Need Vectrex controller help
joplinfan
Been wanting a Vectrex forever and finally spotted one over the
weekend with several carts / overlays in a thrift store for $17... so
I'm pretty excited ;)
The console fires up and works well... but the controller is totally
dead. No response from the joystick or any of the buttons in both
Player 1 and Player 2 jacks. The joystick does spring back to center.
Any suggestions how to test things out to see what is going on?
Appreciate the help. Thanks!
SP
VectrexMad!
Before giving you an answer do you own or can you borrow a multimeter?
With a multimeter (with continuity check switched on) you can at least
test the controller to see if it is working.
VectrexMad!
hcmffm
If you happen to know someone nearby who owns a Vectrex, you could contact
that person and try out your controller on the other person's Vectrex and
the other person's controller on your Vectrex. Then you will know whether
it's a problem of the Vectrex or a problem of the controller.
VectrexMad!
> > The console fires up and works well... but the controller is totally
you see on the screen? Do you see the game in action?
If not, it very likely means you have a short in the controller and
the Vectrex is permanently "seeing" one of the buttons permanently
pushed down. In this case the game will not get further then the
"Player 1" selection text on the screen. To fix that you will need to
take the controller apart.
If it is not the above its unusual for the whole controller not to
function, usually one or two of the buttons functions or the analogue
stick works. The other cause could perhaps be because the ground
connection has become disconnected inside the controller. Failing that
it could be the Vectrex itself.
But before concluding any of these scenarios, either do as hcmffm
suggests or use a multimeter. You can purchase a multimeter for less
than 20 dollars these days.
If you haven't used a multimeter before please note that this test
will not damage the Vectrex controller. You will also need two unbent
paper clips or bare wire strips. These are for inserting into the
holes in the Vectrex controller plug. This makes it easier to connect
to the multimeter leads.
Put the multimeter into continuity mode (i.e. when you touch the two
leads together the meter display changes and/or buzzes. Then taking
the Vectrex controller plug and looking directly at the face of it
(the bit that pushes into the Vectrex) you should see the following
(the 'o's represent the holes/contacts, I put the numbers there to aid
the description):
--------------------------
\ o5 o4 o3 o2 o1 /
\ o9 o8 o7 o6 /
--------------------
Connect one multimeter lead to hole 8 (my multimeter probes are too
thick to fit in the holes, thats why an unbent paper clip is ideal as
an intermediate signal conductor). Hole/Contact 8 is the ground signal
which is common to all the buttons.
Then taking the other multimeter lead press it in the hole containing
contact 1. At the same time press button 1. When button 1 is pressed
you should here a buzz. Release your finger from button 1 and the buzz
should stop. Repeat for the other holes/contacts 1-4.
1 & 8 (GND) - button 1
2 & 8 (GND) - button 2
3 & 8 (GND) - button 3
4 & 8 (GND) - button 4
If the buzz is continuous for the above test conditions (and before
the button is pressed down) it means the corresponding buttons is
short circuited.
The next step would be to open the controller and to investigate the
particular button.
Hope this helps.
VectrexMad!
joplinfan
> The next step would be to open the controller and to investigate the
> particular button.
Hi all,
Here's an update. I used a multimeter to check continuity between the
buttons and ground. Everything was dead. Went ahead and opened it up
after heating the template with a hair dryer. Found out someone in the
past had pushed button 1 so hard they actually cracked the PCB in a
circular pattern. Since traces to everything seems to run though this
area, nothing worked.
It took two hours of soldering, but I was able to fix enough traces to
get the joystick and buttons 2, 3, and 4 working. The contacts under
button 1 are really too far gone. Might try again in the future. At
least I can finally play Minestorm and Clean Sweep ;-)
Thanks to all for the help!
SP
hcmffm
> Thanks to all for the help!
You're welcome - you did most of it yourself. ;-)
Regards, Helmut
VectrexMad!
> get the joystick and buttons 2, 3, and 4 working. The contacts under
> button 1 are really too far gone. Might try again in the future. At
> least I can finally play Minestorm and Clean Sweep ;-)
>
From some electronics catalogues you can get surface mount push button
switches which have quite a low profile. Maybe you could glue in such
a modern day push button switch under button 1 to replace the bad
contacts, and then wire directly to the button 1 connections.
VectrexMad!
joplinfan
> From some electronics catalogues you can get surface mount push button
> switches which have quite a low profile.
Actually just tonight I opened it back up and soldered two very thin
wires to the button 1 and ground connections. I covered the bad button
1 PCB contacts with electrical tape and ran the two wires above the
tape directly under where the button touches securing them best I
could so they won't move. Happy to say I have a 100% working
controller! Now to see how long the repairs hold...
SP