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SEGA Virtua stick PRO HSS-0130 full sanwa for Astro city

nonosto

nonosto

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I bought this panel from SEGA saturn big stick:

panel_12.jpg

panel_11.jpg


I would like to mod it to full sanwa. The button's hole is it good size for obsf 30 standard sanwa please or I must file it?

THX
 
looks like a standard astro panel. Buttons should drop in. If you are careful in the desoldering of the adapter boards on the buttons you should be able to drop it back on top of the new buttons and resolder it.
 
The microswitches have pins on them, not the standard .110 spade connectors. You can't just solder normal microswitches back to the board.

I can't remember if the buttons were normal sized or not. I want to say they were.
 
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It looks very similar to the 1P Virtua Stick, with that PCB soldered to the buttons. This requires the buttons to be very precisely orientated for them to fit all in the PCB's soldering hole, and that is done by two dimples on the holes and two rails on the buttons for them to perfectly slide in, something Sanwa or Seimitsu buttons do not provide. The 1P Virtua Stick uses Alps Electronics 29mm buttons, meaning you need to file the holes for 30mm Sanwa buttons. So my guess is you will have to do it as well for the Virtua Stick Pro.

https://www.wkd4496.net/tuto-sega-virtua-stick-hss-0136-mod-sanwa-seimitsu/

Also, you will need custom mounting plates if you want Sanwa JLF joysticks as well.
 
I have the same panel for the HSS-0130 and did my mod a long time ago. The button holes have tabs which need to be removed, then you can drop in whatever 30mm button you wish to use. Highly recommended as the original buttons are pretty garbage quality IMO. That's just how most consumer console sticks came back in the 90s/early 00s.

Each joystick is a legit original Seimetsu LS-32 however, and the panel mounting was built for this. May as well keep it if you like that style of joystick, which I do. All I did was break it down to clean and lube the parts - it's been serving me well for many years. I suppose you could swap for something different but would likely need to get creative with mounting hardware.

Serves as a standard 2 player panel in the Astro City these days - drop in replacement:
Screenshot_20230203_204648.jpg


Finally, those PCBs attached to the buttons are just daughter boards to the Saturn PCB in the HSS-0130. Desolder each button and move on. I wouldn't worry too much about preserving those unless you want to be strict about keeping things OEM but then again we're taking about modding the panel to accept other parts elsewhere so I'm guessing this isn't too important in the end.
 
@nonosto

I own one of these sticks. The buttons will drop right in, but they will be slightly loose (not tight). It's not too big of a deal, but you may notice that you can ever so slightly wiggle the buttons from side to side.
 
Aurich said:
Sounds like it would be better to use the screw in kind over snap in.
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Most likely screw-in would be better.

I ended up just swapping the panel out for a repro New Net City one that just ended up being okay looking; the pictures were better than what I got. I wasn't aware of Alberto's awesome panels back then. There are pictures of it somewhere floating around on the forum (will put the URL here later when I find it). I gave the HSS-130 panel to a friend for a project he had going at the time, so I can't confirm if screw-ins would move around as well or not. It's seriously not a big deal though, it's barely noticeable. It's not like you can lift the buttons out from the top or anything like that.
 
could you just confirm, just drill the little nick?

img_2894.jpg


and use the sanwa screwed button?
 
Chihiro said:
Those Saturn Virtua sticks are selling for mega high prices on eBay now something to consider before modding it.
Click to expand...
I understand your point of view, but I have only nude panel, so I will transform it to AC panel.
 
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