Installing Qanba Gravity Silent Joystick into 8BitDo Arcade Stick

Installing Qanba Gravity Silent Joystick into 8BitDo Arcade Stick
Model: JOV8S
Switches: Omron Mechanical Grey
Spring: Medium
Restrictor: Square
Ball Top: 35mm Blue Resin Agate
Wiring Harness: 5-pin to 5-pin (modified)
The new Qanba Gravity Silent Joystick kit I got a few months ago was sitting patiently on a shelf. It's been a while since I tinkered with my 8BitDo Arcade Stick, so I decided it was time to open it up and install the new joystick.
The installation process was fairly straight forward, but I needed to work through some compatibility issues between the Qanba joystick and the 8BitDo Arcade Stick. To get everything installed and working properly I had to make some minor modifications to the wiring.
Removing retention clips on the 5-pin JST-XH plug to fit into the 8-pin connector on the circuit board.
Plugging in (carefully) the 5-pin JST-XH wiring harness into the 5-pin JST-NH connector on the joystick.
This was a learning experience I wanted to share through a video that captures the whole process - all problems, mistakes, and advice included.
Read more at:
dinodrax.com

[@jisgchile4859]

I've reached saturn while watching this.

[@travkenn1019]

Love the music…it’s a Moditation!

[@duxnihilo]

🎉

[@AssistantProfessor]

Thank you. This is very useful and timely. I am waiting for components to arrive and will then be doing the same thing + the buttons.

[@DinodraxChronicles]

Glad it helped

[@plasmoney]

Nice walkthrough!

[@DinodraxChronicles]

Thank you 👍

[@RubyRoid07]

Great video, thanks!

[@DinodraxChronicles]

I'm glad you liked it!

[@Runk3lsmcdougal]

Veryyyyy good tutorial

[@DinodraxChronicles]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@justaguy2458]

Im a sanwa user, but since my lever is broken, this product really caught my attention. It's worth changing to this or should i stick to sanwa? A mishima player btw

[@DinodraxChronicles]

If you never used anything else other than Sanwa (JLF or JLX), you may want to try the Qanba JOV8S, but it may take you a bit to get used to it. The JOV8S has a significantly shorter throw than the JLF and the actuation distance is also reduced - some people "love" that about the Qanba joystick. There are two variants of the Qanba Gravity Silent joysticks - the JOV8S uses Omron box switches, while the JCV8 uses the Cherry MX switches. Many prefer the JOV8S variant for fighting games because the switch stems are larger which makes inputs herded to miss. I like both the JOV8S and the JCV8 because they're silent and their actuation distance is short (see the side-by-side comparison with the Sanwa JLF kzbin.info/www/bejne/kIbakoZ8ec-GhJI). If you can get a Qanba Gravity Silent joystick on sale (they sell for less than the MSRP on AliExpress), the kit delivers a lot of value with 3 different springs, 3 restrictors, and a very nice ball top. 🕹🟣🟣🟣

[@bryanpreciadopuente6656]

What size Philips screwdriver do you use?

[@DinodraxChronicles]

The long screwdriver is a 4" Phillips size 2 (PH2) and the short screwdriver is also Phillips size 2 (PH2) but only 1-5/8". Before you get a specific screwdriver, double check that your controller has Phillips screws - some versions of 8BitDo Arcade Sticks use torx screws on the case. Good luck with your mod.

[@WTFweirdo]

How the feeling & would be with a good fit for my MF F300?

[@DinodraxChronicles]

The Qanba Gravity Silent joystick with Omron grey switches (JOV8 and JOV8S models) feels different than Sanwa JLF or other similar joysticks - it has a shorter throw and actuation distance plus it's super quiet. Out of the box it also feels a bit stiffer than Sanwa JLF. I think it would be a good upgrade, but it may take you a bit to get used to it. If you can get it from AliEx for a discount, I think it's worth trying it. Have a look at the video I just posted that compares the Sanwa JLF and the Qanba Gravity Silent joystick - it touches on a few things I mentioned above. Good luck with the upgrade.

[@SuperDwango]

There are pads right next to the connector that can be soldered for connecting joysticks. It would probably be more secure that way instead of using cut-up connectors.

[@DinodraxChronicles]

Thanks for the suggestion. I did consider soldering to the "spare" pads, but I chose to use the "5-pin to 8-pin connector hack" because it's quick, allows swapping between different joysticks easily, and it's a low risk maneuvre (no heat required). I found that with only one retention clip cut off on the harness 5-pin connector, the remaining clip provides enough grip to ensure the connection is secure enough.

[@samiRetro777]

is Quick Release shaft compatible w/ this Ganba JOV8S ?

[@DinodraxChronicles]

That's a great question. I'm not sure. I will have to take apart the JOV8S and see what fits. I have a few different quick release shafts I'll try. I'll get back to you on this soon.

[@samiRetro777]

@@DinodraxChronicles thank you alot ! i'll be waiting from you :)

[@DinodraxChronicles]

Good news - all quick release shafts that are compatible with the Sanwa JLF will fit. I took apart both the Qanba JOV8S and the JCV8 and both shafts are virtually identical to the standard JLF shaft. I'll be installing the JLF version of the PhreakMods Link EX-Groove Quick Release shaft into my Qanba JOV8S.

[@samiRetro777]

@@DinodraxChronicles woohoo nice !! i do have PhreakMod QR that i got it from focusattack . I wonders if i can put capsule top on this im sure it fits too ;)

[@DinodraxChronicles]

@@samiRetro777 A capsule top should fit beautifully.

[@FrankieZamb]

Is there a specific cable i could buy on amazon to not have this issue? Just ordered my joystick and came scross your video 😭

[@DinodraxChronicles]

The cable I ended up using in my video is a "Generic control board 5-pin wiring harness" from CQB Arcade - but you can get it from ANY online shop that sells arcade controller parts. If you want to get it from Amazon, just look up "5Pin XH2.5mm Pitch Cable Plug Female to Female Adapter". This is the EASIEST option for the 8BitDo Arcade Stick if you don't want to rewire the cable that comes with the Qanba Gravity Silent joystick. I still recommend you cut off one of the retention clips on the "generic" cable, so your 5-pin connector fits nicely into the 8-pin connector on the circuit board - there is a segment in the video where I show how that's done (be extra careful when doing that). If you find something online but are not sure if it is the correct thing, let me know and I can have a look. Good luck with your upgrade.

[@FrankieZamb]

@@DinodraxChronicles ah I see, so technically I can use the wire that it comes with but I have to remove the clips, just as how you showed in the video.

[@DinodraxChronicles]

Technically yes - you can use the cable that comes with the joystick, but you will also have to REWIRE the pins on one side of that cable because out of the box it is not wired to suit the 8BitDo Arcade Stick (it's backwards). Getting a new "generic" cable allows you to plug it in either way without having to rewire - the "generic" cable has no "hook" on the joystick side, and you can invert it (plug it in backwards) to suit the 8BitDo Arcade Stick pin order. Either way, when you are plugging in a 5-pin cable connector into an 8-pin connector on the circuit board, you should remove one of the retention clips (just like I did in my video), so you don't force apart the plug on the 8BitDo Arcade Stick. I hope this helps you plan for the upgrade.

[@FrankieZamb]

@@DinodraxChronicles Hey its me again. something i didnt realize was that I have the xbox version not the one you have. I was wondering if the same method applies with the female to female connector? I hope you could do a tutorial with the same stick and 8bitdo :/

[@DinodraxChronicles]

Unfortunately, the XBOX variant of the 8BitDo Arcade Stick uses a different 8 pin connector on the circuit board and is not compatible with the Qanba cable or the "universal" cable I showed in my video. I currently don't have the XBOX variant, so I can't make a video tutorial. Sorry. If I were in your situation, I would probably cut off the cables from the stock joystick, cut off the circuit board plug from the Qanba cable, and then splice the two cables together to make a compatible wiring harness - this is the easiest and quickest option. All you have to do is expose a bit of wire on either end, twist them together, and put a bit of electrical tape over each splice. You need to match each direction - all directions are labelled on the joystick and on the circuit board next to the plug. And because there are 4 ground connections on the circuit board, and only one ground on the Qanba joystick (labelled GND), you only have to splice one ground wire (doesn't matter which) - the remaining 3 ground wires can be cut off or taped shut with a bit of electrical tape (to prevent them making contact with anything inside the case). I hope this quick write up helps you. Good luck.

[@Runk3lsmcdougal]

I have an Seimitsu ls 56 in mine

[@DinodraxChronicles]

Nice. I have been meaning to try the LS-56-01 mainly because of the "stiff" spring and the short throw/actuation distance. Thanks for the reminder - I will have to pick up one soon.