My HRAP EX is broken.  I found out last night.  The USB wire is on the fritz.  The stick only registers as connected to the console if the USB wire is pulled taut upwards or to the right. 
 
I'm going to look around online and see if there is a somewhat easy way to splice out the damaged area of the wire.  Putting in a new wire would be difficult, as the end that plugs into the stick is four wires that go into a white plastic thing that plugs into a little green board and is covered in glue.  So splicing is option one. 
 
Option two, I guess, might be acquiring an all new funky USB wire, and plug it into the board. 
 
Option three would be to take it to the local guy who fixes RROD's and DS shoulder buttons and stuff.  I'm pretty sure he can do it, he's very good. 
 
Last option is just taking out the Sanwa buttons I put in, and taking out the stock JLF in there, and buying a cheap stick and transplanting them into it.  
 
I was in total shock after I realized it was broken.  Total betrayal!!!  I'm not great at this stuff, but I really hope I have what it takes to splice it out.  Every other option costs money, and money is pretty tight right now.  My backup stick is a garbage Tekken wireless stick, which is at a buddy's house, and he's in Florida for a week and a half, so I can't even go get it.   
 
Moving on to other, more positive stuff... 
 
Dr. Strange looks like a fantastic character.  I've had to rethink my team, Thor and Tron are so great, but they may be less so in UMvC3, I know Trons assist is going to be nerfed hard.  Only Akuma is a sure thing right now, and I look forward to taking characters both old and new through the gauntlet  and see who shakes out as my new team members. 
 
PMA!!!!