Noob question regarding joysticks

[lazzeri]

Hello,

 

I guess you guys are sick and tired of seeing this. I´ve done my research and got kind of confused. So, I´m sorry but I have to ask. :-)

 

I currently own four standard A5200 joystick. They were all defective once, unfortunately.

 

I was lucky enough to grab a replacement kit and managed to change it in one controller that is now just fine. Hurray!

 

I still have two that changing the flat might solve, only the fire buttons are bad. I also have one that is having a vertical pot problem: stick goes down but not THAT much, I can control the chopper on Choplifter but NOT Pac-man. Tried to open it and it didn´t seem to be anything obvious.

 

So I´ll probably buy more replacement kits and fix those with trigger problems. Not sure about what to do with the one with the vertical problem though.

 

Any other thing I might try? Clear pots? Anything not very obvious? I´m lousy in soldering but managed to close the controller I opened so I´m confident now.

 

Also... Is there ANY commercialy available modern-day joystick solution? I´ve seen some homemade boards with Arduino but I am phisically unable to do that, I´ll set my house ablaze.

 

BITD solutions seems to be obscene priced today so a modern product might just hit the spot.

 

Thank you all for your pacience!

Edited March 3, 2019 by lazzeri

[+-^CrossBow^-]

Getting replacement flex circuits will help with the button issues on the controllers. But you could always go the route I go and just use foil tape like what is used on HVAC systems. Refer to this video here on the process I go through to refurbish 5200 controllers. I still use this method even today:

 

 

Now as for the vertical issue...

 

I've not done a video on this yet because it varies from controller to controller and can take a long time to dial it in just right. But if other controllers are working just fine in all directions, then it would mean that the actual vertical pot arm on that controller needs to be adjusted or calibrated. The 5200 service manual has an official method of doing this using a multimeter and measuring the resistance with the pot arms at specific positions. But basically the actual little white plastic arm is just press fit onto the pot. As such you can move them to re-align them better. Basically if you move the arm to one position until it doesn't go any further, then you can keep applying pressure to the arm and it will slip and move further. So basically small adjustments to this is what is needed to get the down direction working better on your other controller.

 

Now if all controllers have issues with moving in a certain direction, then there is a pokey adjustment pot inside the console to the lower left of the power switch section. Be sure you only use small turns and only adjust the smaller pot. There is another larger pot on the lower right a bit higher but that is the color adjustment.

[lazzeri]

Getting replacement flex circuits will help with the button issues on the controllers. But you could always go the route I go and just use foil tape like what is used on HVAC systems. Refer to this video here on the process I go through to refurbish 5200 controllers. I still use this method even today:

 

 

Now as for the vertical issue...

 

I've not done a video on this yet because it varies from controller to controller and can take a long time to dial it in just right. But if other controllers are working just fine in all directions, then it would mean that the actual vertical pot arm on that controller needs to be adjusted or calibrated. The 5200 service manual has an official method of doing this using a multimeter and measuring the resistance with the pot arms at specific positions. But basically the actual little white plastic arm is just press fit onto the pot. As such you can move them to re-align them better. Basically if you move the arm to one position until it doesn't go any further, then you can keep applying pressure to the arm and it will slip and move further. So basically small adjustments to this is what is needed to get the down direction working better on your other controller.

 

Now if all controllers have issues with moving in a certain direction, then there is a pokey adjustment pot inside the console to the lower left of the power switch section. Be sure you only use small turns and only adjust the smaller pot. There is another larger pot on the lower right a bit higher but that is the color adjustment.

 

Thank you! Great idea with the pots, will try that! :-)