General Troubleshooting & Repair Guide

The purpose of this guide is to cover common and basic issues with Arcade sticks, how to find and spot the issue and repair the arcade stick. This guide doesn't cover all situations or pacific brands or PCBs.

For a particular board I would direct you to that board's thread and read there.

Okay your Stick do not work as it should, what will you do?

Step 1: First off calm down and approach the issue rationally. Being angry and flustered helps no one.

Step 2: Identify the issue. What is wrong with your stick? Not responding, broken button, direction on the joystick not registering?

Step 2B: Is your stick NEW or OLD. If you have a new retail/ commercial stick this would be the time to take advantage of the manufacturer's Warranty. If this is a Custom stick please contact your stick builder. Please note individual custom stick builders (usually)do not offer warranties and have no obligation to help, especially if you get angry with them. Please give stick builders a few days (aprox 7 days) to contact you to sort the issue out.

Step 3: This is if you are repairing the stick your self, once you identify the issue you need to go and trouble shoot the problem.

Step 4: Repair

Step 5: Recover. This includes reasembily and any finishing touches. If you working on a Computer you be uninstalling programs and apps you installed to make a fix (like mal-ware removal tools, cleaner apps ect).


Also All repairs can be broken down in 4 steps so, this applies to anything including PCs, Cars, Medicine, air craft ect...

1. Diagnose the device
2. Assets the problem
3. Repair
4. Recover



Tools Needed:

• Screw drivers Both Phillips and flat head, depending on the stick you need multiple sizes.
• The correct bit to open the top and/or bottom panels of your stick, this might include hex keys or some security bit to loosen these screws.
• Paper and Pencil, you will be taking notes
• Multi-meter or continuity tester. Preferably a Multi-meter, although for some test a continuity tester works too.
• Needle nose pliers
• Wire cutters, Wire Strippers and Crimpers. These can be separate tools or a all-in-one tool
• A Digital camera. To take images of your stick, use this prior to disassembly.
• Soldering iron, solder and soldering accessories.
• Electric tape (not masking tape, gift wrap tape or duct tape) or shrink wrap tubing.

List of known malfunctions and possible causes.

Non working Arcade stick

• Is the stick plunged into your game system and the game system turned on?
• Is your stick set to the correct player? Player 1, Player 2 and so on.
• Is the stick the correct controller for that system? For Dual Mods is the stick set to the correct mode? This applies to Automatic, Button presses mode changes as well as DPDT switch Dual-Mods.
• Are you using your Arcade Stick with a PC? What Chip set you have on your mother board? Are the Drivers Installed?
• The controller cable is damage or disconnected (on most modern sticks this is a USB cable)
• The Printed Circuit board is disconnected or damaged.

Non working push buttons.

• With the stick plugged into the CORRECT system and the system is on?
• Is your stick set to the correct player? Player 1, Player 2 and so on.
• is the wires to the push button/ push button micro switch are connected properly to the wiring and that wiring to the PCB?
• Remove the push button, using the 2 exposed wire ends or quick disconnects, will the button signal respond when the 2 wire ends touch?
• Does the button show Continuity when the button is pushed?
• Comparing to a working push button do you see a High or Low change in the voltage on that button's line?

Non-Working Joystick.

• With the stick plugged into the CORRECT system and the system is on?
• Is your stick set to the correct player? Player 1, Player 2 and so on.
• Is the stick selector set to "LS", "DP" or "RS", Set it to the correct setting, usually this is DP on consoles.
  
• Is each of the four cardinal directions, Up, down , left and Right responds?
• Do the four corner directions respond?
• If you have a 4/8 way gate (usually square) is the gate set to 4 way or 8 way play.
• Do you have a 2 way gate?
• Is your wiring harness is plugged in correctly and in the correct orientation. its common for the stock wire harness for some sticks (specially the TE) to be installed upside down.
• Does the Microswitches show continuity?
• is the wires/ wire harness to the joystick/ joystick micro switches are connected properly
• Is the wires/ wire harness is connected to the correct way? No backwards wire harnesses or wires connected to the wrong switch?

jdm714 wrote:

Darksakul, when people say that their Directionals lag, it is usually because LS.
When people say the Joystick one day just die, it is usually RS.