Arkanoid Vaus controller calibration

[nabbeth]

Some time ago i've managed to get Arkanoid with Vaus controller but unfortunately there's a little annoying problem with it:
When i turn knob clockwise it stops in position like on this screenshot.



According to this, i can still turn knob counterclockwise for a bit after paddle reaches left side of the screen.
Is there any possibility to calibrate Vaus controller to make it work properly?

[ericj]

I can't seem to find my Vaus controller to look, but I recall that there's an adjustment screw (potentiometer) on it, and it may be under a small cover. Use this to adjust it while playing.

[nabbeth]

adjustment screw (potentiometer)

You mean this one, right?



Unfortunately, there's no such thing on black famicom version.

[P]

It might be on the inside. Try opening it.

[nabbeth]

It might be on the inside. Try opening it.

Nope, there's no adjustment screw on pcb.



Here's something with the knob that bothers me:

- it stops like that when i turn the knob counterclockwise.
- and here's how it stops when i turn it clockwise.

Isn't it supposed to be like this?



Maybe someone with the same controller can check it for me?
P.S. My english is pretty bad when it comes to tech stuff, i'm sorry.

[P]

It certainly looks like it gets stuck too early. Do you have a flashcart?

If you do then you can run this test program by Tepple's http://forums.nesdev.com/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=10662. Press select to go to the detailed test. I can get the displacement values of minimum 082 to maximum 254 when I test it in an emulator.

[ericj]

If you take that potentiometer apart, you'll be sorry. There are very small metal tabs in it to stop it from turning which are incredibly easy to break off. It's not intended to be an adjustable component.

[nabbeth]

It certainly looks like it gets stuck too early. Do you have a flashcart?

Unfortunately i don't have a flashcart to use this test rom.

If you take that potentiometer apart, you'll be sorry. There are very small metal tabs in it to stop it from turning which are incredibly easy to break off. It's not intended to be an adjustable component.

Indeed, i guess i just need to start looking for another vaus.

[CZroe]

My Family Computer Arkanoid Vaus controller also has this problem. I didn't take my potentiometer apart but mine looks completely different (three pins are almost in a row/straight line with the middle pin being slightly further out). The back side of the main PCB has a couple resistors soldered on in a way that looks like a repair/rework but it's pretty far away from the pot and the traces are not directly connected.

I measured resistance with a cheap Harbor Freight multimeter on the 200K setting and the range seems to go from around 9 to 45. This crappy meter measures 5 or 6 when I touch the leads together directly so the real range is probably 4 to 40. I'm pretty sure that's supposed to be 0 to 50.

I desoldered and tried soaking it in electronics cleaning grade 99.9% pure isopropyl alcohol and turning it back and forth while submerged and the alcohol. All this seemed to do was turn the solution a darker color, loosen the stickers, and make it sound a bit squeaky (probably dissolved some internal lube).

I'm interested in finding the manufacturer of one of these potentiometers so I can get an exact replacement. The "50KY" sticker on mine has a logo that looks like an S-shaped lightning bolt in a circle. I assume it's a Japanese electronics component manufacturer but I don't know who.

I've been on a controller-repair kick recently. Today I fixed an AV Famicom dogbone controller with a new encoder IC and an ASCII Stick II Turbo AS-3399-FC with new Seimitsu switches (B-button had exploded). I recently fixed several other broken AV Fami dogbone controllers so now I have seven official total dogbones (eight if you count the crappy Retrobit one that needs repair right out of the box). I was hoping I could add this to my list of successes. Any help is appreciated!

In reference to the images above showing the limit points, the plastic knob limits the range to something less than the component's range. My measurements were from the component's maximum range but I'll measure again with it installed soon. Can anyone measure the resistance from stop to stop on a properly working controller?

Another thing I'd like to try is rewriting/reversing the pot, though it probably won't help if everything wore evenly.

[CZroe]

OK, I did a lot more tinkering. I opened and cleaned the pot but all that seemed to do was make things less jumpy (range still limited). I removed R1 and added a 10k Ohm micro-sized trimmer potentiometer from Radio Shack in series with it to make an adjustment screw like the US version has. Of course, this will not work if adding enough resistance to reach the right edge adds too much to ever reach the left edge. I got lucky, it seems, and a setting around 5.5~6k Ohms seemed to allow me to reach both walls. Fixed!

[satoshi_matrix]

I bought a Vaus controller (NES) today from a guy who claimed he tested it.

Although it isn't dead, it doesn't work properly. I know it needs to be plugged into controller port 2. The fire button works, but the paddle itself does not. It behaves wildly with the paddle jerking across the screen without any user input and completely ignores any movement of the actual potentiometer.

I know there's an adjustment screw, but even taking off the cap and using a screwdriver to adjust it, no adjustment helps the problem. The paddle still wildly jerks across the screen regardless of which way the adjustment screw is turned. I even tried using the Vaus Test program available here:

http://forums.nesdev.com/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=10662

The fire button works as it should, but the pot gives wild readings that change several times a second and does not respond.

Anyone have suggestions on what I might be able to do to fix it?

[FrankWDoom]

It's dirty. you need to open it up and clean up the contacts and circular contact pad. Maybe do some reading on fixing atari 2600 paddle controllers, that's a common issue with those.

[fredJ]

OK, I did a lot more tinkering. I opened and cleaned the pot but all that seemed to do was make things less jumpy (range still limited). I removed R1 and added a 10k Ohm micro-sized trimmer potentiometer from Radio Shack in series with it to make an adjustment screw like the US version has. Of course, this will not work if adding enough resistance to reach the right edge adds too much to ever reach the left edge. I got lucky, it seems, and a setting around 5.5~6k Ohms seemed to allow me to reach both walls. Fixed!

Thanks for the solution, it worked reasonably well.

I thought I had fixed it at first, but then a warp wall opened to the right and I couldn't enter it... so I had to try some more.