Hello,
yes you read right. (Long) before I found this (http://nfggames.com/forum2/index.php?topic=3574.0) and that thread (http://nfggames.com/forum2/index.php?topic=5023.0) I bought such an expensive N64 Hori Mini Pad from Japan over ebay. Today it arrived and I'm very disappointed, because the stick isn't as fine as I hoped. I think it's as crappy as a worn out original N64 Stick. For example sometimes it doesn't return to the central position if I move it to the bottom right position.
(http://i.imagebanana.com/img/u1fhp8t0/thumb/stickweird.jpg) (http://www.imagebanana.com/view/u1fhp8t0/stickweird.jpg)
Additionally I can't make movements within the full range:
(http://i.imagebanana.com/img/ob2ulxyu/thumb/range.jpg) (http://www.imagebanana.com/view/ob2ulxyu/range.jpg)
By the way: That of course wasn't mentioned in the ebay description. >:( >:( >:( So I disassembled it immediately to figure out, what's the problem.
The stick contacts the corners of the metal from the joystick. I marked the points with arrows. Especially at that corner I marked brown, the metal scrapes the plastic.
(http://i.imagebanana.com/img/i60fqe0r/thumb/bottomviewback.jpg) (http://www.imagebanana.com/view/i60fqe0r/bottomviewback.jpg)
(http://i.imagebanana.com/img/rfx8oqrd/thumb/bottomviewfront.jpg) (http://www.imagebanana.com/view/rfx8oqrd/bottomviewfront.jpg)
I thought a solution would be getting the stick a little higher. But it is absolutly tight. I think it's glued to the joystick. Does anybody know if that's right or does anyone have experience disassembling the stick of a hori mini pad? :) I'm afraid of breaking the stick or the circuit board the joystick is attatched to.
I also loosed the screw slot I marked red. I don't know whether that was a good decision. ;)
(http://i.imagebanana.com/img/e2qvwupq/thumb/screwslot.jpg) (http://www.imagebanana.com/view/e2qvwupq/screwslot.jpg)
Maybe the best way is to replace the whole joystick. I think these ones that micro uses are more adequate because of the rounded corners.
(http://i.imagebanana.com/img/72wkwt6r/thumb/platine.jpg) (http://www.imagebanana.com/view/72wkwt6r/platine.jpg)
Quote from: micro on January 16, 2013, 06:04:42 AM
I've made a new version of the PCB for improving that Gamecube-style N64 replacement stick in various ways.
(http://i.imgur.com/NlrN1a1l.jpg) (http://i.imgur.com/NlrN1a1.jpg)
Edit:
Meanwhile got an idea: I disassembled a PS2-Pad that I bought at the flea market last weekend. I realized that the corners of the joysticks are rounded a bit...
(http://i.imagebanana.com/img/dhhtvhle/thumb/ps2sticks.jpg) (http://www.imagebanana.com/view/dhhtvhle/ps2sticks.jpg)
Long story short: I got it!!! :D :D :D
Sometimes it's necessary using brute power!!! ;)
(http://i.imagebanana.com/img/680cs5pe/thumb/gotit.jpg) (http://www.imagebanana.com/view/680cs5pe/gotit.jpg)
(http://i.imagebanana.com/img/b6vsqhq1/thumb/stickbottomperspective.jpg) (http://www.imagebanana.com/view/b6vsqhq1/stickbottomperspective.jpg)
(http://i.imagebanana.com/img/uxsgdgls/thumb/stickbottom.jpg) (http://www.imagebanana.com/view/uxsgdgls/stickbottom.jpg)
Here you can see, that the stick of the hori pad is a little taller than a ps2 stick.
(http://i.imagebanana.com/img/o65u4m3f/thumb/ps2horiperspect.jpg) (http://www.imagebanana.com/view/o65u4m3f/ps2horiperspect.jpg)
(http://i.imagebanana.com/img/qb14cwb4/thumb/ps2horiperspectnorm.jpg) (http://www.imagebanana.com/view/qb14cwb4/ps2horiperspectnorm.jpg)
(http://i.imagebanana.com/img/wy9umavr/thumb/ps2horiperspect.jpg) (http://www.imagebanana.com/view/wy9umavr/ps2horiperspect.jpg)
...replacing coud be a solution...
...but the holes at the bottom have different sizes.
(http://i.imagebanana.com/img/6frz9800/thumb/ps2horibottom1.jpg) (http://www.imagebanana.com/view/6frz9800/ps2horibottom1.jpg)
Now I have the solution: I just sticked the Hori Stick back in and that's wonderful. I think the previous owner pressed the stick too heavy. Or maybe the problem came during shipment.
Whatever... now it works how it should be - absolutely smooth. ;D
There is just one thing. The stick is not at the perpendicular. From side view that's ok...
(http://i.imagebanana.com/img/yp92vugk/thumb/horipadsideview.jpg) (http://www.imagebanana.com/view/yp92vugk/horipadsideview.jpg)
...but from top view that should definitely not be:
(http://i.imagebanana.com/img/pg6vyvbr/thumb/noperpendicular.jpg) (http://www.imagebanana.com/view/pg6vyvbr/noperpendicular.jpg)
So if the stick is at the neutral position it's not exactly at the center of its octagonal cage. It's marginal, and from the center view you maybe don't realize it.
(http://i.imagebanana.com/img/pxhgkfxw/thumb/topcenterpad.jpg) (http://www.imagebanana.com/view/pxhgkfxw/topcenterpad.jpg)
But having the stick at the center of the image you can see it.
(http://i.imagebanana.com/img/ujv5beis/thumb/topcenterstick.jpg) (http://www.imagebanana.com/view/ujv5beis/topcenterstick.jpg)
I think I'm going to fix that soon. But for now I'm going to start playing.
After a few hours I can say that stick is absolutely awesome.
Regarding to people who say that the best way playing N64 games is with the original stick I have to say: They are wrong!The stick of the hori pad is much better than the original N64 stick. My reference which is proving that is "Mario Kart 64". With the hori pad I can drift nearly flawless (almost always red dust). And I often got the difficult short cut in mario raceway (jumping to the right side over the wall) today. Here you can see it - that's not me driving in the video. Mario kart 64 - MR SC lap (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIZ9JuUO5AI#)
By the way: With my N64-Pad (the stick is in a really good condition) I didn't get that the last days!
Edit 2 (as long as I don't get posts I'll edit the first one):
After playing some Mario Kart 64 with my Hori-Pad-Stick (not at the perpendicular) I realized that getting power drifts in right corners works far better than getting it in left ones.
So I disasselmled my Pad again and so I figured out that it's not the circuit board that leads to the problem:
(http://i.imagebanana.com/img/ptcy7d7y/thumb/sticknotattheperpendicular.jpg) (http://www.imagebanana.com/view/ptcy7d7y/sticknotattheperpendicular.jpg)
It's the metal stick that is bent:
(http://i.imagebanana.com/img/60wnv1ia/thumb/stickbent.jpg) (http://www.imagebanana.com/view/60wnv1ia/stickbent.jpg)
Looking more precisely I realized that the metal cube has a dent:
(http://i.imagebanana.com/img/6s4rx23m/thumb/dent.jpg) (http://www.imagebanana.com/view/6s4rx23m/dent.jpg)
Because I'm afraid of breaking the metal stick I didn't bend it back. I tried the following:
(http://i.imagebanana.com/img/24m4qjfx/thumb/solution.jpg) (http://www.imagebanana.com/view/24m4qjfx/solution.jpg)
And that's my result:
(http://i.imagebanana.com/img/9tqlkgw7/thumb/result.jpg) (http://www.imagebanana.com/view/9tqlkgw7/result.jpg)
It's not the best way for solving the problem, but what should I say? It works and that's the main fact.
The way you managed to fix it is pretty cool. I personally own a blue Hori Mini Pad and I love the smoothness of it. The only thing I don't like about it is the shoulder buttons which could be a bit more responsive.