When I made my MV2FS ready for home-use, I also added a ball top to my Neo Geo CD Controller Pro. This was supposed to be handled in an article in 2018, but it somehow got lost. Anyways, here it is:
The SNK Neo Geo CD Controller Pro (aka kidney bean stick) doesn’t have a regular ball top like the arcade stick. Instead, it has an indented head, probably to rest your thumb on.
I never got used to it and eventually bought a Sanwa LB-35-K ball top to replace it. Because the stick rotates freely, I couldn’t just unscrew the old top. I had to open up the controller and secure the other end with a big, flat screwdriver (for example, the coin-sized Anex AHC-1511 screwdriver bit).
However, I didn’t know this back then and accidentally removed the snap ring (e-clip) to take the whole stick out. This is not needed at all if you just want to replace the top, but a good opportunity to clean the whole assembly. Before I put the stick back in, I attached the new ball top. I didn’t screw it too tight though and can still swap the top without having to open the controller again.
And this is the order to put it back together:
First, the spring. Next, the white plastic sleeve to hold the spring down. And finally, the snap ring. In case it jumped away before, and you’re in need of a replacement, it’s a 4 mm e-clip.
This looks and plays much better:
