how to fix jittery paddles and stuck joysticks?

[brett6400]

Is it possible to fix jittery paddles? (presumably by taking them apart and cleaning them)

 

I have a joystick that is "stuck" in the up position. So, for example, in Combat the tank always moves forward. Is it possible to fix this?

[Raijin Z]

Rebuild the board in the stick, and replace the pot in the paddle. The latter will be the easier of the two.

[Stella'sGhost]

Exactly, jittery paddles are caused by old yucky pots, you have to remove them and replace them, make sure the value is the same, its value is engraved or written on the pot itself. They cost like 50 cents. You can get them at an electronics parts store or maybe even Radio Shack. You will need a soldering gun to fix them however. This is very easy to do and takes about 1 minute. Oh, you have to make sure the pot fits the atari knob.

 

The Joy Stick may not need a rebuilt PCB. It may be just a contact or something less complicated, as it is a very, very simple PCB. You have to takethe joystick apart and play around with it and the several contacts that are concted to the wire that connects to the Atari itself to find out exactly what is causing it to stick, I think its probably just a matter of fixing the contact point where the joystick touches the PCB that makes the tank go up, the contact ( Its a bubble and a path on the PCB) that tells the tank to go up is active all the time, which of course it shouldn't be. I have fixed this before, but its been years now... :

[Raijin Z]

Yeah, the 2600 sticks are terribly constructed. Actually, I suggest using a Genesis controller. Less damaging to your hands. Rebuilding the PCB would give the controller at LEAST 15 more years of use. That would require a sacraficial controller, or one of those controller repair kits they made back in the day.

[Stella'sGhost]

Yes, the joysticks are cheaply made on the indside, simple design, however I really like them. The casing is very strong though.

 

I forgot, I sometimes use the Genesis controller too, its a great controller.

[brett6400]

great, thanks for the info.

 

i'll tackle both paddles and joystick with a screw driver and trip to radio shack. although i may have more questions when i get started...

[Sparkonian]

I have a set of temperamental paddles for sale cheap on ebay. If you want to either fix them or use them for spare parts it could be the way to go.

 

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi...item=1379723676

 

Brad Downunder

[Rob Mitchell]

Huh? REPLACE THE POT??? Never!!!! Just open the paddle .. use a cotton swab to collect some common isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol and drop a few drops into the back of the pot and turn vigorously for about one minute. Test and repeat if necessary .. EASY!!

 

Re: The Atari sticks.

 

The early 1977-78 sticks used 5 springs .. and sometimes they broke .. or became weak. I have stretched these springs to increase the spring constant (physics) and make better force against the contacts.

 

The later more common sticks are subject to the inside white shaft breaking. Examine closely and replace or exchange with another stick.

 

Both designs are likely to experience contact board wear. Sometimes you can peal back the film cover and reseat the bubble cover. Retry if necessary .. or just replace the board.

 

Wear can result in cable wire breaking.

 

Best thing: Store your Atari sticks and use a 3rd party stick .. like the Quickshot II or the Epyx 500-J .. both of which use high quality microswitches.

 

This is better than going to Radio Scrap (which has just doubled its prices on many items including resistors .. and eliminated 1/2 of selection).

 

(About 5 years ago a guy in California asked me for a RS part number. I gave it to him .. and he went to his RScrap to ask for it..

 

The RS guy looked it up in his computer .. and told my friend "We don't have a part number like that!"

 

My friend emailed me back to say I had given him the wrong part number. So I went to my RScrap in Tennessee to confirm the part number.

 

The RS guy looked it up in his computer .. and told me that "We don't have a part number like that!"

 

So I thought for a second .. and said, "Put the hyphen in the part number!" His response was, "Oh there it is."

 

So I emailed my friend in California .. and said, "Tell the RS idiot to put the hyphen in the part number."

 

What boneheads! I hate them .. and only go there when I have a quick need and I never give them my name and address.)

 

Rob Mitchell, Atlanta, GA

[Rob Mitchell]

BTW .. the pot is one MegOhm.

 

Rob Mitchell, Atlanta, GA

[llabnip]

Is it possible to fix jittery paddles?  (presumably by taking them apart and cleaning them)    

 

First off, do not replace the pot unless a simple cleaning doesn't work first. I've had several sets of paddles and all were jittery - one in fact was so bad that it basically only registered at two points making it completely useless (in Kaboom it only moved the buckets from extreme left to extreme right and back again). I opened them up - sprayed a bit of electronics contact cleaner/degreaser (which claimed to be safe on plastics - so far so good) and gave the knobs a series of full twists and all three sets now work like new (the very bad one had to go through is process twice to get it fully working). Others have had sucess using cleaners other than contact cleaner/degreaser but I've only used the RS brand of contact cleaner/degreaser with good results.

[Stella'sGhost]

Replacing the pot is better than using one that 22 years old, even after its cleaned. But if you clean it and it works well, than thats fine too, its certainly easier if you don't know what you are doing or never have soldered or taken things apart to fix them. Not everyone has a soldering gun lying around. ( my dad is an electric engineer/designer so I have access to alot of gear, in fact a mountain load of gear!)

 

Its true that RS is useless for parts, I have never gotten any parts I needed at RS, not for about 9 years now. I have alot of parts in my lab, but RS just might have a 1 meg pot, as it is pretty common.

 

The joystick is easy to fix, like Rob said, and I said the same thing though not as clearly I suppose....

[Raijin Z]

Soldering kits are available at RS for $7 and up. You get an iron, a stand, quite a bit of solder, some sharp thing, and some clamp thing. The RS closest to my house is.... ugh. All of the components are a mess. Most are in organized drawers, but all of the ones I've ever needed were in a carboard box full of other stuff.

[brett6400]

okay, this is a dumb question.... but what is a pot? will it be obvious when i open up a paddle? can someone describe it or upload a photo? thanks

[Rob Mitchell]

Pot is short for Potentiometer .. the thing that turns ..

 

Rob Mitchell, Atlanta, GA

[Sparkonian]

Is that even a real word Rob??

 

Brad Downunder

[Rob Mitchell]

Is that even a real word Rob??

 

Um .. Yes .. Potentiometer is a real word.

 

Rob Mitchell, Atlanta, GA

[Sparkonian]

Yeah I know mate. Was just having a bit of a gag.

 

Still might have to use it next time I need to swear at someone.

 

 

*thinks* "Stick it up your Potentiometer Jerk!!!!"

 

Yeah that could work