Cliff Clavin
Well-known member
Adjusting Leafs on a wico 4" for Robotron - No tool necessary
I recently listened to the masses who said wico is the one and only for Robotron. While my Robotron originally came with wicos, I replaced them many years ago with microswitch Joysticks which I thought were quite satisfactory....at least until I read the forum here....
I found two nos 4 way joysticks for sale and using some old scavenged parts, turned them into 8 way....Then a kind soul (thanks wolfeel) reproduced the original 4" handle and lo and behold, two new Wicos await installation.
While I won't bore you with the installation, did you know that the new multi-game jamma wiring harness has clips that do not really fit on the leaf joyticks clips? The multi-game connectors will connect but feel very loose........I think the leaf connectors on the wicos are a tad smaller than the normal microswitch width......
Once everything is all hooked up and connected, not surprisingly, diagonals are near impossible.....grrrrrr, but they are brand new I think!....so a google search reveals that there is a special tool that you can use to adjust the leafs but in a pinch some use needlenose pliers.....well fortunately for me, the needlenose pliers are nowhere to be found....
I then came upon the idea to increase the width of the joystick spacer thing rather than trying to adjusting each leaf individually...This has the benefit of equal distance for all leafs...Also, it can be adjusted bigger or smaller in seconds, as often as you like.
My solution was to use electrical tape....Wrap it around the "joystick spacer thing" and make it as big as you need it....the bigger you make it, the closer it will force the leafs together....
Once mistake to avoid....Wrap the tape on one side of the spacer. To get the little clip on the end, it is easier if all the tape is on the bottom end of the spacer, allowing the normal width end of the spacer to push up into the joystick assembly as required....
It works fantastic and should last..well pretty much forever....I am glad I listened to the folks who touted the Wicos....The silence is golden and they are soooooo smoooth.......While the joysticks are pricey, if you are a Robotron lover, then you owe it to yourself and to your machine.....
Here are the pictures...
I recently listened to the masses who said wico is the one and only for Robotron. While my Robotron originally came with wicos, I replaced them many years ago with microswitch Joysticks which I thought were quite satisfactory....at least until I read the forum here....
I found two nos 4 way joysticks for sale and using some old scavenged parts, turned them into 8 way....Then a kind soul (thanks wolfeel) reproduced the original 4" handle and lo and behold, two new Wicos await installation.
While I won't bore you with the installation, did you know that the new multi-game jamma wiring harness has clips that do not really fit on the leaf joyticks clips? The multi-game connectors will connect but feel very loose........I think the leaf connectors on the wicos are a tad smaller than the normal microswitch width......
Once everything is all hooked up and connected, not surprisingly, diagonals are near impossible.....grrrrrr, but they are brand new I think!....so a google search reveals that there is a special tool that you can use to adjust the leafs but in a pinch some use needlenose pliers.....well fortunately for me, the needlenose pliers are nowhere to be found....
I then came upon the idea to increase the width of the joystick spacer thing rather than trying to adjusting each leaf individually...This has the benefit of equal distance for all leafs...Also, it can be adjusted bigger or smaller in seconds, as often as you like.
My solution was to use electrical tape....Wrap it around the "joystick spacer thing" and make it as big as you need it....the bigger you make it, the closer it will force the leafs together....
Once mistake to avoid....Wrap the tape on one side of the spacer. To get the little clip on the end, it is easier if all the tape is on the bottom end of the spacer, allowing the normal width end of the spacer to push up into the joystick assembly as required....
It works fantastic and should last..well pretty much forever....I am glad I listened to the folks who touted the Wicos....The silence is golden and they are soooooo smoooth.......While the joysticks are pricey, if you are a Robotron lover, then you owe it to yourself and to your machine.....
Here are the pictures...


