49-Way Grommet Replacement

[markrvp]

Many of you know I was quick to jump on the 49-way joystick GP-Wiz 49 combo.  Many of you also know that I had a lot of problems with my Happ 49-way sticking in a direction and the sprite not stopping.  This was a killer in Donkey Kong.  I was so frustrated I was ready to throw the 49-way stick in the trash.

Nostrebor on this board loaned me a couple of Midway 49-way joysticks which are almost identical to the Happ stick and both worked great.  This convinced me that the 49-way joystick solution was still a good one, and it kept me trying to figure out why my Happ stick was so crappy.

I talked to Tornado Terry today and he said Happ had a batch of 49-way joysticks with crappy grommets.  He said he had a few joysticks in his arcade where the metal sleeve actually popped out of the rubber during heavy gameplay.  He bought a bunch of replacement grommets and I got one from him today.  I installed it in my Happ 49-way stick tonight and the difference is amazing.  I just posted my all-time high score in Robotron and one of my best ever scores in Donkey Kong.

If you are also having problems with your 49-way joystick, I think Terry has about 10 more replacement grommets for sale.  I'm not sure how much he is selling them for because I traded him some other stuff for the grommet and other parts.  However, I'm sure it won't be much.  You can call him at: 

(817) 431- 6121

His website is:  http://www.tornadoterrys.com/

If you decide to get one, be sure and tell him Mark Rash from Granbury told you to call.

[RandyT]

Thanks for sticking with this, Mark.

I don't think you got your sticks from us, but I have obviously seen a few similar complaints.  Having never seen this type of thing before, I believed it to be a case of a new stick needing to be broken in.  However, this appears not to be the case.

I will be contacting anyone who has purchased a HAPP 49-way from GGG in the last several months to make sure they haven't been experiencing this issue.  Apparently they are not all like this, but if you have seen these issues with a 49-way purchased from GGG, please send me an email as well.

I have worked out a plan with the manufacturer to replace the grommets at no charge, but they will need the old ones to evaluate the problem, and to make sure it doesn't happen again.

Thank you for understanding that this was not our issue, but we will do what is needed to fix it for our customers.

RandyT

[markrvp]

Hi Randy:

You are right, I got my stick directly from Happ when they had them on sale.  I will be happy to send you the old grommet anyway so Happ can see what the problem was.

I promise to buy the next one from you!

[KenToad]

I'm happy to say I did not have this problem and I did buy my Sticks from Groovy Game Gear, as well as write the Retroblast! review of the whole kit and caboodle.

That said, if the price is right, I'm super-curious to know if the grommets on these will feel significantly different than the originals, which definitely did need breaking in.  They are good now, but definitely still not perfect. 

Can you post some more impressions, Mark?

Cheers,
KenToad

[markrvp]

I don't do impressions...and stop calling me Shirley. 



The new grommet needs to be broken in a little, but it feels pretty good.  It does not have the problem of sticking off-center.

[Toonces]

Thanks for sticking with this, Mark.

I don't think you got your sticks from us, but I have obviously seen a few similar complaints.  Having never seen this type of thing before, I believed it to be a case of a new stick needing to be broken in.  However, this appears not to be the case.

I will be contacting anyone who has purchased a HAPP 49-way from GGG in the last several months to make sure they haven't been experiencing this issue.  Apparently they are not all like this, but if you have seen these issues with a 49-way purchased from GGG, please send me an email as well.

I have worked out a plan with the manufacturer to replace the grommets at no charge, but they will need the old ones to evaluate the problem, and to make sure it doesn't happen again.

Thank you for understanding that this was not our issue, but we will do what is needed to fix it for our customers.

RandyT

Randy, Maybe you could offer replacement grommets for those with original Midway sticks so people with the originals could use your balltops. I think the grommet is the same size with the exception of the center hole diameter. Should be a drop in replacement. I know I would have bought a couple along with balltops before I changed over to williams sticks.

[Brewser]

Thanks for sticking with this, Mark.

I don't think you got your sticks from us, but I have obviously seen a few similar complaints.  Having never seen this type of thing before, I believed it to be a case of a new stick needing to be broken in.  However, this appears not to be the case.

I will be contacting anyone who has purchased a HAPP 49-way from GGG in the last several months to make sure they haven't been experiencing this issue.  Apparently they are not all like this, but if you have seen these issues with a 49-way purchased from GGG, please send me an email as well.

I have worked out a plan with the manufacturer to replace the grommets at no charge, but they will need the old ones to evaluate the problem, and to make sure it doesn't happen again.

Thank you for understanding that this was not our issue, but we will do what is needed to fix it for our customers.

RandyT

Randy,
I bought a pair from you last summer. I am not sure what the grommets look like or their purpose, but my sticks are still really stiff to use. Is this the same issue as listed above? If I don't use your software the sticks will drift and not center properly, but with the software everything centers.
Thanks

[markrvp]

Randy, Maybe you could offer replacement grommets for those with original Midway sticks so people with the originals could use your balltops. I think the grommet is the same size with the exception of the center hole diameter. Should be a drop in replacement. I know I would have bought a couple along with balltops before I changed over to williams sticks.

It is a drop-in replacement.  I put a Wico grommet from Ponyboy in a Midway 49-way so I could use a Wico Ball-top shaft.  It would have worked if the shaft weren't too short to activate the sliders.  It would still work if I got a plastic sleeve long enough and used set screws like fl0yd's rotary adapter.

So Randy, I second that motion to offer Happ 49-way grommets for sale so that Midway 49-way owners can use your 49-way versa-ball shafts.

[Kremmit]

I have a pair of Midway 49s here that I'm not using, because I don't care for the bat handles.  They sure would look awfully good with some GGG handles in them...

[KenToad]

I love the GGG balltop replacements on my 49-way.

[markrvp]

I talked to Tornado Terry and he says he is selling the 49-way grommets for $7.50.  That's a great price as I recently paid ten bucks for a Wico grommet.

If you have Midway 49-way joysticks or Wico 8-way leafswitch joysticks - you can replace the grommet with this new one and use one of RandyT's 49-way Versaball shafts.  This is a great way to get a ball-top on a Midway 49-way or to get a longer ball-top shaft on a Wico joystick.

Tornado Terry's contact info is in the first post of this thread if you need to buy a new one.

[fl0yd]

" I just posted my all-time high score in Robotron and one of my best ever scores in Donkey Kong."

I picked up a pair of grommets from Terry as well, and I haven't had a chance to give them a shot yet, but Mark's news is great news.

Fortunately, they will also let me use the ball-top sticks I bought from Randy may moons ago. 

[tonyh22]

Would any of these grommet work on the Midway 49-way joystick using the original sticks?