Krayt88 Posted January 17, 2008 Share Posted January 17, 2008 So, I just broke out my old Atari 2600 to play some Warlords with my friends and one of my Paddle pairs is getting some pretty bad jittering. I was just wondering if any of the more experienced 2600 players here know of anyway to try and fix this problem. I cant even be sure what is causing the jittering but any helpful advice would be greatly appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigO Posted January 17, 2008 Share Posted January 17, 2008 It's a result of oxidation/dust/crud on the surface of the resistive material in the potentiometer. It causes interference in the conntection between the wiper contact and the surface causing the resistance seen by the console to jump wildly in value. Search these forum pages for 2600 paddle cleaning or jitter or just about any combination of those terms and you'll find some helpful hints. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doubledown Posted January 17, 2008 Share Posted January 17, 2008 Two choices are to: remove the pots, disassemble, properly clean, reassemble, and re-install, or easier solution, buy new pots. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckrtech Posted January 17, 2008 Share Posted January 17, 2008 Our local longhornengineer has a how-to page on this - How to fix Atari Paddles Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A.J. Franzman Posted January 18, 2008 Share Posted January 18, 2008 (edited) That's a decent tutorial, but I have one small gripe with it (aside from several minor spelling/usage issues): Every mechanic should know to use the right tool for every job. Pliers are never the right tool for removing hex nuts! That's what wrenches are for. Use a 9/16" (or 1/2" for a few of the earlier paddle controllers) closed-end wrench; most such wrenches have the ends angled and offset just enough to get these slightly recessed nuts off easily without damaging them. A socket would be appropriate too, if deep enough to accommodate the pot shaft. Edited January 18, 2008 by A.J. Franzman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Longhorn Engineer Posted January 20, 2008 Share Posted January 20, 2008 That's a decent tutorial, but I have one small gripe with it (aside from several minor spelling/usage issues): Yes I know I have terrible grammar and spelling. I really need to find an editor. Every mechanic should know to use the right tool for every job. Pliers are never the right tool for removing hex nuts! That's what wrenches are for. Use a 9/16" (or 1/2" for a few of the earlier paddle controllers) closed-end wrench; most such wrenches have the ends angled and offset just enough to get these slightly recessed nuts off easily without damaging them. A socket would be appropriate too, if deep enough to accommodate the pot shaft. At the time I didn't have a wrench. I will amend the guide. Thanks for pointing that out AJ. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigO Posted January 20, 2008 Share Posted January 20, 2008 That's a decent tutorial, but I have one small gripe with it (aside from several minor spelling/usage issues): Yes I know I have terrible grammar and spelling. I really need to find an editor. Maybe you just did? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MFoolsRun Posted January 20, 2008 Share Posted January 20, 2008 I recommend using the tutorial and cleaning them out. I've fixed four or five sets of paddles, all without a hitch, and all restored to perfect working order. It's easy, rewarding, and cheaper than buying pots. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krayt88 Posted January 20, 2008 Author Share Posted January 20, 2008 Hey Thanks guys. I ended up taking apart the pots and cleaning em out. They work great now so I can get back to playing warlords and 4 player Pong sports with my friends. Thanks again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krayt88 Posted January 20, 2008 Author Share Posted January 20, 2008 Every mechanic should know to use the right tool for every job. Pliers are never the right tool for removing hex nuts! That's what wrenches are for. Use a 9/16" (or 1/2" for a few of the earlier paddle controllers) closed-end wrench; most such wrenches have the ends angled and offset just enough to get these slightly recessed nuts off easily without damaging them. A socket would be appropriate too, if deep enough to accommodate the pot shaft. At the time I didn't have a wrench. I will amend the guide. Thanks for pointing that out AJ. I also didn't have a wrench and ended up using pliers. And while yes a wrench would have been a better tool for the job, that doesn't mean pliers are necessarily the wrong tool for the job. They work out after all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+SpiceWare Posted January 20, 2008 Share Posted January 20, 2008 So, I just broke out my old Atari 2600 to play some Warlords with my friends. You might like to check out Medieval Mayhem. There's more info at my website, including videos, reviews and even online play. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
accousticguitar Posted August 19, 2008 Share Posted August 19, 2008 I just got a new set of paddles and one of them was jittering like crazy, so I cleaned it up following Longhorn Engineer's tutorial and now they work great! It was a lot easier to do than I thought it would be. There's really not much in there to break. If it wasn't for the grease gumming up the mechanism it wouldn't even have needed to be cleaned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Longhorn Engineer Posted August 19, 2008 Share Posted August 19, 2008 Btw theres a new link for the guide. http://www.longhornengineer.com/Fixatarico...lers#paddle2600 The old link will still work till I get around to purging my old pages. Glad it worked for yah accousticguitar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
accousticguitar Posted August 20, 2008 Share Posted August 20, 2008 Thanks for the guide; I no longer fear jittery paddles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2600Lives Posted August 20, 2008 Share Posted August 20, 2008 Excellent guide! Now my Commodore paddles work like aces again! Still, I'd like to get some of those nice, new pots and replace them eventually. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2600Lives Posted August 21, 2008 Share Posted August 21, 2008 Is there some trick to opening up the driving controllers? I can't seem to get the dial off of mine to get to the pot and give it a good cleaning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2600Lives Posted August 21, 2008 Share Posted August 21, 2008 Never mind, got it. The setup for the driving controller is MUCH different, but you can still give it a good cleaning if you get it open. The top was just REALLY stuck on there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kittenmommy Posted September 15, 2008 Share Posted September 15, 2008 Our local longhornengineer has a how-to page on this - How to fix Atari Paddles OMG, this looks so complicated. I'm having a small panic attack just looking at the pics of all the little pieces spread out everywhere! I got out my paddle controllers last Friday to play Breakout with Kittengranddaughter. Unfortunately, both of my sets of paddle controllers are jittery like whoa. I guess I could try taking them apart and cleaning them... it's not like I could make them any more unusable than they are now, right? Btw theres a new link for the guide. http://www.longhornengineer.com/Fixatarico...lers#paddle2600 The old link will still work till I get around to purging my old pages. Glad it worked for yah accousticguitar. Wait, those are driving controllers. Are they the same as paddle controllers? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigO Posted September 15, 2008 Share Posted September 15, 2008 If the thought of disassembling the potentiometers gives you the jitters, you can try what I usually do. Radio Shack carries a product called something like Tuner and Control Cleaner and lubricant. You can spray that liberally inside the potentiometer through holes in the metal casing and operate the potentiometer vigorously. It helps to hold the controller in such a way that the sprayed in cleaner pools on the resistive surface inside the potentiometer. You can figure that out by looking at the aforementioned guide. Be aware that the product I mentioned does contain a lubricant so will leave an oily residue inside the paddle controller housing and on whatever surface it drips onto. (There's a product that I usually use called Deoxit that seems to clean a little better, but it's a lot harder to find.) If you're not satisfied after a couple of rounds of spray cleaning, you can still disassemble and thoroughly clean the potentiometers. I haven't yet felt the need to do that, though there are a lot of people here who disagree with my method. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Longhorn Engineer Posted September 15, 2008 Share Posted September 15, 2008 Our local longhornengineer has a how-to page on this - How to fix Atari Paddles OMG, this looks so complicated. I'm having a small panic attack just looking at the pics of all the little pieces spread out everywhere! I got out my paddle controllers last Friday to play Breakout with Kittengranddaughter. Unfortunately, both of my sets of paddle controllers are jittery like whoa. I guess I could try taking them apart and cleaning them... it's not like I could make them any more unusable than they are now, right? Btw theres a new link for the guide. http://www.longhornengineer.com/Fixatarico...lers#paddle2600 The old link will still work till I get around to purging my old pages. Glad it worked for yah accousticguitar. Wait, those are driving controllers. Are they the same as paddle controllers? Its actually very easy to do. And the driving controllers are on the same page as the paddle now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klokwrkblu Posted October 9, 2008 Share Posted October 9, 2008 So, I just broke out my old Atari 2600 to play some Warlords with my friends and one of my Paddle pairs is getting some pretty bad jittering. I was just wondering if any of the more experienced 2600 players here know of anyway to try and fix this problem. I cant even be sure what is causing the jittering but any helpful advice would be greatly appreciated. I have the same problem, one of my paddle controllers works just fine, but the other dosn't do anything. when i giggle the the connector it does jitter but thats it. I cleaned both pots and replace the cable and it still dosnt work. Could something else be broken? i must know !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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