D-Pad fix please!!

Present yourself, make suggestions, tell what you think of the project, ask your general questions
Post Reply
RetroVOTM
Posts: 2
Joined: Thu 13 Dec 2018 23:13

D-Pad fix please!!

Post by RetroVOTM »

Hi guys! I have the Retrostone and I am very happy with it and with the games in general. I am very fond of fighting games and I see that the D-pad is a problem for these games.
The D-pad needs to be higher so that the special movements of the fighters go well.
Do you have any idea or way to "climb the height" of this D-Pad to make it work better? I tried to put a crosshead of a control "Hori" that had and unfortunately do not coindiden the diagonals well. When you're crouching, or jumping.
I appreciate any ideas! :)
User avatar
Admin
Administrateur du site
Posts: 505
Joined: Sat 10 Dec 2016 13:12

Re: D-Pad fix please!!

Post by Admin »

hmm that sounds difficult to make.
You mean the space between PCB and the plastic button should be greater? This would require having more space between the plastic button and the plastic case, which sounds difficult to do. Maybe trying sanding the interior of the plastic case where the dpad is. Then add something on the PCB to compensate the height. But it could be only a little bit like 0.3mm because you can sand only that much before there is no plastic left!

If you have a drawing to explain more clearly maybe I have not understood correctly.
flikimiki
Posts: 3
Joined: Fri 21 Dec 2018 19:15

Re: D-Pad fix please!!

Post by flikimiki »

Best D-Pad Mod for RetroStone

Image
jutleys
Posts: 29
Joined: Sat 25 Aug 2018 10:51

Re: D-Pad fix please!!

Post by jutleys »

Try sticking a small ball bearing in that little hole on the bottom of the D-pad it should lift it higher and make it better for diagonals.
deerwings
Posts: 17
Joined: Mon 8 Apr 2019 23:47

Re: D-Pad fix please!!

Post by deerwings »

After experimenting with my D Pad, I believe I have figured out the problem.

The center pivot for the D-Pad is just a little too short. It needs to be about 1mm taller to make the D-pad stand up from the board a bit more when it's pressed so it doesn't sink into the case as deeply as it does.

On the other side of the coin, increasing the height of the pivot point will make it more difficult for the D-pad to press the contact buttons. So the other half of this is to add about 1mm of thickness to the underside of the D-Pad so that buttons can be pressed when the D-Pad is in action. A Credit card cut up is too thick, and with the default pivot point still too short results in the D-Pad pushing the buttons down too far while it is in the 'rest' position which makes erroneous contact with the button contacts on the board.

The measurements may not be quite exact but they are about as close as I can figure based on my experimentation. I took a Pushpin bead, and drilled out the center pivot point of the D-Pad and then experimented with bead heights. Too high, and the D-Pad wouldn't move. Too short, and the problem comes back. After figuring out the approximation of the bead height, I discovered that it wasn't pushing down on the button contacts at all. So I had to resolve this by adding a few layers of clear packing tape together, cutting a center hole and then cutting a circle to fit on the underside of the D-Pad. Your thickness may vary depending on your tastes, but after getting close enough, I found it requires less effort to push the D-Pad than it did before.

Adding approximate 1mm of plastic on the pivot point of the D-Pad, and adding a little bit (Also approx. 1mm) of plastic to the underside of the D-Pad itself should fix this problem very easily. This could be rectified in future revisions of the Retrostone, and if individual parts could be ordered, that would be fantastic!
User avatar
Admin
Administrateur du site
Posts: 505
Joined: Sat 10 Dec 2016 13:12

Re: D-Pad fix please!!

Post by Admin »

Thanks for your tests and feedback.
So overall the idea would be to increase the global thickness of the dpad plastic by 1mm right?
I need to check with suppliers if this can be done easily.
deerwings
Posts: 17
Joined: Mon 8 Apr 2019 23:47

Re: D-Pad fix please!!

Post by deerwings »

Approximately. I don't have a micrometer to make exact measurements, so someone with more exact measurement tools might be able to get the exact measurements needed. The amount it needs to be raised from the PCB, and lowered from the bottom of the DPad is very small but makes a huge difference.

Also, the best thing is that if the D-Pad center pivot is too tall, it's pretty easy to file a little down for a more exactly fit. It's a lot harder to add plastic back on.
Post Reply