Mayflash Fight Stick - Sega Genesis Mod

NoAffinity

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There's plenty of threads on the interwebs about modding these sticks, but mine took a few turns in the process that are different from the average overhaul/mod, which I thought worth sharing.

I bought this to use on the Sega Genesis, since I recently acquired one along with a MD everdrive. Been itching to play the SF titles, but I'm spoiled by having Sanwa on all other platforms. Sadly, and for good reason, the multi-console boards on the market that are available for DIY fight sticks do not support Sega Genesis.

I first bought an official Sega Genesis fight stick, and it was everything you would expect - absolute garbage by today's standards. I then bought a Tototek PS2-to-Genesis adapter. It is supposed to work with the Chthulhu multi-console board, which I have in 2 of my sticks. It did not. The Tototek does, however, work with a stock PS2 dual shock. So, an idea was born.

The case of the Mayflash is really sturdy and has a nice clean look to it. The rest of the parts look good on the surface, but are absolute junk. I thought I would just keep it stock if it would work on the Genesis, via the Tototek, but it did not. Acted similar to the Chthulhu.

So, the Mayflash got gutted. I ground down the housing for the joystick, making the surface flush on the inside, and then (wait for it......) super-glued in a Sanwa JLW. I didn't want visible screw or bolt heads, and the screw holes of the JLW didn't line up with the stock mounting. A Sanwa JLF fits and can screw in using the stock mounting posts, with some minor modification. I, however, didn't want to order more parts, and was frankly too impatient.

Once I got button holes reamed out with a $20 dremel wannabe tool from Harbor Freight, and got the stick and buttons secured, I started down the path of using the PS2 dual shock PCB. My particular version, however, didn't seem to exactly match any that are detailed online and for which pinouts are provided on the PCB. After about half a day wasted trying to work through doing a solderless mod on a PCB for which I couldn't find good information, I finally abandoned that when I realized "hey I'm doing this to play on the genesis, why am I not using the PCB out of that crappy genesis fight stick?"

Once I corrected my approach, things started moving more quickly. The layout of the PCB was simple and easy to solder to, with some minor exposing of traces. The one tricky thing with the Mayflash button configuration is the start and select buttons being your typical crappy non-microswitch type. So, I had to re-purpose the "brains" PCB which has the contact points for 'start' and 'select', and run leads from the brains PCB to the genesis PCB as if the contact points were a microswitch. Also, word to the wise: you have to cut any connection from the 'start' and 'select' contact points to the rest of the circuitry on the brains PCB. I did this by de-soldering a micro resistor on each line.
 

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Once I started wiring buttons, it became evident that real estate within the case would be limited. So, I took my time confirming what wire went to what button, one at a time, and at each new connector on the ground daisy-chain, testing back to the PCB to ensure the daisy chain was good throughout.

This build took my last snap-in Sanwa's, including a couple micro switches from my surplus of screw-ins. Hence, the color combination that wouldn't be my first choice, but hey, I was working with what I had to keep the build inexpensive.

The end result: this stick is solid and plays great. I'm ecstatic to have quality parts on an original Sega PCB and to be able to play genesis fighters and other arcade ports the way they were meant to be played.
 

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Thank you! The joystick is a bit stiffer than I'm used to with my Sanwa JLF's. The response and precision of the JLW is great, but I find my right hand gets tired very quickly, holding th stick steady under the extra force created by the stiffer stick.

I've ordered a Seimitsu LS-32 spring, which is supposed to loosen up the throw.
 
Just a quick report in on this, to provide an update after swapping in the LS-32 spring. There was a bit of a lag to the vendor that I ordered from shipping the wrong spring initially, and I finally got the correct one last night. With the Seimetsu LS-32 spring swapped in, the stick is money. It feels much closer to a JLF, and for my personal preference at least, is great.
 
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