VICMODEM Posted January 20, 2016 Share Posted January 20, 2016 Hello. I have a Wico Command Control joystick with a broken cable. I thought I fixed it by replacing almost the entire cable with new wires but it broke again after a few minutes of use directly where the connector starts. So I was wondering if it was possible to buy replacement cables for them online. Hopefully it is, 'cause it was the best joystick I had ever used... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeremy Popp Posted February 1, 2016 Share Posted February 1, 2016 For what console? The 2600? If so, those are common DB9 cables that you should be able to salvage from any atari controller, or genesis/coleco etc. You could also just buy an extension cable, and cut the end off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VICMODEM Posted February 2, 2016 Author Share Posted February 2, 2016 Hello. The problem with using the cable from an old controller or from an extension cable is that there's no way to know what wire goes to what pin... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigO Posted February 2, 2016 Share Posted February 2, 2016 Hello. The problem with using the cable from an old controller or from an extension cable is that there's no way to know what wire goes to what pin... Don't let that hold you back. An ohmmeter, preferably an audible continuity tester, can be used to map which pin is which color wire in an unknown cable. Or even a battery and a light bulb/LED if that's what you can rustle up. I suppose you could do it with a battery and a speaker. A 9 volt battery with your tongue as a sensor would work if you really want to MacGyver it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VICMODEM Posted February 2, 2016 Author Share Posted February 2, 2016 Uhmmm an ohmmeter huh... I do have one of those. Where do I put the two probes to test each buttons? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigO Posted February 2, 2016 Share Posted February 2, 2016 Uhmmm an ohmmeter huh... I do have one of those. Where do I put the two probes to test each buttons? Buttons? I must be on the wrong track. I thought we were talking about testing a cable that was going to be put into another controller, not a whole controller. I was expecting that you'd pull the cable out of the controller then test each wire individually, mapping it down the connector. Then based on that color map, you'd replace old cable wire 1 with new cable wire 1. What's your thought process at this point? A one for one cable swap would be fairly easy even with different colored wires on the new cable. If the existing cable is in such bad shape that you can't tell which pin connects to what point inside the controller, this exercise could be a bit more of a challenge. If this is a 2600 controller, it should be relatively simple and the wiring could be worked out from scratch if necessary. There would only be 6 wires needed for a 2600 joystick: Ground, Fire, and the 4 directions. Is it a joystick for 2600 system? A pinout for the controller you're trying to save could be helpful for you to have around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VICMODEM Posted February 2, 2016 Author Share Posted February 2, 2016 Yes, the Wico is a simple joystick with a DE9 connector that will work on a 2600 console. My idea was to remove the cable from a busted PointMaster joystick (but even if it's busted all of its buttons still work) and put it on the Wico... I'd use the ohmmeter on the PointMaster joystick to determine what wire goes to what pin, and what it does, to then be able to know where to put it in the Wico joystick... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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