Loose nuts!

[rhoelsch]

Ok, in all seriousness, this is a point of concern:  I have my Super and JStik mounted in cardboard.  Used machine screws and nuts I had lying around to fasten them on.  For some reason, my Super's been fine, but the J's nuts keep loosening on me after about an hour's worth of play.  I don't want this to happen when the joys go in my real cp.  Anyone had this problem with any stick?  Would "locking" nuts do the trick?  

[lightspeed]

The nuts for my supers have flat circular metal "washers" that are crimped.   These seem to "bite" into the nuts and screw and keep them on tight.  

I don't even know what a locking nut is, but these things do the trick.  I'm sure you could find them at a hardware store.

[rampy]

locking nuts should do the trick... so should the ones lightspeed is describing

Seems odd though... maybe see what happens on the real deal... you can't really torque down on cardboard properly, I imagine... will you be using carriagle bolts instead of machine screws/nuts on the real deal?  If so that might eliminate some of the "spin" of the bolt/screw...

although none of that explains why j-stick is more prone to loosen up than your super... *shrug*

ghosts in the machine I guess =P

rampy

[rhoelsch]

I do plan on going with carriage bolts when I do the real deal, and will check the hardware store to see what they've got in the way of keeping the nuts nice and tight.  

I don't remember anyone complaining about having to crack open their cp all the time to tighten their joys, so I was concerned that it might just be me...my going theory is that I get a bit too "overzealous" using my J for Pac-Man, and have widened the screw holes in my cardboard.  

[Dartful Dodger]

I have little to no wood working skills.  I'm using 3/16 carriage bolts.  Under the head of these bolts they have a square shape that's larger than the stem/threads of the bolt.  I'm assuming this to help keep the bolts locked in.

What do I do to the lexan/wood at that end.  Do I file out a square shape at that end, or do I just keep tightening so the larger square end is forced into the 3/16 hole?

[ErikRuud]

You can usually just tighten the carriage bolts down in wood, But I wouldn't try it with the lexan. You will crack it.  For lexan you want to drill a hole that is large enough for the threaded part, and then use a small file to square off the hole for the carriage bolt.

[hyiu]

I believe you can either use the ring thingy to help "bite down" the nuts....
this is a simple circle...  but the end is off vertically.... that thing will help bite down the nut so that it won't go loose...

Home Depot also has another kind of nut... (that has sort of like a plastic ring on the nut itself... those nuts are a little thicker...) those are also suppose to be good.... won't come loose... (I've used those before... its hard to screw it on.... and even harder to make it come loose....)

hope it helps....

[eightbit]

I believe you can either use the ring thingy to help "bite down" the nuts....
this is a simple circle...  but the end is off vertically.... that thing will help bite down the nut so that it won't go loose...

The broken circle thingy is commonly referred to as a lock washer.

[hyiu]

thx... eightbit....
I'll try to remember that..... heee hee....  

I like to visit Home Depot... and play with their stuffs... check out what they got... but usually... I don't check those names... heee heee....

man I love this site..... you don't only learn to BYOAC... you also learn technical terms.... and ALL sorts of stuffs... haaa haaa haaa.....        

[schwefeljm]

Lock washers are good, and work keeping a constant sheer force against the threads. The force is (nearly) perpendicular to the direction of travel of the threads, thus the friction cuased by that between the two set of threads reduces the chance of vibration causint the nut to *walk* down the bolt

A lock nut on the other had is just like a regular nut (usually has a little bit of a taper on it, but not always) Inside that taper there is a nylon washer. The inside dameter is equal to the thread diameter (the maximum diameter of a non-threaded rod that could cleanly go through the hole in the nut). What this does is increase, more so than a lock washer, the friction between the threads by causing the threads of the bolt to conpress and deform the nylon washer.

Or, just buy yourself some Loc-Tite