How to mod the MadCatz SE Fightstick

Bobby Miller (UPSLynx)

August 17, 2009 1:39 PM ET in Articles, , , , , , , ,

Just getting into fighting games?  Perhaps you’ve been playing for years and finally want to learn to play on a stick.  Either way, a joystick can be an investment, and each player should customize their stick to their own styles.

An easy one-size-fits-all solution can be to buy the MadCatz SE stick and swap out the parts.  With this video, learn how to mod the MadCatz SE Fightstick into a pro joystick with Sanwa parts in 10 easy minutes.

I purchased my Sanwa parts at LizardLick.  You’ll need the JLF-TP-8YT-SK joystick and 8 OBSF-30 Pushbuttons to properly do this mod.

44 Comments

  1. 17 Aug '09, 5:50 pm UPSLynx

    In B4 Thrax mentions that I said 'Phillips head screw drives' twice..

  2. 17 Aug '09, 5:57 pm Thrax

    Your prescience is truly uncanny.

  3. 17 Aug '09, 6:20 pm RyanMeray

    Great narration, I laughed a few times, and a great tutorial overall. Nice work!

  4. 17 Aug '09, 9:57 pm Cliff_Forster

    Anything worth doing is worth doing right. Sanwa arcade parts for the home SFIV experience is just plain doing it right. Epic win Bobby.

  5. 18 Aug '09, 1:15 am rolleggroll

    It is very important to note that when modding the SE stick that you use the Sanwa JLF-TP-8YT-SK. Any other Sanwa sticks will work but you will run into multiple problems such as:

    1) the orientation for the power plug will be on the wrong side (right side) which will cover the space where the pushbuttons are

    2) some of the other Sanwa sticks might not use the power plug included in the SE stick (which means you get to wire it yourself [PITA] and have fun)

    3) some of the other Sanwa sticks are not compatible with the SE stick's built in mounting bracket

    Also important tidbit regarding the screws attached to the mounting bracket, they are all attached to the bracket on top of some little ring (which keeps the screws in place, although not necessary) and that they are all covered in some kind of waxy/glue-like substance that is going to be red or yellow. This is perfectly normal. Remove the metal ring on top of the bracket and remove the waxy substance. You don't need em.

    Another important note is that you are not limited to using the Sanwa OBSF-30 Pushbuttons (Snap-ons). The threaded Sanwa OBSN-30's (screw-ons), Seimitsu PS-14-KN 30mm Pushbutton (pretty clear ones), Seimitsu PS-14-GN 30mm Pushbutton (solid colors) all work just fine with the exception of the button that goes in the "x" position (Light Kick) will need to have the "lugnut" around it sanded or grinded down a few millimeters.

    Lastly, lets talk about price.
    The Tournament Edition (TE) stick is $149.99 retail. It already comes with Sanwa parts.

    The Special Edition (SE) stick retails for $79.99. Combine that price with a replacement Sanwa Stick $24.95, eight replacement Sanwa buttons $23.60, and a nice pretty replacement balltop to match your new buttons $4.95. That comes out to $79.99+$61.49 = $141.48

    I'm not knocking the whole modding process though. I prefer the feel of a modded SE over a TE any day (I'm in the minority though) but the amount that you saved isn't as much only $10. But if you were unsure about a joystick in the first place then this is definitely a good idea.

  6. 18 Aug '09, 1:31 am UPSLynx

    Protips for Eggroll:

    1. In the video I mentioned that I was installing the Sanwa JLF joystick. This was to provide clarity, as saying "JLF-TP-8YT-SK" is hardly an efficient means of communication for a how-to video.

    It's precisely why I linked to the JLF-TP-8YT-SK in the introduction paragraph preceding the video. It's a question of clarity in presentation, simply.

    Good point on the different types of pushbuttons. I should have mentioned that.

    Regarding price - I did not pay $140 for this stick. Though I will admit the number I mention at the end was not entirely accurate, it wasn't far from the mark of what I paid. I found the SE stick new on amazon for ~$55, and $24 for the Sanwa parts, so I ended up paying somewhere between $80-100 total. A significant savings over the TE stick.

    And, when you mod, you customize and do things your way. That alone makes it worthwhile.

  7. 18 Aug '09, 1:48 am Koreish

    Heh, "find the hole then push it in." "feels like a great stick"

  8. 18 Aug '09, 2:59 am NiGHTS

    Feels like an awesome stick, you say? Hmm...

    Very well done Lynx,

  9. 19 Aug '09, 1:10 am UPSLynx

    Yeah yeah, I knew that one was coming too.

    It's just one of those things, you know

  10. 19 Aug '09, 3:58 am mas0n

    nice work.

  11. 19 Aug '09, 7:09 pm MAGIC

    I do hate phillips head screw drives, or screws(as i regularly refer to them as).

    Nice write up though.

    Is that streetfighter themed faceplate removable?

  12. 20 Aug '09, 1:07 am UPSLynx
    Quoting MAGIC

    Is that streetfighter themed faceplate removable?

    It is, though it does require a bit of work. It's the next thing I plan on doing once I do a bit more reading up on it. Haven't decided what design to replace it with yet....

    Dangit, can't find the link Eggroll sent to me.

    Eggy, halp!

  13. 21 Aug '09, 12:08 am rolleggroll

    http://driph.com/words/2009/02/howto-add-new-art-to-your-madcatz-fightstick/

  14. 21 Aug '09, 2:50 am UPSLynx

    Thanks a lot!

  15. 10 Sep '09, 5:36 am Cliff_Forster

    http://www.buy.com/prod/official-street-fighter-iv-arcade-fightstick-joystick-for-xbox-360/q/loc/108/210674146.html

    Buy.com has SE sticks for $40, Go now!

  16. 10 Sep '09, 8:32 am rolleggroll

    That is the cheapest 360 SE stick I've seen online. Its a steal. Nice find.

  17. 10 Sep '09, 4:56 pm UPSLynx

    Buy.com once in awhile comes through with some outstanding deals. It's where I bought my logitech Z-5500 speakers years ago.

    Surprised the PS3 edition of the stick is priced at $63 dollars. They must have an overstock of 360 editions, as far as I know the two sticks are similar with the exception of console interfacing.

  18. 11 Sep '09, 8:27 pm rolleggroll

    360 stick has headset jack, also is easier to dual mod should you choose to.

  19. 12 Sep '09, 2:37 am UPSLynx

    Ah, good to know, thanks for that.

    ... but wouldn't that generally make the 360 version more expensive, having additional hardware?

  20. 16 Oct '09, 10:04 pm joyedele

    Hey, I tried modding just the joystick and found that the connector keeps coming undone. I tried using tape, but that was unsuccessful. I noticed in your video you said we can use glue...any suggestions on what kind of glue to use. Thanks in advance for your help.

  21. 17 Oct '09, 4:39 am UPSLynx

    I would suggest a glue that's non-conductive, but it's not necessary as you're gluing a plastic piece (as long as you're careful to keep the glue on the plastics only.

    A hot glue gun would probably do the trick, as long as you're careful with the application. This will hold it tightly, but won't be terribly difficult to break the seal if you decided you need to later down the road.

    You could probably use epoxy as well, though I don't think it would be as forgiving as a hot glue gun.

    Eggroll, any personal experiences that would serve as a suggestion?

  22. 19 Oct '09, 1:09 pm Haikkari

    Thanks for this awesome guide! Now my FightStick SE is a lot better with Sanwa parts.

  23. 9 Dec '09, 6:20 pm riverfr0zen

    Update on PS3 stick pricing - I got my stick from amazon for ~ $45. That was during Black Friday sales, but I just looked again, and the price is still about the same.

    This was an awesome guide, thanks so much - gonna try mod this thing now.

  24. 9 Dec '09, 7:54 pm UPSLynx

    $45 is an INCREDIBLE deal for these sticks. If anyone is interested in doing this but has been afraid to spend the money, you'll find no better time to buy than now.

    Let us know how the mod goes, riverfr0zen!

  25. 9 Dec '09, 9:01 pm riverfr0zen

    Question about the joystick you recommend - on the Lizard Lick site, it says it has a square gate. Is that the same kind of gate as this stick has out of the box?

    Just, I'm finding it hard to pull of simple moves like hadokens with the stick. Granted, it has been a long, long time since I've used a joystick, so I'm practically a n00b again. Are there any joysticks with octagonal or circle gates that can be used instead, and would you recommend them to play Street Fighter?

    Ultimately, I'd want to be playing with controls as close to the arcade as possible (within a similar price range as this mod), so if you could base your response on that, it would be great. Thanks so much again.

  26. 9 Jan '10, 7:13 am UPSLynx

    apologies for lack of response, I somehow missed that comment.

    Yes, the MadCatz SE stick comes with a square gate.

    You can buy separate gates for the joystick without having to replace the entire stick. On the lizard lick joystick page (http://www.lizardlick.com/pages/joysticks.shtml), Look for the Sanwa GT-Y Octagonal Restrictor Plate about half way down the page. This will replace the square gate on the Sanwa JLF joystick. Gate's snap on and off, pretty easy to change out yourself.

    If you're playing fireball motion characters like Ryu and Ken, then 8-way octagonal gate is probably the best way to go.

  27. 9 Jan '10, 10:18 am riverfr0zen

    cool stuff man, yuu rock. maybe i will try to use a damn joystic not restricted to ryu or ken. thanks again.

  28. 11 Jan '10, 8:55 am EvokeDesiderata

    I opened my Mad Catz SE Fight Stick and it looks like you skipped some steps because there are a bunch of wire/connections to chips that need to be also disconnected because if you don't it is almost impossible to disconeect to the connecter that is glued to the joystick. I see when you opened it up you didn't have any of these extra wires/connectors. Is this because your madcatz SE stick is for the computer and not XBOX or did you just leave that step put. At 9:05 in your video that green chip above the joystick has no wires on mine there is 3 or 4 more glued connections that need to be taken apart to get a clear ability to get the joystick glued part undone..also in the botton left corner I have a ton of wires wrapped around where in your video you have none. Any help?

  29. 11 Jan '10, 5:30 pm UPSLynx

    My Madcatz SE stick is actually for the PS3. I bought the PS3 edition because it is also compatible with the PC.

    I'm not exactly sure what wires/connections you're talking about, but I think it may be for the Xbox 360's live functionality or headset.

    I've consulted our resident joystick expert on the matter. You should have an answer soon.

  30. 11 Jan '10, 8:55 pm rolleggroll
    Quoting EvokeDesiderata

    I opened my Mad Catz SE Fight Stick and it looks like you skipped some steps because there are a bunch of wire/connections to chips that need to be also disconnected because if you don't it is almost impossible to disconeect to the connecter that is glued to the joystick. I see when you opened it up you didn't have any of these extra wires/connectors. Is this because your madcatz SE stick is for the computer and not XBOX or did you just leave that step put. At 9:05 in your video that green chip above the joystick has no wires on mine there is 3 or 4 more glued connections that need to be taken apart to get a clear ability to get the joystick glued part undone..also in the botton left corner I have a ton of wires wrapped around where in your video you have none. Any help?

    Using the step 3:36 - 3:42 as a reference could you perhaps post a picture to help us help you?

    Also the only main difference between the PS3 version of the SE vs the XBOX360 version is the addition of the input jack for the headset. shouldn't have that big of a difference.

    Did you buy your stick brand new? Or perhaps was it dual-modded? A picture of the top side and the insides will help us figure it out.

  31. 19 Jan '10, 12:47 pm Meteo2

    Thanks for this tutorial. After seeing how crappy my SE stick was, I was a bit disheartened and didn't know modding it would be this easy! Waiting for my (correct) parts to come in.

    SE cost:
    $59.99 + free shipping

    1 Sanwa stick and 8 Sanwa buttons:
    $35.50 + $8.00 shipping

    Total= $103.49
    I think TE would have cost $115.13 + $3.99 shipping
    Not a huge difference but it's all good!

  32. 19 Jan '10, 9:32 pm UPSLynx

    The cost is spot on, but the ability to customize your stick to your own look/feel propels it WAY beyond the standard.

    Glad we could help!

  33. 24 Jan '10, 12:12 am c4rizzle

    I bought a te stick last summer when they were sould out everywhere and paid 213$ after shipping and markup. I had used a hori ex2 for a month and after going through 1 stick a week and having to return them for new ones I decided to get the real deal. I haven't regretted it since and Ive logged over 1000 hrs in battle with it. Today on craigslist I got another like new(and I mean NEW) te stick and other goodies for only 75 bucks. This stick is the bomb. The only issue is the pcb problem with the rt/lt buttons but it has an easy fix. I'm thinking of modding one with cool art and new gate.

  34. 24 Jan '10, 2:59 am UPSLynx

    $75 for a like new TE stick? That's not a bad buy at all

  35. 10 Feb '10, 5:27 am Starion

    Meteo2,

    I thought the JLF itself is 24.95 and the buttons are ~3.00 USD each? Wouldn't that make it 25+16=41? With shipping + stick at amazon for 60 USD it would be 110 USD....

    I'm wondering if it would make more sense to just get the PS3 Real Arcade Pro. 3-SA, since that would be 10 dollars more only...

    That or get a used one, but I'm never sure how much abuse these parts can take...

    Any comments from fellow fighting stick owners?

  36. 10 Feb '10, 6:41 am rolleggroll
    Quoting Starion

    Meteo2,

    I thought the JLF itself is 24.95 and the buttons are ~3.00 USD each? Wouldn't that make it 25+16=41? With shipping + stick at amazon for 60 USD it would be 110 USD....

    I'm wondering if it would make more sense to just get the PS3 Real Arcade Pro. 3-SA, since that would be 10 dollars more only...

    That or get a used one, but I'm never sure how much abuse these parts can take...

    Any comments from fellow fighting stick owners?

    Its all preference really. Both of the SE + TE will retain the Vewlix layout which is more similar to the American parallel layout. Most vewlix layouts have the start and select buttons on the front side of the stick.

    The HRAP3 and the HRAP3-SA both have the Astro City layout which has more of a curvature to the buttons. Both the HRAP3 and the HRAP3-SA have the start and select buttons on the top part of the joystick.

    Both the SE + HRAP3 will need slight minor mods to get to an "Arcade" quality. The SE needs a joystick + buttons. Whereas the HRAP3 only needs the buttons replaced.

    The TE + HRAP3-SA are all "Arcade" quality Sanwa parts. You just buy the stick plugin and you are good to go.

    The Sanwa parts can really take a beating. I used all Sanwa Parts in a custom-built stick which I built in 2001. It still works perfectly fine. Never replaced anything and I have been consistently playing fighting games since. UPSAvatard can vouch for the quality of the parts since he also has used that custom stick.

    I personally like the look and feel of the HRAP3s. A modded HRAP3 will be equal to a HRAP3-SA performance wise. I personally think that the Madcatz have superior boards in them and the wiring feels a bit better than the the HRAPs but its not a big deal at all.

    I do own all 3 of the SEs (ps3/360/wii). I own the original TE stick (ps3) and the TE Marvel vs Capcom version (ps3). I have the HRAP3 (ps3) and the HRAP3-SE (which is the 360 version of the HRAP-SA but with seimitsu parts instead of Sanwa). And I have a couple of customs as well. So if you have any other questions feel free to shoot me a PM.

    If you still feel like reading I made a list of pros and cons.

    Modded Madcatz SE

    Cons:
    - Retails for $50-80
    - Add $25 + $18 + tax and shipping for a stick & buttons.
    - Kinda small (meaning little room to set hands/wrist
    - Slanted wrist-rest then flat surface. (preference though - I like that slant)
    - light-weight meaning it might move around in your lap if you are getting violent with the stick.

    Pros:
    + knowledge gained from modding the stick is always a plus.
    + Customizable parts (lol) with your choice of Seimitsu or Sanwa.
    + Fairly cheap. Not that big of a commitment.
    + Start and Select on the front side of the stick (not in the way)

    Neutral:
    - Vewlix Layout

    Madcatz TE

    Cons:
    - Retails for $99.99-$159.99
    - Most of the versions of the TE look ugly. (opinion)

    Pros
    +Arcade quality out the box. Stick is Sanwa JLF, buttons are the OBSF-30s.
    + Lots of arm / wrist / finger space.
    + Good Weight. Won't fumble around on your lap if you get violent.
    + Comes in 5 different designs (that are easily obtained at least)
    + Start and Select on the front side of the stick (not in the way)

    Neutral:
    - Vewlix Layout

    HRAP3

    Cons:
    - Retails for $89-99
    - Have to replace buttons (so $18-24)
    - Start and Select buttons are on the top side. (this is a problem because accidently hitting start and pausing the game in a tournament results in a DQ for that round.)
    - Troublesome to replace buttons (not hard at all, just not as easy as the SE or TE)

    Pros:
    + Probably one of the first mainstream sticks to become available.
    + Solid rounded / curved body as opposed to the SE + TE rectangular and flat shape.
    + Weight is good as well. Won't move around so much.
    + Really attractive default color scheme (opinion)

    Neutral
    - Astro City Layout

    HRAP3-SA

    Cons:
    -Retails for $110-129.99
    - Start and Select buttons on the top

    Pros:
    + same as HRAP3.
    + no need to replace buttons
    + silver faceplate is shiny.

    Neutral:
    - Astro City Layout.

  37. 23 Feb '10, 11:20 am N.R.

    I just bought my PS3 SE stick and should get it soon. Your tutorial looks great. I have one question about modding it though. I intend to switch the art on the fight stick box with my own variation and I saw other people also added a new texture to the stick and buttons. How do you do that?

  38. 24 Feb '10, 4:07 am UPSLynx

    Glad you're looking to mod your fightstick N.R., it is well worth the effort!

    When you say texture, do you mean graphics below the buttons, or physical texture to the top of the buttons?

    I know some buttons have translucent plungers, allowing you to place a small circle of a graphic inside of the pushbutton. As for the exact pushbutton types that allow this, I'm not exactly sure. There are a few different translucent pushbuttons on lizardlick.com, but I don't know which of these are compatible with the MadCatz SE Fightstick.

    Any input, Rolleggroll?

  39. 27 Feb '10, 12:14 pm N.R.

    Thanks for the answer. I did refer to the physical texture on top of the buttons. I've seen a couple of impressive looking designs of these when casually googling for modded MadCatz SE sticks.

  40. 27 Feb '10, 5:42 pm UPSLynx

    Hmm, interesting. If you find any guides with any such mod, I'd love to see it!

  41. 9 Mar '10, 1:00 am DC

    I have a Mad Catz Street Fighter IV TE PS3 stick. I hate the square restrictor. How and where can I get a circular restrictor? Or should I get a stick that's has a circular restrictor built-in?

  42. 9 Mar '10, 7:02 pm UPSLynx

    DC, the Sanwa GT-8F 4/8-Way Restrictor Plate should work on the stock Mad Catz fight sticks.

    You can find it here: http://www.lizardlick.com/pages/joysticks.shtml

  43. 10 Mar '10, 6:34 am DC

    UPSLynx, you mean the Sanwa GT-0 Round Restrictor Plate right? Sanwa GT-8F is still square.

  44. 10 Mar '10, 6:57 am UPSLynx

    DC - good eye, I did grab the wrong gate. My apologies.

    You don't want the GT-0, as it is for JLW sticks, and is cornerless. If you want 8-way operation on the stock stick, grab the Sanwa GT-Y Octagonal Restrictor Plate.

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