Timstuff's ultimate PDP Mortal Kombat TE fightstick mod (project diary)

June 15, 2011, 4:27 pm

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**Update** Stick a fork in it, IT'S DONE!



[media=youtube]K9h1cUmSS3Y[/media]









**ORIGINAL POST**

So I picked up a copy of Mortal Kombat TE the other day and I was quite happy with PDP's Tournament Edition fightstick once I had installed the parts I wanted in it (iL Eurostick and Happ competition buttons). However, I wanted to take things quite a few steps further than most people dared-- namely, a new button layout, Japanese parts, new artwork, multi-console support, an RJ45 jack, and of course a new plexiglass overlay. I must say, this mod is not for the faint of heart, and I am already beyond the point of no return. Even so, I am still excited to be doing something new and unique with PDP's fightstick.

Here is my PDP TE just moments before the vicious attack.



And this is the control panel after I removed it from the piano hinges, tore out the T-molding, and ripped the Plexiglass off of it.



This thing was definitely NOT designed with custom artwork in mind. They covered the whole control panel with this nasty carpet tape stuff which made getting the plexiglass off a pain in the ass, and artwork itself is actually printed onto the back of the plexiglass. For all the friendliness that gorgeous golden latch and piano hinges to do modders, this is a part where PDP slammed their foot down and said "we do NOT want people tinkering with this." The poor plexiglass didn't exactly survive the removal process, either...



It had it's revenge though-- my hands were wounded in 3 different spots during this whole ordeal!



Now that that's out of the way, the next step will be to remove all that wretched carpet tape from the control panel. I will keep you guys posted as I make more progress on this mod. Don't worry, sweet plexiglass-- you shall not have died in vain!

---

My mild Hori Fighting Commander 3 mod (face R1/R2 to L1/L2)

June 6, 2014, 3:48 pm

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I recently got myself a Hori Fighting Commander 3, thanks to the recommendations by shoryuken forum users.
The pad is great, but I wanted to change the 5th and 6th face buttons from R1/R2 to L1/L2.
I ended up opening it and figured out what I'd need to do. It took me a while, but I figured it out and thought I'd post my findings/tutorial here to give something back for the recommendation you gave me.

Some soldering is required, but it's not too hard to do if you have at least some experience. I'm not pro at all, so the soldering job might not be pretty, but it get's the job done :)

Here you can see how the Face Buttons are connected to Shoulder/Trigger.
S/T connects by the wide and flat grey wire and FBs just simply connects to the same wiring.
You need to cut the original "wires", marked by red X. To do this, use something sharp and carefully scrape it until there is a gap in the wire.




Next you need to scrape some of that green protective stuff (see how professional I am?) off the wires, so you can actually solder to them.




Run the wires accross the board and solder them to L1 and L2.
L1 is the middle one, marked on the board as 2
L2 is the left one, marked on the board as 1

Mad Catz CURLEH MUSTACHE SOUTH Promo! $50 OFF AND FREE SHIPPING! WHAT!?

June 6, 2014, 10:06 pm

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The Mad Catz CURLEH MUSTACHE SOUTH Promo! This is our best deal of the year, you DON'T want to miss out on it!





Mad Catz’s special promo code ‘CURLEH’ gives you $50 OFF and FREE GROUND SHIPPING for US customers! Here are direct links to the products:

FightStick PRO for Xbox 360: http://store.madcatz.com/categories/fightsticks-category/Mad-Catz-Arcade-FightStick-PRO-for-Xbox360.html
FightStick PRO for PS3: http://store.madcatz.com/categories/fightsticks-category/Mad-Catz-Arcade-FightStick-PRO-for-PS3.html

FightStick KE for Xbox 360: http://store.madcatz.com/categories/fightsticks-category/Mad-Catz-Arcade-FightStick-KE-for-Xbox360.html
FightStick KE for PS3: http://store.madcatz.com/categories/fightsticks-category/Mad-Catz-Arcade-FightStick-KE-for-PS3.html

please delete this thread

June 7, 2014, 3:48 am

≫ Next: Worth modding the brawlstick?

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Edit: Found outlet thread

Hey, sorry if this is breaking any rules and I'd be fine with taking it down and all that, but - anyway, I'm selling my Madcatz SFxT PRO fightstick, which will end in 2 days; Right now its at $100. It's in good condition with minor tiny scratches and its fairly new, all parts are Sanwa. I also included SF4 and SSF4 AE games with a bonus white ball top and slim dust cover. Everything is in great condition and sale ends this coming Monday 12:19am. I need to make a buck as I picked on a new expensive hobby this summer and I'd like to really explore it. If you know anyone that needs an arcade stick would you kindly share this link with them, thank you.

shorter link
tinyurl.com/lxsoz5z

Putting up the ebay link
http://www.ebay.com/itm/301201086604?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

Worth modding the brawlstick?

June 6, 2014, 10:48 pm

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So, I sold my qanba stick a while ago, and haven't really played fighting games since.
I've been kind of waiting for a library of fighting games to build up on the new gen and then i'll buy a new stick.
So far we just have Killer Instinct (with an impossible to get fightstick) and a Mortal Kombat announcement (i havent played MK in ages and I always use the pad, that doesn't even use a traditional stick does it?)

Meanwhile, I've got my collection of fighting games for 360 just collecting dust.
I think it's going to be a while until we have a selection of fighters and sticks out for the new gen, so I currently have Ultra downloading and I pulled out the brawlstick. I must say when I bought the stick I still had my Qanba, so I only used it a couple times and tbh I don't really like it too much now that i'm playing around with it.

Is it worth modding? I've never modded a stick before, is it still pretty much customary to buy Sanwa parts?

Slight problem with my madcatz stick

June 7, 2014, 1:33 pm

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I have a sfxt madcatz fight stick pro. It works great but there is a small problem. The input for down right is a little bit off. The other 3 corners are perfectly fine, but when i hit down right it will be registered as just down, and i have to move it slightly up to register as down right. Very hard to block downwards with it. Last night i took off the panel and wiggled the joystick a little, i wasnt sure exactly what i did, but i barely touched it and it started working fine and down right started registering properly again. After a little while more playing , it started doing the same thing as it was b4 and not registering properly. Anyone know a permanent fix for this?

New to fightstick making and such

June 7, 2014, 2:19 pm

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So i have an old commercial mad cat fightstick (ps3) and the case is a messed up. I was just wondering if i can take the guts out and make a custom case and set the parts in there?

Undamned's USB Decoders (USB to JAMMA, etc.) !

December 13, 2013, 11:56 pm

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Intro:

Well, folks, it's been a long time coming, but I'm really close to finally getting these things out there and into your hands!

Description:

This is the opposite of boards like Toodles' Cthulhu or the PS360 which take the button/joystick wire signals and turn them into USB. This takes input from your USB 360 or PS3 controller and turns that into button/joystick wire signals. You could use this to control any number of projects from Superguns to robotics, to anything you can imagine that you'd like to control with your digital 360 or PS3 joystick!

These are essentially the same circuit and firmware as that of the UD-CPS2 (ran at multiple major events including ST Games @ EVO, The Fall Classic, etc.).

Target price is $35.

Features:

- Terminal Blocks for solder free wiring (signal layout intentionally similar to MC Cthulhu so you can mate them for fun things like TE stick on SNES)
- USB A Socket
- Alternate header for USB signals - for people who don't to use the on-board USB socket
- Indicator LED - bi-color, red/green
- Alternate header for LED signals - for people who don't to use the on-board LED
- Pull-Up Selection Jumper - allows for pulling button/joystick signals up to +5V or +3.3V, depending on the application
- Player Select Jumpers - tell the joystick to light up the appropriate controller LED (can be set for P1-P4)
- Custom button mapping - for 6 action buttons
- Firmware can be updated via USB for future features/improvements

Example:

Here's what @Rufus did with a couple boards which were used at SoCal Regionals, early this year:


(sweet 3D printed case by @Rufus not included)


(running on a supergun at SoCal Regionals 2013)

Ordering:

I've already ordered new PCBs (much improved design from the ones @Rufus had) and there is a slim chance I can get those built and out to my beta testers before Christmas. Otherwise, I have every intention of getting some out in January. That batch will help me figure out what is needed to ramp up for very large production. I want a constant supply of these for you guys because I'm pretty sure you will be eating them up like candy :D I will also set up some sort of ordering system to make it easy for everyone.

Future:

I'll also be offering a DB-15 version shortly after I get the Terminal Block version shipping. And after that, a super great NEO GEO version (no you can't shove the DB-15 version into your NEO GEO)! Prices will go up on these versions as they will be fully encased and require more labor to assemble.

Let me know if you have any ideas or suggestions!
-ud

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Marvel vs Capcom 2 Naomi stuck restarting.

June 7, 2014, 5:32 pm

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Hello all. I should prolly start from the beginning. I orignally got the Marvel 2 naomi setup to go into a mvc1 cabinet, with a capcom i/o board. Initially, upon throwing it in, it just worked, which i was kinda surprised by. I was honestly expecting more problems to solve before getting it working. However the other night,(a few weeks later) the cabinet randomly froze. I turned it off and on, and now as soon as the loading game text is gone, the cabinet just restarts, where it will loop this over and over. I got into the test menu, and did a rom test, where several roms showed up as "bad". I immediately did the test again, and got different results, again with some bad and some good, but different from previous results. Im leaning towards thinking the inconsistancy in results could be power supply related??? This is my first arcade cabinet, and i really dont know much about troubleshooting or repairing them. Im posting here hoping someone with some experience could maybe lend me some insight. Im currently thinking i should try a new power supply, but my opinion is quite uneducated in this matter. Anyone got any ideas, thoughts, opinions??? Or just know exactly wtf the problem is? haha.

Wii U Stick Compatibility

March 23, 2014, 10:33 pm

≫ Next: Just got a TE2! Help me pick a new design :)

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I'm aware that MadCatz released a Wii U Arcade stick for the release of Tag Tournament 2. It supposedly functions like the Tatsunoko Vs Capcom stick for the Wii, in that it has a cable that connects to the Wii remote like a classic controller. My question is: Is the Wii U Arcade Stick compatible with Wii Games, like SNK Arcade Classics Vol. 1, TvC, The Samurai Shodown Anthology, etc.?

I'm just asking anyone who owns the stick to try it out on any Wii games that they own to see if it works.

Just got a TE2! Help me pick a new design :)

June 7, 2014, 12:37 pm

≫ Next: MadCatz TE2 Trigger Problems

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Hey everyone!

I just got my TE2 in the mail yesterday and it's great! But the design is really boring so I have picked out some new buttons and a ball top and now I need some opinions for the top piece.

To give you an idea, I got 6 White transparent sanwa with clear outsides and then 2 half-clear black buttons and a transparent ball-top for the stick.

So I'm trying to decide if I want some color in this or not so here's what I have so far. Let me know what you think and/or if you think I should change or add to it. I want a simple, minimal design. Thanks!



imgur.com/qFvLQ9o

MadCatz TE2 Trigger Problems

June 7, 2014, 10:18 am

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So with the hype of the Xbone drivers I played some SSFIV on my PC and noticed my trigger buttons weren't working. I went through some troubleshooting and it's the PCB that isn't working. Does anybody know if MadCatz will replace just the PCB? I'm currently in WI for the summer so I don't have the Box it came with. Also it's the KI Edition so I would want to make sure I get to keep it and not receive the standard edition.

Will this Joystick work for a fighting stick build?

June 8, 2014, 3:45 am

≫ Next: The "Check out my Supergun!" thread

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hi there,
where i come from (Egypt) it's impossible to find an arcade stick (not without sacrificing a limb for the price anyway) so i decided to build my own, i've already built a PC only "Hitbox" style arcade controller before and it came out pretty nice, and at a very..very low cost which is what i was aiming for.
now i am aiming for a higher quality build, i want to build an arcade stick box with proper joystick controller, and base it off of an xbox360 wired controller so it would work on my PC and my xbox..
the question i have now is this, i can only find this joystick (like in ALL Egypt!) and i don't think it's "fighting-ready"..it's more like a pac-man joystick with 4-way controls mainly in mind:
https://www.sparkfun.com/products/9182

one of the comments says that if i leave the constrictor plate at the bottom centered, i could use it as an 8-way controllers with usable diagonals, i am not sure about that and i would hate to buy it then find out it wont work (it's actually a lot more expensive where i live than the one listed on that site).
also there is the height of the stick, i think it maybe too short, but then again the only arcade box i built was an all-button controller so i really wouldn't know of the proper height.
i need advice building this poor man arcade stick, and thanks in advance :) .

The "Check out my Supergun!" thread

February 1, 2014, 1:03 pm

≫ Next: PS360+ Joystick Problems

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This thread probably won't become as popular as the "Check out my new arcade stick" or "Check out my arcade cabinet", but anyhow.

Considering how many people make their Superguns to be more than "just-a-connector-box", Superguns seemed like they deserved a (small) thread of their own.
@Jasen Hicks has recently been selling some pretty kick-ass metal Superguns and Supergun-cases; and @Gummo had made an amazing PS2-case-based Supergun a year or two ago, to name a couple.

So post your cool-looking (and even not-so-cool-looking) Superguns here!

PS360+ Joystick Problems

June 7, 2014, 8:56 pm

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≪ Previous: The "Check out my Supergun!" thread

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So, I just finished installing the PS360+ and I successfully updated the firmware. When I went to test it out all of the buttons worked correctly, but I have some problems with the joystick.

Left reads as up and the other directions don't even register. Weird thing is the diagonal up-left also works according to windows.

Do you think my JLF harness might be to blame?

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The Sega Naomi Thread

March 11, 2014, 6:49 pm

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So, I just got my hands on this "kit" for a ridiculous $32 bucks... yeah, that's right naomi board, capcom i/o converter and game (Rival Schools 2) and I know these kits are expensive as hell so it was a no-brain buy!!!

Everything is working flawless, the seller and I tested it in one of his american arcades cabs and we played a few games on it, he beats me twice.

Now the problem is that since I don't have the entire arcade where we ran the test and I want to be sure about what else do I need in order to make it work like it should.

The vga, audio cable, jamma and kick harness are easy to find... but I heard that I need a psu (voltage???), service panel (is this true???) and a audio amp, but as I said, I want to be 100% sure, so the question is, what else do I need? And if is not to much to ask, can someone provide links to where can I buy the parts I need?

The seller has it running with MvsC2 game and everything seems pretty normal at first... I saw when he opens the cab so I can see the board is actually working, but now I'm in the middle of a lot of questions... I'm planning to get MvsC2 and Ikaruga games... when I have the money to buy them (I know they are more expensive than a PS4!!! But at least I have RS2 to test it when I finish the cab I'm building.

Here is the infamous kit that I got, try to not hate me:



Any information will be very appreciated!!!

ZD Arcade Control Encoder And ZD ReMatch (PS3/PC) (The most cost efficient PCBs to date!)

November 9, 2011, 7:39 pm

≫ Next: [360 Stick-Building] Triggers are Messing Up the Game

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I don't know if this is well known or not but i didnt see any threads mentioning this so ill just post everything here.
[copypasta]

Zero Delay Arcade Control Encoder

The Zero delay is the most cost effective encoder option available. It is plug and play, lag free and very compact. (8.5 cm X 3.5 cm X 1 cm)

The Zero Delay board comes with:

• USB Cable
• 4 Wire sets for joystick.
• 8 Wire sets for 8 buttons, or 12 wire sets if you want to upgrade.
• Instructions

The Zero Delay also has these additional features for those that wish to utilize them:

• Hat switch for secondary joystick, POV controls, or console style gaming controls
• Autofire option
• Rapidfire option
• 5 pin port for Japanese (Sanwa) ports

FAQ:

Q: What method does this board encode the controls?
A: Controls are encoded like a gamepad.

Q: How do I hook up the controls?
A: one end of the wire plugs right into the board port, the other end connectors into the joystick or button switch. The included instructions will let you know what each port maps to. The terminals will fit up to .187 size terminals, which is the most common size for arcade switches. If you have switches that take the larger .25 terminals, you can either soldier on the terminals or crimp on new connectors.

Q: Have these boards been inspected?
A: Each board was given QC initials. Also, I have personally plugged every board in my PC and determined that it registers correctly with the PC. I have also visually inspected all the wires and boards.

Q: How should payment be made?
A: I am set up for Paypal. If you are interested in purchasing, send me a PM.

Q: Is this compatible with PS3?
A: I have had a chance to try it out, yes, it worked great. It should be great for fighters!

Q: Does it need special software?
A: It uses the standard joystick drivers on the computer, no software needed!
[/copypasta'd]

I'm sure you all are dying to know the price by now, this thing only cost $14.75 SHIPPED!

I personally haven't had a chance to FULLY test these out myself but so far they're holding up as promised. The main thing i wanted to test out on this is to see if optical joysticks work with this thing. I haven't had much luck but they're several VCC points on the PCB so someone else who's more hella tech savvier can test that out themselves.

I also don't know how long these things hold out or last but for $14.75 shipped that really shouldn't even be an issue. And for all you skeptic ass niggas out there that think this is too good to be true:

Spoiler:

Im not sure if im allowed to link to other forums to where you can buy it, so if you're interested in this and want to talk to the man himself thats selling these send me a convo and ill link you to his thread....or better yet just google it and and im sure you'll get a direct hit...lol

Again, this is compatible with PS3 and PC ONLY! sorry Xbox 360 heads. You lose out once again.........blame Micro$oft.

Just wanted to let those in the dark know whats up. If you have any question feel free to ask.
That is all.

EDIT:
Fuck it.

.....CLICK DAT!

[360 Stick-Building] Triggers are Messing Up the Game

May 18, 2014, 6:02 pm

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So we've been building an Xbox 360 stick built from a Gamestop controller and had errors in Windows 7 where the game either wouldn't read the triggers (Skullgirls, Jamestown), or it would read the triggers but the other buttons won't work (SSFIV: AE, SFxT). When I go to check the game controller properties to test the buttons it seems to work just fine, but in the game it starts to mess up. The thing is even though this is a third-party controller, it was working just fine when we tested the controller before wiring it to the stick (I tested it in every game I needed it to work in before we started wiring). We had wired another controller (third party but a different brand [Afterglow]), and had the exact same problem. Unless this has something to do with all third-party controllers, I don't think it has to do with it not being name-brand since the controller had been working prior to wiring.

We think it's the driver, but it could also be the fact that we cut the USB cord and and re-wired it back together again so that we could fit the cord in an opening on the back of the stick. I don't claim to know what the problem is, but I hope to find a solution soon. Right now I'm trying to find the driver that goes with the controller (TSZ360 Gamepad, right now it's on the official Xbox 360 driver [Xbox 360 Controller for Windows]). If you need pictures, I'll certainly post some.

MLG MadCatz TE connection problem for 360 and PC

June 8, 2014, 10:16 pm

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Sometimes when I boot up either my PC or 360 while the stick is plugged in, the stick will light up but then won't register to a slot, it'll just go back to no lights and won't be responsive. Unplugging then replugging once seems to fix it 100% of the times I've tried, but I'm worried this could become a more serious problem. Should I accept the minor inconvenience or is there something I can tinker with? I got it from the Microsoft Store late last year and reading up on their policies I don't think I can return it. But I'll still contact them to make sure before I mess with anything.

Mk9 PDP

June 8, 2014, 4:30 pm

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I have the opportunity to getting hands on a ps3 MK9 TE PDP stick for DIRT cheap but I own a xbox 360 now has anyone ever switch the PCP and plug and play the wiring and it run fine? Looking for more info on how to achieve this links would be much appreciated I would love to purchase this stick and redo the top flip up board to a 8 button layout and as mentioned made to work for the xbox 360 if possible both 360 and xbox one :)