Wico "The Boss" joystick disassembly question

[+x=usr(1536)]

It's been at least 30 years since I last opened one of these up (they were my joystick of choice on the A8), so apologies in advance if I'm missing something really obvious.

 

For the life of me, I cannot remember (or work out) how to remove the plunger that operates the fire button leaf switch from the shaft that connects it to the fire button.  Everything I try feels like I'm going to very destructively rip it out by the roots.

 

Anyone know how to do this without rendering the stick useless?

[joeatari1]

Err, this reminds me that I need to fix mine too.  The left direction does not work.

 

Sorry, I have no advice to offer as I have never been inside one.

[chas10e]

I went in the hard way I guess, putting back together was MUCH easier !!!

 

I pried the button from the top but saw it was easier from the bottom , I imagine some heat from a hair dryer would help

 

if needs be a c-clip around the pink directional actuator

 

[+x=usr(1536)]

It was fiddly, but I finally got it to come off with the aid of a long-ish 15mm open-end wrench and more force than seemed prudent when dealing with 36-year-old plastics.

 

Hold the joystick upside-down and let the PCB fall into place.  Next, press the fire button down against your work surface so that the plunger is as far from the PCB as possible; be careful to not push the joystick into the base while doing this as you'll unseat the PCB and have to start over.

 

Put the open end of the 15mm wrench under the plunger.  Using the case for leverage and being careful to not damage any of the leaf switches, prise the plunger off of the bottom of the shaft and marvel at just how much force it's taking to do so.  If you're lucky, the spring on the fire button shaft doesn't go flying.

 

Wico really built these things solidly.

[+x=usr(1536)]

39 minutes ago, chas10e said:

I went in the hard way I guess, putting back together was MUCH easier !!!

 

I pried the button from the top but saw it was easier from the bottom , I imagine some heat from a hair dryer would help

 

if needs be a c-clip around the pink directional actuator

 

 

Just curious: is there a date of manufacture stamped anywhere on that PCB?  Looks like an earlier version of the one I'm working on now, which is stamped October 23rd, 1985.

[+x=usr(1536)]

OK, I've got the whole thing in pieces, which is exactly how I wanted it to end up

 

This looks to be very rebuildable - more so than I previously thought.  Waiting on parts to arrive to confirm, but I suspect that it should be possible to fairly easily return one of these to as-good-as-new state, if not better than.

 

Once everything is here and I can confirm fitment, I'll write up the disassembly / reassembly process.

[chas10e]

I re assembled it after the initial photos -BUT- thought it'd be a good idea to open it up again & snap a pic of the other side of the PCB , I saw a part number for the board but no date.

 

 

getting even pressure around the disc with a wrench is a great idea kind of like an automotive window crank remover

[+x=usr(1536)]

7 hours ago, chas10e said:

I re assembled it after the initial photos -BUT- thought it'd be a good idea to open it up again & snap a pic of the other side of the PCB , I saw a part number for the board but no date.

 

Interesting - mine has the part number on the same place, but the date stamp is on the other side of the board, about where the 'Made in Taiwan' sticker is on yours.  The top side of the board on yours is also beige / pinkish, whereas mine is the same green colour on both sides.

 

Photos will follow once parts get here.  I've got two of these to refurb, so would prefer to have both open at the same time if I'm going to be taking photos in case there are any differences.

 

7 hours ago, chas10e said:

getting even pressure around the disc with a wrench is a great idea kind of like an automotive window crank remover

 

Funnily enough, you're not too far off from what I was thinking when trying to figure out how to remove it - my thoughts were centred around the basic concept of, "I really wish there was a way to get a hub / steering wheel puller on this thing"

[+x=usr(1536)]

Refurbishment and full teardown in the thread below.

 

 

[BladeJunker]

I'm cleaning one now too, had the same conundrum but eventually tried to pull that cap off and free it. My fire switch came loose immediately so I had no hesitation there.

 

Funny thing I did was try to clean off what I thought was corrosion or rust from around the switches, turns out they were plastic welds since my switches are brown. I swear it looked like rust lol, at least the vinegar did no harm. Interesting to see different plastic colors inside like clear.

 

It's very quiet for a stick that using switches, a lot of new ones sound like someone is tap dancing.?

Edited February 24, 2021 by BladeJunker