joystick grommet longevity

[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]

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?).

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.

[markrvp]

The reason Wico joysticks feel so special is because of the grommets and the leafswitches.

[RobotronNut]

The reason Wico joysticks feel so special is because of the grommets and the leafswitches.  If you switch to springs, then you eliminate a good portion of the reason it feels good. 

in which case i might as well just get a ms pac reunion in the first place... (i have, by the way, ordered some shafts from tornadoterry; thanks for the pointer)

ok, how about a wico 4-way with spring instead of grommet, and with the leafs swapped out for a perfect 360 optical upgrade kit?

(this never ends, does it? once i get my panel, i may have to try all these just to satisfy my curiosity...)

[markrvp]

(this never ends, does it? once i get my panel, i may have to try all these just to satisfy my curiosity...)

That's really the best way.

[RobotronNut]

Here's all the stuff I bought to try out...

i see you have an oscar D.O.T. spinner there that's not bolted to anything. want to sell it?     

[Kremmit]

You can't just replace a grommet with a spring.  There are some other parts that change, too.  The best way to track down all of those parts is just to buy a spring-based Wico in the first place- if you can find one.  Most, if not all, of the microswitch-based Wicos have the spring.  I don't know that I've ever seen a leafswitch Wico with the spring.

BTW- somebody (Paige, I think) swears by the spring-based Wicos, but only if the spring is swapped out for the Happ P360 "Heavy Duty" spring.

[RayB]

How do you know when a grommet is busted, short of opening the base up and examining it? I just installed my player 2 joy and discovered it "clicks' when I move the stick. (It's a grommet, leafswitch Wico. Shouldnt click).

[DaveStall]

I could tell my grommets were cracked because when I pushed the stick in certain directions, the stick offered almost no resistance at all.

[quarterback]

I just installed my player 2 joy and discovered it "clicks' when I move the stick. (It's a grommet, leafswitch Wico. Shouldnt click).

To add to Dave's reply:   I've had 'clicking' issues when something isn't quite lined up right.  Nothing is borken, but one of the springs is compressed oddly or jacked up against somet other part of the stick.  Honestly, I hate taking my Wicos out of my CP because it seems to take me forever to get them back together correctly.  (okay, slight exaggeration on 'forever'.  But it always seems to take me 5 minutes of leaning against my CP to hold the joystick in place with my torso while I reach over and try to get that bottom e-clip attached)