IL joysticks have a hitch in them. how to fix?

john rainbo

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So, I bought some new joysticks for my neo geo machine. I got some I'LL brand sticks, as I understand they play like happ competitions used to. Yep, they do.... however there are many times when both of these get caught on something, it feels like. Pressing down or right etc will get stuck a bit, but then can be pressed beyond the hitch. Anyone know what this is? I can't see the actuator getting caught on anything... is it something internal I can fix/smooth down to stop the slight catch?
 
Take apart the stick completely. There is a guide that floats. Sometimes it can have a hitch or get caught up the lip of where the spring ends. See if this is it.

Grind down that end of the spring to smooth it out or even just flip it over.

You have a heavy spring right?
 
Add a washer or two between the e-clip and the actuator. This will remove the slack and stop the actuator from hitting the edge of the micro switch button.

I have done this with many of the happ sticks as there have been mfg differences with the spring tension / length and I am assuming the IL sticks are of similar design.
 
I was hoping the IL's didn't have this problem, but I know what you speak of exactly. my KI1 joysticks, I recycled the actuators from the original ones (they were the white kind, which I'm guessing were like old style IL's, not the Happ kind) and those perform like a dream.

then when I got my KI2, the original joysticks were terrible. they were derivative of the Happ Ultimate design, had these extremely bullshit stiff springs on them (which is weird, usually the Ultimates are too floaty), and overall just performed horribly. so I thought I'd try and repeat the magic and well, the set that I wound up getting for KI2 did what you speak of, 1 was good, 1 was bad.

I did it kind of the dickhead way, I sanded the bad stick repeatedly until the actuator stopped turning with the stick. it worked fine in the end, but I'm kind of wondering if it would make any difference if you doused it in 3-in-1 oil... lol

you could potentially jam the stick in a drill and use some steel wool on it, kind of like how people remove rust off their Wico leaf sticks... I'm sure that would work effectively to correct the problem.

obviously it's a manufacturing process thing. and apparently it doesn't mean shit if it's a Happ Competition or the IL kind.

IL Eurostick right?
 
Well, I just said the hell with it and bought two sanwa bat tops instead. I have them on my Third Strike, and I know at least those will be very good.
 
I haven't had this problem with my buddies new IL Euro's he got this week from paradise and from lizard lick (4 sticks 2 from each vendor).

Mecha you don't like the stiff spings (aka heavies)? I tend to like them because they take out the slop/float.

I've heard of using the happ actuators in the IL's can sometimes help with the sticking problem.
 
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