Andromeda Stardust Posted December 3, 2015 Share Posted December 3, 2015 I stumbled across one of these controllers a while back. I really like the Famicom styling and the fact it has turbo switches is really a plus, however the contact pads appear to be oxidized beyond repair. They consist of a pair of copper prongs that make contact with three pads on the PCB. The gold enamel is mostly worn off in places and the copper prongs are completely oxidized. I really want to use this controller and spend the better part of a couple hours the other night refurbing it, cleaning it with contact cleaner, etc, where I got the turbo function to sporadically work. There is a long trace on the top with three tabs underneath with a pair of sliding contacts. The PCB looks sorta like this: ====== ¶ ¶ ¶ with the contact bridging a connection between one of the three prongs and the top trace, which runs to the button input. Operation is very similar to a Turbografx controller in that there are three turbo positions, off, medium, and high. Well I have tried everything short of retinning the PCB traces to try and get this to make a secure electrical connection with the stock switches, and the A and B buttons sporadically work if at all. Ther is nothing wrong with the dots underneath the buttons, but the fact the copper contact pins on the switches are completely blackened. Even vinegar + salt did not shine them. So unless somebody has another suggestion, I am going to try and solder some single pole triple throw switches directly to the PCB, even if I have to modify the case a bit to fit them. Anybody know where to find some low profile SPTT switches that would work? Radioshack only carries the usual DPDT or SPDT type stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andromeda Stardust Posted December 3, 2015 Author Share Posted December 3, 2015 Jameco, you are worthless... http://www.jameco.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/StoreCatalogDrillDownView?langId=-1&storeId=10001&catalogId=10001&search_type=jamecoall&freeText=single+pole+triple+throw Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keatah Posted December 3, 2015 Share Posted December 3, 2015 (edited) Look in electromechanical at jameco or digikey. Try a pink eraser to burnish up the contacts. What color are the dots underneath the buttons? Pics? Edited December 3, 2015 by Keatah Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7800fan Posted December 3, 2015 Share Posted December 3, 2015 What about car defrost repair kit? Like metal paint, try applying those to the worn contact on the PCB. Also make sure the PCB trace isn't broken elsewhere, follow the trace and check for continuity between the worn pad and the other end. Good trace should be 0 ohms. Anything over 1 ohm need repair. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andromeda Stardust Posted December 3, 2015 Author Share Posted December 3, 2015 I'll post some pics later. What do you guys think of re-tinning the traces with some 40/60 using my soldering iron? Good idea, or bad? To busy with upcoming graduation to fool with this stuff right now anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keatah Posted December 4, 2015 Share Posted December 4, 2015 Re-tinning would work, but it'd be like those H.O. scale slot cars, you'll keep needing to clean the contacts. What about car defrost repair kit? I'd be concerned about durability and wear resistance. A couple hundred slides and I suspect it would be worn through. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7800fan Posted December 4, 2015 Share Posted December 4, 2015 Yeah forgot about them wearing down and exposed tin can tarnish. What about thin nickle plate, they don't tarnish and can still conduct electricity. Super-glue em in place and solder wire to the original trace. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keatah Posted December 5, 2015 Share Posted December 5, 2015 (edited) Could work if you have the manual dexterity to conduct such an operation. Edited December 5, 2015 by Keatah Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Osgeld Posted December 5, 2015 Share Posted December 5, 2015 (edited) heh gold leaf (no I dont think that would work) what about scrubbing it up real shiny like and using conductive paint edit giving a second thought its still a wear issue just clone the pcb and spin off some new ones, wont cost more than 30 bucks (plus postage) Edited December 5, 2015 by Osgeld Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andromeda Stardust Posted December 5, 2015 Author Share Posted December 5, 2015 Super-glue em in place and solder wire to the original trace. Well if I jumper the traces, it would permanently disable the turbo switches... Anyway, here's the photos: Joycard review by Satoshi Matrix: heh gold leaf (no I dont think that would work) what about scrubbing it up real shiny like and using conductive paint edit giving a second thought its still a wear issue just clone the pcb and spin off some new ones, wont cost more than 30 bucks (plus postage) Fat chance. These are definitely over-engineered. There's actually two distinct PCBs in this thing! Highly detailed composite photo of the "sandwich": If only they didn't cheap out and use real switches. Which is why I need a pair of subminiature SPTT (Single-Poll-Triple-Throw) switches to fix it, and at least a 1P6T for the volume... I may yet try re-tinning the contacts on these, but those tiny switch contacts might be an issue. I'll need my desolder iron to suck off the excess most likely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keatah Posted December 5, 2015 Share Posted December 5, 2015 Why don't you burnish with a pink eraser, both the runway-looking contacts and the crop-circle contacts. Do the same to the sliding switch part. Then put a little dielectric bulb grease on metal-to-metal contacts. See how that works. Should hold you over till you can find proper switches, or decide to get re-plating done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andromeda Stardust Posted December 5, 2015 Author Share Posted December 5, 2015 Why don't you burnish with a pink eraser, both the runway-looking contacts and the crop-circle contacts. Do the same to the sliding switch part. Then put a little dielectric bulb grease on metal-to-metal contacts. See how that works. Should hold you over till you can find proper switches, or decide to get re-plating done. Where does one find "dielectric bulb grease"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keatah Posted December 5, 2015 Share Posted December 5, 2015 It's used in headlight sockets in cars. Get a 1-time use pack for like a dollar at your local parts store. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keatah Posted December 5, 2015 Share Posted December 5, 2015 It's used in headlight sockets in cars. Get a 1-time use pack for like a dollar at your local parts store. All you need is a thin coating covering the metal. Don't use it on the crop-circle contacts if the buttons are elastomeric conductive rubber. Like the shit they use in remotes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andromeda Stardust Posted December 5, 2015 Author Share Posted December 5, 2015 It's used in headlight sockets in cars. Get a 1-time use pack for like a dollar at your local parts store. All you need is a thin coating covering the metal. Don't use it on the crop-circle contacts if the buttons are elastomeric conductive rubber. Like the shit they use in remotes. Auto parts store. Got it. I think it's the same stuff they used on my car battery terminals. Do I just dip a Q-tip in the dielectric grease and smear it on? I think I'll try that before I try re-tinning the contacts. They still have gold on them in places. The acutal buttons are conductive carbon dots on a silicone pad like almost every other gamepad known to man. I'm 98% sure those are not the problem. Probably bad to get anything on them that contains petrol distillates. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keatah Posted December 5, 2015 Share Posted December 5, 2015 I don't know precisely what they would have used on your battery contacts. But it would be similar I suppose - with the exception its made to work on a non-moving contact. One of the purposes of dielectric grease (and other contact lubricants) is to provide a seal against oxygen as the contact moves. A bit of tv tuner cleaner would also work too, maybe even better. All you need is the slightest and thinnest layer. A Q-Tip is prone to leaving fibers behind because it can get caught up on the sharp edges and shred. So I'd just use a toothpick or something that doesn't leave debris behind. Just keep all this away from the rubber stuff. Petrol distillates wreak all sorts of havoc here. I've seen buttons expand and swell to 5x their original length, losing all push action. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andromeda Stardust Posted December 5, 2015 Author Share Posted December 5, 2015 I'll pick some up later. Thanks for the tip Keatah. And yes, I'll make sure it doesn't come near the silicone rubber pads. The Radio Shack brand electronic contact cleaner appeared to half work immediately after I sealed the controller. I picked up the controller a day later and the sliding switch barely worked if at all. The stuff really only cleans and degreases, then quickly evaporates leaving no residue. Works great for fixing dirty cartridge ports and pin connectors though. It also eliminated the jitter in my padles when I got them three years ago, and has worked trouble free ever since. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keatah Posted December 5, 2015 Share Posted December 5, 2015 It shouldn't fail that quickly, even without using any cleaner. You're going to have to ensure that the switch contacts are connecting to the traces, and that the wiper/slider contacts are clean. Be sure and use a pink eraser. Check for intermittent connections elsewhere including the cable if none of this fixes anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andromeda Stardust Posted December 5, 2015 Author Share Posted December 5, 2015 It shouldn't fail that quickly, even without using any cleaner. You're going to have to ensure that the switch contacts are connecting to the traces, and that the wiper/slider contacts are clean. Be sure and use a pink eraser. Check for intermittent connections elsewhere including the cable if none of this fixes anything. I bent them out to make more secure connection and everything. Nothing's wrong with the cable. If that were the case none of the other buttons would work either. NES uses serial data. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keatah Posted December 5, 2015 Share Posted December 5, 2015 Serial data.. alright.. learned something new. I'm not a nes expert. Anyways. are the gold contacts on the PCB simply extensions of the traces? They're not separate pieces of metal bonded to the board, are they? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andromeda Stardust Posted December 5, 2015 Author Share Posted December 5, 2015 Just gold plated tinned/nickled/whatever copper traces. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keatah Posted December 5, 2015 Share Posted December 5, 2015 Ok. I would just check that they are connected to their respective traces. It seemed odd that the previous cleaner would only work for a day. It's like as if it was providing a conductive path in an otherwise open circuit someplace. So be sure and use a pink eraser to burnish them up! You'll naturally rub some of the gold off and it will show as black on eraser, so don't clean and clean and clean expecting to see the eraser not get black. Just shine it all up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigO Posted December 5, 2015 Share Posted December 5, 2015 Got any dimensions on those contacts? I ran across a SP3T switch (or maybe it was DP3T) in my salvaged parts bin just the other day. Maybe you'll get lucky and be able to solder something in if you can't get the OEM stuff working. I'll be at a surplus/salvage place later today. There's no telling what they have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andromeda Stardust Posted January 24, 2016 Author Share Posted January 24, 2016 Hey sorry for the necro, but a couple weeks ago I picked up a small tube of dielectric greats from an auto parts store. I gently lapped the contact pads with 600 grit sandpaper, then squeezed a small drop of grease onto my fingertip (even though the directions say to avoid skin contact), and spread it over the sliding contact areas, being sure to avoid getting it anywhere near the button membranes. I reassembled the Joycard and operation has been trouble free since. I would definitely recommend this treatment on any pads that use slider switches for turbo control. Thanks guys for the suggestion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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