Hello everyone. I've been looking at this thread for a little and upon all the pages I didn't see anyone with this problem: I got the switches mentioned in the first post, and installed them all fine, moved all the prongs and stuff down and everything. My problem that I'm having is getting the icade to close. It does not close very easily, you have to force it down a lot, and if it is tightly closed the 4 corner buttons don't seem to respond. Any suggestions? I was thinking about just screwing in half of the screws in the spots they'd need to be in the most but I'd prefer to get it to close correctly. Thanks EDIT: I believe it was just the way the wires were going into the case, but its definitely fixed I'd say. All the buttons work nicely when closed tight now
I just finished up my iCade modding. I got a good deal on the 6 Sanwa buttons. I may replace the other 2 and add a power switch eventually.
Good thread! Linked to the hdmi table of contents. http://forums.toucharcade.com/showthread.php?t=173262
Hi, I've read this whole thread and it has answered 95% of my questions, I just have a couple things i'm confused on... 1. I read that the 30mm buttons require sanding, and that the iCade's default are apparently 28mm...so would the 24mm buttons be too small or require wood putty? if so I'm gonna go with the 30mm. 2. A few people mentioned the 20 gram buttons being nice and quiet, I am looking on eBay for my buttons and can't see the 20 gram mentioned anywhere, are the 30mm ones just 20 gram as standard? 3. I also read someone somewhere mentioned 'make sure you check the blah blah secure before removing the screws' or something...but wasn't sure what they were on about, can someone post a photo please? or was it on the joystick? either way, whats the important bit to check first that someone mentioned? ha. 4. If you get a Sanwa joystick that has the metal plate still, how hard is that to remove? If I can get these answered i'll probably film the fitting etc so there will be a video for everyone else. Thanks
Also, has anyone figured a way to get illuminated buttons in their iCade? I know they would require a power source, but is there a compact and easy way to do this? maybe just a Molex connected to some kinda laptop sized power supply?
@mrTank: I would go with 30mm buttons. Sanwa, Seimitsu, and Happ are all good arcade button manufacturers. I think Sanwa or Seimitsu would be in that "20 grams of pressure" range. It's not too hard to open up the iCade. Mine had some "security" screws. I didn't have the correct driver (and who does?), so I cut a slot on the screw's head with a rotary tool (Dremel). Then I removed the screws with a straight screwdriver. I didn't replace the stock joystick. But a Sanwa style could fit (maybe with some light sanding/filing). However, there's no way a joystick with big micro switches (like Happ makes) would drop in there. The LED stuff is definitely possible. They make buttons with LEDs inside, or you can use clear button with your own LEDs. Shouldn't be too hard to do something simple like pressing button down turns a LED on.
I ordered 3 Sanwa buttons to test it out before I commit to buying them all. Went to open it up today and noticed the annoying allan key screws...need to find a way to open this without waiting to order one from ebay. Though was just wondering, has anyone got a guide on what screws need to be done to replace the buttons? Thanks
My iCade had some crazy semi-star shape screws . . . Like a "security" screw, meant to keep you from voiding the warranty. I had to cut a slot on the screws head and work it out with a straight screw driver. With the iCade Core some of the screws are under the little foam pieces (on the corners). I tried to circle the screw locations. . . . Once you take all the screws out, it should open up like a clam shell.
amazing thank you! this is very helpful, what ones where the tough screws on yours? near the botton sides? lets imagine they are all numbered from 1-whatever starting from top left going right, what numbers would your bastard ones be? ha
I actually can't remember where the security screws were located. . . I do remember that there was only 2 of them, and they might have been near the center. Let me see if I can find another photo. . . . . Sorry it's out of focus. You can kind of see what the screws go into. It's basically legs inside the case. . You probably want to label the the wires (or take better photos ) as you disconnect the switches. It will save you a headache a later.
M44, mine didn't seem to have the security screws (thankfully) though I have run into a problem... Can anyone help me with this? as you can see, the connections on my Sanwa buttons are very different (smaller even) though my main worry is the button which has its own built in switch does not indicate what is the ground connector? How would I connect my wires? the black would go on what side? :S Thanks
I just read somewhere that they are both the same, as in it does not matter what prong you place each on? is this true? Also, here are a few more photos of inside just for research sake if anyone is interested. Stock joystick switches The annoying square joystick gate iCade stock insides I was wondering if you could just leave the joystick gate off? until my octagon gate arrived? or does it play that big a role in keeping the switches in place?
No problem I'm glad you didn't have to deal with those stupid security screws. . . . The black wire could go on either tab. . . The arcade button is a "normally open momentary switch". The stock buttons were also wired normally open. ^It's just like touching two wires together^ ----////---- The tabs on the Sanwa buttons are a little smaller than the stock micro switches. So you may need to squeeze the connections with pliers to make sure they stay connected. (I would probably test everything first, then squeeze the connectors once I knew it was working properly.) Unfortunately you don't have much wire to spare. So you may need to line the buttons up and try to keep everything neat.
First button done...but at a cost... As you can see, I was very stupid with the sandpaper and did it from the top down into the hole, only to lift it and realise I had scratched the crap out of my board and the buttons next to it... Lucky for me the rest are old buttons and I also plan on covering the board with a decal etc, so I can work around it. But let this be a lesson for anyone else, sandpaper can be damaging if like me, you're an idiot The joke is, I have a Dremmel but the flipping thing is stuck or worn down or something so when I hold the button down and try to twist the head to get the fitted tool out, it just clicks out of place and spins...i.e, its ####ed. But anyway, thought I'd share my mistake on here so no one else does it.
Right I'm looking for some help here. I'm looking at upgrading to the Sanwa buttons but I'm also looking for a stick that is quieter than the stock one, preferably as quiet as possible because right now I only have a few options, -either my wife is going to kill me for the constant clicking that's driving her mad -don't play when the wife is around -get new wife that isn't annoyed by clicking sounds -or get a new less clicky joystick for my icade So any help and advice appreciated as I'm not sure which one is easier to replace Edit, right I've found I few things out. Anyone know the difference between this -Sanwa JLF-TP-8Y And this -Sanwa JLF TRG 8YTH SK The second one says its silent but its also a lot more expensive than the other one, so does anyone know how much more silent its is and if its worth the extra money. Also would it fit in the Cade cabinet as the mod I saw was putting it into the icade core. Thanks.
Yeah, the icade sure is noisy all right, though it depends on conditions how good that is. Normally, it seems great to be noisy, but with someone sleeping in the same room or in a library, it is way too noisy. Curious to see what your icade will look like for sure.
The amount of guides I've read in the past few days is crazy, I think I've got how to change the buttons and stick down but I still have no idea where I'm going to get a custom skin from? There needs to be a company who do icade skins so I can just order an icade sized version of the tmnt cabinet
Honestly the stock joystick is pretty good. The Sanwa I'm about to recommend is about 85% as noisy. It's those cheap buttons that make a ton of noise and annoy spouses. I personally use the Sanwa JLF-TP-8YT-SK joystick with my PS3/PC arcade stick setup. $20 (plus shipping) seems like a fair price for the joystick. I ordered mine from these guys. The joystick is pretty quiet. I saw an ebay seller asking 103 dollars for the other arcade stick (the JLF TRG 8YTH SK), and it's a micro-switch type as well. . . I really wouldn't recommend spending that much. Custom skins are tricky. I've seen some guys print out their design, then go it to Kinkos to get it laminated. . . . There may be a "template" that you can save and start your design on. I'm really horrible with stuff like that , I just put stickers on my iCade, and a sheet of black "craft foam" stuff on my other set up. . . . . One more link: This webpage is full of info about arcade sticks.
Thanks for that, the last link is quite useful. I've found how I can do my custom skin now anyway, I've found a company online who will print upto A3 full colour sticky back gloss paper you just need to send them the template and design. Now my problem is trying to find the art work from the 1989 TMNT arcade machine (the uk version) This art of anyone knows where to find it
