problem with my hori joystick

[chamajid]

HI!

I have a hori fighting stick 2. It is good but the only problem is that one button is not sensitive enough, I have to put some pressure on it to activate it. The rest of the buttons are sensitive, a slight touch makes them work. I am sure it has happend to someone before, can you please post me a solution for this? Thanks.

Chamajid

[Gunstar Hero]

What kind of stick is it? Switch or leaf?

[chamajid]

I dont know. Here is how it looks:

http://www.hori.jp/products/ps2/controller/fight_st2/index.html

[Witchboard]

My best guess would be a microswitch joystick.  You may be able to replace the switch, but most likely opening it up will void your warrenty... if it has one.  Maybe you should contact who you bought it from and see what your options are.

[chamajid]

I just opened the joystick. the layout is like a keyboard. the button hits the circuit boardwhen it is pressed. it does not have individual switches. So how can i fix it?

[JODY]

Depending on what kind of switch it is on the board you may be able to unsolder and replace it.  May be better off trying to get a used on on Ebay or somewhere to use for spare parts.

[RayB]

Based on what he said, and what I know of home console controls... there's NO switch. The buttons have little rubber things underneath, and the bottom of the rubber thing has a conductive layer on it. Pressing the button pushes the rubber down and the conductive layer touches the metal contact points on the circuit board, causing the circuit to close.

What happens is with lots of use the rubber wears out, gets squishy or tears apart. There's no easy way to fix this without getting replacement parts (and only Hori would have these parts).

~Ray B.

[Gunstar Hero]

Sometimes it's just a little dust or crud. try cleaning it out. If the rubber/contact is worn out, try switching it for a less used buttons one. That's now I fixed my Turboexpress when the CP wore out.

[JB]

Yah. I'd bet on dirt. Grab a QTip, grab some rubbing alcohol, and scrub that contact. Hit the rubber contact too.


If that doesn't work, and the rubber dome is still good, there's a trick that served the Atari 5200 community well for many years with it's iffy circuits that rapidly get bad enough to interfere with the controller logic.

Get some superglue and aluminum foil, tear a piece of foil off that's about hte same size as the carbon dot, and glue it to the dot. Once it dries, put things back together. The foil is more conductive than the carbon dot, and makes for a much more sensitive button.
On the downside, you'll likely lose the PS2's pressure-sensitivity on that button.

[chamajid]

Thanks all the help!!

The problem was that the rubber tip was dirty and so was having a good contact with the coductive layer. Cleaned it and is working properly. Had some black powder coming out of the rubber tip. 

Grateful,
Chamajid

[danny_galaga]

thats a cute lil controller (",)

[JB]

Thanks all the help!!

The problem was that the rubber tip was dirty and so was having a good contact with the coductive layer. Cleaned it and is working properly. Had some black powder coming out of the rubber tip. 

Grateful,
Chamajid

The black coming off was partially the carbon they use to make contact. Even a clean one does that.
But clean is clean, who cares if the pad is a nano-inch thinner.