I have an innovation converter for my Dc, and was wondering if any of the saturn sticks available are better(or easier to mod) then my DC agetec. The three sticks I'm looking at are:
http://saturn.classicgaming.gamespy.com ... astick.jpg
http://www.weblogsinc.com/common/images ... 9210016448
http://i7.ebayimg.com/01/i/04/fb/ac/be_2.JPG
If there are any better ones let me know! Thanks!
Saturn sticks: Any good?
Re: Saturn sticks: Any good?
I have that one, aka true 'Virtua Stick'.Dann wrote:I have an innovation converter for my Dc, and was wondering if any of the saturn sticks available are better(or easier to mod) then my DC agetec. The three sticks I'm looking at are:
http://www.weblogsinc.com/common/images ... 9210016448
If there are any better ones let me know! Thanks!
I think it's great, much like the Hori Real Arcade Pro has auto-fire for every button and auto-fire rate tuner (which is really nice). The stick is solid and does a great job bringing the arcade home. Only problem with this stick is it's near impossible to find locally, unless one pops up on eBay. But it's a great alternative to what I'd prize as the best (although least feasible) stick, the Astro City stick. Sure it's huge, costs a small fortune to ship, and has no auto-fire, but ain't it a beaut.
Whoops, sorry I entirely missed the part about modding.
Hmm, well actually none of the sticks you mentioned, nor I are easier or cheaper to mod than an Agetec. The true Virtua Stick has a soldered buttons, so unless you plan on a transplant/total rewire that's a no go. Agetec's are local too, much like the NA Virtua Stick or the top photo, but I have no info on that one.
'Only a fool trusts his life to a weapon.'
I have the first and third ones.
The first is absolute garbage. Plungers on everything including the stick, and the base is quite thin so even after extensive cutting, it may still be impossible to replace any parts.
The third one may be difficult to mod. It has soldered buttons and you may have trouble fitting in a stick as well (I've never tried but it should involve the same kind of work as modding an Agetec?).
Really, the Agetec should be one of the easier sticks to mod..
The first is absolute garbage. Plungers on everything including the stick, and the base is quite thin so even after extensive cutting, it may still be impossible to replace any parts.
The third one may be difficult to mod. It has soldered buttons and you may have trouble fitting in a stick as well (I've never tried but it should involve the same kind of work as modding an Agetec?).
Really, the Agetec should be one of the easier sticks to mod..
I've had modding experience with each of these sticks. In terms of moddability, of the three you posted and the Agetec, the Agetec and the Virtua Stick are of comparable difficultly and variety of modding that can be done.
1) US Virtua Stick
The 1st stick is for all intents and purposes not moddable. Of course anything is possible but the work you would need to do would make it really difficult and not worth it. I've already wasted enough time typing this much.
2) Japanese Virtua Stick
I like this stick the best out of the 4 for modding. I like the shape and overall build quality. You will need to do metal work for buttons and stick modding, but they aren't hard to do. The annoying parts about this stick are: 1) There are too many buttons and has a weird layout. If you want to make it a traditional 6 button layout you will need to cover the other holes with plugs or a layer of lexan or plexi and 2) The joystick is positioned too low, you will definitely want to move it up so that it aligns correctly with the 6 button layout. You will be left with holes for the original joystick that you will only really be able to cover up well with layer of lexan or plexi.
As far as wiring, you will need to know how to desolder to get the PCB free from the buttons. You will likely want to put in a different PCB and solder with wires and quick disconnects to make it easier in the future. If you replace the PCB however, the rapid fire switches on the top become useless and personally I think if they're not functional they are an eyesore. I personally filled in the spaces at the top with bondo. Here are two Virtua Sticks that I've modded before.
3) Real Arcade V7
The V7 stick is one of the many Hori sticks that use that same case design. The only difference is that this one was designed purely for VF so only 3 buttons.
The Case is pretty nice, but it's thin, making it a more difficult task to put in a Sanwa or Seimitsu joystick. If you're not an experienced modder, I would stay away from modding the stick. Modding the buttons is typical and painless since there are no tabs to grind away. Adding buttons to the top panel is annoying. The metal is thicker and harder than most other sticks so it's harder to drill new button holes easily and accurately.
As with most stock sticks, you will fine the PCB is soldered to the buttons. You will need to again desolder and will most likely want to replace the PCB and use wire and quick disconnects.
4) Agetec
The Agetec is a favorite because it's a nice looking case, and it's easy to mod with buttons and sticks. You have to do minimal metal/plastic work to put in buttons and a real arcade quality stick (Sanwa or Seimitsu) and have them both mount at relatively accurate heights. Unlike a lot of other sticks, the button holes in the metal are too small so you have to do a lot of grinding or drilling to widen them just a mm or two which is a lot more annoying than just grinding away a few metal tabs. That being said, the holes in the plastic case are the right size so you can always opt to get rid of the metal top panel and replace it with a lexan or plexi layer.
You can actually mod this stick without desoldering if you intend to keep it for DC. That is also a nice benefit. Just cut off the weird connects they have on their wires and put on normal quick disconnects.
Here are two Agetecs that I've modded:
Bonus #5) Japanese Hori Fighting Stick PS (Playstation) or SS (Saturn)
Michaelm mentioned these sticks. They are very similar to the famous Namco grey/yellow sticks. They are very thin making it difficult to mod with Sanwa or Seimitsu joysticks. So like I said with the Real Arcade V7, don't attempt a joystick mod if you're not experienced. The buttons pop right in just like the Real Arcade V7 without any modding needed.
PCB is again soldered to the buttons, so desoldering is necessary and again you probably want to switch PCBs so you can wire up easily with quick disconnects.
And I know some of you are asking why did I put "Japanese Hori Fighting Stick" when it also came out in the US? Well the US version has a plastic top while the Jap one has a metal top panel.
My opinion? I say the of the 5 listed, the Agetec is the overall best stick to perform a complete mod (both joystick and buttons). The price is high for this very reason. It's a good looking stick and it's very versatile.
I sold my last two Agetecs yesterday for $65 shipped each. I have sticks 2, 3, and 5 in my sale thread here:
http://shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.ph ... ht=#212032
Hope this was helpful, guys. If you guys have any other questions, it's probably best to PM me because I don't frequent the Tech forum. I'm usually just around the Trading Outlet.
~Paik
1) US Virtua Stick
The 1st stick is for all intents and purposes not moddable. Of course anything is possible but the work you would need to do would make it really difficult and not worth it. I've already wasted enough time typing this much.
2) Japanese Virtua Stick
I like this stick the best out of the 4 for modding. I like the shape and overall build quality. You will need to do metal work for buttons and stick modding, but they aren't hard to do. The annoying parts about this stick are: 1) There are too many buttons and has a weird layout. If you want to make it a traditional 6 button layout you will need to cover the other holes with plugs or a layer of lexan or plexi and 2) The joystick is positioned too low, you will definitely want to move it up so that it aligns correctly with the 6 button layout. You will be left with holes for the original joystick that you will only really be able to cover up well with layer of lexan or plexi.
As far as wiring, you will need to know how to desolder to get the PCB free from the buttons. You will likely want to put in a different PCB and solder with wires and quick disconnects to make it easier in the future. If you replace the PCB however, the rapid fire switches on the top become useless and personally I think if they're not functional they are an eyesore. I personally filled in the spaces at the top with bondo. Here are two Virtua Sticks that I've modded before.
3) Real Arcade V7
The V7 stick is one of the many Hori sticks that use that same case design. The only difference is that this one was designed purely for VF so only 3 buttons.
The Case is pretty nice, but it's thin, making it a more difficult task to put in a Sanwa or Seimitsu joystick. If you're not an experienced modder, I would stay away from modding the stick. Modding the buttons is typical and painless since there are no tabs to grind away. Adding buttons to the top panel is annoying. The metal is thicker and harder than most other sticks so it's harder to drill new button holes easily and accurately.
As with most stock sticks, you will fine the PCB is soldered to the buttons. You will need to again desolder and will most likely want to replace the PCB and use wire and quick disconnects.
4) Agetec
The Agetec is a favorite because it's a nice looking case, and it's easy to mod with buttons and sticks. You have to do minimal metal/plastic work to put in buttons and a real arcade quality stick (Sanwa or Seimitsu) and have them both mount at relatively accurate heights. Unlike a lot of other sticks, the button holes in the metal are too small so you have to do a lot of grinding or drilling to widen them just a mm or two which is a lot more annoying than just grinding away a few metal tabs. That being said, the holes in the plastic case are the right size so you can always opt to get rid of the metal top panel and replace it with a lexan or plexi layer.
You can actually mod this stick without desoldering if you intend to keep it for DC. That is also a nice benefit. Just cut off the weird connects they have on their wires and put on normal quick disconnects.
Here are two Agetecs that I've modded:
Bonus #5) Japanese Hori Fighting Stick PS (Playstation) or SS (Saturn)
Michaelm mentioned these sticks. They are very similar to the famous Namco grey/yellow sticks. They are very thin making it difficult to mod with Sanwa or Seimitsu joysticks. So like I said with the Real Arcade V7, don't attempt a joystick mod if you're not experienced. The buttons pop right in just like the Real Arcade V7 without any modding needed.
PCB is again soldered to the buttons, so desoldering is necessary and again you probably want to switch PCBs so you can wire up easily with quick disconnects.
And I know some of you are asking why did I put "Japanese Hori Fighting Stick" when it also came out in the US? Well the US version has a plastic top while the Jap one has a metal top panel.
My opinion? I say the of the 5 listed, the Agetec is the overall best stick to perform a complete mod (both joystick and buttons). The price is high for this very reason. It's a good looking stick and it's very versatile.
I sold my last two Agetecs yesterday for $65 shipped each. I have sticks 2, 3, and 5 in my sale thread here:
http://shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.ph ... ht=#212032
Hope this was helpful, guys. If you guys have any other questions, it's probably best to PM me because I don't frequent the Tech forum. I'm usually just around the Trading Outlet.
~Paik
When you talk of the Agetec - is that a DC Agetec stick with a Saturn PCB fitted, or was there a Saturn Agetec?
I have basic soldering skills and have done a bit of stick modding, so I'd like to tackle converting an Agetec over to saturn so I could fit in stick and buttons of my choosing. It seems fitting the Saturn pad PCB shouldn't be too hard... I think...
I have basic soldering skills and have done a bit of stick modding, so I'd like to tackle converting an Agetec over to saturn so I could fit in stick and buttons of my choosing. It seems fitting the Saturn pad PCB shouldn't be too hard... I think...
Thanks for that. I have my Agetec DC stick (And an Agetec DC converted to Supergun stick), so maybe I could try a dual DC/SS stick - though I'll have to read up on who you rig up two PCBs to one set of buttons and stick. Do you literally double up the number of wires running from each button etc?ReKleSS wrote:The agetec stick is for dreamcast. It's not all that hard to stick in a saturn PCB, and you can do it beside the DC PCB - my stick has a wire coming out for each console.