Virtual On Twin Stick Project – Worklog 4

Posted in Games on 12 April, 2010 (08:22)

Virtual On Twinstick Project - Worklog 4

I’ve been stuck in an Internetless hell this weekend, cable modem’s died and the earliest Virgin can get to me is next Saturday 🙁 Luckily I get into work nice and early which gives me time to write an update on this project!

My last update for this the twinsticks over 6 month’s ago, and took a bit of a backseat with all the Wedding preparation. At the time I also noticed one of the sticks had a busted microswitch which wasn’t really fixable.. Well now i’m back on with this again, another quickshot off eBay in hand.

Firstly, as per the pic above I’ve sprayed the sticks a nice matte black which looks way better than the NES grey they previously were. Still trying to decide on a trigger colour, thoughts?

Voot Faceplate - Xbox

Secondly, i’ve worked on the faceplate a little bit, previously I’d taken the original VOOT faceplate design and reworked into a shinier Xbox style. Now looking at it I’ve decided I want a darker version to match my Xbox Elite.

Voot Faceplate - Xbox Elite

So here it is! It’s only a little darker but I much prefer the look. Going to send it off to photobox for printing, best get a few copies in case I mess up cutting holes for the sticks.

Going to have a look for some arcade buttons too, fingers crossed for a good colour match!

Thanks for reading! Here are some of my other posts you might like

Virtual On Twin Stick Project - Worklog 1
Fallout: New Vegas: Dead Money - Review
Minecraft - A peek into My World
Borderlands 2 Launch Date Trailer
8bit cafe, Tokyo
Yakuza(Ryu ga Gotoku) Ishin Trailer

Comments

21 Responses to Virtual On Twin Stick Project – Worklog 4

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  1. rich on 12 April, 2010 at (11:48)

    get a compass cutter , no more bodged holes!
    i’m getting one from ebay for a little “side” project , i’ll lend you mine if you like(when i get it!)
    more robots please…..ive done a few more mods(with photos as requested)

    • rich on 12 April, 2010 at (11:50)

      ps , im an electrical engineer if you need help!!

    • James on 12 April, 2010 at (13:03)

      Good plan, may well have to invest in one 🙂 pretty much sorted on the electrical bits thanks, had one stick working a while ago and need to get the second one soldered in – my soldering could be better! Might get stuck wiring in the arcade buttons though so watch this space!

      Worked on Red Frame a bit this weekend but been piling a ton of time into another project that will remain secret for the time being! Your Zaku is looking ace, kinda hard to believe it’s only a 1/144 and that mono eye is gonna look badass switched on!

      • rich on 12 April, 2010 at (13:25)

        its not wired on this one. couldnt get the wires in a nice place on such a small model.
        the 1/100 will be though, when i save some more money.
        split the skirt last night as well,just dont have a drill bit small enough to make the hinge,but i will sort that this aft!
        check back later tomorrow for the next installment!

        • James on 12 April, 2010 at (21:42)

          Ah yeah that’s true, guess it’d be a lot easier if it had a big backpack like the gundam ground type! I have the MG Zaku 2.0 which I got way back in 07, plan on doing some serious battle damage and weathering on it!

  2. Billkwando on 8 June, 2011 at (14:45)

    How do you open the stick grips without breaking them? Both of the quickshots I bought off ebay had the screw posts break loose on the inside when I tried to remove the screws. That plastic is super brittle.

    • James on 8 June, 2011 at (22:49)

      Judging by that I think I must’ve got very lucky! All the Quickshots I’ve bought have been in pretty good(relatively unused) condition. Just undid the screws and they pretty much fell open!

      • Billkwando on 9 June, 2011 at (18:15)

        I’m wondering if maybe a prev owner had taken mine apart and then super torqued them back together, cos it was seriously like *twistCRACK*.

        I’m envious of your spray painting skillz. What sealant did you use? I was probably gonna try Krylon Fusion since it’s paint for plastics, but I do worry about it wearing off.

        Have you made any plans on how you’re going to do the stick holes in the case, since the controller relies so heavily on the design of the box its in?

        • James on 14 June, 2011 at (08:35)

          Sounds pretty possible yeah, from your post though you’re making some great progress!
          Sealant.. would’ve been a Games Workshop purity seal, pearl finish – probably not using the most suitable paints but it seems to be going ok 🙂
          Fitting the sticks in the case is going to be a challenge, seeing as the quickshots need to remain pretty much intact for the microswitches to engage, I’d either drill through the tops of the casing and bolt onto the top of the box I’m using, or mount inside on some wooden blocks.. kinda hard to explain but I’ll do some crappy drawings and write an update or something 🙂

        • Billkwando on 16 June, 2011 at (15:40)

          BTW the 2nd set of quickshots I got unscrewed just fine. Too bad I melted them. Too much water, not enough dye, I suppose.

  3. Billkwando on 8 June, 2011 at (14:45)

    Oh and what kind of matte paint is that? It looks awesome!

    • James on 8 June, 2011 at (22:50)

      Thanks! If memory serves I think it’s Games Workshop Chaos Black spray paint, with a bit of sealant on top to try and prevent it rubbing off of chipping.

  4. Billkwando on 12 June, 2011 at (07:09)

    Here’s the thread on my twin stick build (just started really). Check it out in case there’s any useful info for your project:

    http://www.oratan.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=502&p=8218#p8218

    • James on 14 June, 2011 at (08:33)

      Looking awesome so far! You’re using the arcade sticks board is that right? Cheers for coming across this post btw – you’ve inspired me to try and finish this off! I may have some questions when I come around to wiring up the triggers 🙂

      • Billkwando on 14 June, 2011 at (15:40)

        I am indeed using the retro arcade stick board. I didn’t do the triggers. Instead I did bumpers and left/right clicks. For the triggers I think you just add a resistor.

        I’m planning to bolt my quickshots to the inside of my case (like cake pan), but with square holes that are approx 1 1/4 inches. That should give the square part that pokes above the top of the case sufficient room, but it’ll prolly take some adjustment. I already drilled the pilot holes to work off of. I did it by lininge up on of the bottom cases and drilling straight through the round spring holder (with a 1/4 bit?) and using it as a guide (cos the tops are already ruined)

  5. Billkwando on 24 June, 2011 at (14:14)

    Update on my project: I gave up on Rit dye (melted like 3 sticks now) and am using a spray can of Plasti Dip. It’s basically a rubber compound, in spray or dip form, that’s intended to cover tool handles for grip.

    • James on 24 June, 2011 at (14:46)

      Sounds like some good stuff! Bet it’ll give a really nice finish too 🙂 I’m determined to get some time in on this project this weekend, so watch this space for an update at the very least!

  6. Billkwando on 7 July, 2011 at (23:02)

    MentholMoose would know. 🙂

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