SFIV Tournament Edition stick - Chun Li theme

Here is my MadCatz Tournament Edition FightStick, modified with custom artwork. I get a lot of messages regarding how to do this, so I decided to write the tutorial below.

HOW TO MOD YOUR TE STICK WITH CUSTOM ART
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What you need:

1. Plastic top panel
2. hex key (6-cornered screwdriver)
3. A regular screw driver
4. High gloss photo paper in "Legal" or "A3" format
5. A decent printer that's capable of photo-printing
6. A nail puller

I recommend purchasing a ready-to-use laser-cut plexi top cover, specifically made for modifying a TE stick. You can buy one at http://tek-innovations.com/arthobbies/

I don't recommend doing it yourself using a dremel, because you have to sand for a million years before it will have perfectly sharp edges. It's just too much work, unless you are very handy.

You can go to a printing shop to print the artwork, but it's expensive. What I did was buy a pack of 50 high gloss photo paper in A3 format, but "Legal" is a more efficient format. The TE's top cover is about 2 cm less wide than A4, but it is a couple of cm longer than A4. That's why Legal is more suitable, but if you can buy A3 for a good price, it doesn't really matter. Whatever format you use, do buy glossy photo paper, not matte/regular because you need the contrast and resolution to make it look really good.

The actual mod:

1. Obtain the artwork that you want. You might want to edit it to suit your taste.

2. Download the MadCatz TE FightStick mockup/template in PSD-format

3. Open the PSD mockup in Gimp or Photoshop

4. Add a new layer in Gimp/Photoshop

5. Place your artwork to the layer so that the button layout and control panel overrule your artwork.

6. After adding some extra stuff that you might want in your artwork, you want to set the the proper format. The MadCatz TE mockup has the correct width/length ratio, but you need to resize it for the correct printing size. To do this, rotate the image to portrait position and set the width to 7.67 inch. Make sure the aspect ratio is locked so that the height is automatically well-sized.

7. To actually print, you need to decrease your A3 paper to A4 width. If you're using the Legal format, you can immediately print.

8. Now that you've got your print, use a self-healing cutting mat or some cardboard (I used cardboard lol) underneath the print and cut it using a hobby knife. It's important to have PATIENCE! Don't be over-excited, because high gloss photo paper is very thick and strong. If you hurry, you will accidentally lose grip and cut in the printed area! Take your time and use a ruler or do it slowly. The outer edges can be done using a paper cutter or simply a knife. The control panel opening needs to be done using a hobby knife. You can use a very tiny pair of scissors from a pocket knife to cut the button and stick holes. You don't need to cut the screw holes because they are too tiny to cut since you're using very thick strong paper. Later on, you'll notice that you can penetrate the screws through those marked holes without damaging the artwork. Some people recommend holding the plexi cover on top of the print and use a knife to cut inside the edges of the button holes to make perfect cuts, but you will risk losing grip and cut through your shiny new plexi, so I'd recommend keeping safe and do the cutting without the plexi as a guide.

9. Now that you've got your cut print, remove the screws from your top panel using the hex key.

10. Hold a screwdriver on the bottom screw of the Sanwa JLF stick.

11. Remove the ball top from the stick.

12. Use a nail puller to remove the wires. Pull the connectors at the end of the wires, NOT the wires. YOu can try using your fingers, but the first time you remove the wires, they are extremely tight, almost too tight.

13. With the cables out of the way, remove each button. Do this by pressing the outer tabs and wiggle the button out of the hole. The first time you remove the buttons, they are extremely tight. Be patient, apply some pressure and keep wiggling the button while you press the outer tabs of the button. It will come out eventually.

14. CAREFULLY remove the top plexi panel. The artwork on the TE stick's default plexi cover is on the cover itself. Removing it too quickly might damage the artwork. The panel is glued to a metal sheet so you have to do it very slowly.

15. Place your print on top of the metal sheet.

16. Place your custom plexi cover on top of the artwork.

17. Re-assemble the stick's ball top, buttons and wires.

18. Close the cover and tighten the screws. Do not tighten them too much. If the screws are secured, they are secured. If you tighten them too much, you might crack the plexi.

19. Connect your modified stick to your console and test if it still works. I hope it does lol

20. Post your video on YouTube and play a lot of SFIV

Good luck!

Category:

Gaming

Tags:

• street
• fighter
• iv
• tournament
• edition
• stick
• chun
• li
• theme
• template
• mockup
• sanwa
• denshi
• madcatz
• mad
• catz
• te

[bankaivsnaruto]

hey , how do you print out the artwork . Do you need a special paper like glossy or matte ?? and if you do can you use it on a regular printer then print it off

[seekerjet]

@bankaivsnaruto

Use glossy photo paper, "Legal" size or cut an "A3" size sheet to fit your inkjet printer.

[hiphoplivs]

@seekerjet i got a hori RAP 3 and if i print out my template wit glossy photo paper it should match up with my stick? and what are the dimensions of the paper you used?

[seekerjet]

@hiphoplivs

If your template is based on the predefined HRAP3-template it will fit. I used A3 paper.

[TaiGekTou]

@DDRPenguins72 That's the Street Fighter 4 Crowded Downtown stage music.

[DDRPenguins72]

Can you tell me the song playing in background?

Epic Arcade Stick BTW

[roserose217]

go to kinkos and have them print it on the best paper they have. then lami-label it. the art that is.

[roserose217]

i love my joysticks like i love my woman, loose.

[roserose217]

ha! i got my te from work for 40 bucks. it was bought as the se and i got a hella good deal.

i modded it with a Cthulhu, sanwa and seimitsu buttons, three sanwa, three mitsus. 30's.

jlf with cherry microswitches, a octo gate, versus city art with a armed police batrider "move list"

orange ball top, pink, purple and green sanwa obsf plungers and black enclosures.

and the seimitsus are black and white.

the start and select buttons are sanwa 24 yellow.

its pimp tight.



[volkanistan]

Chun li fans thumps up!!!

[Deathofblades]

@seekerjet I find that Chun-Li picture a lot but I want to know how you got the SSFIV logo and Capcom logo on there.

[piplup10203854]

does putting your own artwork void the warranty? 

[legendofsource]

@seekerjet never glossy

make sure the psd is at 100% , print at 300dpi on 80lb matte

[soulshadow75]

Like the stick, you know if take that red part out and spray it blue and use like 8 coats of vinyl coating, I think it would look better.