Repair paddle controller fire button?

[flammingcowz]

I got a box of free stuff on here. There were paddle controllers with it that worked the first night. Today I go to play circus atari and my fire button doesn't work! after taking it all apart, I found out its the switches fault. If I pull off the 2 wires going to the fire button, and touch the ends together it does what it's supposed to. But when I put them back on the switch and press it, fire doesn't work again. The second paddle on them doesn't work anyway so I tried using its switch and same thing. I took apart one of the switches and I don't see anything wrong, and also can't get it back together...

 

any help?

[Benzman66]

Sounds like both switches are bad or have corrosion on them somewhere, either on the outside pins, or inside where it makes contact.

As far as the right paddle, that would be probably a bad wire near the plug at either end of the cord, if everything is ok with your console and using other paddles. If it has the same issue with other paddles, then it is a bad pin in your left port on the console.

[A.J. Franzman]

Paddle fire buttons use the same wires as joystick left and right, so if joysticks work fine but paddle fire buttons don't, the problem must be in the paddle controllers and not the console.

[fiddlepaddle]

I've been able to restore bad switches by squirting Caig ProGold into the switch and pressing it a bunch of times. If you don't have any, you can try "QD Electronic Cleaner" (available in auto supply stores), or even WD40.

[tetrode kink]

Nooooooooooooo! WD40 is a lubricant, not a cleaner! Why don't you just go ahead and spray Windex into your car's oil pan while you're at it??!!!

 

-tet

 

[edit] On a related topic, "New Shimmer" is both a floor wax and a dessert topping! [/edit]

Edited May 12, 2010 by tetrode kink

[kb9snl]

I've been able to restore bad switches by squirting Caig ProGold into the switch and pressing it a bunch of times. If you don't have any, you can try "QD Electronic Cleaner" (available in auto supply stores), or even WD40.

 

QD is excellent, It can truly bring dead electronics back to life. I'd definitely try it on the switch. I've been meaning to try it on jittery paddle pots too, I'm betting it can clean those up.

[A.J. Franzman]

WD40 is a lubricant, not a cleaner!

In spite of the fact that it says "lubricates" on the can (thanks to the marketing department, I'm sure), WD-40 was NOT designed as a lubricant! It was originally made (and ONLY intended to be used as) a rust preventive. The "WD" stands for Water Displacer -- applied to iron and steel tools, it will get or keep water out of crevices between moving parts, etc. WD-40 is based on kerosene, which has rather poor lubricating characteristics, and evaporates quickly in comparison to actual lubricating oils.

[tetrode kink]

WD40 is a lubricant, not a cleaner!

In spite of the fact that it says "lubricates" on the can (thanks to the marketing department, I'm sure), WD-40 was NOT designed as a lubricant! It was originally made (and ONLY intended to be used as) a rust preventive. The "WD" stands for Water Displacer -- applied to iron and steel tools, it will get or keep water out of crevices between moving parts, etc. WD-40 is based on kerosene, which has rather poor lubricating characteristics, and evaporates quickly in comparison to actual lubricating oils.

+1 for that! Man, you learn something new every day. I think I've owned one can of WD-40 in my life.

 

In the light of that correction, I'm afraid I'll have to revise my original comment, as follows:

 

 

 

 

Nooooooooooooo! WD-40 is a rust preventative, which will get or keep water out of crevices between moving parts, etc. (but the marketing department made them put "lubricates" on the can), not a cleaner!

 

 

-tet

[fiddlepaddle]

Even so, WD40 will make a bad switch work (no matter what it was designed to do).

 

Note that it IS possible to drive a nail into a 2 by 4 with the handle of a screwdriver or a pair of pliers.

[thebiggw]

Even so, WD40 will make a bad switch work (no matter what it was designed to do).

 

Note that it IS possible to drive a nail into a 2 by 4 with the handle of a screwdriver or a pair of pliers.

 

Yes but if your my boss, and you do not know which end of a screwdriver to use,........a frozen lasagna dinner from the freezer works to put a nail in the wall so you can hang a picture on it! (true story my boss really does not know which end of a screwdriver to use, and actually used a frozen lasagna to pound a nail into the wall to hang a picture.)

Edited May 14, 2010 by thebiggw

[tetrode kink]

Even so, WD40 will make a bad switch work (no matter what it was designed to do).

Maybe initially, but I'll bet the switch will fail again sooner than if you had used an actual cleaning product. If WD-40 leaves any of its substance behind after it's done its job, it will eventually gum up the works. A cleaning product should leave nothing behind after its job is done.

 

I've never used QD or Caig ProGold specifically, but if either are in the category of "contact cleaner" or "tuner cleaner" then that is the right tool for the job. WD-40 is not.

 

Note that it IS possible to drive a nail into a 2 by 4 with the handle of a screwdriver or a pair of pliers.

Thank you for making my point for me.

 

-tet