JasenHicks
Professional
The Panzer Fight Stick 4 is coming. I’ve teased a few pictures in Discord and Twitter and not so subtle hints as to what it’s all about, but that changes now. Keep an open mind and read all the way through!
The PFS4 is going to be a swappable panel fight stick. Not like the Panzer Fight Stick 2.0 (circa 2015) that had the flush panel that bolted down into the case as it was quite pricey to produce but more like the Madcatz TE where it sat down on top of a base frame. This will simplify the build and keep costs down while also letting me mix metals to keep the weight of the stick in check. One of the common “complaints” of the PFS3 was it was heavy, and folks didn’t like carrying it around to tourneys. Some other metal fight sticks account for this by using thinner metal but some have told me that the thinner metal doesn’t feel premium. I am going to use aluminum as the chassis material and the swappable panels will be cold rolled steel like the PFS3. This should add just enough weight to help keep it not feel like a toy or move around during play.
For the swappable panels, I thought about this for months and wanted to think of the best way to have quality panels that would help keep pricing as low as possible. Then it hit me! The Madcatz TE panels are perfect – by designing the PFS4 chassis to support them it helps two major segments of the community and allows economies of scale to come into play. Additionally, it really makes a number of layouts viable because more than one segment will use the panels; making minimum quantities isn’t going to be a problem.
What about the hole in the panel for the aux area of the TE? That actually benefits the PFS4 a lot. Wiring 6 extra buttons, using LEDs, and such wasn’t hard on the PFS3 but on other frames requires extra wiring and that can be tedious to get looking great. The Panzer 4 has a custom aux PCB that has one plug and play wire loom connecting it to the various points on common Brook Fighting Boards (UFB/PS4+/PS4 with Audio) and other boards in development. Access to the buttons on the aux button will be done via machined aluminum caps and LEDs for Player and Turbo indicators will shine through light pipes. These caps will add cost to the Panzer but having long stem momentary switches poking up through the case would detract from the premium build of the PFS4. This approach will save time and cost of sanwa/seimitsu 24mm buttons ($15.75 for 7x 24mm buttons).
Is there an EZ BUILD like the PFS2.0 and 3? Not in the traditional sense. Having the PCB under the panels created complexity with offering new panels. Each new panel required a new PCB and the testing and manufacturing that went along with it. Ultimately, this would create R&D costs that would be passed on to you. Less popular panels wouldn’t be feasible under that model. Instead, I created a PCB that snaps onto the standard PCB outline making use of the 20 pin header and the included wiring harness makes connecting the buttons and lever a breeze. This entire combination of EZ WIRING should be on point with the 20 pin wiring harnesses most shops offer.
Plexi overlays won’t come standard with the Panzer 4 – but you can order them and add artwork with it. I will be doing printed plexi runs (I've been doing these for a few years, some shops call them underprint plexi) each month to support the new builds. Paper Art + Plexi is about $30 total – a printed plexi is a bit more but the quality is much better.
I'll post more updates here, likely a few days after the Discord updates. A lot of prototype parts are underway and headed to me. I think most arrive just after graduation and in time for the holiday slow downs in my office!
The PFS4 is going to be a swappable panel fight stick. Not like the Panzer Fight Stick 2.0 (circa 2015) that had the flush panel that bolted down into the case as it was quite pricey to produce but more like the Madcatz TE where it sat down on top of a base frame. This will simplify the build and keep costs down while also letting me mix metals to keep the weight of the stick in check. One of the common “complaints” of the PFS3 was it was heavy, and folks didn’t like carrying it around to tourneys. Some other metal fight sticks account for this by using thinner metal but some have told me that the thinner metal doesn’t feel premium. I am going to use aluminum as the chassis material and the swappable panels will be cold rolled steel like the PFS3. This should add just enough weight to help keep it not feel like a toy or move around during play.
For the swappable panels, I thought about this for months and wanted to think of the best way to have quality panels that would help keep pricing as low as possible. Then it hit me! The Madcatz TE panels are perfect – by designing the PFS4 chassis to support them it helps two major segments of the community and allows economies of scale to come into play. Additionally, it really makes a number of layouts viable because more than one segment will use the panels; making minimum quantities isn’t going to be a problem.
What about the hole in the panel for the aux area of the TE? That actually benefits the PFS4 a lot. Wiring 6 extra buttons, using LEDs, and such wasn’t hard on the PFS3 but on other frames requires extra wiring and that can be tedious to get looking great. The Panzer 4 has a custom aux PCB that has one plug and play wire loom connecting it to the various points on common Brook Fighting Boards (UFB/PS4+/PS4 with Audio) and other boards in development. Access to the buttons on the aux button will be done via machined aluminum caps and LEDs for Player and Turbo indicators will shine through light pipes. These caps will add cost to the Panzer but having long stem momentary switches poking up through the case would detract from the premium build of the PFS4. This approach will save time and cost of sanwa/seimitsu 24mm buttons ($15.75 for 7x 24mm buttons).
Is there an EZ BUILD like the PFS2.0 and 3? Not in the traditional sense. Having the PCB under the panels created complexity with offering new panels. Each new panel required a new PCB and the testing and manufacturing that went along with it. Ultimately, this would create R&D costs that would be passed on to you. Less popular panels wouldn’t be feasible under that model. Instead, I created a PCB that snaps onto the standard PCB outline making use of the 20 pin header and the included wiring harness makes connecting the buttons and lever a breeze. This entire combination of EZ WIRING should be on point with the 20 pin wiring harnesses most shops offer.
Plexi overlays won’t come standard with the Panzer 4 – but you can order them and add artwork with it. I will be doing printed plexi runs (I've been doing these for a few years, some shops call them underprint plexi) each month to support the new builds. Paper Art + Plexi is about $30 total – a printed plexi is a bit more but the quality is much better.
I'll post more updates here, likely a few days after the Discord updates. A lot of prototype parts are underway and headed to me. I think most arrive just after graduation and in time for the holiday slow downs in my office!
