Coleco Steering Wheel question

[ddaniels]

My steering wheel battery compartment is totally rusted out from acid where the batteries rest once all four are installed. Is there any way to fix or order these metal clips that make contact for the battery or should I just look at buying another steering wheel?

 

Thanks for any advice.

[VectorGamer]

My steering wheel battery compartment is totally rusted out from acid where the batteries rest once all four are installed. Is there any way to fix or order these metal clips that make contact for the battery or should I just look at buying another steering wheel?

 

Thanks for any advice.

 

I don't know if this is recommended or not, but what I did was used fine grit sandpaper sprayed with Liquid Wrench to sand off the rust. I then used rubbing alcohol to clean it up that mess and finished up with Deoxit. I went from having a dead steering wheel to one that works like a champ.

[Yurkie]

I would recommend removing the bottom half of the housing that contains the battery terminals. If I remember correctly there are only 2 wires attaching the bottom half to the top half. You can cut these wires and splice them back together if you don't solder, or you can remove them with a soldering iron. Mix a few tablespoons of baking soda in a bowl with a tiny bit of water ( just enough water to make a thick paste ) Use an old toothbrush and put a coating on the terminals. Let it sit for 5 or 10 minutes then use more of the mixture to scrub away the corrosion. Rinse terminals throughly with water and dry completely with some paper towels. The baking soda is a base and will neutralize the leaked acid.

Edited January 24, 2011 by Yurkie

[boardjunkie]

I would recommend removing the bottom half of the housing that contains the battery terminals. If I remember correctly there are only 2 wires attaching the bottom half to the top half. You can cut these wires and splice them back together if you don't solder, or you can remove them with a soldering iron. Mix a few tablespoons of baking soda in a bowl with a tiny bit of water ( just enough water to make a thick paste ) Use an old toothbrush and put a coating on the terminals. Let it sit for 5 or 10 minutes then use more of the mixture to scrub away the corrosion. Rinse terminals throughly with water and dry completely with some paper towels. The baking soda is a base and will neutralize the leaked acid.

 

 

I think its the other way around. If alkaline batteries leak potassium hydroxide, that is a base. You would neutralize that with an acid. We always used watered down vinegar for arcade boards that had battery damage.

[Yurkie]

I got caught up in the whole battery acid thing. Alkaline is indeed a base not an acid. Lemon juice or vinegar will work. I would still take it a part and after cleaning rinse with water and throughly dry.

[ddaniels]

I got caught up in the whole battery acid thing. Alkaline is indeed a base not an acid. Lemon juice or vinegar will work. I would still take it a part and after cleaning rinse with water and throughly dry.

 

Thanks for the replies but my problem is that the acid damage is so bad that two of the battery connectors has literally fallen/broken apart. Can I do anything with the wires that are attached to these boards (where the batteries rest against)? I wasn't sure if I could somehow wire up an ac adapter instead of batteries that I'll never be able to use.

[BigO]

I got caught up in the whole battery acid thing. Alkaline is indeed a base not an acid. Lemon juice or vinegar will work. I would still take it a part and after cleaning rinse with water and throughly dry.

 

Thanks for the replies but my problem is that the acid damage is so bad that two of the battery connectors has literally fallen/broken apart. Can I do anything with the wires that are attached to these boards (where the batteries rest against)? I wasn't sure if I could somehow wire up an ac adapter instead of batteries that I'll never be able to use.

If it's that far gone, I'd look at the A/C adapter route. The problem is that most of the cheap adapters are not regulated. Since the steering module was designed for batteries only, it probably doesn't have a voltage regulator built in. A 6 volt adapter is likely going to put out a lot more voltage than that.

 

You might get away with just hooking up an unregulated supply, but I'd be a bit concerned about doing it that way. If you can solder, it wouldn't be a major task to add a regulator.

 

A lot of the more recent power supplies are 5 volts. I have a few around that I put a voltmeter on and they show 5 volts with no load. On that basis, I'm guessing they're regulated in some fashion. 5 volts might well be sufficient to power it (if my recollection of it using 4 cells is correct).

 

 

[Yurkie]

I have a dead steering wheel with good connectors in it. I will give them to you for the cost of shipping. Send me a PM and we can make arrangements.

[BigO]

I have a dead steering wheel with good connectors in it. I will give them to you for the cost of shipping. Send me a PM and we can make arrangements.

Now there's a solution.

[SlowCoder]

I have a dead steering wheel with good connectors in it. I will give them to you for the cost of shipping. Send me a PM and we can make arrangements.

Now there's a solution.

Well, dang. Yurkie beat me to it. I was going to recommend hitting the Market Place for a broken controller with good connectors.

[Pixelboy]

I have a dead steering wheel with good connectors in it. I will give them to you for the cost of shipping. Send me a PM and we can make arrangements.

You know, I wonder if a lot of people would be interested in a steering wheel mod that permanently bypasses the battery compartment and replaces it with an A/C adapter plug...

 

Not sure it would be worth it though, since the optical sensor on the wheel could still fail at any time down the road...

[VectorGamer]

If the dead ColecoVision isn't an option, aren't these parts available elsewhere?

[CV Gus]

Couldn't you just solder batter holders to the existing wires? It doesn't matter if the batteries are "D" or "C" cells, they could just as easily be "AA," if that would fit.

[SlowCoder]

I have a dead steering wheel with good connectors in it. I will give them to you for the cost of shipping. Send me a PM and we can make arrangements.

You know, I wonder if a lot of people would be interested in a steering wheel mod that permanently bypasses the battery compartment and replaces it with an A/C adapter plug...

 

Not sure it would be worth it though, since the optical sensor on the wheel could still fail at any time down the road...

I think it could be quite worth it. Especially if it could be plugged inline with the CV power like the roller controller. Having a separate wall wart could be a little bit awkward.

 

I think such a mod would be relatively inexpensive compared to buying batteries over the life of the wheel. I think it could pay itself off over the purchase of 2-3 battery changes, particularly if you buy the more expensive batteries. Unless there's a propensity of the sensors to go out, the same could be said for any CV component.

[Yurkie]

I think it could be quite worth it. Especially if it could be plugged inline with the CV power like the roller controller. Having a separate wall wart could be a little bit awkward.

 

I think such a mod would be relatively inexpensive compared to buying batteries over the life of the wheel. I think it could pay itself off over the purchase of 2-3 battery changes, particularly if you buy the more expensive batteries. Unless there's a propensity of the sensors to go out, the same could be said for any CV component.

 

I am going to experiment with a wheel that plugs into the power plug on the back of the CV like the Roller Controller does. I think the steering wheel could be powered off the 5v line from the power supply. I don't have a dead roller controller to use for the grommet and cord, so I will run some wires and test it. If it works I will post directions for DIY and offer it as a service.

 

If anyone want to offer the cord and grommet off a dead roller controller I will gladly pay shipping. I don't need the whole controller just the cable with the pass through plug and the grommet.

[BigO]

I am going to experiment with a wheel that plugs into the power plug on the back of the CV like the Roller Controller does. I think the steering wheel could be powered off the 5v line from the power supply. I don't have a dead roller controller to use for the grommet and cord, so I will run some wires and test it. If it works I will post directions for DIY and offer it as a service.

 

If anyone want to offer the cord and grommet off a dead roller controller I will gladly pay shipping. I don't need the whole controller just the cable with the pass through plug and the grommet.

I agree that it's very likely to work. That connector that's used on the roller controller, however, I'd expect to be a deal killer. Don't get me wrong, I think it's a cool way to implement this given that another OEM accessory was already built that way.

 

I wonder if that 4 pin connector is at all common. If so, it'd be a piece o' cake to build your own splitter cable.

 

I suppose one could also wire in a socket in to the console that would make the 5v available via a more common type of connector. That'd be another mod service that could be done as part of the deal maybe.

Edited January 27, 2011 by BigO

[Yurkie]

I am guessing there are a lot of dead roller controllers that donor cables could be taken from.

 

After thinking about it perhaps a mono 1/8" jack installed on the back of the console and back of the wheel and connecting them with a cable with male plugs on each end might be a better method. The only thing I don't like with this method is that it requires the console to be modded to accommodate the wheel.

[Prodos8]

I would just hook it to a +5vdc regulated external power supply. There must be tons of these out there since just about every mobile phone uses this voltage. Just change the connector out for something more common or hardwire it to the steering wheel controller's board. I have a box of old chargers with obsolete connectors that I goto when I need to power something.

[SlowCoder]

After thinking about it perhaps a mono 1/8" jack installed on the back of the console and back of the wheel and connecting them with a cable with male plugs on each end might be a better method. The only thing I don't like with this method is that it requires the console to be modded to accommodate the wheel.

 

I'm not too keen on modding either. I also tend to be, whatchacallit ... (I prefer to keep my stuff original). But, times move forward, and requirements change.

 

Once completed though, that would be a very elegant solution. And it would give people the opportunity to make that choice.

 

I would just hook it to a +5vdc regulated external power supply. There must be tons of these out there since just about every mobile phone uses this voltage. Just change the connector out for something more common or hardwire it to the steering wheel controller's board. I have a box of old chargers with obsolete connectors that I goto when I need to power something.

This is a viable solution, but not optmal, IMO. It takes up a receptacle (or more than one depending on the size of the wart) that I could probably use for something else.

[BigO]

I would just hook it to a +5vdc regulated external power supply. There must be tons of these out there since just about every mobile phone uses this voltage. Just change the connector out for something more common or hardwire it to the steering wheel controller's board. I have a box of old chargers with obsolete connectors that I goto when I need to power something.

I could go either way on this. For the purists, I like the idea of using the same method as the Roller Controller. For the simplicity and practicality, I like the 5v external supply. For convenience, simplicity and some measure of practicality, I like the idea of adding a 5v out to the console.

 

 

 

 

[Yurkie]

I modded a steering wheel with a power cord from a roller controller. Here is a link.

 

 

http://www.atariage.com/forums/topic/176180-steering-wheel-powered-by-roller-controller-cable/page__fromsearch__1