    edited January 2010
    I opened my Mad Catz SE Fight Stick and it looks like you skipped some steps because there are a bunch of wire/connections to chips that need to be also disconnected because if you don't it is almost impossible to disconeect to the connecter that is glued to the joystick. I see when you opened it up you didn't have any of these extra wires/connectors. Is this because your madcatz SE stick is for the computer and not XBOX or did you just leave that step put. At 9:05 in your video that green chip above the joystick has no wires on mine there is 3 or 4 more glued connections that need to be taken apart to get a clear ability to get the joystick glued part undone..also in the botton left corner I have a ton of wires wrapped around where in your video you have none. Any help?

    Using the step 3:36 - 3:42 as a reference could you perhaps post a picture to help us help you? :)

    Also the only main difference between the PS3 version of the SE vs the XBOX360 version is the addition of the input jack for the headset. shouldn't have that big of a difference.

    Did you buy your stick brand new? Or perhaps was it dual-modded? A picture of the top side and the insides will help us figure it out.
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