Back to Table of Contents 5.2.2 REPLACING AND REPAIRING 5200 CONTROLLERS One of the most "beat upon" parts of the joystick are the "fire" buttons. The good news is that they can be replaced easily. First you will need to order replacement parts. I recommend replacing all the internal parts except for the pots (unless you experience specific difficulties with them). Best Electronics offers the following: SPARE PARTS Description Quantity per joystick Part # $$$ ----------- --------------------- ------ --- Fire Buttons 2 (provides 4 buttons) C020501 $2 Start/Pause/Reset Buttons 1 C018128 $2.50 Numeric Keypad 1 C018126 $2.50 Internal Flex Circuit 1 C018124 $2.50 Controller Boot 1 C021084 $0.50 Boot Retaining Ring 1 C018116 $0.20 Total per joystick 7 $10.20 What Now?? 1. Use a knife to remove the plastic bezel containing the Start, Pause & Reset buttons. 2. Remove the 3 screws holding the joystick together. 3. Use a screwdriver, at the base, to seperate the two halves of the joystick. 4. Remove the fire buttons from each side, making sure to save the plastic bezel that holds them in (you'll need this when installing the new Fire buttons). 5. Remove the old flex circuit. It was probably attached with double-sided tape. Replace this tape when installing the new flex circuit. First make certain the new circuit fits well, then add the tape. 6. Replace the fire buttons mounted in their plastic bezels. 7. Center the numeric keypad on top of the flex circuit. Use the top half of the joystick to estimate where it should fit. Also use the guide pegs that align the FC into place. 8. Before re-attaching the joystick, make sure the pots are oriented correctly so that you maximize the chance that the stick will line up properly. The correct position of the pots are: Top pot peg positioned at 10 O'clock. Bottom pot peg positioned at 6 O'clock. 9. Re-attach the top half of the joystick. Make sure you feed the flex circuit for the start/pause/reset buttons through the slot on the left. Also make sure the joystick handle fits into the cup in between the two pots. 10. Before replacing the screws in the bottom, slowly move the joystick handle around to see if it "feel like it's in place. 11. If it feels good, replace the screws. How do you tell if it is lined up properly? Play a game like Missile Command or any game that features up/down movement as well as side-to-side. If one or more dircections fail you will need to reopen the joystick and follow from instruction #8 above. Back to Table of Contents