I know there are not that many SNES fans on here, which might have something to do with the small amount/quality of shooters released for it
In any case, its one of my favorite systems. I picked up a TopFighter QJ joystick a while back. I posted about it here: http://shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.ph ... topfighter
Since then I researched a bit, and decided to replace the stick with a Sanwa JLF-TP-8Y. I replaced all the normal buttons with Happ (Cherry) microwitches. The three red buttons are programmable. This joystick actually has a nice LCD display which shows you which directions/buttons are being pressed. You can program sequences to each of the three reds. Awesome for fighters, not so useful for shooters. But still cool .
Other than the bolts from the mounting plate showing through, it looks like a nice, clean stick. Good stuff. Out of curiosity though...why did you solder the microswitches?
You didn't happen to save those clear micros from the original stick, did you?
Thanks. I plan on replacing the screws with some black ones to match the case, or some smooth-headed rivet look screws. The original microswitches were soldered as well, so I just soldered the new ones. If I ever replace them i'll probably add spade connectors. These Topfighter sticks were handmade (Ive got 3,627 of 20,000). I suppose it was probably the best SNES stick you could buy at the time. Which might not be saying much
Hey man. I was seeing your posts about the TopFighter QJ. There's two for sale at my local retro shop for $20 a piece. I've always wanted a stick that could be modded to use 'real' arcade components, and this looks like a good option. But there's not much information out there on this sucker. Do you think you can send me the parts list as far as what joystick and buttons you bought, and maybe even from where?
I'm also curious - do you have any idea if this could be modded to work with the Saturn and Dreamcast?
Well, the parts list was already in the first post. It's just a Sanwa JLF-TP-8Y and Cherry microswitches. The stick isn't exactly a drop in replacement though. The QJ uses a non-standard stick, so after pulling it out I had to use a grinder to get rid of the original mounting posts. After that I just drilled four new holes to mount the Sanwa, and soldered the connections up. The microswitches for the buttons were just snap-ins.
There is plenty of space in it, so it would be easy to add Saturn or DC PCBs. Shouldn't be any harder than modding any other stick.
The Cthulu looks like exactly what I want. Doesn't work with Genesis, it seems, but that's fine. I think I might pick up this stick and try the Cthulu mod, unless you guys can suggest a better stick to try it with.
To be honest, you should try to get a Tatsunoko vs Capcom (Wii) or WWE All Stars Brawl stick (360/PS3) to do this with if you're just going to do a wholesale PCB swap. They come with somewhat acceptable Sanwa clones and can accept Sanwa and Seimitsu parts with nothing but a screwdriver, so it would be an infinitely simpler job. Plus, if you manage to find a 360 Brawl stick, you can most likely use the TE Kitty instead, which from what I read has all of the MC Cthulhu's functions, is easier to install, and you'll still have a working 360 stick.
