Star Wars yoke -- bumper refurbishing

[kspiff]

OK, I'm trying to refurbish my Star Wars yoke.. I've read all the rebuild how-tos that I could find, but none get into what I'm having trouble with..

The yoke has no remnants of any sort of rubber bumpers (I can't even tell how they would go in).. the yoke works fine and its springs are intact, so I'm hoping to keep it that way..

Does anyone have (or could anyone take) good pics of the bumpers and their actual installation?  The only refurb site I've found with pics only pictured the bumpers, not how they fit in.. that guy also seemed to at least have the plastic rings which attach the bumpers to the springs for reference (assuming they attach directly to the springs..?)..

Did the original Star Wars (not ESB/RoJ) or any other yoke for that matter get made w/o bumpers?  I couldn't make them out on the Turbo Sub yoke, either, despite the hi-res pics..

Any help appreciated..

k-spiff

[bhille]

What site were you looking at for referb?  I was going to fix up a yoke too and was wondering where to get parts.

[1UP]

The bumpers are not in plain view.  They are attached to the mounting plate directly beneath the body of the yoke.  The bumpers are just rubber rings that fit onto four metal lugs (two on the mounting plate and two on the underside of the yoke body, the square piece the two handles are attached to.)  The bumpers on the yoke body bump into the bumpers on the mounting plate, which prevents the yoke from being turned too far.  You must still have at least the metal posts, or the yoke would not work right.

The rubber rings on my yoke had totally disintegrated into black goo by the time I got it, so I just replaced them with sections of automotive hosing.

Here's a couple diagrams of the yoke if it helps:

[kspiff]

OMG! Yes! This is the kind of diagram I've been looking for!

I was just about to try to e-mail you, actually; glad I checked here again first.

I can now make out the spots where the X-axis bumpers go, but not the Y (can't make it out in the diagram).. does the spring pin take care of this or am I just not seeing the bumpers (seems 'clanky' with just the pin)?

Do you happen to have a link to the full repair manual, btw? If not I'll just look around for it. Many, many thanx!

k-spiff

[1UP]

OMG! Yes! This is the kind of diagram I've been looking for!

I was just about to try to e-mail you, actually; glad I checked here again first.

I can now make out the spots where the X-axis bumpers go, but not the Y (can't make it out in the diagram).. does the spring pin take care of this or am I just not seeing the bumpers (seems 'clanky' with just the pin)?

Do you happen to have a link to the full repair manual, btw? If not I'll just look around for it. Many, many thanx!

k-spiff

No!  I'm telling you, the bumpers have nothing to do with the pins or shaft or anything!  There are no Y-axis bumpers.  If you took the actual yoke off the mounting plate, you would see two bumpers on the back of the yoke's body (the big metal box that the handles are connected to!)  You would also see two more bumpers on the face of the mounting plate.  The two sets of bumpers "bump" into each other, without touching any part of the shaft or spring mechanism!  BTW, you'll need to get a set of Torx security wrenches (from Happ or Bob Roberts) to open the yoke in order to remove the yoke from the mounting plate, which is the only way to access the bumpers for replacement...

For the Y-axis, there is a big pin that goes thru the y-axis shaft inside the yoke.  There is a metal plate with a slot in it that the pin rides between, and this provides the only restriction to y-movement.  There are no bumpers for the y, just the x.  If you go play a real Star Wars machine, it is a little clanky, but that's the way it is.

Here, this should explain where the bumpers go:


Sorry, I don't have the manual myself.  I found those pics on an ebay auction that was selling refurb kits last year.

[kspiff]

OK.. that's what the diagram seemed to indicate.. my confusion stemmed from Dave's Star Wars restoration project.. his site has a picture of his refurbished bumpers, but I guess there's other pieces in the picture.

I do seem to remember the y-axis being clanky in the arcade now that you mention it.. just haven't played in so long ..

Well, now on to disassembling, Naval jelly-ing, repainting, etc., and I'll just redo the bumpers while it's apart. Thanks again for the info, I thought I'd never get to use this thing.. I hate doing ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- like this half-assed; would rather not at all.

k-spiff

[1UP]

OK.. that's what the diagram seemed to indicate.. my confusion stemmed from Dave's Star Wars restoration project.. his site has a picture of his refurbished bumpers, but I guess there's other pieces in the picture.

I do seem to remember the y-axis being clanky in the arcade now that you mention it.. just haven't played in so long ..

Well, now on to disassembling, Naval jelly-ing, repainting, etc., and I'll just redo the bumpers while it's apart. Thanks again for the info, I thought I'd never get to use this thing.. I hate doing ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- like this half-assed; would rather not at all.

k-spiff

Naval jelly?  Dude, go to a doctor!    Is that the goo you use to lube the springs?  I've never heard what this is called, or where you get it.  What paint are you planning to use, Ive never encountered any that lasts long on frequently handled parts...

[kspiff]

Nah, Naval Jelly is for removing paint and larger deposits of rust that can't be sanded off.. it looks like the previous owner may have just spraypainted over some rust deposit on mine (hope it isn't too bad -___-).. used it already to refurb a FrontLine control and it ended up looking real nice.. after I clean off the deposited grease, I'll just re-lube with ball bearing-type grease from Home Depot.

I'm not too sure about how the paint job would hold up under a lot of friction, but the cabinet door handles I spraypainted seem to be holding up nicely.. I plan to paint the parts while the yoke is disassembled -- this way the primer/paint wraps around better and forms a sort of shell.. I'll use Rustoleum(tm) primer (2 coats) and gloss black spraypaint (2 coats, maybe 3 light ones).. as per the instructions, the primer also sticks better if the metal surface is sanded/braised first.

k-spiff

[1UP]

Nah, Naval Jelly is for removing paint and larger deposits of rust that can't be sanded off.. it looks like the previous owner may have just spraypainted over some rust deposit on mine (hope it isn't too bad -___-).. used it already to refurb a FrontLine control and it ended up looking real nice.. after I clean off the deposited grease, I'll just re-lube with ball bearing-type grease from Home Depot.

I'm not too sure about how the paint job would hold up under a lot of friction, but the cabinet door handles I spraypainted seem to be holding up nicely.. I plan to paint the parts while the yoke is disassembled -- this way the primer/paint wraps around better and forms a sort of shell.. I'll use Rustoleum(tm) primer (2 coats) and gloss black spraypaint (2 coats, maybe 3 light ones).. as per the instructions, the primer also sticks better if the metal surface is sanded/braised first.

k-spiff

I've heard someone suggest Rustoleum High Heat enamel, which is used on BBQs and such.  It can withstand like 1000 degrees or something, so I heard you can just spray it on, let it air dry, then bake it in the oven for 30 minutes or so to completely cure it.  It's supposed to be almost unscratchable after baking.  The only problem is I think you'd have to make sure all the old paint is completely removed so it doesn't melt or flake off, and you'd have to remove any plastic parts etc.