Gamecab yoke...

[Tailgunner]

My yoke from Gamecab arrived last week, I made time today to take some pics.

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[Tailgunner]

Overall, I like the basic design, Charlie has done a good job of creating a functional yoke out of mostly off the shelf parts. The build quality doesn't impress me, but not everyone has access to a fab shop full of tools and machinery so I'll cut him some slack in that regard.

I was dissapointed by his choice of wood for the base side panels, they're made from  3/4" Masonite and as the pictures show both pieces have split almost completely in half. There are quite a few metal burrs on the internal parts that need cleaning up, though that's more of a cosmetic issue than a functional problem. The grips are off centered side to side, but I should be able to adjust the rod they're mounted on to sort that out.

The yoke is a little "notchy" in it's movement, though that should smooth out with use as the gears wear in.  I dunno how it actually works in a game, I was more interested in it's guts and took it apart before plugging it into a computer.

[JustMichael]

I just hope you don't end up with "extra pieces" when you put it back together...  

Looks pretty nice.

[Generic Eric]

Wow...

Now how is that for a write up?

Thanks for the info, and the sacrifice of the yoke.  Do you plan making any changes to anything as you put it back together?

Oh, if you do end up with extra parts, you can use those to start building another yoke.  haha

[Tiger-Heli]

Thanks for the info, very well done!!!!

I dunno how it actually works in a game, I was more interested in it's guts and took it apart before plugging it into a computer.

Reminds me of two jokes:

All "real men" answer "C" to multiple choice questions.  Know this and you will have come far in unstanding men and enriching your own life.

1. Alien beings from a highly advaced society visit the Earth, and you are the first human they encounter.  As a token of intergalactic friendship, they present you with a small but incredibly sophisticated device that is capable of curing all disease, providing an infinite supply of clean energy, wiping out hunger and poverty, and permanently eliminating oppression and violence all over the entire Earth.  You decide to:

A)  Present it to the President of the United States.
B)  Present it to the Secretary General of the United Nations.
C)  Take it apart.  

Also, always remember, if it ain't broke, take it apart anyway and lose a couple of the pieces, then it will be.

[Tailgunner]

I took around 35 pix while disassembling the yoke, so I have a good record of where everything goes. I've also come a long way since taking that Big Ben wind up clock apart at age 5, so odds are I can get it back together without any extra pieces.

The only changes I'll likely make are to replace the wood side pieces and the electrical box cover (bottom plate) with a single piece of metal.

I loaned Stormy151 the grips off of my Atari yoke to pull molds from, so once I get a set of his replica grips I'll likely replace the Happ grips on this yoke with them. Doing so will require making some adapter bushings as the Atari yoke use larger diameter tubing to mount the grips.

[NoOne=NBA=]

Anyone else think that Tailgunner is just trying to artificially inflate his post count here?  

[Minwah]

Anyone else think that Tailgunner is just trying to artificially inflate his post count here?  

I just think he's a nutter!  

j/k

[blue]

Anyone else think that Tailgunner is just trying to artificially inflate his post count here?  

Ha Ha!
Thats jusy why i posted!
 

[Tailgunner]

Anyone else think that Tailgunner is just trying to artificially inflate his post count here?  

lol. Actually you'd be surprised how many times I type out a reply to something and then delete it without posting.

If you search through the Everything Else forum, there's a thread about this yoke where I promised to make pictures once I got mine. Getting it took a while, but I stand by my word so once it arrived I took the pics and posted them for all to see. Simple as that.

And I'm a f$#king nutter, thank you very much.

[NoOne=NBA=]

I was just laughing because you had the first 13 replies to yourself on this thread.

[mahuti]

I got an email from them the other day saying that the yoke is now on hiatus Too bad. I would buy one if they were available.

[Generic Eric]

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this is the pic that shows the collar where the yoke connects to the base.  it is a bit smaller than the one on the atari yoke.  have you used an atari yoke?  how does it compare?  mine (atari yoke from ebay) didn't even ship to me as a fully assembelled unit, so i don't really have an idea on how it operates...

just curious.

[Generic Eric]

I got an email from them the other day saying that the yoke is now on hiatus Too bad. I would buy one if they were available.

That is too bad!

Everyone needs a yoke.  I hope he gets back on it soon.

[Tailgunner]

this is the pic that shows the collar where the yoke connects to the base.  it is a bit smaller than the one on the atari yoke.  have you used an atari yoke?  how does it compare?  mine (atari yoke from ebay) didn't even ship to me as a fully assembelled unit, so i don't really have an idea on how it operates...

just curious.

Yep, I also have a real Atari yoke and about half of another.

Actually that's the one weak spot in the Atari yoke design. Generally speaking, they're built like tanks, but the Atari yoke uses a two piece main shaft that is held together with three screws. When the screws loosen up over time, they start acting like like a milling machine and they'll chew up the shaft pieces. I actually bought the second yoke for parts to repair the first, and it's main shaft isn't in much better shape.

[Gamecab]

Overall, I like the basic design, Charlie has done a good job of creating a functional yoke out of mostly off the shelf parts. The build quality doesn't impress me, but not everyone has access to a fab shop full of tools and machinery so I'll cut him some slack in that regard.

I was dissapointed by his choice of wood for the base side panels, they're made from  3/4" Masonite and as the pictures show both pieces have split almost completely in half. There are quite a few metal burrs on the internal parts that need cleaning up, though that's more of a cosmetic issue than a functional problem. The grips are off centered side to side, but I should be able to adjust the rod they're mounted on to sort that out.

The yoke is a little "notchy" in it's movement, though that should smooth out with use as the gears wear in.  I dunno how it actually works in a game, I was more interested in it's guts and took it apart before plugging it into a computer.

Wow!!!  I would have taken pictures of all the parts for you.  If you need help getting everything aligned and calibrated just send me an e-mail.  If you want to ship it back I'll also put it back together for you.

I am impressed by the review.  Lets face it, I always use the feedback to improve the units, so I thank you for purchaseing the unit just for this review.

Thanks

Charlie

[Generic Eric]

this is the pic that shows the collar where the yoke connects to the base.  it is a bit smaller than the one on the atari yoke.  have you used an atari yoke?  how does it compare?  mine (atari yoke from ebay) didn't even ship to me as a fully assembelled unit, so i don't really have an idea on how it operates...

just curious.

Yep, I also have a real Atari yoke and about half of another.

Actually that's the one weak spot in the Atari yoke design. Generally speaking, they're built like tanks, but the Atari yoke uses a two piece main shaft that is held together with three screws. When the screws loosen up over time, they start acting like like a milling machine and they'll chew up the shaft pieces. I actually bought the second yoke for parts to repair the first, and it's main shaft isn't in much better shape.

Ok

How does the GC Yoke compare in that respect?

[Tailgunner]

Sorry for the delay in answering, I wanted to check my Atari yoke to correct my earlier statement.

The Atari yoke's main shaft is a single piece. There's a steel collar welded inside the grip half that attaches to the main shaft with three screws. The wear I described happens between the steel collar and the main shaft.

Gamecab's grip half attaches somewhat similarly, excepting he's using a weathertite electrical box for the grip half's housing. He's using a steel collar on the outside of the box, and since the box is aluminum it can't be welded to the collar. Gamecab's collar is held to the main shaft via setscrews, Atari went one step further by drilling and tapping the mainshaft. As pointed out above, this isn't necessarily a good thing as it wears out both the shaft and collar over time, the screws protruding into the shaft can damage the wiring running through it, and since the collar is welded in place it's much more difficult to remove for replacement.