Notice the knot, it ends up inside the plastic casing wall to provide some strain relief.
I used the old cut off end to set the correct distance from the end for the new knot.
About 1/4" was stripped off the ends exposing the bare wires.
The wires were soldered onto the contact plates.
The plates were pressed back into the housing, the knot set just inside the wall.
New alkaline batteries were installed.
The back cover screwed on.
To test the controller -
Clip the micro clips together. Insert the safety key, the continuity light should come on.
Press the launch button, the light should go out.
Release the launch button, separate the clips.
Check your micro clips.
If they ends are bent, you can flatten them with smooth pliers.
Here's a launch controller up for auction on Ebay.
Notice the red lead wires wrapped tightly around the body of the controller. The wire out the top is sharply bent and wearing against the plastic exit hole.
TIP: Always wrap your lead wires off the controller body. Leave the wire at the top loose with no tension where it leaves the controller body.
TIP: I applied a square of red tape on the launch button. It makes things a bit more interesting than just the overall yellow plastic.
Another reason to not wrap the wire around the case is because the plastic of the case is reactant to the vinyl insulation on the wires. I have seen numerous old controllers where the previous owner had wrapped the wires tightly around the body and the wire had "melted" grooves and dents into the case. The only way to fix it is to trim off the bumps and/or sand the case. I use a wire bread tie or velcro strap to hold the wound up wire separately.
ReplyDeleteHi Lonnie,
DeleteIn my experience I haven't seen that with the controller wires, but don't doubt it could happen! I have seen rubber bands break down and had to peel the remains off whatever was wrapped up.
I'd seen similar thing occurring with computer mice and keyboards -- not only were there melted grooves in the plastic, but the cords had a gummy film and tended to easily break if you tried to straighten out the kinks. Other keyboards of similar age that wern't stored in this fashion didn't exhibit this problem.
DeleteEw! Yeah, that too :^)
ReplyDeleteAnother situation I remember seeing this happen were with plastic model kits -- in particular with car models with vinyl tires and tanks that had vinyl track parts. I'd seen examples of unbuilt model kits still in the box that had been ruined, as well as some examples of built kits as well. The problem is less apt to occur in the presence of chrome plating or paint (which prevented direct contact between the vinyl and plastic).
ReplyDeleteHi Chris!:
ReplyDeleteHave you considered opening up the hole in the end of the case, and adding a short section of heat-shrink over the wires as they come out of the case for a little extra stress relief?
Don't know if it would work, but it sounds good anyway!
Sincerely,
J.W.
Hi J.W.
DeleteTwo upcoming blog posts will show a pretty good solution! Thanks for the inquiry.