Hi all, just want to post my attempt at modding the Sente’s joysticks to be switchable between 4-way and 8-way.

Per one of Tyler’s posts on discord, our Sente’s come with Sanwa JLF joysticks. I was considering swapping them out for Ultimarc’s servo stick or mag-stick plus but then found this this add-on to JLF sticks:

https://thunderstickstudio.com/products/tos-grs-4-to-8-way-restrictor-all-in-one-kit

I also got this item to covert the second stick on the double-wide controller: https://thunderstickstudio.com/products/tos-grs-4-to-8-way-restrictor-extension-kit

When I placed the order I wasn’t sure it would work, but the cost was low so was willing to give it a try. I got the parts today and began the modification. Here is my experience:

Disassembly of the controller was easy- 8 screws. (When you lift off, remember the pinball buttons are still wired)

Removing the existing octagonal restrictor plate was easy.

Installing the new servo-powered restrictor plate was easy. That said, it has extremely little room to fit when the controller is reassembled. I don’t think it touches the bottom sheet metal but will double check later.

As a POC, I wired up the controller board and button then used a portable battery pack for power and it worked!

This is where I need help. I want to tap 5v from the neo-arcade board but can’t find a constant supply. There are 2 sets of pins labeled as 5v/GND but they lower their voltage after 30ish seconds. That voltage drop corresponds to a blue led that turns off.

Can anyone at polycade offer a suggestion as to where I can tap a constant 5v?