First Aid technique for cleaning jittery Astrocade paddles

[tripletopper]

Here’s a way to lazily with only fussing around with the outer casing of the Astrocade controller:

 

I’m liking to this because the technique is all the same. Make sure you read my (aka TripleTopper’s) post because most of of the other people overcomplicate things, by using needle nose plyers and further disassembling stuff when only one step of disassembly is needed

 

http://atariage.com/forums/topic/6932-jittery-paddles/?hl=%2Bpotentiometers+%2Bfixed&do=findComment&comment=64322

 

I think I can make it even one step lazier method.

 

1. Press the joystick on any diagonal.

2. Pour isopropylhol down the joystick shaft inside the hole that’s exposed at the opposite diagona t where you’re pressing.

3. Center joystick (let do diagonal) , then repeatedly turn the knob all the way quickly back and forth 10 times or until any scraping noises are no longer heard.

4. invert controler to dump out alcohol, and play.

[ballyalley]

Here’s a way to lazily with only fussing around with the outer casing of the Astrocade controller:

 

This sounds like it will work in a pinch. Thanks for posting this message.

 

Adam

[tripletopper]

Glad you like @ballyalley

 

By the way, did you read the link to the first one, or are you commenting on the zero-tool method on this forum?

By the way it’s not 100% effective. If there’s something deeper or more fundamentally wrong this won’t fix it. But if it’s just everyday wear, this will smooth out the rough spots in the paddle.

 

That’s why I call it "First Aid" Take the least drastic step. You do not do open heart surgery for a paper cut.

[Allen Schweitzer]

I had a guy do what you said, and he ended up sending 3 controllers to me for repair.  I ended up just replacing them because it ruined the "printed circuit boards" (if that's what they are).  None of the directions would work on any of them, but they all had continuity.  So if you use this method, please be careful.

[MattPilz]

For paddle/fader type variable controls I have found that DeoxIT F5 works wonders and should prove less harsh than isopropyl alcohol since it is specifically formulated for such components. Almost every "pong" variant I have acquired from the 70s also including Atari paddles have had terrible corrosion and sensitivity issues. But spraying a few bursts of F5 into the controller knob (with plastic knob part removed, when possible) and then turn the knob both directions back and forth a few times... Spray one or two more shots in and rotate once more and then I let it sit a half hour before powering on. Just did this again a weekend ago and now a Wonder Wizard I saved from the dump works like new.
 

Edit - This also is a terrific solution to mending glitchy volume controls on old CRT sets and remove the static and hard volume jumps.

Edited August 23, 2021 by MattPilz

[tripletopper]

1 hour ago, MattPilz said:

For paddle/fader type variable controls I have found that DeoxIT F5 works wonders and should prove less harsh than isopropyl alcohol since it is specifically formulated for such components. Almost every "pong" variant I have acquired from the 70s also including Atari paddles have had terrible corrosion and sensitivity issues. But spraying a few bursts of F5 into the controller knob (with plastic knob part removed, when possible) and then turn the knob both directions back and forth a few times... Spray one or two more shots in and rotate once more and then I let it sit a half hour before powering on. Just did this again a weekend ago and now a Wonder Wizard I saved from the dump works like new.
 

Edit - This also is a terrific solution to mending glitchy volume controls on old CRT sets and remove the static and hard volume jumps.

Where can I find Detoxit F5?  A chain store name or a mail order website?

[MattPilz]

1 hour ago, tripletopper said:

Where can I find Detoxit F5?  A chain store name or a mail order website?

Some electronic stores may carry it but I was only able to find it on Amazon. They make F5 for faders/knobs and D5 for plugs and connections. It's rather expensive but also one bottle will will last a very long time.

[vintage_gamer]

I am having a strange issue with both of my paddles on an Astrocade that I just acquired. I only have controllers 1 and 2 plugged into ports 1 and 2 respectively. When I power on my Astrocade and start a paddle/spinner game like Clowns/Brickyard, the paddles works flawlessly both 1 and 2 for about 5 minutes or so, then it will just stop working. Neither spinner will register in port 1 or port 2. If I hit the reset button the spinner function will work again for a few minutes, but then just stops registering again. If I play a game like Incredible Wizard, I can play for a very long time and the joystick and fire button work just fine and never wavers or gives out at all. I have swapped games, loaded up Dog Patch and the spinner function works for a few minutes then gives out on both controllers. I did some searching through this forum and just some Googling, yet didn't see anyone talking about this problem. Any ideas? Thank you. 

[mutterminder]

A brief look at the schematic shows that this is a very simple circuit, at least on the input to the IC.  The pot outputs feed into U19 which is a custom I/O chip from Bally.  I wasn't able to find a data sheet on this so I'm not sure how it works, but similar machines of that era use the pot to change an R/C time constant.  In any case, it seems that these chips are subject to overheating.  Many people recommend removing the RF shield and installing heat sinks on the custom chips, as these are not easily obtained should they fail completely.

[vintage_gamer]

11 hours ago, mutterminder said:

A brief look at the schematic shows that this is a very simple circuit, at least on the input to the IC.  The pot outputs feed into U19 which is a custom I/O chip from Bally.  I wasn't able to find a data sheet on this so I'm not sure how it works, but similar machines of that era use the pot to change an R/C time constant.  In any case, it seems that these chips are subject to overheating.  Many people recommend removing the RF shield and installing heat sinks on the custom chips, as these are not easily obtained should they fail completely.

Thank you for the suggestion, I figured it wouldn't hurt to add some heat sinks. I have some heat sinks on order and I also just went ahead and ordered a cap kit from Console 5. I may as well remove the RF shield, re-cap the board and add heat sinks on all of the IC's to keep them from getting hotter than they need to be.