9 replies to this topic

[Pioneer4x4]

Some time in the past I bought a pair of Atari Space Age Joysticks, I assume from eBay...
Anyway, included in the lot was a "Magnum by Mastertronic" joystick which is evern weirder.
Here is a link to someone elses picture of one, mine looks exactly like it.  It is flimsy/cheap feeling, and I am sure does not work right.  
Anyone else have one?  I'll open it up to see what is wrong with it.

[bennybingo]

That is pretty cool!  I haven't seen that one before.

[Pioneer4x4]

I can't imagine using your thumb to fire on some games.
As good as the Atari Space Age ones look and feel quality wise, this one doesn't!

[Pioneer4x4]

I opened it up and found why the stick feels so wonky.   It uses 4 microswitches and 2 of them are stuck in.  I am going to see if they are repairable.  The stick has a slab of steel in the handle to make it feel more substantial, good idea, but still feels light.
The stick itself pivots from the ball at the bottom, not a bad idea.  I HATE those damn push nuts, hopefully I can kink one and screw it off.

[Pioneer4x4]

Nope, it's shot.  I opened up the microswitches and they have a brass contact that pops into contact and back.  The spring part if it is broken off.  If I happen to find replacements, I may try to fix it, but I doubt it.

[PFL]

Quirky looking stick.  I quite like the look of it to be honest.

Aren't those micro-switches just off the shelf parts?

[Pioneer4x4]

PFL, on Sat Aug 18, 2012 12:36 PM, said:

Quirky looking stick.  I quite like the look of it to be honest.

Aren't those micro-switches just off the shelf parts?

Not sure, I hope so.  They would need the same through holes or some glue.  They are a crappy design, not even 30 years old I bet and they failed already

Edited by Pioneer4x4, Sat Aug 18, 2012 1:10 PM.

[PFL]

Yeah, they don't make them like they used too.

Good luck in fixing this wee gem up.

[Pioneer4x4]

Actually these look identical
eBay Auction -- Item Number: 261018230734

[PFL]

Nice find.  The switches are a little more expensive than I thought they would be though... Still, it's a nice small project for when you have time.