Neo Geo Arcade Stick Pro Mods! Sanwa Stick with Seimitsu Buttons! Making the Pro PRO! Tutorial

[@rumbledethumps]

I did this mod in July 2020 after getting one on sale for $99. The Seimitsu LS-56-SC-K stick with MS Flat Mounting Plate doesn't need rewiring and leaves no gap on the shaft. The plastic base is solid and feels great to handle. Unlike the usual square box of MDF, you can play with this comfortably in your lap. Whoever designed the plastics did an excellent job.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

yes the plastics are great and if they weren't it would present a much bigger challenge

[@brianpetersen6128]

Was just coming here to say this. Personally prefer seimitsu sticks to Sanwa. Cool mod either way. The aesthetics of this stick are great.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

There are def loyalties to one or the other

[@undyinglight]

I am doing the same following Scarlett Sprite's tutorial essentially. I am choosing a few different colors then he did though. I am even saving myself a step and some money as I am keeping the default square restrictor gate from the LS-56 as I want a true Japanese fight stick.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

That’s fair. Square gate is a vibe

[@dorfus]

Good to see purple cat pen getting in on the fun

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

He’s been swapped for yellow for 2023

[@theblowupdollsmusic]

Your mod looks awesome! I love the style with the last buttons still white and the chrome rings. It gives it a nice character.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Glad you like the color scheme

[@KlenDool]

It's amazing the plastic shell has the mounting point screw bosses that suit the sanwa stick just sitting there unused!

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Whoever designed the plastic knew what they were doing :)

[@METR0lD]

I love arcade sticks. I currently use my old Street Fighter IV TE stick on my MiSTer. It has all the Sanwa parts you'd expect!

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Your comment got caught in the offensive filter...maybe the algorithm doesn't like Street Fighter? lolol

[@METR0lD]

@@VideoGameEsoterica LOL

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Yeah I was a bit confused 🤣

[@Charlie-Cat.]

Much better VGE. Nothing like having something your way bro. Thank you for stopping by to share the pro stick mod with us on the Neo-Geo thread as well, We really enjoyed it. 8^) Anthony...

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Happy to share it :)

[@brianpetersen6128]

Nice mod video. Really like these modern sticks that don’t require soldering to replace the buttons.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Most buttons should be .110 quick disconnects. Any sticks that use solder are just trying to save $)

[@Khinh-xq6lx]

seimitsu give you the arcade nostalgic feel

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

It’s got a particular feel for sure

[@cheater00]

Absolutely the best nipple pinching tutorial I've seen on KZbin thus far.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

lolol

[@sidneysun3865]

Got it yesterday for 25 bucks. It’s worth the wait.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Wow that’s extra cheap

[@nicolaspersijn]

I put a seimitsu ls38 stick and seimitsu buttons in mine, plus I added 2 more buttons to the front, threw in some diodes and wired in a db15 cable to use with my cmvs and supergun.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Fun project. I thought about dual usage with DB15 but I have three sticks that work on my supergun already and didn’t really need a fourth

[@Khinh-xq6lx]

the buttons is amazing is soft one for the seimitsu

[@caivsivlivs]

does the stick you put in have microswitches or whatever makes it clicky as well?

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Of course :) all arcade sticks are microswitched

[@caivsivlivs]

@@VideoGameEsoterica ohhh damn that's what's up

[@pyjama9556]

Always preferred seimitsus sticks vs sanwa as I play shmups more than I do beat em ups. As for buttons I love the flat profile of the seimitsus aswell! Didn’t pick this up as it was too expensive in the U.K. but good pickup for that price!👍

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Yeah for the price it was a no brainer

[@simon41978]

I have a bunch of arcade sticks but there's one issue that stops me from using them. I can't find anything to put them on so they're stable. My candy cab is built so your knees go under the control panel and your elbow and lower arm is at the right level. Playing on consoles or Mame with the sticks on my lap gives no stability and when putting the sticks on the floor, the leverage is wrong. I really need the whole unit to not move at all.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Ahh yes that can be tricky for sure

[@simon41978]

@@VideoGameEsoterica I'm quite good with arcade sticks and it's very satisfying when it's stable. I bought the Astro City Mini Arcade Stick. I also have the rare 2 Player Virtua Stick Pro for Saturn. I had the box for it, too, in the loft until birds broke into the roof and pooped all over it. My absolute favourite controller is just a regular Super Famicom pad.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Lol a poop and run eh. Sounds like something birds would do

[@shingotink5062]

My everyday fighting stick is a janky homemade one that looks similar to yours. I built the box myself. It has a zero delay PlayStation 2/USB encoder with American style IL stick and buttons. I also have personally customized Qanba Q4RAF with a CVS2 theme.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Might be time to build another for fun :)

[@theguru1974]

Hi, where can you buy these buttons? Googled yielded a ton of other model numbers and I'm not sure what else is compatible that is currently available. Thanks!

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

I got them at Focus Attack

[@meteor1522]

I don’t like the short shaft cover. Is it possible to replace that short shaft cover with a taller one so it sits flush? I’ve seen mods of this stick with a Seimitsu lever, and their shaft cover fits perfectly, but I already have a Sanwa lever.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Yes. I just didn’t have that part in my parts bin

[@PopeTheRevXXVIII]

This might be the Final Burn Neo box I've been looking for

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

It would make a great use case for sure

[@PopeTheRevXXVIII]

There are a ton of soft mods for it that change what you can play on it. there's one with the whole FB Neo set and one that's just everything Neo Geo with Unibios

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Yes for people that also want to use this as an emu device is has plenty to offer

[@PopeTheRevXXVIII]

*points at self*

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Haha

[@sunderark]

You got to make your next CP with like, industrial grade 1/4" stainless steel. Also LS32-1 please, with OSB-30s. Nunnathat JLF jazz.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

I have an arcade panel in the closet waiting for a custom build. Just need to figure out the enclosure

[@sunderark]

@@VideoGameEsoterica A block of marble. Go the audiophile route. @Dorfus

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

With all that extensive stone mason knowledge I forgot to learn 😂

[@Jeffmetal42]

So this will work on Steam? I've thought about getting one and upgrading it (as I too like the look of it) but I wasn't sure if I can use it on my Steam games.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

On PC yes. No clue on other OS instances

[@Jeffmetal42]

@@VideoGameEsoterica sweet, thanks for the info

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Happy to

[@creeker124]

probably a dumb question but do you really need to remove the joystick ball?

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

You do

[@miguelcarneiro1192]

Hi, it turned out well. The stock lever and buttons are not great right?

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

The buttons are mushy and the stick isn’t precise. I wouldn’t personally use them but they are “fine”

[@miguelcarneiro1192]

@@VideoGameEsoterica understood. Thanks man

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

👍

[@jonniefast]

not the best ever but still serviceable ☺️ i kinda wanna swap the buttons just to arrange them how i want

[@miguelcarneiro1192]

@@jonniefast ok, and the system is good, right? Have you hacked it?

[@superhadouken]

I really like these mod videos, even if I dont have the stick. I would prefer the oposite. Seimitsu stick and sanwa buttons. I dont like sanwa at all. So loose and unprecise. I use Ls-56 with octogate and is a blast. Specially for shmups.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

They are fun to make and this one is doing well so I’ll probably do a few more mod videos in the future. They take 4X as long to shoot so i balance doing them with views

[@cheater00]

Hey, I would improve one thing here. You use machine bolts (M4 "screws") to hold something into plastic. That's not the best idea. Metal bolts have very shallow threads that are not meant to interface with plastic in a meaningfully strong way over a long period of time. There are special self-tapping plastic screws that you can buy, and you should be using those here - they will give you a much more stable and secure fit. Leaving the M4 screws in there could ultimately damage the posts you screwed them into, if you press down on the stick too hard and rip the screws out (easier than you'd think). Also I suggest putting something under the stick, between the stick and the bottom enclosure, so it has additional structural support. The way you are viewing it, you'd actually put something on top of the stick's bottom, and then the bottom of the arcade joypad's housing would go on top of that. So things are reversed. Because the joypad is upside down on your table while you are working on it.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

My concern with a larger thread is the screw boss isn't exactly the meatiest thing around. If I recommend M4 I know A) mechanically it will hold decently well and B) I am not recommending a larger threaded screw which may bite into the plastic too much. I know if I say "X" works and someone goes bigger...with M42 there is tolerance to allow it. If I show a diff and larger threaded screw and someone goes a bit bigger on that...screw boss destroyed. I have to factor in contingencies for odd behavior of people lol It would be nice if someone could design and print a 3D support bracket for the bottom for sure

[@cheater00]

@@VideoGameEsoterica nah, the plastic self-tapping screws aren't larger in diameter. they just have a deeper and sharper thread edge so they can actually create a thread in the plastic that's mechanically sound. those posts are 100% made for self-tapping screws. btw it's a screw post not boss :-) just fyi

[@cheater00]

@@VideoGameEsoterica if you want to add lower support for under the joystick, just use something like a piece of rubber foam carpeting like you'd put in your bathroom, the cheap kind. or some fabric. or even fold up some paper and put in there.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

I’ve always known them as Boss as even unthreaded they’ve always been called that

[@tokugawa7]

Was thinking about trying this myself but I'm not very knowledgeable. Could you provide me with a link to the plastic self tap screws you'd use for this? I googled some earlier but wasn't really sure what to get.

[@robross6462]

Nice upgrade! This stick is designed for the NeoGeo Mini?

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

It has an emulation board inside and you can connect the Mini to it / it to the Mini. I am exclusively using it for the enclosure for PC / MiSTer FPGA / etc

[@jacobprayer8656]

I modded my 8bitdo arcade stick with a Sanwa stick and buttons, and an automatic gate switcher (4 to 8) for the stick

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

How are those gate switchers?

[@angelicoreXX]

magnet back cover is so much better than screws

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

It is easier to deal with for sure

[@Un_Pour_Tous]

A friend of mine sold me one of these that was her ex's I did the same exact thing and replaced the bttns and stick.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Once you have quality parts inside it’s awesome. I love the enclosure

[@creeker124]

bought a neo geo APS and one button collapsed after like a couple of hours. maybe i was hitting it too hard or something? I've ordered a sanwa button to replace. nervous about opening it up and doing this lol

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Collapsed? As in just fell in?

[@creeker124]

@@VideoGameEsoterica yeah, it stopped responding at first then eventually fell in and I heard a rattling like something came loose

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

How hard did you hit that thing??

[@creeker124]

@@VideoGameEsoterica I didn't think I hit it that hard, that's the thing! Hoping I can simply replace the button..

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Maybe it’s defective and the plastics were bad

[@AvivOz]

where can i buy buttons like this?

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

I am presuming you are in Israel based on your username? There I am not sure. In the US I use Focus Attack

[@AvivOz]

@@VideoGameEsoterica what model/name is it? thanks

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Check the description. It has a parts list

[@lolcat]

that's hot

[@MrNateiyf]

Has anyone modded this with light up buttons?? I’m curious on what/how.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Should be easy. Just tap a voltage point for the LED and daisy chain it. Should work alright

[@martinevans1206]

Woah! What was that shmup?!

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Esp. Ra. De. Its a legit one from CAVE. Play it!

[@jonniefast]

such a good game 🥺

[@martinevans1206]

@@VideoGameEsoterica Still no Western release on the Switch yet!

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

No. Not as well releases as other CAVE titles it seems

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

It really is

[@retromister81]

Or just us a premade cable from AliExpress.

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Then I have to wait for something from aliexpress

[@retromister81]

@@VideoGameEsoterica better wait then try sodering 😅

[@VideoGameEsoterica]

Haha depends on your skill level I guess

[@frankfabender6618]

😅