[1]The C64 Community Loading... This site is best viewed in a modern browser with JavaScript enabled. How to make the joystick work better. MIK Please note that if you do what I am about to say you do so at your own risk, as in if you damage or break the joystick by not only taking it apart but by adding a small mod it's your fault. You have been warned. On the top of the base, and under the joystick you see a red washer... Your notice it has some play. In short, I took the stick apart an added a small ring rubber washer under this external red washer to take up some of this slack. Note the added rubber washer was just thin enough to allow the red washer to still move around by a simple touch of the finger, so the red washer is not locked solid. The rubber washer just takes up part of that slack the stick has. Any way once the joystick was put back together with the added rubber washer it was like 80% better for diagonals. I was back to playing Ikari Warriors like I was on my real C64 again. I could even play Spin Dizzy to some degree now, not played it in a while on the real iron and was rusty but better than before. [2];) Two things to add, if you have taken one apart your notice all the screws are not really man enough to be taken in-out many times so be careful. One last thing, the rubber washer really does help but I do not know how much extra stress it will put on the LaRgE screw that holds the joystick in place, the plastic is thin and the join in the stick to stop it turning is weak at the base of the stick. As I said, it will help but do so at your own risk. regards. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Moz333 Hey, good work !! As an alternative to taking it apart...i just tried this with a tiny elastic band (about 1.5cm round) i squeezed it over the controller ball stick and slotted it under the plastic red washer..I have to say i agree it has improved the feel of the controller..Playing Commando with it feels better, and small diagonals are improved. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- MIK Hey, nice move with the small elastic band under the joysticks external red washer! That should save a few people from taking it apart. [3]:) -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Moz333 [4]MIK I think i may still take it apart and fit a proper sized washer at some point..i just used the elastic band idea as a quick way to test yours ha ha..Just been playing Monty..defo better for diagonals even using the band. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- MIK I got my washer out of a multi rubber washer box I bought from the pound shop, some time ago mind. I'm sure you know what your doing, my washer was just big enough to slip on the stick without any force, the ring about 3mm in thickness of rubber, was no bigger than the hole at the top of the controller base it comes out of. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- spannernick1 Good Idea but it does make the stick stiff,I change my stick with the C64DTV one,cause it TheC64 Joystick is a clone of it,it work that same. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- MIK Microswitches I don't believe will fix the problem if the spider-leg design that it has now remains the same. It's those legs that are the problem that touch the rubber contacts or would be microswitches. The official Commdore C16/Plus4 Joystick which also came out in small numbers for C64 & Amiga 1000 was the most precise rubber contact D-style joystick ever made, equal to any of the best microswitch & leafswitch joysticks you might care to mention for precision. Bil Herd, (designer of the TED series) said in his own video's that Commodore spent between 20-40 thousand dollars back in 1984 having the thing designed... However, the stick pivoted on a plastic pin and once that snapped the screw holding the handle would wear making the stick useless after a while. While it lasted, 100hrs maybe it was awesome to use. [5];) So with that said, the style/design of what touches the rubber contacts in the C16/Plus4 joystick could of been the way they should of went with rubber contacts. I'm sure part of the problem also is the weak/thin plastic and the large screw that holds the spider-legs to the stick as to why it has so much play, as in if you make that tighter the stick might be more prone to snapping. If they change to microswitches leaving the design as is then I believe it wont solve the problem. They could close the gap between the switches and the spider-legs though which might help make it more precise? What they could do if there is enough power is have a 9-pin port on the joystick it's self so that then becomes a controller for the menu's, but then we get to use our own joysticks for playing. Would of been nice any way. [6];) -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Darbyram [7]W12MODS That will cost a lot more, but if people are willing to pay then cool. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- MIK Yeah I agree with you on the comp pro design but I doubt they will. [8]:( Why they went to all the trouble of trying to re-invent the inner workings of a joystick is beyond me. This issue should of been picked up with the C64 DTV but i guess that was a toy to most of us as to why we never bought one. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Darbyram [9]W12MODS The good old days, i had the VIC-20 first then the c64. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Darbyram [10]W12MODS i had Something similar to the Intellvision. pong, tank thingy..lol And also had the Atari 2600 many moons ago -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Coevin [11]W12MODS wrong the zipstik was a superior joystick or at the least a very good alternative. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- MIK The worst part for me is that I have and use real C64's and yet I thought this would be cool as a mess about machine for when friends come over as you can save games to it and treat it as if it was a multi game cartridge, plus you get HDMI lol. That side works fine. [12];) I started with a Plus/4, then C64 which I bought my self as soon as I left school. Then onto the Amiga ect... I'd love a C16/Plus4 one of these as it has a lot of quick bash arcade style games. Saying that, just release an all in one with Vic20, C16+64k, C64 & C128. [13]:) -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Darbyram [14]MIK An all in one with Vic20, C16+64k, C64 & C128 would be heaven. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Goclastninja The comp pro was only about 15 pound at the time here in Dublin I doubt it would cost that much to add microswitches -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Moz333 £15 for a joystick in 1982 converts to £49.79 by todays equivalent..quite pricey really. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- References Visible links 1. https://community.thec64.com/ 4. https://community.thec64.com/d/214/3 7. https://community.thec64.com/d/214/9 9. https://community.thec64.com/d/214/11 10. https://community.thec64.com/d/214/14 11. https://community.thec64.com/d/214/9 14. https://community.thec64.com/d/214/17