The Battlestation II

[Kyle]

It is the nineties and it is time for the Battlestation II - thread!

The Battlestation II is beefy two player arcade stick released during the SNES/Mega Drive era. It sports an impressive list of compatible systems – Mega Drive (Genesis), SNES, NES, Master System, Atari, Commodore, etc. It was released by an Australian company called MCA. My understanding is that they had intentions of releasing it in the states but it just didn’t happen. In the past couple of years they have been surfacing as new old-stock around Denver Colorado – which is where they intended the US headquarters to be.

Here it is stock. The joysticks are MCA. They were used in Australian arcades whereas the joysticks in American arcades were predominantly Happ. I can’t say that I’m a fan. Fortunately they use the same mounting holes and the clearance is sufficient for a swaperoo. The buttons are concave which were common in the US. I prefer convex buttons which are more similar to those in Japanese arcades.



To open the stick, remove the 10 small black screws. The grey screws can remain. Once they are removed the top will slide up to separate from the base.

There are two considerations with replacing the joysticks.

1. The wires are soldered directly to the microswitches. You will need a soldering iron to heat up the solder and remove them. You can re-solder them to a different joystick but it’s a better idea to add .187 quick disconnects. This will allow you to easily replace the joystick in the future. Another thing to keep in mind is that there isn’t much extra slack on the wiring. Be confident that your quick disconnects are situated before crimping them to avoid mistakes.

2. The daisy chained ground is lame. It is a piece of non-insulated wire running along the base. It is also wrapped around the switches, making it difficult for removal. I snipped it using wire cutters then used needle nose pliers and my iron to get it off. I replaced this using a new piece of wire that was also crimped with quick disconnects.

Before:



After:



Both joysticks wired up:



And a top shot:



Now we’ll swap the buttons. The cool thing with these guys is that they already feature Cherry microswitches. Unfortunately they’re soldered to as well in a very hectic fashion. It is fun trying to visually chase the ground wire around.

Since the microswitches are high quality, let’s just use them. That way there’s nothing to desolder until a switch dies. Press your finger against the side and then pull back to pop them out. The new buttons will slide back in. You should see a couple of the top connectors are bent down. Go ahead and do this for all of the buttons. This will keep them from bottoming out with the metal base.



All wired up!



Top shot:



There should be some masking tape on the base which is also helping to keep the buttons from bottoming out. I replaced this with electrical tape for extra reinforcement. Once you are done, I’d recommend trying it out before replacing all of the screws. It’s a pain to repeatedly remove and replace those 10 little screws. Get it right and then close it up.



Time to rock and roll!

[Barone]

It's clear to me that the kid in the picture also prefers convex buttons.

I like the concave better though (but not with those original colors, ).

[Kyle]

Yeah the original button colors are quite terrible. It reminds me of how Microsoft mandates goofy button colors on 360 sticks. My button preference isn't that strong but given the choice I'll get convex. I have been playing on this stick regularly for the past few weeks. It's great for beat-em-ups and shmups. I also played a number of Master System games using it.

[SEGA.GENESIS1989]

Kyle, thanks for the informative post. As mentioned previously, I own one of these controllers and looked into possibly replacing the joystick and buttons with ones of quality.

I was just wondering where you picked up the new replacement joysticks from?

[Kyle]

I was just wondering where you picked up the new replacement joysticks from?

Sure thing. I would definitely suggest replacing the joysticks. Especially if you are used to American arcades.

I'll try not to give a too drawn out answer. The joysticks that were originally used in American cabinets were made by iL, a company based in Spain, for Happ. A couple of years ago Happ moved their production to China and the quality has dropped. You can buy the original joysticks here if the cost doesn't bother you. The iL Eurostick is the one to get. It is what I am using.

http://www.paradisearcadeshop.com/en...stick-joystick

If you aren't as OCD as myself (I am a moderator on an arcade stick forum) then search eBay for "Happ Competition." You can get two of them for the price of the above.

The buttons I use are also Happ Competition buttons.

One final thing, I like a lighter spring in my joysticks. I do this to the spring to reduce their tension.

http://shoryuken.com/forum/index.php...ing-mod.98295/

[xelement5x]

I remember someone had a bundle of these things for sale in the box up in Denver, but at the $50 per item I think they wanted I decided to pass on it. It's cool to hear that they are relatively customizable though!

[Kyle]

I remember someone had a bundle of these things for sale in the box up in Denver, but at the $50 per item I think they wanted I decided to pass on it. It's cool to hear that they are relatively customizable though!

Heh. Mine were $75 + shipping. I saw some going much higher. At least I didn't get hustled too badly.

[Mista_Ed]

thats dope man!!

[SEGA.GENESIS1989]

Sure thing. I would definitely suggest replacing the joysticks. Especially if you are used to American arcades.

I'll try not to give a too drawn out answer. The joysticks that were originally used in American cabinets were made by iL, a company based in Spain, for Happ. A couple of years ago Happ moved their production to China and the quality has dropped. You can buy the original joysticks here if the cost doesn't bother you. The iL Eurostick is the one to get. It is what I am using.

http://www.paradisearcadeshop.com/en...stick-joystick

If you aren't as OCD as myself (I am a moderator on an arcade stick forum) then search eBay for "Happ Competition." You can get two of them for the price of the above.

The buttons I use are also Happ Competition buttons.

One final thing, I like a lighter spring in my joysticks. I do this to the spring to reduce their tension.

http://shoryuken.com/forum/index.php...ing-mod.98295/

Thanks for the links Kyle. When I first got the controller I was looking for a company that sold some good quality joysticks. I had found a few but they were charging a pretty penny!

The one thing I like about the Battlestation II is the sturdy construction as well as the fact that it is compatible with a variety of different platforms. This was one of the reasons why I took a gamble and purchased this controller.

The controller is not without some criticisms however. One criticism I've heard is of the opinion that it can get quite cramped when you have two people using the controller at the same time. But personally, I've not encountered this issue myself. I managed to snag one for $50.00 plus shipping. For the price, I think I've got my money's worth. But even at $75.00 plus shipping, it's still a good purchase considering you can use the controller with an assortment of consoles right out of the box.

[stringfellow]

thanks to you I just changed my sticks too. I stuck with the red and blue though instead of black. I'd like to find a way to add a second set of start and select buttons. Also I'd like to find a way to use this on my colecovision, ps2, and xbox 360. I think I paid $50 plus shipping for my battlestation and I feel it was a good deal.

[Kyle]

If anyone wants to use this on PC this guy will do the trick. It's dual SNES to USB:

http://www.amazon.com/SNES-Controlle.../dp/B002IXZ5DE