Where to get working Atari 5200 controllers?

[Xian042]

Hello, I'm new to the forums.

I have an Atari 5200 with broken controllers. (surprise)

What is the best way to get working refurbs for the cheapest price. Cheaper to buy a repair kit and fix myself?

Thanks!

[EnemyZero]

ebay would most likely be your best bet, or try a local flea market...OR post a want in the buying and selling forum, im sure someone here has extra controllers to trade or sell to you

[omnedon]

Flea market is a bad idea, unless you want to buy controllers that need fixing. Ebay can work, but they need to be refurbished, and done properly.

You won't get cheaper than putting the gold buttons and MPCB's yourself.

To do it right, you likely need to re-align the directional pots, and for that you need a diagnostic cart too. AA sells repros of it, and that works fine.

113 is the pot centered baseline.

http://www.cgcc.ca/articles/view.php?article=5200%20Joystick%20Refurb

[rxd]

Hello, I'm new to the forums.

I have an Atari 5200 with broken controllers. (surprise)

What is the best way to get working refurbs for the cheapest price. Cheaper to buy a repair kit and fix myself?

Thanks!

Do yourself a favor and buy the rebuilt controllers from Best Electronics that use the gold plated flex circuit and buttons. It's going to cost you extra but you will NEVER regret it. Trust me on this.

http://www.best-electronics-ca.com/5200.htm

[SkiDragon]

You can at least temporarily fix them yourself, if your controller's problem is the same as most of them.

I had luck just opening up the controllers and using an eraser on the contacts underneath the buttons. They might look gray but should look silvery when your done. I dont know how long this lasts though. And beware: All the king's horses and all the king's men, couldn't put the Atari 5200 joystick together again.

[rbudrick]

Some have repaired the weak parts of the controller with rear defroster repair fluid (for your car's back window) It is a highly -ferrous compound that dries across contacts to reconnect them. Obviously a soldering gun wont work because they melt flex circuits. However, Best Electronics is really your easiest, safest, most reliable bet.

-Rob

[omnedon]

Both methods (gold and defroster solution) are covered in the linked article in my earlier post.