CMVS controller. Which is the best/cheapest option? (Arcade authentic)

[jonnyturbo]

I'm looking for the best option without spending mega money.

I have the stock Neo stick but want to upgrade to an authentic arcade stick.
Was thinking the analogue CMVS stick ($300 shipped to the UK!!!)
There is a custom stick on eBay with Happ components for £160 shipped but that's a lot as well.
My final option is to mod a stick myself, but I have very limited soldering skills. I don't want to mod my Neo Stick, was thinking of picking up a Hori Neo Stick and modding that (will still be expensive) does any one have any ideas or links to guides for this?
Cheers.

 

[alphagamer]

You want it CHEAP?

Well, here is my ghetto arcade stick!

Works better than it looks, I set some of my personal records in Batsugun with this!

 

[WoodyXP]

ROFL

 

[jonnyturbo]

Nice. That definitely looks cheap and highly flammable.

 

[HeavyMachineGoob]

LOL!

... Ahem, anyway, the cheapest solution for a controller is making one yourself no doubt. If you aren't too picky about the joystick and buttons, just go buy a low end arcade stick for Wii or PS3, buy a DB-15 extension cord and a NEO•GEO pinout picture. Remove the old cord or hide it inside the shell, cut the male plug (the one with pointy pins), shave it down so individual wires are accessible and just start wiring things in...

Instead of $40 a piece for authentic but crummy SNK NG sticks, I payed about $25 for two crummy joysticks I modded myself...

 

[Xian Xi]

Yup, make it yourself. You can make one using real quality arcade hardware for about $60 by using an existing stick like mentioned above and that's with a JLF and Semitsu/Sanwa buttons.

 

[fabriciom]

How do you connect the cables to the button, joystick terminals? I have 3 terminals and I believe there are 2 cables (in the JAMMA harness). The one getting activated and ground. In the buttons I have COM, NC and NO.

-Thanks

 

[HeavyMachineGoob]

With a soldering iron and solder usually.

NO = Normally open
NC = Normally closed
I don't think COM is used on NEO•GEO

Pretty sure signal goes on NC and ground goes on NO... Huh, been a while since I wired a joystick. A bit hard to remember.

 

[fabriciom]

Its not working for me. I have it setup on player 1 and its goes into bios but it does not move with the joystick or buttons. Also tried the other way around and same.

 

[HeavyMachineGoob]

What kind of joystick are you using? Normal arcade stick parts? Or are you converting from a home console like Wii or PS3?

I've tried working with USB-based sticks before and they handle the buttons differently. I had to isolate all the buttons and joystick contacts from the rest of the joystick circuit in order to get them working on the Neo... Wii is much easier, just hook things up and away you go.

Usually if you have NO and NC mixed up, the button will always stay turned on and pushing it will turn it off. To fix it just swap the wires around, but yours don't work...

 

[jonnyturbo]

Yup, make it yourself. You can make one using real quality arcade hardware for about $60 by using an existing stick like mentioned above and that's with a JLF and Semitsu/Sanwa buttons.

The only problem is I like where the buttons are in the Neo controller and don't fancy having 6 buttons on a stick and only using 4. I could get a cheap kidney shape controller as a backup and mod my AES stick using dubdubdub's tut, but I haven't got half those tools (multimeter and Dremel to name two) and it looks hella complicated. I'm willing to pay a little extra for an easier option. I was reading on another thread that the Hori Neo Fight Stick is an easy mod is this true?

 

[fabriciom]

found it on the web. COM is ground (common) NO is normally open and NC is normally close. One goes to COM and other to NO.

 

[HeavyMachineGoob]

Oops, I'm embarrassed now, I should have known that...

 

[Xian Xi]

This should make it easier.

On the joystick housing, mount a female DB15 socket.

On the back of the DB15 female socket is where you solder the wires from inside the controller to the assigned pin on the DB15.

This is the Neo Pinout

1 - Ground
2 - NC
3 - Select/Coin
4 - D
5 - B
6 - Right
7 - Down
8 - +5v
9 - NC
10 - NC
11 - Start
12 - C
13 - A
14 - Left
15 - Up

So if you want to connect "Up" one side of the wire goes to pin 15 and the other side goes to the NO pin on the joystick microswitch for "Up".

Blah Blah Blah etc.

 

[RAZO]

You want it CHEAP?

Well, here is my ghetto arcade stick!

Works better than it looks, I set some of my personal records in Batsugun with this!

Awesome!

 

[cdamm]

You want it CHEAP?

Well, here is my ghetto arcade stick!

Works better than it looks, I set some of my personal records in Batsugun with this!

i need at least 6 of these.

 

[trenog]

i need at least 6 of these.

It's an inspiration for us all.