Joust joystick issue

nsxwolf

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Geneva, Illinois
I just picked up a Joust machine. Everything seemed to be working fine until suddenly Player 1 Left started acting up. It would work, but only if you repeatedly tapped it. Sometimes it would start working again.

I took a look at the leaf switch and it seemed to be making contact. I then went into the test screen and noticed that when the stick was in its "you need to keep tapping it" state, the message for Player 1 Left would flash on the screen and then disappear.

During one of the times when the stick seemed to be working again, I went back to the test screen and saw that the Player 1 Left message wasn't staying lit - it was pulsing on and off rapidly - thus explaining why it gives the appearance of proper function - it's like you're really slamming the stick to the left many times a second.

Any advice on what I should check? Does this sound more like a bad switch or a bad board?


Thanks!
 
Try disconnecting the connectors from the control panel to the small inter-connect board and reconnecting. Sometimes this will work.
 
Thanks. I'll try both these things when I get home. Is there a diagram somewhere in case I mess up which wires I pull off and reconnect?
 
You don't need to remove the switch.....you can clean it while its in the assembly. Just use a piece of card stock paper and drag it thru the contacts while pinching the contacts closed. If its tarnished badly you may need to use some metal cleaner like Nevr-Dull. Just wipe the cotton stuff on the card stock to dampen it with the cleaner then drag thru the contacts a few times. Then follow that by repeating the process with a clean section of paper.
 
So I found a Joust drawing set that shows the interface board pin layout.

Would it be a good idea to swap the wire of a known working switch, like Flap 1, into the Player 1 Left pin, and see if it works? Seems like that would rule out problems in the board.
 
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