Donkey Kong Controls are Backwards

2percenter

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I finally hooked my DK back up after having it disassembled for about a year. Amazingly, it works! Only problem (so far) is that the controls seem to be backwards (press up to go down, left to go right, etc.).

I've tried different combos of attachments to the microswitches, and nothing seems to get me in the right direction. Everything seems to be plugged into the the board correctly and all the wires match up.

I think I'm doing something dumb here. I could hook the up to the down, etc. and get it to work that way, but that isn't right. What am I missing?

Thanks!
 
... I could hook the up to the down, etc. and get it to work that way, but that isn't right. What am I missing?

Thanks!

You've answered yourself.

All you're missing is the reassurance that that is the right thing to do. And it is. ;) Could wires have come loose and fit back on wrong? Anyone around that likes messing with you?
 
You've answered yourself.

All you're missing is the reassurance that that is the right thing to do. And it is. ;) Could wires have come loose and fit back on wrong? Anyone around that likes messing with you?

The thing is that then the wires would be stretched across the joystick "box" and not neatly attached to the switch right next to the appropriate tacked down set of wires.
 
The thing is that then the wires would be stretched across the joystick "box" and not neatly attached to the switch right next to the appropriate tacked down set of wires.

Oh.

Weird. :confused:

There might be another issue - are there any plugs that could be flip-flopped/reversed, maybe?

Post a pic and I can compare it to mine, and try to help...
 
Here are a couple of pictures. I did check all the connections and nothing looks flipped or anything. Not saying it's not possible, but all the colors seem to line up at connections and nothing is jammed into place.

I should also note that this is a swapped joystick, but I don't see how that would change things. The switches should work out the same, right?

Ignore all of my masking tape labels.... although they were pretty handy.
 

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I think you have the wires on the wrong switches.
Yellow=Down
Orange=Up
Brown=Right
Red=Left
Try those on the proper switches and see if that works.
 
I think you have the wires on the wrong switches.
Yellow=Down
Orange=Up
Brown=Right
Red=Left
Try those on the proper switches and see if that works.

OK, well this is exactly what I didn't want to do because it wasn't this way before when it was up and working, but I tried it. The wires don't reach. Well, I can unscrew them from their ties to make it work, but there's something else going on here.

What is wrong with me?????
 
OK, well this is exactly what I didn't want to do because it wasn't this way before when it was up and working, but I tried it. The wires don't reach. Well, I can unscrew them from their ties to make it work, but there's something else going on here.

What is wrong with me?????

Did you reverse the connection where the control panel plugs into the harness? The wire colors should match up on both sides of the connection.
 
DK isn't my strong suite, but i wonder if you may've flipped a dip switch and put it in cocktail mode. That could explain why the controls are now backwards.
 
I have figured it out! The wires had to be switched like jimkirk said... I just didn't understand why this would be. So, I decided to move all the wire management stuff around to accommodate my new layout. It worked, but I was still puzzled why this flip happened.

Luckily, I don't throw anything away, so I went and got the old joystick that was installed when things weren't upside-down and backwards. Check out the first picture! The thing is flip-flopped, and amazingly, whoever swapped it out also neatly arranged all the wires to be in their new orientation. This surprises me since there was also scotch tape involved in this wiring process when I opened it up. I assumed whoever switched the joystick didn't care... So, there you have it! Thanks for all the help, everyone!!



Now.... can I get MORE help? It seems like the little black circle that lays in the CP is interfering with the joystick a bit much. Is there an adjustment I can make to make it work better, or is this the wrong kind of black circle for this CP? I've almost got it here, guys.... don't let me down now. (see second photo for reference)
 

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I don't think the bolts would effect the movement of the joystick.
That dust disc sits in a routed channel in the wood.
You might remove the overlay and see what is going on under it and affecting the movement of the disc.
I bet the disc is hanging up on something like one of the wood screws that hold the joystick mounting plate in place.
Here is an exploded view of what should be in there.
 

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