Posted by OSCAR on January 17, 2002 at 00:04:10:
In Reply to: What about... posted by Cryofax on January 16, 2002 at 23:30:59:
: I've been thinking about something like you're building for a while. instead of a big plate on top of the panel with screws required to change, what about a square routed about 1/8" into the panel around the joystick shaft that your pieces fit into snugly, but can be quickly popped in and out?
This is also a good idea, for personal use. By this I mean that my product has to be easy for almost anybody to install, whether they have a router or not. The diagonals on the Happ's sticks are surprisingly difficult to block while maintaining a reasonable amount of 4-way travel. If the 'diagonal blockers' are off by as much as 1/16", you may not be able to block the up-left diagonal, and then you find you can't hit the straight down switch, for example. Anyone else who has looked into this will be able to confirm, I'm sure. :)
Your method may take a bit of skill that a lot of people (myself included) do not have with a router. I have tried an insert, but I found I had difficultly re-producing it and it could prove to be a frustrating installation for those that just want to "drop 'n go".
Don't get me wrong. Your idea is sound, but it is not something I can sell & support as it would all be dependant on the customer's installation.