Hori V3 USB connector mod

 Hey guys,

I guess I've caught the modding fever again and I'm back with another fightstick mod! This time I had to address the following issue:

Doesn't look too healthy, does it... Cheap fightsticks have their limitations, so I set out to fix another problem in classic T da B fashion!

Writeup:
The star of today's writeup is the Neutrik USB A/B pass-through connector:

 

Unscrewing the two screws allows you to flip the inputs

Now pop open the case and check out the USB situation (right side):

Here is where the USB cord connects to the motherboard. From top to bottom: shield (black), ground (black), data + (green), data - (white), Vcc (red):

Here is what will get removed and harvested:

The next step is to cut off the end of the USB cord so we can reuse it. Strip off the shield and the individual wires inside:

Do the same for the segment connecting to the motherboard:

Now bust out the dremel and create a hole a little less than 1'' in diameter. Make sure the USB pass-through connector fits nice and snug, then mark two holes for drilling:

Drill the holes out with a 1/8'' drill bit and secure the connector with the included screws and nuts:

Solder and e-tape the USB segments together, ignoring the shield connection. Plug the USB cord into the pass-through connector:

And you're done!

God damn that looks sexy! Much more elegant and easier to manage, if I should say so myself. Now some of you may be asking, "Well, T da B--is that a wrap?" Absolutely not! I have a couple more mods that I'd like to perform on this bad boy before moving on:

1. Add some weights to the interior to make the fightstick more stable
2. Joystick swap with a Korean Crown joystick

To be honest, I've been enjoying these mods quite a bit--perhaps someday I'll build a fightstick from scratch like I originally intended. However, the $200+ parts cost is a serious deterrent at this point. In any case, stay tuned for more mods; whether they be Nerf or not. I hope you guys enjoyed this one!

~T

P.S. I can say with almost complete certainty that this blog will one day become "T da B's Life of Modding" :)