Recently, during my visits to various online flea markets, I bought a batch of old electronic junk for just a few euros, and there was also this very stylish controller with an Atari-type connector, making it compatible with my Commodore 64 and VIC 20 as well.
It’s in very good cosmetic condition. The plastic probably wasn’t yellowish when it was new 40 years ago, but I’m not one of those obsessed with retrobrighting, so as far as I’m concerned, it’s perfect as it is.
I have a soft spot for electronic devices with transparent plastic cases; in this particular case, you can see the LEDs inside lighting up every time a button is pressed.
It’s not a necessary feature for playing games, but visually, I must say it looks pretty cool. Very flashy!
On the left side, there's a 3-position switch where you can select one of three function modes: normal, auto-fire, and decathlon.I wasn't familiar with the last mode. Here's the only information I found about it online from an old Italian magazine (Full text of K-Kappa magazine issue 44):
In decathlon mode, while the top green button is pressed, the joystick reacts as if it's going right, and when it's released, it goes left (very practical, but who still plays Decathlon?)Unfortunately, this switch doesn't lock into position, which makes it very inconvenient if you want to activate the central auto-fire position during a game, since you have to set the lever exactly in the middle, and the function won't activate if it's just a little bit off-center.
In my opinion, it would have been better to have the decathlon mode in the center. This way, it would have been much simpler to switch from normal to auto-fire mode.
If I wanted to, I could make a small modification by swapping a couple of wires, but I think I'll leave the controller as it is. I've always seen the auto-fire option as a bit like cheating!
Functionally, this controller has definitely seen better days. In fact, most of the buttons don't work, so it needs to be opened and repaired.
Once opened, I immediately realize the first problem: one of the two green wires has detached from the PCB (the one towards the bottom).
No big deal. Anyway, to access the other side of the PCB, all the wires need to be desoldered. Fortunately, on all the traces, the corresponding wire colors are indicated, clearly labeled in Italian.
I desolder all the wires and finally get access to the other side.
As expected, only a couple of switches work correctly; all the others don't. One of them is completely destroyed, while others are stuck and won't go down even when pressed (like the one in the second photo).
Once opened, I immediately realize the first problem: one of the two green wires has detached from the PCB (the one towards the bottom).
No big deal. Anyway, to access the other side of the PCB, all the wires need to be desoldered. Fortunately, on all the traces, the corresponding wire colors are indicated, clearly labeled in Italian.I desolder all the wires and finally get access to the other side.
As expected, only a couple of switches work correctly; all the others don't. One of them is completely destroyed, while others are stuck and won't go down even when pressed (like the one in the second photo).
I decide to replace them all. I have a bag full of spare parts, let's see if we can find some working replacements!Replacement switches found! They are quite similar to the originals, perhaps slightly taller, but they should work just fine.
I checked them all with the multimeter (in diode test or continuity test mode), and they work perfectly.
I grab my desoldering gun and proceed with the replacement!
I checked them all with the multimeter (in diode test or continuity test mode), and they work perfectly.
I grab my desoldering gun and proceed with the replacement!
Replacement done!Since I'm at it, I check with the ESR meter that the electrolytic capacitor is still working correctly.
The capacitor is 100uF / 16V. According to the table on the ESR meter itself, it should have a maximum ESR of 0.7 ohms.
The capacitor is 100uF / 16V. According to the table on the ESR meter itself, it should have a maximum ESR of 0.7 ohms.
0.373 ohms, I'd say we're well below the maximum value.With the multimeter (forgive me, but I forgot to take a photo), I also checked its capacitance, and it was around 90uF, reasonably within tolerance.
So, the capacitor is okay!
It's time to clean the PCB with isopropyl alcohol to remove any flux residue.
I should have done this after resoldering the wires; in fact, I cleaned it again afterwards.
Cleaning done!
I should have done this after resoldering the wires; in fact, I cleaned it again afterwards.
Cleaning done!
I proceed to replace one of the two top buttons.
Replacement done.
The second top button, however, uses a different mechanism.
The second top button, however, uses a different mechanism.
It already works quite well, I just need to give it a clean with isopropyl alcohol.
To do this, just put a drop of alcohol on the switch, a small piece of paper between the contacts, close the contact, and slide the paper to wipe away any traces of dirt.
To do this, just put a drop of alcohol on the switch, a small piece of paper between the contacts, close the contact, and slide the paper to wipe away any traces of dirt.
Since I'm at it, I also clean the function selector.
At this point, I clean and disinfect all the plastic parts with denatured alcohol.
The screws are in pretty bad shape.In the worst case, they're rusty, but maybe they're just very dirty.
I'll try cleaning them with the ultrasonic cleaner.
I bought this some time ago to clean my glasses, but I must say it's proving very useful for cleaning many other things.
You'll see it often on these pages.
You'll see it often on these pages.
Let's give it a try.
Along with the water, I added a drop of dish soap.
Along with the water, I added a drop of dish soap.
After a 10-minute cycle, here's all the dirt that came off the screws!
Screws as good as new.Much better than before!
Finally, it's time to reassemble everything.Small problem: as I wrote before, the new switches I soldered are a bit taller than the previous ones.
For this reason, once I assembled the circuit in the case, I realized that the plastic parts of the big red buttons (the action buttons) are keeping the switches pressed down, making them unusable.
However, there's no problem with the switches corresponding to the control lever.
For this reason, once I assembled the circuit in the case, I realized that the plastic parts of the big red buttons (the action buttons) are keeping the switches pressed down, making them unusable.
However, there's no problem with the switches corresponding to the control lever.
No big deal, it can be solved by slightly sanding the base of the red buttons.
I can reassemble the controller!Finally, I connect it to the VIC 20 to test it, but another (and hopefully last) problem arises: the connector is too wobbly, and not all the pins make contact with the computer.
Once I have the complete pinout, I can proceed with cutting off the connector.
I proceed to solder the wires.
Another tedious job, but someone has to do it.
It's a shame about the not-very-useful switch for selecting the game mode, but I'll live with it.
It also seems to be quite rare, given the scarcity of information found online.
I think I did a good job with this restoration, and I certainly enjoyed doing it.
Let's hope the new switches last over time.
The internal pins have probably lost their elasticity over time and have widened.
In fact, some commands don't work.
In fact, some commands don't work.
Replacement is necessary.
Before proceeding, I need to note which wires correspond to the individual pins of the connector.
It's a very tedious but necessary job.
To do this, I took a small piece of metal wire (one of those leftover when soldering resistors), connected it to the various pins of the connector, and one by one I checked with the tester, in continuity test mode, which wire it corresponded to on the PCB, noting everything down on a post-it.
Before proceeding, I need to note which wires correspond to the individual pins of the connector.
It's a very tedious but necessary job.
To do this, I took a small piece of metal wire (one of those leftover when soldering resistors), connected it to the various pins of the connector, and one by one I checked with the tester, in continuity test mode, which wire it corresponded to on the PCB, noting everything down on a post-it.
Once I have the complete pinout, I can proceed with cutting off the connector.The replacement connector is a simple female DB9, which is the classic connector for RS232 serial ports.
These cost very little on AliExpress.
These cost very little on AliExpress.
I proceed to solder the wires.Another tedious job, but someone has to do it.
With the new connector, the controller works perfectly!
Note that the top button activates the movement to the right.
Useful for horizontal scrolling shooters, such as Defender!
Useful for horizontal scrolling shooters, such as Defender!
Conclusions
In my opinion, this is a well-made, solid controller with good quality plastic, and it definitely deserved a second life.It's a shame about the not-very-useful switch for selecting the game mode, but I'll live with it.
It also seems to be quite rare, given the scarcity of information found online.
I think I did a good job with this restoration, and I certainly enjoyed doing it.
Let's hope the new switches last over time.
bit sparkle
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