Atari 5200 controller joystick popping loose.

[SignGuy81]

I thought I'd share a repair I did on an Atari 5200 joystick that the user was having issues with the arms on the pots popping loose from the guides for the X and Y movement on the joystick.

 

The fix was very simple. I figured a simple solution would be to raise the arms up on the pots. To do this I took a hole punch and some foil tape I had laying on the bench(any paper should work this was just laying there). With the foil tape I punched out 3 pieces for each one, leaving the backing on it. I pulled each arm off the pot and stuck the pieces down inside the hole(3 a piece with backing paper still on it) and pushed the arms back down on the pots. This was a perfect fit.

 

After doing so I had to get them lined up right again so to do so I moved them back and forth seeing where the end met up near the top and bottom for the vertical pot and left and right for the horizontal and slid it with force until they looked right when moving them without force, for example when it was correct I would move the vertical pot up and it would stop at 11 oclock and then down it would stop at 7 oclock, without force.

 

Here is a pick of what I did. I've been testing it out for awhile and so far don't think it is going to have anymore issues popping out of place.

EDIT: Just ignore my nasty thumbnail there I believe I was working on the bucket truck at work that day but I my hands were cleaned before working on this stuff other than under my nails.

Edited February 11, 2018 by SignGuy81

[zylon]

I used to just coat the pot shafts with a little clear nail polish, let it dry, then push arms back on and adjust.

[SignGuy81]

I used to just coat the pot shafts with a little clear nail polish, let it dry, then push arms back on and adjust.

 

Sounds like a very good idea as you wouldn't want to use something like crazy glue then have trouble getting them back off if needed. Fortunately the ones I put back on fit so tight nothing else was needed.