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.

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25 Comments:

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

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

  2. Thrax
    17 Aug '09, 1:57 pm

    Your prescience is truly uncanny.

  3. RyanMeray
    17 Aug '09, 2:20 pm

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

  4. Cliff_Forster
    17 Aug '09, 5:57 pm

    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. rolleggroll
    17 Aug '09, 9:15 pm

    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. UPSLynx
    17 Aug '09, 9:31 pm

    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. Koreish
    17 Aug '09, 9:48 pm

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

  8. NiGHTS
    17 Aug '09, 10:59 pm

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

    Very well done Lynx,

  9. UPSLynx
    18 Aug '09, 9:10 pm

    Yeah yeah, I knew that one was coming too.

    It's just one of those things, you know

  10. mas0n
    18 Aug '09, 11:58 pm

    nice work.

  11. MAGIC
    19 Aug '09, 3:09 pm

    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. UPSLynx
    19 Aug '09, 9:07 pm
    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. rolleggroll
    20 Aug '09, 8:08 pm

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

  14. UPSLynx
    20 Aug '09, 10:50 pm

    Thanks a lot!

  15. Cliff_Forster
    10 Sep '09, 1:36 am

    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. rolleggroll
    10 Sep '09, 4:32 am

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

  17. UPSLynx
    10 Sep '09, 12:56 pm

    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. rolleggroll
    11 Sep '09, 4:27 pm

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

  19. UPSLynx
    11 Sep '09, 10:37 pm

    Ah, good to know, thanks for that.

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

  20. joyedele
    16 Oct '09, 6:04 pm

    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. UPSLynx
    17 Oct '09, 12:39 am

    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. Haikkari
    19 Oct '09, 9:09 am

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

  23. riverfr0zen
    9 Dec '09, 1:20 pm

    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. UPSLynx
    9 Dec '09, 2:54 pm

    $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. riverfr0zen
    9 Dec '09, 4:01 pm

    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.

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