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hi all. i will no longer be updating this page as i have moved the blog over to a new host. please visit me at http://jonyfraze.tumblr.com

Wireless PS3 Sticks via AXISdapter

I had some spare time today to repair some old sticks that I had stripped down for parts. I had a spare custom wooden case and a Madcatz SE style TvC stick for the Wii (which i sold eons ago). Decided to make a pair of wireless sticks to use for casual play. To accomplish this I picked up a couple AXISDapter from Toodles' site http://www.godlikecontrols.com. Basically you strip down a original PS3 Sixaxis controller down to the PCB. Included in the kit is the white ribbon cable which you simply plug both ends into the PCB and the AXISDapter board. Reconnect the battery, wire it up the buttons and joystick and your done. Genius! I connected the mini usb port on the PS3 PCB to the neutrik adapters you see on the back of the sticks. Therefore I can use a normal USB A to B plug to charge it when needed. After some testing I really was not able to find any noticeable lag - basically the same as playing with the stock pads. Awesome for the coffee table and not have to worry about anyone tripping on a cable.

Unassembled kit

(photo credit: http://www.godlikecontrols.com)

assembled kit wired to the PS3 Sixaxis PCB

(photo credit: http://www.godlikecontrols.com)

Wooden Case Top View

Wooden Case Back View

TvC Stick Top View

TvC Stick Back View

Hori HRAP EX Dual-Mod and Custom Art

What's up guys.. its been a minute! All this next gen console stuff kind of put a halt on any new projects.. I was really sad to hear that current gen controllers will not work on the xbox one or ps4. I've been holding on to a spare akishop ps360+ in hopes that it would be firmware upgradable to any next gen console but now that my hopes and dreams have been crushed I've decided to use it to dual mod one of my favorite sticks: the classic Hori HRAP.

(photo courtesy of: Arcade Shock)

Now this is actually my 2nd mod for this particular HRAP. As you can see in the photo above the OEM stick comes with a Sanwa lever however the buttons are Hori's proprietary Sanwa clones. For the 1st mod (see below) - I swapped out all the Hori buttons for Sanwa buttons and decided to change the button layout to Viewlix style to keep it in-line with the Madcatz TEs which I have become acustomed to via a custom plexi from Art's Hobbies.

I planned on restoring the original top panel's NOIR layout however I did order another custom plexi to add some new artwork. Going to be using the art below from one of the illest artists in the FGC - Kode aka Bosslogic.

The original PCB, original button wiring and gutted case is shown below.

In order to add a Neutrik USB port I had to drill a 24mm hole & dremel out some of the plastic to make the adapter and cable fit. Once that was completed, I was easily able to route the USB cable to the PS360+ which screwed right into where the original PCB was.

Printed and cut artwork and installed underneath the clear custom plexi. I went with a mesh red ball top plus a JLF link for the joystick. I left the stock Hori 24mm start/select buttons. UsedGray/Black Sanwa buttons for the main six. Red Sanwa buttons for the last two to blend in with the art.

Wired up and installed the control panel to the base.... Here's a few shots of the finished stick! Let me know what you think!

Shouts to Jaleel from focusattack.com for getting the parts I needed quickly despite a lost initial shipment and the site being temporarily closed... Appreciate it bro!

Sega Astrocity Panel Restore Project

I've been on and off searching for a 2 Player Astrocity Panel on eBay. A few weeks ago I spotted this one and couldn't pass it up. After speaking to the seller - it came from an actual Astrocity cabinet that was sold off to a local arcade in the Cincinnati, OH area. The seller was really cool and elaborated on some of the history behind the panel - saying that it has been to the seasons beatings tourneys and some of the greats (justin / daigo) have actually played on it. Cool, but when I received it it was not in great shape. What you see above really doesn't describe what it actually looked like. The shell itself was not in bad shape (just needed some magic erasing), however the actual metal panel was completely rusted out. To hide the rust, the seller actually cutout black cardboard and then installed a clear plexi panel over it. I spent alot of time cleaning up the panel and ended up sanding out the rough edges and painting it over with some primer.

After doing some research online I managed to find templates for the original artwork and had them reprinted and installed them. Also since I was going to make this into a console stick I drilled additional holes on the sides for select and home buttons.

Here it is with all the artwork installed. I purchased all the sanwa buttons / sticks in the original color scheme of the arcade cabinet via focusattack.com and proceeded to wire it all up. Never thought I would be buying these color schemes for a stick but when it all came together I couldn't have been happier with the result.

I used 2 left over PS360 (not the PS360+) PCBs. I decided to keep it to a 6 button layout for each so that I left it as original as possible. Notice that there is no bottom for the panel due to it being from an original arcade cabinet.

Just for kicks I decided to purchase a Micke table from Ikea and install the panel to the front using the pull out drawer as a frame for it. The desk was a perfect fit as it included a little bay for cable management. I also installed a mount for a console to be strapped in (seen on bottom left). Probably going to use a PS3 as the main console for it and try to find a white gaming monitor - Already spotted THIS on newegg.com. More updates to come.. 

Update 5/30: Here it is all completed with the new white Asus monitor....

Phreakmods The Link Demo / Review

My review and demo of The Link from Phreakmods. It's a replacement shaft for your typical Sanwa JLF Joystick which allows for a quick release of the actually joystick / ball top. It's really easy to install and operates exactly as the stock JLF does. Most people have used it to avoid damage to the stick while traveling, however there are some pretty awesome applications for home as you'll see in this video. Check out phreakmods.com for more info and a shout out to Clayton from Phreakmods for sending two out on short notice for my cab and stick. Let me know what you think!

Built-In Keyboard Drawer Stick

I've always had this idea to have a keyboard drawer modified with a stick and decided to put some good use to a spare Hori EX faceplate i had laying around.. whats nice about it is that it already has the mounting plates for the JLF built in. Pretty simple mod - cut the drawer out just around the mounting plate and button layout and screw the faceplate down. I had some spare sanwa parts and quickly wired this together to a Akishop PS360+ PCB and PS3. I also installed a small shield underneath to hide the wiring. Enjoy...

Custom Arcade Cabinet

Finally made my dream of building an arcade cabinet come true. Decided to design it to be a sit-down 1-player style setup - I figured if time/space/money allowed I can build another one and have a head-to-head setup. Its loosely based on the "vigolix" cabinet (google it) which only uses 1 sheet of plywood, but i expanded it to be a bit bigger. It stands 5ft tall and is 2ft wide.  I constructed the frame from scratch with wood / paint / lexan panels for the ctrl panel and marquee. I did most of the construction with a cordless drill, jig-saw and a handy dremel tool - nothing fancy.

Its powered by a xbox360 slim / PS3 slim and a asus "evo" vh236h monitor which i vesa mounted on the front panel. The control panel consists of sanwa buttons and stick for the main 6, seimistu buttons for the rest, and a shiny new akishop multi-console PS360+ PCB all courtesy of www.focusattack.com. I also installed a mount underneath the monitor for a smart phone / tablet / etc - for now i resurrected my old Sony PSP and downloaded the move lists from my fav games as photos for reference.

Update: 11/11 - Added a LED light and mounted Bose Speakers to the sides... Also printed and laminated both PS3 and XBOX360 button layouts and mounted it to the front of cab for easy reference.

If your in the NYC tri-state area and are interested in having me build one for you. Hit me up and we can work out the specs / price… Let me know what you think.. - Jon

More info about the build and pics here.