Cheap DIY 2600 Junior Select & Reset Tactile Momentary Fix

[Buckaroo]

Saw a couple of other threads about fixing these buttons but none that were fixed in the same way. 

This is a cheap fix as the buttons are really cheap and it works great.

You can press the button anywhere and it clicks every time.

It's non invasive so this can be reversed easily if you want to put your Atari back to stock. 

I had a ribbon on a Junior that was beyond repair and didn't have any spares ribbons to hand so came up with this fix as I already had the buttons.

 

You'll need:

 

• 2x tactile momentary switches
• 30cm double core wire (roughly)
• Soldering iron
• Glue gun (or glue if you don't have one)

 

Remove the console case, unplug the ribbon cable then use something blunt to pop the buttons out of the casing.

Peel the soft backing off of the switches as this will no longer be needed.

Slide the ribbon cable out (we won't need it anymore)

There's a recess on the bottom of the switch, here's where we will seat the button

 

Solder roughly 15-20cm of cable to each of the 2 buttons, I used network cable but anything will do. 

 

 Feed the wires through the holes on the sides where the ribbon used to be. 

 

Glue the buttons into place in the centre at the bottom of the switch (be careful not to get glue on the sides as it will make the button feel spongey)

 

Here are the points I soldered to. I used a PAL Junior so the layout may be different on NTSC. 

The points are easy to trace as only 3 tracks come from the ribbon connector. 

 

Solder the wires into place

 

Close you case back up and you're ready to go. 

 

The buttons feel way more responsive than any Junior I've ever had (even the one I had in the eighties)

 

To find the same type of buttons I used search for "Mini Micro Momentary Tactile Push Button Switch"

[+save2600]

Nice job!

[Ianr757]

Hey, thanks for this awesome idea! I just tried it out and it works wonderfully, now I can finally say goodbye to that godforsaken mylar strip. One question, I haven't yet glued the switches or replaced the select/reset covers, is there anything I specifically need to do in order to make it so the buttons click down sufficiently on the new switches? Thanks!

[Buckaroo]

On 3/6/2020 at 9:11 AM, Ianr757 said:

Hey, thanks for this awesome idea! I just tried it out and it works wonderfully, now I can finally say goodbye to that godforsaken mylar strip. One question, I haven't yet glued the switches or replaced the select/reset covers, is there anything I specifically need to do in order to make it so the buttons click down sufficiently on the new switches? Thanks!

No there's nothing specific you need to do. Just make sure that the holes are clear of glue on the left and right and where the tabs to hold the button are.

 

Looking back at the pictures I used way too much glue. 

Edited March 8, 2020 by Buckaroo
Typo

[f.z.prime]

Hi Buckaroo

 

I want to take a moment to share my experience and gratefulness with you:  I have a NTSC version of the 2600 Jr.  I had the same issue as described, hence my being here :)   While the electronics boards appear to be slightly different, the C24 and C25 are still labelled as such and the connections are the same basic pattern flow.  So, with no prior electronic experience, I set out on an adventure to follow your idea.  I am very excited to say that I now have a fully functioning Atari again!  Thank you so much for the advice!  I am so excited!

 

On a side note: I guess not all Mini Micro Momentary Tactile Push Button Switches are designed exactly the same.  I ordered mine from Amazon.  They are slightly too tall for the factory buttons to be put perfectly back into place (so if the factory (external) buttons are perfectly in place, then the tactile buttons are pressed down).  So for me, I just hot glued one side of the (external) plastic button to the machine and the other side is slightly raised.  It is a minor inconvenience so long as you don't have a child that will think it may be fun to pull up on the portion that is slightly raised.

 

Thank you again.  You are the best!

[Buckaroo]

On 3/9/2020 at 2:48 PM, f.z.prime said:

Hi Buckaroo

 

I want to take a moment to share my experience and gratefulness with you:  I have a NTSC version of the 2600 Jr.  I had the same issue as described, hence my being here  While the electronics boards appear to be slightly different, the C24 and C25 are still labelled as such and the connections are the same basic pattern flow.  So, with no prior electronic experience, I set out on an adventure to follow your idea.  I am very excited to say that I now have a fully functioning Atari again!  Thank you so much for the advice!  I am so excited!

 

On a side note: I guess not all Mini Micro Momentary Tactile Push Button Switches are designed exactly the same.  I ordered mine from Amazon.  They are slightly too tall for the factory buttons to be put perfectly back into place (so if the factory (external) buttons are perfectly in place, then the tactile buttons are pressed down).  So for me, I just hot glued one side of the (external) plastic button to the machine and the other side is slightly raised.  It is a minor inconvenience so long as you don't have a child that will think it may be fun to pull up on the portion that is slightly raised.

 

Thank you again.  You are the best!

Sorry for the late reply, I didn't get a notification for some reason. 

 

I'm glad you got it working. 

I'm not sure about the size of the microswitches but there might be one step you missed. 

 

I forgot to add photos of removing the sponge pad underneath the button. 

If you don't remove this then the button still works but doesn't fit very well. 

 

 

Hope it makes sense from the attached picture. 

 

[Brik_1111]

Apologies for bumping this thread again but I just want to chime in and say that while I successfully completed this mod (and a big thank you for posting it

) my switches were also too high for the stock buttons. So, I created and printed my own! I've made them freely available for download here: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4824351

 

 

 

I printed using ABS and they came out quite well, although I'm sure PLA would be fine too. They are a bit loose fitting but get the job done - I'll probably hone the design in the future. 

[Buckaroo]

3 hours ago, Brik_1111 said:

Apologies for bumping this thread again but I just want to chime in and say that while I successfully completed this mod (and a big thank you for posting it

) my switches were also too high for the stock buttons. So, I created and printed my own! I've made them freely available for download here: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4824351

 

 

 

I printed using ABS and they came out quite well, although I'm sure PLA would be fine too. They are a bit loose fitting but get the job done - I'll probably hone the design in the future. 

That's amazing, great work.

[smesgr]

I would like to bring up another solution. Plus if you already solder stuff i would suggest removing the J6 with an 5pin "JSD XH" connector. I use some conductive copper tape to recreate the traces and soldering a wire to the cooper. Bridging copper to the left over traces of the foil didn't work reliable for me. Thus redone all traces. It is a bit fiddly but works fine. I used some kapton but the old glue still on the part was good enough for me.

 

Plus if you do the wire - you could increase the length a bit to open up the console without need to unconnect the reset and select button. See some pictures below.

 

 

Edited January 21, 2023 by smesgr

[+x=usr(1536)]

Here's my variation on the theme, using repurposed fire button PCBs from a couple of Proline controllers that were rebuilt some time ago:

 

 

Of the four buttons in the Prolines that were replaced, these two were still in working order so I hung on to them.  They're held in place with a dot of superglue, and the foam backings were removed from the switches in order for everything to fit and work properly.

 

Moving on to the wiring:

 

 

The grey wire is a common ground for both switches, same as on the mylar; orange is Select, and red is Reset.

 

Also replaced the connector on the PCB for the mylar (J6) with right-angled 2.54mm connectors:

 

 

This plus a little extra length in the wires means that the case can be opened and either just flipped out of the way to the side or detached completely.

[Buckaroo]

9 hours ago, x=usr(1536) said:

Here's my variation on the theme, using repurposed fire button PCBs from a couple of Proline controllers that were rebuilt some time ago:

That's absolutely ace. I love the way you've used original Atari buttons for the fix. 

 

Good job

[+Nathan Strum]

I recently blogged about fixing those two switches by replacing the foam "springs" and moving the mylar switches over slightly:

 

https://forums.atariage.com/blogs/entry/18466-2600-chewnyor-fixit-mod-kit-pt-1/