RAM Controls Atari Logo Stick rebuild kit

[Paul Olson]

I have had an old Atari stick for quite a while, and it had definitely seen better days. The stick was really loose - no resistance at all.
You can see here that the stick does not return to the center as it should:


I recently received the rebuild kit from Dave at RAM Controls. These sticks use a pivot ball and a plunger to make the stick return to center. Over time, both of these pieces wear out, which is why so many of these sticks are loose. The kit from RAM contains both of these pieces.
Here is a pic of both the new and the old for comparison:


And here is the stick after the rebuild:


Well, there you go. If you have an Atari Logo stick that is worn out, this rebuild kit will fix it. The parts look great. I have seen NOS pieces, and these look just like them. The pieces fit great. The plastic used for these parts is supposed to have better wear properties than the originals, which is great since the originals wore so poorly. Obviously I don't know how long they will last since I just installed them, but if I ever do manage to wear them out, I will let you know.

Thanks for reproducing these parts Dave, this stick has been siting on the shelf unused for far too long. It is time for a little gauntlet! 



A word of warning. The pins that hold the ball and the bottom piece to the shaft are very difficult to remove. It can be done with the appropriate size punches and a hammer, but be careful - it is not easy. I emailed Dave to find out how he does it, an he said that he uses a press. If you have access to one, I would suggest doing it that way. It is just a pain to hold everything steady to pound out the pins.

Paul

Edit: You can buy the rebuild kit for $20. Here is the link: http://www.ram-controls.com/order-he.html