Once upon a time BlackBond bought an Arcade stick that could support two players and play on all systems. Then BlackBond decided it wasn't good enough so it was time to improve....
Two IL/Eurosticks
Hey they're the best American sticks money can buy. $9.95. Go hard or go home.
Happs Competition Push Buttons (microswitches are included)
The best American buttons money can buy. These are what I will be replaceing the stock X-Arcade buttons with. $1.70 per button.
Tools for the job
- Wrench - To help losen bolts for the nut driver. (already owned)
- Screw Driver - For removing the back panel and microswitches. (already owned)
- Nut Driver - For removing the Stock Arcade Sticks. ($3 at Home Depot)
- Wire Crimpers - Used for re-wiring the larger Happs Disconnects to the 22 Gauge Quick Disconnects. ($6 at Radio Shack)
- Adjustable pliers - Holds down bolt and pulls out the old Disconnects if needed. (already owned)
The Stock Joystick oh and with some games to boot
This is the stock Joysticks and buttons. Meh I don't feel like listing prices for all of these games 
The inside of the X-Arade Board
8 imitation buttons on each side and an imitation Happs Joystick. BlackBond doesn't do imitations. So we are going to get rid of these things for better parts.
Removing the Buttons
Easy enough to remove. Just remove the wires, then the microswitches, and then after that use the Button Wrench to remove the buttons.
Replacing the buttons with the Happs Competition Push Buttons
A simple matter of putting in the new buttons, connecting the microswitches and then plugging the appropriate wires into the corresponding slots. That is the Wire crimper right there. I used it to make sure the new connects were secure. The two things to the left of the very bottom of the wire crimper are button plugs.
There are no such things as 8 button fighters thsu I plugged the 2 button ones on each side in favor of the standard 6 button layout.
Full Wiring of Happs Buttons and IL Euro Joystick
The buttons as well as the IL Euro Stick is all set. The new thick red plugs are the new 22 Gauge Quick Disconnects that are required to connect the wires to the larger metal piece of the IL Euro Sticks Microswitches. This was probably the most painful part of the process as the old disconnects needed to be cut off, then they needed to be cut with so they could fit into the new 22 Gauge Quick Disconenects. After that you simply use the Wire Crimper and plug it straight into the microswitch. Problem is some of these connects required wires to go into two places at once and wiring was already short in the board at already. thankfully since I eliminated 2 buttons on each side I had extra wiring to work with.
A close up of the IL Euro Joystick mount
Just a close up shot of the mount. The Shaft of the Joystick goes right in the center.
My new Arcade Stick with Happs Competition Push Button Mods and IL Euro Stick mods
Two IL Euro sticks. One for each side. 12 Happs Competition Push Buttons. Six for each side. 4 Button Plugs to get rid of those two unorthodox buttons on the bottom of each stick. Sorry no 8 button fighters I prefer a traditional setup
Conclusion
Man it sure was fun building this. Frustrating but fun. I should have been better informed but I kinda underestimated the job. Thanks a lot to Forza_2 for helping me out on this and guiding me through this with his info. Now hopefully I can return the favor by whooping his butt online in some Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike or Capcom vs SNK 2 EO (both online enabled for Xbox)
This isn't the end this is only the begining. There are Japanese sticks out there and Japanese parts. This is an American stick. So my next custom job will be a Japanese stick.
Anyone interested in building their own, customizing, or ordering a custom job can find more information at