I had to take into consideration 2 main points, cost and size. I didn't want to spend to much money in case this ended up being something I simply abandoned after a short while (and I have certainly done that with many things in the past). I didn't want it to be to large because space is a something of a luxury that I don't want to take up with things like this. I have my entire gaming set up on a small laptop table and it ideally needs to fit on this.
After a little research my best bet seemed to be the Mayflash F300. It's hardly the prettiest thing in the world but it was the right price and a good size at roughly 30 cm wide. It also states that all the parts are upgradable to Sanwa parts if I later wanted to upgrade it. Not only this but it is compatible with PC, PS4 and XboxOne. As I also own a PS4 this may come in useful. The only downside to using it on one of the consoles is that it needs an official controller attached when playing for it to work. This is a limitation you have to accept if you want a universal fightstick though. Luckily for me I would be using this pretty much exclusively on PC where this is not an issue.
Well, after 3 months I have to say I have really enjoyed using this product. The stock buttons and stick are all adequate and its a lot easier to play fighting games with than a pad. However the urge to upgrade it took over. I not only wanted higher quality buttons and stick but I wanted to change the colour from that rather ugly blue.
I am sure there are various places you can order the required parts from but I purchased all mine from arcadeworlduk.com. The parts I needed were:
I had to install the stick later than the buttons because once I opened it up the stock stick was connected in an entirely different manner and the jlf-h wire I purchased wouldn't work with this design (I later learned I needed a female to female version). Luckily the PCB (Printed Circuit Board) has an additional port for the Sanwas 5 wire connection as well as the stocks 8 wire connection.
For the buttons I wanted the 6 main buttons to look different from the 2 on the far right. I went with 6 buttons that had a light blue surround and white plunger and 2 that were completely light blue. For the stick I went with a light blue ball head.
Installation
Because the stick is designed with upgrading in mind its pretty simple to do. The only snag was with the stick where I didn't know at first how to wire it in until I found someone online who explained to me that it has a port already on the PCB, you just need the right connector. With that connector it is also rather easy to install.
Buttons:
Step 1:
Turn the fightstick upside down and remove the 8 screws from the base, then remove the base plate.
Step 2:
Pop each of the buttons out (they are held in by 2 push clips) so they hang out the bottom by the wires.
Step 3:
Detach the 2 wires from a button, then attach them to the new button. Repeat this for all 8 buttons. Once done clip them back into the shell.
Step 4:
Put the base plate back on and attach the 8 screws.
Your buttons are now done
Stick:
A little trickier but still fairly simple.
Step 1:
Turn the fightstick upside down and remove the 8 screws from the base, then remove the base plate.
Step 2:
Remove the 8 wires for the stock controller from the PCB (should be 4 connectors with 2 wires in each). You will also need to cut the cable tie holding the wires all together. The picture below shows how it will look with all the stock sticks wires removed from the PCB.
Step 3:
Use a flat head screw driver on the centre screw attached to the stick in conjunction with the ball head to twist it. This will allow you to unscrew the ball head at the top. Once the ball head is off you can also remove the stick shaft and washer.
Step 4:
Remove the screws holding the stick to the shell and pull out the stick.
Step 5:
Put the new Sanwa stick in place and attach the screws to mount it in place. Have the 5 prong connector facing the buttons.
Step 6:
Flip the fightstick over and place the washer over the stick and then the stick shaft. Then screw on the new ball head using the flat head on the screw until its on tight.
Step 7:
Attach the female to female connector from the stick to the PCB as shown in the picture below.
Step 8:
Put base plate back on and attach the 8 screws.Your new stick should now be installed.
While the stock buttons and stick are adequate the new buttons feel and look a lot nicer and are more responsive. The stick has a tighter feel and limits accidental inputs. Overall I am very happy with this upgrade. The stick not only looks and feels nicer but it still comes in a fair bit cheaper than paying full price for a high end fightstick. You also wont get a high end fightstick with such a compact design as far as I can tell.
