Sparkplate is the result of a collaboration between Spark and me. They are a recreation of my Hybrid Gate notches, straight shape version (A2a shortcode).
Sparkplates were made by 3D scanning my reference front plate and then injection-molding a recreation with ABS, the same sturdy material that original Gamecube controller shells are made from.
Most of the Sparkplates I have are reserved for customers who want to order a custom controller from me, but a select few are available here for individual purchase for people who already have a Phob controller who they want to get affordable notches for.
The notch retainer sections are kept rather wide on purpose. This way, the longevity of the notches is maximized. However, this also means that if you put a Sparkplate on an OEM mainboard, most (if not all) of the notches will read Melee values of much higher than the typically desired 0.31-0.32 offsets, closer to the 0.36-0.40 range.
That's because on OEM mainboards, small production variations in the stickbox parts make for large differences in the notch values being read, so you can only get precise readings if you hand-file the notches until the values are perfect – a time-intensive and thus expensive process, if done carefully to the highest standards.
Sparkplates are intended strictly for Phob mainboards, where they can be calibrated easily following the official guide. No refunds will be given for the notch values being outside of the desired range when combined with OEM Nintendo mainboards.
While the material itself is equivalent to that of an original front shell, the shape is not as perfect as the one of original front shells. You should know ahead of time that:
• The C-stick gate has some imperfections in the octagon shape.
• The C-stick gate's rear dust wall is thinner than on original front shells, making the alignment nub at the top likely to break off. This is not of much consequence as the C-stick daughterboard is held in place well by just the two alignment nubs on the back shell as well as the C-stick tripoint screw post. So if you notice this alignment nub having broken off during installation, don't worry, it won't impact the C-stick's precision.
• At the top center of the Sparkplate, there is always a small dent, as a consequence of the injection-molding process. There's also a small break-off imperfection at the edge to the bottom of the start button cutout.
• While the Sparkplate fits together with original Nintendo back shells just fine when all six tripoint screws are tightened, if you only press them together and let go, there is a bit of a gap at different spots of the cross-section where the front shell and back shell meet. This is normal and no reason to worry. Just gradually tighten the screws gradually one by one and the gap will go away. For this step, I recommend using any of the tripoint screwdrivers sold in my shop. Cheaper tripoint screwdrivers such as the relatively common clear-red type don't fit the tripoint screws very well and will strip them before they properly tighten them.
