Xenophobe Joystick Wiring

[coasternuts]

I have a Xenophobe joystick, with trigger and two lighted buttons.  There are 4 wires coming from the handle, black, brown, blue, yellow.  I wanted to make sure the switches were working so I set up a continuity tester between the black(assumed gnd) and the others.  I got the trigger to signal, but not the two lighted ones.   Two questions,  how much voltage do I send through to test the lights, and do I need that voltage to register a "fire" in the top mounted handle?

Thanks

[coasternuts]

Bump.

 I suppose I could try sending 3,5, or 12 volts through each of the two wires I know must be the top fires but I'm ignorant enough about electronics to know if I need AC or DC?  (I assume DC.)

I just want to be able to get them lighted and registering fires.  The switches sound and feel fine.  Just no continuity on contact.

 Any help??

[Druin]

I have a Xenophobe joystick I bought on Ebay a few years ago (Still hoping to find the day that I get to use it) and I have never investigated so I tried just now.

On mine, yellow is the common wire and when I do continuity with yellow and each of the other 3, I get all 3 buttons to work.

 I do see a higher resistance on the thumbs, the trigger is straight shorted.  I wonder if that's a coincidence, maybe the contacts need cleaning (wish I had the bit to unscrew that handle, whatever it is).

Since there's no extra wires to light any lights, are you sure they were lighted buttons? I can't remember how it looked back in the 80s when I played it.  I found a link to a schematic and also there's no mention of lights, but it does confirm the yellow ground and the colors of the other button wires.  Look at sheet 2-2 on the right side you'l see joystick connector info.

http://www.psaux.com/arcade/xenophobe/files/

[coasternuts]

Whoo hoo!! That was it!  Yellow is common?  I didn't think to try that.  Thanks Druin.  My only concerns now is if the leds still even work, if that's what's even in there and how would I get into it to change it.

This screws might prove problematic.   

[Druin]

See my post again, I just edited it...

No luck on lights, and I have the same handle problem.

[DaemonCollector]

Those screws are just Security Bits, also seen em called Female Torx. I know Happs sells a driver for em as well as tons of other places online. Just need to find out the bit size.

[coasternuts]

Druin, get out your calipers? 

Actually, I am guessing they aren't lighted.  I didn't want to try to send a current to them as I didn't want to blow them if they were lighted.  But looking at the schematic ( which I couldn't find by Google'n ) but which Druin so kindly pointed out, has no current flowing to them. 

Oh well, as long as my switch keeps working, I won't need to crack it open.  But it would be nice to know.

Thanks for the info.

[Druin]

I did try sending current to them although I knew there was no point - if you had to do that, how could you also read them as switches?  But I was bored.

I slowly ran up from 0 to 30 volts on my power supply (that way I wouldn't blow anything because I would see activity before going too far).

Let's just say there's no lights in there.

I do have a digital caliper....

Inner post diameter:  0.05"
Farthest diagonal between star outter points:  0.17"
Closest diagonal between star inner points:  0.13"

[NoOne=NBA=]

They take a T-20 Security Torx.
That, or a Craftsman "Screw-Out" set, it they are really rusted into place.

I've only been able to get them out with the Torx bit about 1/2 the time, on the ones I've done.

[SOAPboy]

Whoo hoo!! That was it!

[NoOne=NBA=]

IIRC the screws themselves are 10x32 threads.
I replaced all my security ones with brass ones from Home Depot.

They look much nicer on the sides than the rusty ones did, and aren't as overpowering as stainless screw heads would be.