Arcade2TV-XR joystick and button mod compatibility

Useful Answer

The Arcade2TV-XR / Tankstick VR can be modified with aftermarket joystick and button parts, but the mounting and terminal sizes matter.

For the spinner and haptics/pinball back panel:

• The Pinball Haptics / pinball panel is compatible with the spinner add-ons.
• The spinner kit can be installed on the haptics back panel.
• If spinners are already installed, use the Quest controller mount intended for the pinball/spinner setup.

For joystick swaps:

• Arcade2TV-XR ships with four swappable joystick gates: square 8-way by default, round 8-way, octagonal 8-way, and 4-way.
• The stock joystick uses a 5-pin harness.
• Sanwa-style joysticks may need a different mounting approach than the stock Baolian-style joystick.
• Older X-Arcade Solo units use an American-style layout and are not direct drop-in matches for Japanese Sanwa-style parts. A Sanwa-style responsiveness upgrade usually means replacing both joysticks and buttons and doing fitment/modification work.
• The stock Sanwa-style joystick spring tension is not adjustable; if a customer wants a tighter feel, treat it as a joystick replacement/mod question rather than a software setting.
• In one successful mod, the customer reused the original Baolian joystick mounting plate on the Sanwa joystick, avoiding a separate universal mounting plate.
• If the joystick height changes, shaft extensions may be needed to match the original stick height.
• GRS servo gate switchers can be added, but they need their own switching button and USB power. The spinner add-on kit is a practical internal USB source for accessories such as a GRS gate switcher.
• The GRS Tron arcade flight stick has been customer-confirmed as a workable Arcade2TV-XR mod for movement controls. In that case, the movement harness was plug-and-play with the same adapter and the universal adapter was not needed. The stick's extra buttons still required splicing into existing button inputs, and the customer powered the stick lighting from the internal USB plug on the spinner upgrade board after the P2-side 5V tap did not work reliably.

For button swaps:

• Stock Baolian gold-leaf buttons use .110 terminals.
• iL / Suzo Happ-style buttons commonly use .187 terminals.
• Use .110 to .187 adapter wires or make a custom harness rather than forcing the existing connectors.

After any joystick swap, test directions before closing the controller. If directions are reversed or rotated, correct the harness orientation before treating the joystick as defective.

Source Context

The customer wanted to install spinner add-ons, a haptics/pinball panel, Sanwa joysticks, and iL buttons in an Arcade2TV-XR/Tankstick VR. Support confirmed spinner compatibility with the haptics back panel and explained the terminal-size difference for iL/Happ buttons. The customer later reported that reusing the original Baolian mounting plate made the Sanwa joystick fit, and that .110 to .187 adapter wires solved the iL button terminal mismatch. Later mod questions clarified that the stock joystick spring is not adjustable and that GRS gate switchers need a separate control button plus USB power, which can come from the spinner add-on's internal USB ports. A separate GRS Tron stick thread added a customer-confirmed movement-control fit, button-splice requirement, and internal spinner-board USB power source for lighting. Earlier Arcade2TV-XR pre-sales questions confirmed the stock gate set: square 8-way, round 8-way, octagonal 8-way, and 4-way. A legacy Solo pre-sales/mod thread clarified that Hori/Sanwa-style fight-stick responsiveness requires Japanese-style joystick and button swaps plus fitment work; for serious fighting-game use, a purpose-built Hori-style stick may be simpler than rebuilding older Solo hardware.