Lubricating a Wico Command Control

[The Mr. Video]

Hi, I've had two Wico Command Control joysticks that I bought from the Flea Market for a while now. One is a Ball-Top, the other is a bat. The problem is, the Ball-Top one feels way more stiff and a bit squeaky compared to the Bat. I've tried opening the Ball-Top up, but beyond the leaf switches, the internals of the joystick seem to be in-cased in a hard, plastic box with no screws to unscrew and open up. Is there any way to loosen up the joystick?

Also, the switch on the Ball-Top acts strange. When set the "Button", only the stick button works, but when set to "Stick" both fire buttons work.

[onemoretime]

The wicos have a rubber grommet made to center the stick that degrades over time. My school of thought is any kind of petroleum based lubricant might degrade it.

[RamrodHare]

I took my Wico Bat handle joystick apart just now, to see if I could give you some advice after looking at it again to refresh my memory. As onemoretime mentioned, the Wico has a rubber diaphragm module (That's what Wico called it) encased in a plastic housing. If it's stiffer than the other one you have, it could mean it's in better condition. The one I have has barely been used and was kept in the box and it's stiffer than any of the other joysticks I've seen. Of course it could be that the rubber has hardened over time and needs replacing. Without doing more disassembly than I feel like, I don't know what the state of the diaphragm in mine is, since it is encased in a while plastic enclosure. Originally, powdered graphite was used as lubrication, since other lubricants may harm the rubber. Of course getting graphite all over the inside can cause issues too, since it conducts electricity, which may be what's causing an issue with your switch for the fire buttons. If you are comfortable taking it apart, I'd tear it down, clean everything, inspect the diaphragm, and then reassemble it. Other than that, there's no easy fix.

If the diaphragm is bad, you might find a NOS replacement, just be sure it's The real Wico part. There are aftermarket replacements out there that aren't an exact fit and wouldn't be worth using.

[onemoretime]

 

RamrodHare, if you know where replacement diaphragm modules can be purchased, please let me know. Mine where bad before they even got full of water, and I'm certain they will require replacement now.

 

[MortoffGames]

RamrodHare, if you know where replacement diaphragm modules can be purchased, please let me know. Mine where bad before they even got full of water, and I'm certain they will require replacement now.

I am assuming these would be very easy to have manufactured if they are made out of foam.

[onemoretime]

Pretty heavy hunk of rubber there, if memory serves, stuffed into a kinda special housing. Mind you, I havent had one apart in years now.

[MortoffGames]

Pretty heavy hunk of rubber there, if memory serves, stuffed into a kinda special housing. Mind you, I havent had one apart in years now.

I will take a look. I misplaced mine in the move and I purchased another one which is on its way

[The Mr. Video]

Holy necropost, Batman! Anyway, I've come to realize that the reason why the ball-top joystick is so stiff is because of the grommet, which must have hardened overtime. I bought some new grommets off Arcade Shop to put in both the ball-top and bat joysticks and they make a big difference to how they feel. They now have just the right amount of resistance and, in the case of the ball-top, does not make my arm hurt after extended periods of use.