+-^CrossBow^- Posted July 27, 2023 Share Posted July 27, 2023 So over this past weekend I was made aware from the AtariAge FB group of a new website known under the name of Atarirepairparts.com. and as the name implies they carry replacement Atari parts. But as they are quite new, they only have a few items. But the main item of interest was the 5200 controller mylar kits. These kits are gold plated just like those others that have been available for quite sometime now. However, these are obviously not the same ones being resold and are a different design. As the price was compelling I ordered 2 sets to check out. I placed the order on a Sunday and received them just a few days later on Wednesday! So very quick shipping! So what are my thoughts on them? They arrived in a bubble mailer but the flex circuits themselves were in an envelope with card stock to help with support in the mailer. Everything indeed appears to be newly made and not just reused or refurbished buttons etc. The Mylar flex is a tad thicker and more stiff as compared to those I've held from the standard Rev 9 flex of the past. As a result the traces are thicker in these replacements, and the entire thing is more stiff to work with but not overly so. Everything is gold plated on each of the contacts including the fingers that plug into the wire harness. Speaking of those fingers, it could be my eyes playing tricks, but I think that part might be a little longer allowing that edge connection to insert more into the connector. The holes in the Mylar are in the correct place to help align on the keypad support tray and there is even included strips of adhesive tape on the back to help stick it all down into place. A very nice touch and I can now retire my double sided scotch tape. The new buttons look and feel exactly like the originals I've used for years. This might be seen as a negative to some since they still have the same mushy feel as the originals. But I have never had a problem with that. Each of the new buttons has a new gold plated disc that has been adhered to the contact section of each button and appear to be on incredibly tight! I don't see them coming loose anytime soon at least. Installing everything only takes a few minutes provided you know how to take the controller apart properly etc. I played a few rounds of the Last Starfighter to help break them in and everything worked great and was very responsive on the buttons. The ONLY issue I've had is that the new Start, Pause, and Reset buttons appear to sit a little lower than the originals on my controllers. As as result, I found that I have to really press to get those to register vs the lighter touch I was able to use before. But this has only been an issue for those top row buttons. The side fire buttons and keypad were all great! For the price I paid being around $50 shipped for 2 pairs of these, I think the price it worth it since it saves a bunch of time compared to the cleaning, and placing of foil dots in the past. And there is a good chance that the mylar and buttons will not have to be bothered with for a very long time. I do know who owns the website and is behind these products and I have the utmost trust in them and can recommend these without hesitation. I'm curious to see what other products they might make available in the future. AtariRepairParts.com 14 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albert Posted July 27, 2023 Share Posted July 27, 2023 16 minutes ago, -^CrossBow^- said: AtariRepairParts.com "Buy as many or as few as you like as often as you like - strictly NO BS here!" LOL 5 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+GoldLeader Posted July 27, 2023 Share Posted July 27, 2023 9 minutes ago, Albert said: "Buy as many or as few as you like as often as you like - strictly NO BS here!" LOL Gee, I wonder what that's in reference to? haha 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrVenkman Posted July 27, 2023 Share Posted July 27, 2023 2 minutes ago, GoldLeader said: Gee, I wonder what that's in reference to? haha Best not try to over-think it. 1 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dankcomputing Posted July 27, 2023 Share Posted July 27, 2023 this forum badly needs a bot that appropriately colors every occurrence of the word "gold". 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+MrFish Posted July 27, 2023 Share Posted July 27, 2023 3 hours ago, Albert said: "Buy as many or as few as you like as often as you like - strictly NO BS here!" LOL Solid competition: a good way to change seller attitudes. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albert Posted July 27, 2023 Share Posted July 27, 2023 2 minutes ago, MrFish said: Solid competition: a good way to change seller attitudes. I wouldn't hold your breath. ..Al 4 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zylon Posted July 27, 2023 Share Posted July 27, 2023 2 hours ago, dankcomputing said: this forum badly needs a bot that appropriately colors every occurrence of the word "gold". 2 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+MrFish Posted July 27, 2023 Share Posted July 27, 2023 14 minutes ago, Albert said: I wouldn't hold your breath. ..Al I wouldn't suggest it either. They'd have a really long way to go before competing with Best on any kind of level to have an impact; but it's a good start (much needed 5200 parts). Bravo to AtariRepairParts.com Anyway... I've posted a "heads up" in the "Avoid Best Electronics" thread. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+x=usr(1536) Posted July 28, 2023 Share Posted July 28, 2023 Two complete sets (mylar, keypad, function buttons, and fire buttons) of CX52 refurb parts were ordered from Atari Repair Parts on Monday night. They arrived here yesterday (a Thursday), and were installed that evening. After having been able to put a few hours of play time on them, my impressions follow. Note that I have two other CX52 controllers that have Best's mylar in them, but they are still using the 40-year-old keypad, function buttons, and fire buttons that they left the factory with. I mention this so that when comparisons are made against Best's product, it's understood where the lines on that are drawn. Mine arrived in the same bubble mailer with the mylars enclosed in a card stock envelope as @-^CrossBow^- received. Given the items being shipped, this is perfectly suitable. First impressions: the keypad, function buttons, and fire buttons appear to be newly-manufactured. The gold contact dots on the back of them are significantly larger than the carbon ones originally used. The mylars feel more substantial than either the Atari or Best items (slightly thicker?), and consequently tend to be less floppy while remaining flexible. The ribbon connector does appear to be a bit longer - not a ton, but enough to get solid insertion into the connector. Installation was exactly the same as for any other mylar. One thing I did notice (and this may be down to the mylar's construction): it didn't tend to squirm around as much as the other two during installation, and getting it lined up with the locating pegs on the plinth that it sits on was dead easy. Also, folding the arms down into the sides of the controller seemed less fiddly than with the other mylars. The keypad, function buttons, and fire buttons all lined up in their respective positions without a hitch and everything reassembled without issue. The feel of the keypad, function buttons, and fire buttons is excellent. Granted, compared to the 40-year-old originals just about anything would have been an improvement, but these have good, positive engagement and I've yet to experience a missed or jittery contact. The biggest plus, however, is the price. Frankly, I had been letting these two controllers sit in a box marked 'Rebuilds Waiting to Happen' because the price of full rebuild kits from Best was making it less desirable to work on them. However, being able to use the Rev. 11 mylars and buttons at slightly less than half the costs of the equivalent Best parts made this something that could more realistically be possible. Overall, I'm happy with both the service and the products. While I wouldn't necessarily say that one is inferior or superior to the other, having options is certainly a good thing and I can recommend them for anyone looking to do a CX52 rebuild. Now, if we could just get replacement joystick boots for the CX52... 9 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Stephen Posted July 28, 2023 Share Posted July 28, 2023 1 hour ago, x=usr(1536) said: Two complete sets (mylar, keypad, function buttons, and fire buttons) of CX52 refurb parts were ordered from Atari Repair Parts on Monday night. I went there and I found the site WAY too easy to navigate. It was too easy to find what I wanted. It was too easy to place the order. It was too easy to pay them. I didn't get an authentic feeling - something seemed off, but I cannot place it. 1 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john_q_atari Posted July 28, 2023 Share Posted July 28, 2023 34 minutes ago, Stephen said: I went there and I found the site WAY too easy to navigate. It was too easy to find what I wanted. It was too easy to place the order. It was too easy to pay them. I didn't get an authentic feeling - something seemed off, but I cannot place it. I'm way too busy to respond to this comment. 😁 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+remowilliams Posted July 28, 2023 Share Posted July 28, 2023 36 minutes ago, Stephen said: I didn't get an authentic feeling - something seemed off, but I cannot place it. Perhaps it was not having to order through smoke signals, send payment via stage coach, and possibly incurring the vengeful wrath of a mighty god? 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Razzie.P Posted July 28, 2023 Share Posted July 28, 2023 On 7/27/2023 at 1:58 PM, -^CrossBow^- said: Installing everything only takes a few minutes provided you know how to take the controller apart properly etc. I just ordered two kits. Any sites or videos that you recommend that illustrate how to take these apart "properly?" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+-^CrossBow^- Posted July 28, 2023 Author Share Posted July 28, 2023 2 minutes ago, Razzie.P said: I just ordered two kits. Any sites or videos that you recommend that illustrate how to take these apart "properly?" Well I go through the process on my older refurb video where I was showing the foil dots bit... but I also made a PDF guide on it about 20 years ago that goes through the process as well. Atari 5200 Repair Doc I would attach it but it is on the large size given the little optimization used in the photos I took back then so the link above should get you to it. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbo-Torch Posted July 28, 2023 Share Posted July 28, 2023 3 hours ago, x=usr(1536) said: plinth Nice review and I learned a new word today. 👍 I'm looking forward to working plinth into some conversations at work. 😄 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+x=usr(1536) Posted July 28, 2023 Share Posted July 28, 2023 3 minutes ago, Turbo-Torch said: Nice review and I learned a new word today. 👍 I'm looking forward to working plinth into some conversations at work. 😄 Thanks, and glad to contribute to the vocabulary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+x=usr(1536) Posted July 28, 2023 Share Posted July 28, 2023 36 minutes ago, Razzie.P said: I just ordered two kits. Any sites or videos that you recommend that illustrate how to take these apart "properly?" https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=atari+5200+controller+repair There's a ton of them there, and the procedure is going to be the same whether you're using the Atari, Atari Repair Parts Rev. 11, or Best mylar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Stephen Posted July 28, 2023 Share Posted July 28, 2023 1 hour ago, Stephen said: I went there and I found the site WAY too easy to navigate. It was too easy to find what I wanted. It was too easy to place the order. It was too easy to pay them. I didn't get an authentic feeling - something seemed off, but I cannot place it. I will be ordering at least 2 kits but I have to figure out 1st of all, where my 5200 controllers are, and 2 - how many I have. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+-^CrossBow^- Posted July 28, 2023 Author Share Posted July 28, 2023 4 minutes ago, x=usr(1536) said: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=atari+5200+controller+repair There's a ton of them there, and the procedure is going to be the same whether you're using the Atari, Atari Repair Parts Rev. 11, or Best mylar. Wow I made my video on the process 6 years ago, I had no idea it was that far back! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+x=usr(1536) Posted July 28, 2023 Share Posted July 28, 2023 All I know is that Atari Repair Parts' acronym is ARP, and that's going to clash with at least three other things I can think of off of the top of my head 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIGHMW Posted July 28, 2023 Share Posted July 28, 2023 11 minutes ago, x=usr(1536) said: All I know is that Atari Repair Parts' acronym is ARP, and that's going to clash with at least three other things I can think of off of the top of my head As a (former, and UNSIGNED) musician I can name at least one synthesizer manufacturer that it could get confused with. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMR Posted July 30, 2023 Share Posted July 30, 2023 These look really cool. One thing I wish makers of these would do is silkscreen some bend lines onto the flex circuits so you could pre-bend them. It's not that big of a deal though. Awesome find. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+x=usr(1536) Posted July 30, 2023 Share Posted July 30, 2023 1 hour ago, CMR said: One thing I wish makers of these would do is silkscreen some bend lines onto the flex circuits so you could pre-bend them. It's not that big of a deal though. Just in relation to that: it's probably better in this case that they don't have bend lines. The way that they're constructed allows for them to curve somewhat, which is likely easier on the traces. Sharp bends could conceivably cause them to snap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zonie Posted July 30, 2023 Share Posted July 30, 2023 Hmmm... Might dig my broken controllers out and fix them. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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