rehabing Nintendo joysticks - grease or oil?

[quarterback]

I have a few 8-way nintendo joysticks like the ones on the vs machines (short, black ball-tops).   

I know there is a bit of dislike for these joysticks and people seem to criticise their construction.  I haven't installed them yet but I think I like the way they feel.    However, there are some parts of the joystick that seems to involve metal-against-metal friction.

The sticks I have are definitely 'used' (one of them has a stick that is fused in place due to rust) but I've gotten one of them working.   However, I'm concerned that I might have gone the wrong direction in lubricant selection.

I used 3-in-1 oil to get the parts going.  But it's clear that there was a thicker black grease that had been used in the past.  All the moving parts were full of it.   These joysticks have a partially encapsulated 'ball' that the joystick shaftr goes through.  This is the pivot point and involved a metal ball rotating between metal plates.   It's oiled now and working fine, but should I grease this part instead of using the 3-in-1?

Also, there is a metal actuator that seems to rub up against the 8-way restrictor.  Again, there was black thick grease on these parts.  Do I need to grease these portions as well?

Thanks
qb

[Kremmit]

It can't hurt to lube anything that rubs.  That said, I've never seen one that appeared to have had the actuator lubed.  I'd favor a thicker grease over 3-in-1, but it probably won't really matter.

[2600]

It can't hurt to lube anything that rubs.

Must .. resist .. joke ..

[daywane]

I have the same Jstick,
 I use grease

[sidekick]

I used bearing grease for mine, but then again mine are still sitting in a shoe box waiting for me to get productive on my cabinet

[nate1749]

I just bought a donkey kong machine and it has a 4way joystick that is very mushy.  It works fine, but it takes about  a second to come back to the center (makes playing this game a pain).  I took off the control panel and my guess was too much grease from the previous owner (or had never been cleaned?), but I was wondering if this is a common problem for older joysticks and if I should just replace it or attempt cleaning/repairing it (I'm going to do that anyways I guess).

Any suggestions for the right way to clean and repair this? 

Nate

[Kremmit]

Nate, it's not that there's too much grease, it's that there's too much old spilled soda and food and crap that's gotten mixed in with the grease.

Take the thing apart (be careful to watch where everything goes!) and clean all the metal parts, then add some new grease to the pivot ball area.  That should fix you up, unless you've got a busted or missing spring someplace.

[CheffoJeffo]

I used bearing grease for mine, but then again mine are still sitting in a shoe box waiting for me to get productive on my cabinet

And for a certain chef to go to the post office and mail that restrictor plate ... 

My personal choice for rehabbing Nintendo sticks is shown below ... 

[Havok]

But is it broke?

 

[shardian]

I had one that was full of what I believe was lithium grease. That stick was NASTY! There is an inherent design flaw when you have to grease a frikkin joystick.

[Level42]

I used bearing grease for mine, but then again mine are still sitting in a shoe box waiting for me to get productive on my cabinet

And for a certain chef to go to the post office and mail that restrictor plate ... 

My personal choice for rehabbing Nintendo sticks is shown below ... 

OK, so what do you replace them with, that is, if you're bothered to keep the same look ?

[SavannahLion]

There is an inherent design flaw when you have to grease a frikkin joystick.

There's nothing wrong with the design. It's either because the operator doesn't have enough patience or someone removed some important bits from the joystick.

[NoOne=NBA=]

Heavy grease can prevent some joysticks from recentering properly.
I know the Seimitsu's are prone to this.
I'm not sure about the Nintendo ones though because I use a light lithium grease to keep it from happening.

[nate1749]

There is an inherent design flaw when you have to grease a frikkin joystick.

There's nothing wrong with the design. It's either because the operator doesn't have enough patience or someone removed some important bits from the joystick.

Can you elaborate on what you said.  I thought they all needed grease, but if I just need 'patience,' I can wait until it feels right, but can you explain that. 

BTW - mine is of course a simple 4 way design, not an 8 way like the original poster.

Thanks Kermitt, I should have guessed that was the problem.

Nate

[Ponderosa]

I have a few of those joysticks too.  I actually kind of like them.  I'm not currently using any of them in my cabinet, because I didn't have good luck using them with 4-way games.  Instead, I have happ supers with ball tops set to 4 way.

The question I have is, does anyone know where to get 4 way restrictors for the nintendo sticks?  All 4 of these sticks have 8 way restrictors attached, but you can see how a 4 way restrictor could be attached the the stick in lieu of the 8 way.  I've done some searching and have come up empty.

OR, has anyone figured out a good way to use them in 8 way mode with 4 way games (such as pacman)   For anyone who's interested, my panel is a modified nintendo vs. unisystem panel (two players, with additional buttons, and adapted for happ sticks).

Thanks,

John

[shardian]

There is an inherent design flaw when you have to grease a frikkin joystick.

There's nothing wrong with the design. It's either because the operator doesn't have enough patience or someone removed some important bits from the joystick.

WICO grommet sticks don't need grease. Any spring centered stick doesn't need grease. Yet, a Nintendo stick is always lathered in nasty grease.

[Kremmit]

There is an inherent design flaw when you have to grease a frikkin joystick.

There's nothing wrong with the design. It's either because the operator doesn't have enough patience or someone removed some important bits from the joystick.

WICO grommet sticks don't need grease. Any spring centered stick doesn't need grease. Yet, a Nintendo stick is always lathered in nasty grease.

Wico grommets could easily be considered a design flaw, considering the way they rust onto the handles, or the way they wear out and crack, or the fact that replacement grommets aren't being made and so they'll all eventually be useless sticks.  OTH, keep the ball pivot in a Nintendo stick greased, and it'll last a hundred years- probably longer.  You'll have to keep replacing springs and microswitches, but those are much easier to find replacement parts for.  (BTW, I like Wico sticks.)

As to spring-centered sticks:  Nintendo sticks ARE spring centered.

[Kremmit]

The question I have is, does anyone know where to get 4 way restrictors for the nintendo sticks?  All 4 of these sticks have 8 way restrictors attached, but you can see how a 4 way restrictor could be attached the the stick in lieu of the 8 way.  I've done some searching and have come up empty.

I've never seen any for sale by themselves, but Nintendo's 4-way titles did come with 4-way restrictor plates installed.  Ditto for 2-way titles and 2-way restrictors.  It wouldn't be hard to make some yourself- just print out the pic I posted in this thread so that the "square part" (ignore the protrusions with the mounting holes) is exactly as wide as a US quarter and you've got a perfect template for some sheet-metal work.

Good luck!

[2PacMan]

I sprayed mine with a light coating of white lithium grease.  They've worked great ever since.  This stuff isn't very gunky either.

[shardian]

The question I have is, does anyone know where to get 4 way restrictors for the nintendo sticks?  All 4 of these sticks have 8 way restrictors attached, but you can see how a 4 way restrictor could be attached the the stick in lieu of the 8 way.  I've done some searching and have come up empty.

I've never seen any for sale by themselves, but Nintendo's 4-way titles did come with 4-way restrictor plates installed.  Ditto for 2-way titles and 2-way restrictors.  It wouldn't be hard to make some yourself- just print out the pic I posted in this thread so that the restrictor is exactly as big as a US quarter and you've got a perfect template for some sheet-metal work.

Good luck!

Take down some dimensions for me on that 4-way restrictor and I could whip up a CAD file for you.

[SavannahLion]

WICO grommet sticks don't need grease. Any spring centered stick doesn't need grease. Yet, a Nintendo stick is always lathered in nasty grease.

What? A Gorf grip stick has grease and the manual even gives you the grease points.

Kremmit, I don't think half the things you stated there could be considered a design flaw. Something wearing out and/or cracking is a natural order of things. An engineer can design hardware to extend the life of a particular design, but complete avoidance of wear and tear is unavoidable. Greasing something can extend the life of something for what seems like an indefinite time, but even that eventually wears out. The fact replacement grommets aren't being made isn't a design flaw either. No way anyone can ensure that manufacturing standards don't change or manufactures continue producing the same product indefinitely. The only thing that could be considered a design flaw is the rusting.

There is an inherent design flaw when you have to grease a frikkin joystick.

There's nothing wrong with the design. It's either because the operator doesn't have enough patience or someone removed some important bits from the joystick.

It was supposed to be a subtle sex joke, but I guess I didn't word it right.