jc78_2005 Posted February 26, 2009 Share Posted February 26, 2009 hello., just got a pair of wicos and y cables,, pretty cool, all in excellant condition, heres the prob i have. one of them works perfect. another, wants to run right all the time, ,i can still go left, if i push left, and can stop if i hold the stick a little left. ive adjusted on the trim setting i suppose thats what those are anyway, and just can get it to where when the stick is centered, he doesnt move,, im using pitfall 2 by the way, ,i dont have a missle command. any help greatly appreciated im ok with opening it up, so hopefully this is an easy fix. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jc78_2005 Posted February 27, 2009 Author Share Posted February 27, 2009 hello., just got a pair of wicos and y cables,, pretty cool, all in excellant condition, heres the prob i have. one of them works perfect. another, wants to run right all the time, ,i can still go left, if i push left, and can stop if i hold the stick a little left. ive adjusted on the trim setting i suppose thats what those are anyway, and just can get it to where when the stick is centered, he doesnt move,, im using pitfall 2 by the way, ,i dont have a missle command. any help greatly appreciated im ok with opening it up, so hopefully this is an easy fix. also, i read the pot in teh system may need adjusted. i have done this before on 1 atari 5200 for popeye . if this is the prob would it effect both or not? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Mitch Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 also, i read the pot in teh system may need adjusted. i have done this before on 1 atari 5200 for popeye . if this is the prob would it effect both or not? It's hard to say for sure without seeing it myself but it could be the system or the controller. Mitch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jc78_2005 Posted February 27, 2009 Author Share Posted February 27, 2009 It's hard to say for sure without seeing it myself but it could be the system or the controller. Mitch thanx mitch,i opened up the system and changed the pot settings in the system and it changed nothing so, im pretty sure its the controller, i went ahead a took it apart, and i can get harry in pitfall to stand still if i rotate the pot a little more than the trim casing will allow it go. then all works fine, but it wont go together this way, i have thought of modifying the pot shaft, only thing i can come up with , im open to any suggestions, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckirkman Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 I have two wico controllers. One has the same problem. I believe the pots were made by Bourne. Digi key carries some pots made by bourne, but I have not called them to see if they are the right specifications (I am not sure what the specs are). From what I have read, we may need a new pot, but hopefully some here my have the solution. Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Mitch Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 Yes, it could be the pot. Unfortunately they do wear out. The pots that are used are also a semi-custom model. I contacted Bourne several years ago about obtaining some replacements and they said they had been discontinued years ago but would make some more with a minimum of an 1000 piece order. I posted in this forum asking if anyone wanted to pool together and get a batch. I think I ended up with requests for about ten pieces. Since I didn't need 990 of them I ended up not getting them. Mitch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jc78_2005 Posted February 27, 2009 Author Share Posted February 27, 2009 Yes, it could be the pot. Unfortunately they do wear out. The pots that are used are also a semi-custom model. I contacted Bourne several years ago about obtaining some replacements and they said they had been discontinued years ago but would make some more with a minimum of an 1000 piece order. I posted in this forum asking if anyone wanted to pool together and get a batch. I think I ended up with requests for about ten pieces. Since I didn't need 990 of them I ended up not getting them. Mitch i see well i cant blame ya there lol. mitch what are your thoughts on modding the pot shaft where it goes into the plastic mount that holds the joystick in place? obviously it would loose some trim setting's but would this be feasible? best way i can describe what i have in mind. shape the shaft so that it is turned differenty once in place . hope that makes sence, i dont know really how to describe it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckirkman Posted February 28, 2009 Share Posted February 28, 2009 After reading this thread, I decided I would take apart the bad pot. I de-soldered the wires and I was able to push the pins back out (they are ridged). The inside is very simple and easy to put back together. The metal traces and contacts on the inside were pretty gummed up especially around the centering area of the pot. I cleaned it and the contacts. I am looking for screws small enough to put the pot back together (allthough I think I can use the original pins). I am hoping I can find time this weekend to see if this worked, and I will let you know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckirkman Posted March 1, 2009 Share Posted March 1, 2009 Ok, so I got it all put back together. Good news is The controller still works as it did before, but bad news is it is not fixed. I will give it one more good cleaning before I try something else like trimming the white ring so it rotates further. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Mitch Posted March 1, 2009 Share Posted March 1, 2009 The edge of the resistive material is probably worn off slightly on the dial inside the pot. That is why it needs to go a little further to be centered. You might be able to add a resistor in series with (I think) the wire on the end. Sorry, I don't have a 5200 WICO joystick open to check so I'm going from memory. You will probably need to play around with the ohm level to find something that works. I would probably start with around a 5K ohm resistor and go from there. Mitch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jc78_2005 Posted March 2, 2009 Author Share Posted March 2, 2009 The edge of the resistive material is probably worn off slightly on the dial inside the pot. That is why it needs to go a little further to be centered. You might be able to add a resistor in series with (I think) the wire on the end. Sorry, I don't have a 5200 WICO joystick open to check so I'm going from memory. You will probably need to play around with the ohm level to find something that works. I would probably start with around a 5K ohm resistor and go from there. Mitch hm i see. well i will try this, soon as i get some resisters.im not good with knowing resisters values. i need a color code chart, i will tinker around with the idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckirkman Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 Well maybe I got lucky. I cleaned the pot again with rubbing alcohol and it works! The adjustments on the side are both centered. I could not see any wear like Mitch indicated might be there, however I can see how there could be by the way the contacts rub against the metal traces. I looked closely with a magifying glass and it looked good. I will try to post pictures of the dis-assembles pot for anyone willing to try this. Be warned, that pushing the pins back out was not very easy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jc78_2005 Posted March 3, 2009 Author Share Posted March 3, 2009 Well maybe I got lucky. I cleaned the pot again with rubbing alcohol and it works! The adjustments on the side are both centered. I could not see any wear like Mitch indicated might be there, however I can see how there could be by the way the contacts rub against the metal traces. I looked closely with a magifying glass and it looked good. I will try to post pictures of the dis-assembles pot for anyone willing to try this. Be warned, that pushing the pins back out was not very easy. great! good job man, im gonan try this before i try this first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Like us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
AtariAge on Instagram
Watch us on YouTube
Chat on Discord
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.