Noobish question about MVS stick replacement.

Over the past few weeks I've been doing some general maintenenance on my four slot and I've gotten around to ordering some Happ competitions to replace my cabinets original, tarnished bat top sticks. I've done new button installation on the cabinet before, but never had to replace the sticks. I'm just curious on a basic how-to. I'm guessing just unscrew the four base screws and slide the old unit out, but the credit LED and start button plate is directly below the units, making that seem unfeasable. Is there a way I would have to disassemble the sticks from their bases to get them out? Anyone who could help my rookie butt out would be my hero here. Any other basic pointers about stick installation would be much appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Sounds like you've pretty much got it worked out. Mark the wires (to simplify things later) as you disconnect them. Loosen the nuts under the base. Remove stick.

On my 2-slot the joystick doesn't have anything obstructing it. If you can't lift the stick straight out you can remove the stick from the base. Do this before un-bolting the base. There's a little metal e-clip on the very bottom of the stick. I'd suggest using pliers to pull it off since these things can fly amazing distances when pryed off. Once that is off you can pull off the white plastic spacer/actuator and pull the stick out of the top of the panel (if it didn't fall out with the panel flipped open). Un-bolt the base and remove it making sure you don't lose the plastic dust washer. Do the reverse to install the Comps.

Here's an exploded view: http://www.happcontrols.com/joysticks/507608xxx.htm

Competitions are a great improvement over the Ultimates. I'm sure you'll be very happy with them.

Thanks for the info, a schematic like that is just what I was hoping for. Unfortunately though, I don't think the sticks in my cabinet now are Ultimates, the base piece under the CP is actually quite thick. Also, I'm unable to see an e-clip at the bottom, I only see the actuator itself, with the rusted end of the joystick shaft at the bottom. I'll be able to get a better look at the sticks once I disassempble the left player one when I get off work, the right player is the only one which looks like it's going to be a tight fit, as it's right above where the metal plate that has the cart insertion instructions and credit light plate are mounted.

Thanks for the help Crowquill, I'll post some pics if I find anything I don't understand.

Also, I'm not the best with electronics, should I be using a plastic handled wrench for this even if my unit is unplugged, or should a standard metal one be fine?

Thanks a million.

I'm pretty sure that the Ultimates were the factory joystick on MVS cabs. They were factory on almost everything else from that time period. That's also what came on my 2-25 that I just got.

While I'm sure there are exceptions, I've never seen any joystick that didn't come apart the same way. There may be slightly different pieces, but the e-clip is a given. I'm sure it's there under the rust somewhere.

Assuming it's a Happ stick, you can find a good comparison with pics here. If you can find out which stick you have, you can find the exploded view on Happ's joystick page.

As far as tools go, just leave the power off. You can even unplug it to be safe. There is very low voltage going to the controls anyway.

DeadPixels said:

Thanks for the info, a schematic like that is just what I was hoping for. Unfortunately though, I don't think the sticks in my cabinet now are Ultimates, the base piece under the CP is actually quite thick. Also, I'm unable to see an e-clip at the bottom, I only see the actuator itself, with the rusted end of the joystick shaft at the bottom. I'll be able to get a better look at the sticks once I disassempble the left player one when I get off work, the right player is the only one which looks like it's going to be a tight fit, as it's right above where the metal plate that has the cart insertion instructions and credit light plate are mounted.

Thanks for the help Crowquill, I'll post some pics if I find anything I don't understand.

Also, I'm not the best with electronics, should I be using a plastic handled wrench for this even if my unit is unplugged, or should a standard metal one be fine?

Thanks a million.

Click to expand...

Taking pics underneith the control panel is the best thing to do. Many members would jump in and give their opinion. As long as you mark your wires, removing the stick and replacing it should be easy.
I'm not 100% sure either, but I believe MVS Cabs came with Happ Supers. And whatever you do...avoid Happ Ultimates, they are crap. You mentioned ordering Happ Comps. I suggest you stay with the Happ Comps.

Thanks guys.

From looking at the comparison pics Crowquill posted, the sticks that are currently in my cabinet are definitely the Happ Supers on the far right. The base is fucking mammoth, but I imagine if I tilt the thing it'll have to come out somehow. I agree, the stick is crap, I have to put such a ridiculous ammount of effort (and arm) into my inputs that it almost feels like I'm wrestling my CP just to maneuver in some games. I'm happy to hear you guys singing the praises of the competitions, hopefully they'll arrive today and I'll get to try them out in a few hours. Details to come.

I wouldn't think you'll have too big of a problem. Once you remove the stick and the bolts, you can even slide the base to the side to clear any obstructions. As noted in the Oscar review, Supers have the most tension of the three. Ultimates have almost no resistance once they're broken in. I think that's part of why they feel so flimsy and cheap. They're also more noisy than any of the others. That said, they were also the standard stick that came with Capcom and Midway cabs and kits. If you played SFII, it was probably with Ultimates.

Somewhere around 2000 when I started building my MAME cab Supers were the stick of choice. These days everyone swears by the Comps. I have a Super on my modded PS2 Pelican RealArcade stick, my Primal Rage JAMMA cab came with Comps, and my new MVS 2-25 had ultimates. My favorite? The beat-up old Wico 8-way leaf sticks that I have on my MAME cab. With the amount of Neo fighters, comps are probably the best choice.

Mission Accomplished.

The comps arrived today, and after about an hour and a half (mostly just screwing with bolts that didn't feel like moving due to the tight area I was working in) and some tinkering with sliding the old Super out, things are good to go. The first thing I did after I had the sticks in was fire up some Blazing Star and Last Blade, they work flawlessly, and feel worlds better than my old Supers. Finally, playing on my cab feels as good as on my home system, thanks a million guys.