A modern inspired recreation of the 'Classic Aussie' MCA joystick that can be reproduced using household 3D printing. This type of joystick was used extensively in Australian arcades during the 80's and 90's.
If you'd like to financially contribute to this project, you can buy us a coffee here: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dekkit (all donations very much appreciated!)
Project Background
This collabration project began early 2023 after seeing 3d printed examples from a good friend and exceptionally talented cm_au - who showed me the effectiveness of 3d design and printing in the 'real world' to not only replace difficult to source industrial parts but also improve faults in original designs.
I enjoy retro gaming, particularly 80 & 90's arcades and 16-bit consoles, yet I found the affordable arcade based joysticks for home-use are nearly all based on on the Japanese JLF Sanwas or the American Happ style designs. These often use a large 35mm ball-top or bat-tops in their design.
While I enjoy playing fighting games using my JLF based fighting stick, I was keen to find something to capture the look and feel of the joysticks used extensively in Australia (and I understand also New Zealand).
Unfortunately the MCA style joysticks used in a lot of arcade cabinets have not been produced for decades. These were nearly always found in Lesuire and Allied industries (LAI) arcade cabinets lurking in australian milkbars (convenience stores), video rental stores, take-away shops, movie theatres, videogame arcades, bowling alleys etc etc.
While they look different to other arcade joysticks used in other countries (i.e. a thicker and longer joystick shaft, a 29.5mm ball top), one main difference to their 'feel' is from the lack of a spring. Instead, they used a 'bush' to re-centre the shaft of the joystick.
After much research, trial and error with joystick parts and 3d prints (with several re-design and reprintings) - we think we're pretty close to achieving our goal. Particularly now that we have found suitably size balltops and a standard joystick shaft that we could adapt to make a work for us. While this is not a 1:1 reproduction, it is close enough to have reached a stage where we are ready to start publishing our work.
Goal
To design a completely new 3d printable joystick that captures in part the 'look and feel' of these classic aussie joysticks using a combination of commonly available arcade parts (shafts, smaller ball-tops) and customised 3d printable shapes.
While aiming to preserve this style of joystick, I also wanted to provide retro enthusiasts with another accessible pathway to trying out and experiencing a springless arcade joystick of the 80s and 90s for themselves.
Parts List
You will need to purchase these standard arcade parts and accessories from your preferred retailer (or if lucky, you may have these in your spare parts drawer):
- 1 x Seimitsu LB-30 Ball Top Handle (or a suitable 30mm knob/balltop with M6 thread)
- 1 x Standard JLF Shaft
- 1 x E-clip for JLF Shaft
- 2 x Shaft Extenders
- 4 x Arcade micro switches (levered)
- 4 x Screws (self tapping) - 7g (3.9mm) of 25 length or 8g (4.2mm) of 25mm length - the head diameter can be in the range of 6.5mm to 8mm
Printable 3D Files (.STL) and Printing Instructions
You will need to print the following custom files (PLA works very well) ...coming soon
Assembly Diagram - Main Assembly
Assembly Diagram - Joystick Shaft
Acknowledgements This project would have not been made possible without the excellent initial 3d scanning, 3d design, 3d printing (... so so much printing), guidance and support provided by cm_au to help bring the initial solution ideas and hand-drawings to life! This also gave me time to skill up on 3d modelling software so i could further refine the look and feel of the joystick and after initial play testing. Also a shout out to Monty on aussie arcade forums for posting his 3d printable MCA bush which was also leveraged in this design (with permission).
(Last updated 24/01/2024)