Wicos: Making 4" Sticks out of 3-1/2" Sticks

D_Harris

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Wicos: Making 4" Sticks out of 3-1/2" Sticks

It is commonly accepted that nothing outside of the original 4 inch Wico sticks are perfect for Robotron, but I wanted to ask if anyone here has ever modified their control panel by routing it so that the joystick assemblies sit within a recessed area that would be 1/2" deep, resulting in the joysticks effectively sitting 1/2" higher above the control panel top?

The wood the joystick assembly would be secured to would of course be only a 1/4" thick, but if that is an issue use of a metal plate would reinforce the area.

Nevertheless, I was wondering how the now "tall" stick would feel relative to actual 4" Wico sticks secured to a normal 3/4" thick panel.

Thanks.

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.
 
Buy the 4" sticks, which have been reproduced. It wouldn't be worth the trouble of messing up the original panel. Besides, with the metal insert in the top, the wood would then be like 1/8" thick or something..really bad idea.
 
How tall the ball tops sit above the panel has no bearing on how the stick feels... it's not like you rest any part of your hand or arm on the panel when playing Robotron. So a 3.5" stick will always feel like a 3.5" stick.
 
Buy the 4" sticks, which have been reproduced. It wouldn't be worth the trouble of messing up the original panel. Besides, with the metal insert in the top, the wood would then be like 1/8" thick or something..really bad idea.

Where can you get these 4'' sticks?
 
How tall the ball tops sit above the panel has no bearing on how the stick feels... it's not like you rest any part of your hand or arm on the panel when playing Robotron. So a 3.5" stick will always feel like a 3.5" stick.

Yes, but is this from personal experience?

The reason I asked the original question is because when someone complains about their unoriginal sticks they usually say they are "too low". So I thought I'd ask if there was anyone who had actually tried what I mentioned.

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.
 
I have a Black Widow (3.5" sticks) and a Multi Williams (4" sticks). You can tell the difference. The throw on the 4" stick is more pronounced.
 
What about extending the shaft/e-clip?

Or making a new actuator (the part held to the shaft with the e-clip that extends 1/2" past the clip to activate the switches
 
Yes, but is this from personal experience

Yes, I have both sizes of Wico sticks and have played Robotron with them. You can clearly feel the difference.
Last time I looked you could still buy original 4" Wico sticks for cheap, as long as you didn't care that the ball top wasn't red.... So you can try out the feel without shelling out big money for the red ones.
 
Yes, I have both sizes of Wico sticks and have played Robotron with them. You can clearly feel the difference.
Last time I looked you could still buy original 4" Wico sticks for cheap, as long as you didn't care that the ball top wasn't red.... So you can try out the feel without shelling out big money for the red ones.

Yeah, I have a lot of 4" sticks. (I've never tried the 3-1/2" ones).

How did you go about routing the Robotron control panel so the Wico assemblies would fit?

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.
 
Huh?

Huh? Why would you need to do anything? Wico assemblies fit perfectly..
I've got a set of the repro 4" sticks with Wico bases in my robotron.


How did you go about routing the Robotron control panel so the Wico assemblies would fit?

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.
 
While an awesome alternative, my post was at least on topic, geez
If you're handy on a lathe they could be extended for little cost

The problem is the exposed part of the shaft is thicker than the lower part. If you extended it by adding more to the bottom it would raise the point where the thicknesses changes and you would be able to see it. The other issue is the top of the grommet that gives resistance to the shaft when it moves stops where the shaft thickness changes, so that would need to be solved as well.
 
Nothing personal against the OP, but my point with the ^^^ is that this thread is completely pointless. Thankfully, the sticks have been repro'd. Luckily, I got a couple pair. There are people who will sell them and they're really not expensive, considering you're getting shiny new sticks with no rust. I just don't get the on and on and on about this.. You could also shave a 3/4" wood control panel down to use short buttons, but why not just buy the correct buttons? I realize some things are about using what you have or being resourceful, but come on..
 
Ok. Obviously some of you still don't understand what I was asking. It's all in the first post.

And not for nothing. There was nothing "pointless" about this thread. Just a lot of the responses received.

It's wrong to attack someone's question when you don't understand it. I didn't post to have others tell me to screw it and do it their way. I never gave details concerning why I asked the original question. After all, most here obviously didn't understand the original question anyway.

So it's a bad move to ignore or attack an idea when you don't even know what's behind it. No one here is speaking from experience. And if you think you are, re-read the first and seventh posts. And if you still don't understand, then there is nothing else I can do.

I'm entertaining the idea of making a MAME Robotron control panel, and I don't intend to use "expensive" Wico 4 inch Robotron joystick assemblies on it. (But what difference does that information make?).

It's alright if someone wants to be a purist. It's the "high horse" attitudes I have a problem with.

gwarble. The best way is to drill the bottom end of the stick and add a screw in extension with the e-clip groove in the proper location. You'll also need a sleeve for the shaft. The only draw back would be that you would see the seam at about 3/16" above the dust cover.

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.
 
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