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joystick grommet longevity

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RobotronNut:

i'm deciding between wico 4-ways and ms pac reunions for my control panel. does the rubber grommet reduce the useful life of the wico? how often do they need to be replaced?

since the wico is already out of production, i suppose all the n.o.s. replacement grommets are now aging on shelves along with those in active use in joysticks...


DaveStall:

I'm sure the rubber grommet does reduce the longevity somewhat, but if you are going for the authentic feel when playing a game like Robotron, the Wicos are still the way to go IMO.

As far as how long the grommets last, they seem to be pretty durable to me.  I replaced the grommets in my Robotron cabinet about a year and a half ago (the grommets that I replaced could well have been original for all I know), and they are still in excellent condition (and I have put a LOT of play in over that time period).

Dave


RayB:

Robo, you bring up a good point. I have heard of "lubing" the grommets to prevent them from drying out. Surely grommets that have been on a shelf, in a box are not being lubed.

I don't have an answer for you really. Just thought I'd chime in. I have some Wicos where the grommet feels stiff. Others where it feels less stiff. I;m not even sure which one is "normal" (stiff or not?).

Home-play wear probably won't wear them out the same as public arcade wear did. Then again, if you're truly a nut, you might be playing daily right? Who knows...

Sorry for bringing nothing but questions to this thread!
:)

RandyT:


--- Quote from: RayB on December 28, 2005, 04:58:21 pm ---I have some Wicos where the grommet feels stiff. Others where it feels less stiff. I;m not even sure which one is "normal" (stiff or not?).

--- End quote ---

Heh, maybe neither.  These grommets come in a bunch of different formulations which affect the stiffness of the rubber.  There were probably even aftermarket parts made at one time that weren't exactly like the originals.

I guess you could get a good idea as to what the originals were like if you managed to get NOS grommets, but even these seem to vary quite a bit in appearance.  The two I removed from my WICO command control sticks were both "steel" looking, but I have seen NOS ones advertised that look nothing like them.

Any more questions I can't answer for you :) ?

RandyT

RobotronNut:

well, i was poring over old joystick posts here, and i came across a statement that you can replace the grommets in a wico with springs.

how well do the wico's work with springs instead of grommets? (i'm particularly interested in the 4-ways)

if they work well, you could have a wico that lasts "forever" instead of until all the n.o.s. grommets are gone.


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