Digmac
Leona's Therapist
- Joined
- Feb 10, 2016
- Posts
- 1,966
Hey guys, I wanted to share the first arcade stick that I really overhauled for myself, and I'm definitely proud of the way it turned out. This is my Neo 29 inspired HORI Tekken 5 10th anniversary PS2 stick that I converted to be used with the Neo Geo.
This is how the stick started out, like any old HORI Tekken 5 stick for PS2. This stick has to be one of my favorites to modify. It feels solid, and has a great weight to it. I started off by fully disassembling the stick. I then heated the original overlay with a hair dryer, and it peeled off. To get rid of the adhesive left over I soaked the control panel in isopropyl alcohol overnight, and that did the trick.
Next up was the artwork. After spending hours in Photoshop on different ideas, I decided on a Neo 29 theme. I found a Neo 29 control panel scan and got to work. This is how it started out:
Then this is how it turned out with some Photoshop work. The SNK logo wasn't going to be in the artwork with how I was going to crop it, so I left it. After that I added everything else you'll see in the finished product.
With the artwork taken care of, I moved onto modifying the stick itself. These HORI sticks of this era weren't just plug and play to swap the buttons. The control panel needed to be modified since there were metal tabs that prevented normal Seimitsu buttons from fitting. After grinding and sanding the tabs down flush with the rest of the hole, the CP was ready for all its new hardware. Seimitsu screw in buttons, and a Sanwa JLF with a 2lb spring. The JLF also needed modification to fit, with four holes being drilled through the restrictor gate to use the original mounting screws.
After all that work I was ready to finally build the stick. I had the artwork printed on a durable matte vinyl and got that placed on the control panel. I got a DB15/Neo Geo wiring harness, installed the JLF and buttons, and wired everything using quick disconnects for ease of future repair. With everything back assembled, this is the final product. I'm really happy with it, and it's been my main Neo stick ever since.
This is how the stick started out, like any old HORI Tekken 5 stick for PS2. This stick has to be one of my favorites to modify. It feels solid, and has a great weight to it. I started off by fully disassembling the stick. I then heated the original overlay with a hair dryer, and it peeled off. To get rid of the adhesive left over I soaked the control panel in isopropyl alcohol overnight, and that did the trick.
Next up was the artwork. After spending hours in Photoshop on different ideas, I decided on a Neo 29 theme. I found a Neo 29 control panel scan and got to work. This is how it started out:
Then this is how it turned out with some Photoshop work. The SNK logo wasn't going to be in the artwork with how I was going to crop it, so I left it. After that I added everything else you'll see in the finished product.
With the artwork taken care of, I moved onto modifying the stick itself. These HORI sticks of this era weren't just plug and play to swap the buttons. The control panel needed to be modified since there were metal tabs that prevented normal Seimitsu buttons from fitting. After grinding and sanding the tabs down flush with the rest of the hole, the CP was ready for all its new hardware. Seimitsu screw in buttons, and a Sanwa JLF with a 2lb spring. The JLF also needed modification to fit, with four holes being drilled through the restrictor gate to use the original mounting screws.
After all that work I was ready to finally build the stick. I had the artwork printed on a durable matte vinyl and got that placed on the control panel. I got a DB15/Neo Geo wiring harness, installed the JLF and buttons, and wired everything using quick disconnects for ease of future repair. With everything back assembled, this is the final product. I'm really happy with it, and it's been my main Neo stick ever since.
