Back in the days what I did to improve the firebuttons on my TAC-2, was bridging the bottom contacts and solder one wire to the copperplate. That way it just had to touch one of the bottom contacts to work, allowing to you press less hard for successful connection. That mod is a huge improvement on this otherwise awesome joystick.
Jan Beta no problem. I saw someone else gave the same tip and you were thinking that the solderjoint can eventually break from button movement. You are correct but the button only moves like 2mm so it will take lots and lots and LOTS of pushes until it breaks, and its easy to repair. Mine still works on the first solder joint. There might be better solutions than soldering (like a pole shoe) but I think soldering is the easiest.
They are. Also cheaper to make than microswitched ones I guess. I really wonder why there weren't any clones (at least none that I know of). Probably patents.
You're right about those joysticks being practically indestructible. I had one of those when I was a kid, although the model with a single fire button. I absolutely beat the shit out of the thing--throwing it across the room or swinging it by the cable and smashing it on a table when I was pissed off at a video game--and I could always put the pieces back together and it would keep working. What finally did it in was when the handle actually broke off, but the button and directional contacts never quit working!
The Slik Stik version of this was my first C64 joystick, amazing thing. I actually broke the handle myself, my Dad at the time looked at it and realised that it simply was a Schrader car wheel valve with the rubber stripped. Simply replaced the stick with one and epoxyed the plastic ball on top. upload.ecvv.com/upload/Product/20087/China_TR413_tyre_valve2008723934309.jpg
Best joystick imho, I still have mine from back in the day but it's seen better days. I tried to repair it, they are so simple but I noticed a weird problem, if I push the joystick to the left or left+up the right button doesn't always trigger, if i push it down hard it works... very odd problem.
I used to own the Slick Stick and it was built exactly like this one but it was smaller and had only one button. It was the best stick for Decathlon on the Atari 2600. ;-)
I think we owned one of those TAC-2 joysticks back in the day. My favorite C64 joystick, however, was the Icontroller (also made by Suncom), which was a tiny thing one attached to the side of a C64 with "poster square" adhesive. I liked its space-saving, streamlined look, and it was perfectly adequate for cursor control on the games I liked to play back then (CRPG, adventure & strategy games). My spouse was a bit more interested in arcade games than I was (and had larger hands too, of course), so that may be why he preferred the TAC-2.
Ah, I remember seeing pictures of the little joystick. I always thought it would be a nice idea to have a joystick next to the keyboard especially for GEOS and the games that used the joystick as a "mouse" pointer. Like the good old Lucasfilm games I enjoyed a lot. Maybe I'll try to find one of those, too. Thanks for the reminder. :)
I vaguely remember a sticker on the Icontroller packaging suggesting its use with GEOS. The Lazy Games Reviewer's "Oddware" series of videos includes a review of the PC version of the Icontroller.
I had a TAC-2 and its little brother, the Slik Stik (I bought the Slik Stik first because it was cheaper, then I saved up for the TAC-2). Both were great joysticks, mainly because I couldn't really get used to the feel of microswitches and I enjoyed the smoother feeling of these two. Though some say that they're not as accurate as microswitch sticks like the Competition Pro ... YMMV.
I used to be a huge fan of Competition Pros and the clicky microswitches but I kind of prefer the TAC-2 now. I find it just as accurate and it reacts a bit faster because of the shorter throw. Lovely joystick!
I still have my originals from the turn of the 90s, nothing wrong with them. The ms. still pounds bombjack on one every day with the Atari :D I've cleaned the contacts a couple of times and I always used to "tune" the buttons by inserting a bit of wire under the metal contacts on the base to lift them up and reduce the clearence of the button movement. It really makes them much better.
Nice fix Jan :) My Tac-II is also from the 90's which I got for the Amiga and it's still working. One difference though, the stick is black plastic instead of your chrome one. I have never opened it up so it was interesting to see the inside of it in this video :) Had Quickshot joystics in my C-64 days and one was totally destroyed and another one got broken micro switch, the spring snapped in one of them. TAC-II is much more durable.
Robust, if stiff controllers but the buttons weren't great. Design flaw is the two separated contacts that are bridged by the button. Unless you put well-centered force on the button, it's easy to tap just one of the two contacts. The result is that the physical feedback you get is that button made contact, but in reality you didn't make a connection. It can be modified to ground the washer on the button similar to the joystick, and then wire both button contacts common. That fixes it. Slik Stik from the same brand has the same issue.
I got mine from polyplay.xyz. They sell salvaged & tested cables for relatively cheap. You could also source a cheap (broken) DB9 joystick somewhere and reuse the cable of course.
Finally about to get one myself, these really seem robust and a decent compromise between durability and feel. I saw these were really expensive on eBay so I gave up for a while but I actually just found a local guy selling a C64C for 100€ but it also included a TAC-2, 1541-2, tape drive, the Defender 64 light gun along with the manuals for the disk drive and the machine so I'm really happy about that
Grabbed one of these from Ebay, I have access to a CNC factory that makes parts for F1 and Satellites so lets see if we can get it back. The gusset at the top will be the biggest struggle I think.
I think I might try that some time. The only downside seems to be that the solder joints on the rings might break because they are moving all the time.
I cut a little trace in the ring, soldered the wire in that. If you use a small loop and a soft wire I don't think there will be more problems than the moving wire around the metal ball inside. I got full score with Boray's joystick tester after that mod.
i just got one of these only I didn't notice it was a plastic shaft on mine. It's a bit slack but i heard that the rubber collar which gives the stick it's springyness can be replaced with a piece of a replacement schrader tire valve. Utter madness!
Oh, that's interesting. I hope I remember the schrader replacement when the time comes (at the moment, the stick still seems pretty indestructible to me...). :)
Ich liebe diese Joysticks einfach! Sicher, mir fehlen in meiner Sammlung immer noch ein paar Exoten, aber nach allem was ich sagen kann ist der TAC-2 für mich der beste Controller seiner Zeit. Wenn ich 'ernsthaft' am C64 oder Amiga zocken möchte, greife ich IMMER zum TAC-2 ... oder halt via Adapter zum Sega Genesis oder NES Controller - aber da diese ja nicht von Haus aus für Homecomputer ausgelegt sind, zähle ich die da nicht mit. ;)
Ich habe mich auch sehr schnell an das Feeling des TAC-2 gewöhnt und werde ihn viel nutzen. Die Competition Pro, die ich hier habe, fühlen sich immer noch vertrauter an (weil ich sie am längsten von allen Controllern benutzt habe), aber sind qualitativ letzten Endes unterlegen. Das mit dem Genesis/Mega Drive Pad wollte ich auch immer nochmal probieren. Danke für die Erinnerung (und sowieso für's nachdrücklich den TAC-2 loben und mich davon überzeugen). :)
Tac-2 joystick was and stiil is THE joystick for me. Loved them back. I remember new ones were too stiff and then old ones were too sloppy to play with. Well eh, that how life goes i think:)
Nice ! I think you can polish a bit the copper ring of the two buttons and spray some cleaner or some wd40 to protect from oxidation to get a better contact.
I did that after shooting the video. The buttons seem to be the least reliable part of this joystick. I cleaned them a bit and sprayed my favorite contact cleaner/sealant on them. Work flawlessly now.
so, the color code for the new cord was the same as the old ?? ... I've replaced quite a few cords on joysticks and used a joystick tester to find the correct wires. The new cord color code was completely different
Yes I remember those sticks.. it never was my favorite as it had limited accuracy for the games I played and it's responsiveness left quite a bit to be desired. I always found micro switch designs superior. Tac was build to a price stick that well usually worked unless it got used "roughly" what you often did those times. It's more reminiscent of of the early 1980's arcade sticks and that is what it imitated . Still it is compact and looks attractive and works just fine in certain arcade style games. In all fairness my memory might be slightly tainted by abundance of choice as I had joysticks a plenty. One worked best in this game another in this. Any case it is historically and functionally great addition to any commodore collection. If you happen to run across quickshot 2 turbo I can fondly recommend it for certain games that you need high accuracy of movement . There really is no one "best" stick it all depends of game personal preference and what you have grown to like.
Wow, unusual construction. But ingenious! :) Oh, that blue LED.. I'd like a blue one in mine as well. I love blue. I was wondering, could you point me in the right direction for the right kind of LED? Or, just let me know exact specs for it? I'd really appreciate it. Whenever you have time. :) Thanks for the great videos!
Thank you! The blue LED is actually an RGB LED. It is hooked up to bwack's quadruple kernal switcher and it signifies the kernal that is active. Red is standard, green is JiffyDOS and so on. I made a video about how I put it in: ua-cam.com/video/LpRaHkqjqJk/v-deo.html If you just want a blue one, you can buy any 5mm standard round LED (diffused looks better). You will probably have to add another resistor to the power lines on the LED because the original ones are very dim compared to modern ones.
Hello Jan Beta. I am a ZX spectrum user. Long time ago i have my ZX (CZ for Argentina), Joystick, almost 20 years past and i continue using zx games and apps by emulator. BUT, i see your video and i start to think to RE-MAKE my old joystick from scratch. I do not see any video explaining how was the contacts or the electronic. I remember that was VERY BASIC. I also a wood carver, and i was thinking in make all the joystick (almost) from wood. (as an exercise). My question. How can i search info in youtube related to tear down one of this old joysticks. I search and the best videos are from Atari controllers, they are very similar in the components. My objetive is do all by myself. Not buy a thing. I have many components of old keyboards, many sticks i can use from old joysticks.... but i want to do with the original form factor or the most similar way. Can you help me with this? ... And, in other things... The video is great and give me the idea to do it. SO, Thanks for the video, my like to the video is included.
Yes! I remember watching your sunny look at the TAC-2 I just didn't remember where I saw it. :) And no problem at all, I'm really busy at the moment as well. Plus, I have video ideas/to dos for months I think. So take whatever time you need. :)
Der beste Joystick, wollte ich damals auch immer haben, aber der war sooo teuer. Nana, habe mich mit competion pro getröstet, der war auch gut und läuft noch heute an meinem 500er
Ich bin auch mit verschiedenen Competition Pros aufgewachsen und benutze die immer noch gerne. Den TAC-2 wollte ich ewig schon ausprobieren und dieser fiel mir recht günstig in die Hände. Ist wirklich ein sehr guter Joystick.
Are the two buttons independent of one another (which would be good for two-button games), or do they have the same function (essentially a right-hand/left-hand single-button joystick)?
Haha, I guess there's a lot of classic joysticks to collect out there. The TAC-2 is definitely one of the best in my opinion. Feels very different from the micro switched models but GOOD. ;)
That's an awesome joystick. I have never seen it before. Everyone in the comments below beat me to the punch regarding the Robertson screw head. They are very common here, indeed, probably because it was a Canadian gentleman who invented it (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P._L._Robertson). They are simple and rather handy: a quality Robertson screwdriver or drill bit will hold the screw so it doesn't drop off the tool, you can hand tighten them (toque them) a lot, but when used with a standard drill or percussion drill the bit will pop out before over tightening -- pretty cool for a simple square hole. I figured they would be all over the world -- I'm surprised to hear otherwise. Ha. Funny how the comments on video turned into a tool talk episode.
I like some tool talk. Always learning stuff from the comments. :) Our friend brotkastenblog insisted I try this joystick a while back so I did. It's awesome indeed. Definitely one of my favorites now.
Yes! I think she found one shortly after I hunted down mine. Good luck! It's probably (hopefully) easier to find one over there than it is in Europe. :)
I have one of these and at first it didn't work on my Atari 2600 years ago, does this not work with that console? Now I have an C64 now thanks to a friend and my TAC 2 has had it's ground wire broken right at the metal clip that connects to the metal ball recently. Will a full on cable replacement be a good idea for me? Or should I just try to fix the ground wire?
It's using the Atari standard so it should be working fine with the Atari 2600. It does with mine. If the cable is otherwise okay I'd strip a few mm of the ground wire and solder it back onto the tab. It depends a bit on where it broke of course.
Thank you for your help! Also I do remember it having an issue moving in certain directions when it's ground cable was still intact, maybe just doing what you showed here will save it again.
Es ist eine gepatchte Jiffy-Version mit Funktionalität von DolphinDOS (das ich sehr mag und von früher kenne). Gibt es z.B. hier: csdb.dk/release/?id=137270&show=summary
Nice! You must have put quite some effort into destroying it I guess. ;) I remember fixing my Quickshot II with some sellotape when I was about that age. I was proud as. ;)
I got it from polyplay.xyz. They are selling salvaged/used and tested cables for a couple of €. You could of course also hit eBay and look for a cheap broken joystick with a working cable and salvage it yourself.
Jan Beta, thank you. I will check it. I got a couple of old junky joystick. I also got extension cables for Megadrive and junky new joystick for Megadrive. I will take a suitable cable from some.
Oh no! That would have been a very good price indeed. I think I paid around 30-40€ for mine including shipping and had been looking for one for ages before. :/
My favourite C64 joystick!
Back in the days what I did to improve the firebuttons on my TAC-2, was bridging the bottom contacts and solder one wire to the copperplate. That way it just had to touch one of the bottom contacts to work, allowing to you press less hard for successful connection. That mod is a huge improvement on this otherwise awesome joystick.
That's an interesting mod. I might try it some time. Thanks for the tip!
Jan Beta no problem. I saw someone else gave the same tip and you were thinking that the solderjoint can eventually break from button movement. You are correct but the button only moves like 2mm so it will take lots and lots and LOTS of pushes until it breaks, and its easy to repair. Mine still works on the first solder joint. There might be better solutions than soldering (like a pole shoe) but I think soldering is the easiest.
Thanks! I'll give it a try. :)
Thank you for retro content. Coffee toast to you.
The only joysticks ever we haven't managed to break in Track & Field in my household, definitely legendary, high quality and easy to repair.
They are. Also cheaper to make than microswitched ones I guess. I really wonder why there weren't any clones (at least none that I know of). Probably patents.
Yeah, if I were at all inclined to play those stick wiggling games, I'd rather have this. But for "normal" games, microswitches!
I had an used tac 2 that someone succeded to break. Probably thrown down so the metalball was cut of from the handle.
At least 6 friends had this and they never broke. Only the buttons went bad over time. Quite easy to fix.
Only mechanical weakpoint was metal rod from the stick to the ball.
3:12 it's definately not indestructible! I know from experience!
You're right about those joysticks being practically indestructible. I had one of those when I was a kid, although the model with a single fire button. I absolutely beat the shit out of the thing--throwing it across the room or swinging it by the cable and smashing it on a table when I was pissed off at a video game--and I could always put the pieces back together and it would keep working. What finally did it in was when the handle actually broke off, but the button and directional contacts never quit working!
+00Skyfox Haha, wow. I can imagine it took quite some angry disappointment to break off the handle. ;) Thanks for sharing.
The Slik Stik version of this was my first C64 joystick, amazing thing. I actually broke the handle myself, my Dad at the time looked at it and realised that it simply was a Schrader car wheel valve with the rubber stripped. Simply replaced the stick with one and epoxyed the plastic ball on top.
upload.ecvv.com/upload/Product/20087/China_TR413_tyre_valve2008723934309.jpg
Best joystick imho, I still have mine from back in the day but it's seen better days. I tried to repair it, they are so simple but I noticed a weird problem, if I push the joystick to the left or left+up the right button doesn't always trigger, if i push it down hard it works... very odd problem.
I used to own the Slick Stick and it was built exactly like this one but it was smaller and had only one button. It was the best stick for Decathlon on the Atari 2600. ;-)
Nice! I can imagine that a smaller version of the TAC-2 was great for Decathlon. My hand hurts even thinking of playing it with my Quickshot... ;)
Can confirm :D
I think we owned one of those TAC-2 joysticks back in the day. My favorite C64 joystick, however, was the Icontroller (also made by Suncom), which was a tiny thing one attached to the side of a C64 with "poster square" adhesive. I liked its space-saving, streamlined look, and it was perfectly adequate for cursor control on the games I liked to play back then (CRPG, adventure & strategy games). My spouse was a bit more interested in arcade games than I was (and had larger hands too, of course), so that may be why he preferred the TAC-2.
Ah, I remember seeing pictures of the little joystick. I always thought it would be a nice idea to have a joystick next to the keyboard especially for GEOS and the games that used the joystick as a "mouse" pointer. Like the good old Lucasfilm games I enjoyed a lot. Maybe I'll try to find one of those, too. Thanks for the reminder. :)
I vaguely remember a sticker on the Icontroller packaging suggesting its use with GEOS. The Lazy Games Reviewer's "Oddware" series of videos includes a review of the PC version of the Icontroller.
Ah, thanks, I'm going to have a look at that LGR vid. :)
I had a TAC-2 and its little brother, the Slik Stik (I bought the Slik Stik first because it was cheaper, then I saved up for the TAC-2). Both were great joysticks, mainly because I couldn't really get used to the feel of microswitches and I enjoyed the smoother feeling of these two. Though some say that they're not as accurate as microswitch sticks like the Competition Pro ... YMMV.
I used to be a huge fan of Competition Pros and the clicky microswitches but I kind of prefer the TAC-2 now. I find it just as accurate and it reacts a bit faster because of the shorter throw. Lovely joystick!
I still have my originals from the turn of the 90s, nothing wrong with them. The ms. still pounds bombjack on one every day with the Atari :D I've cleaned the contacts a couple of times and I always used to "tune" the buttons by inserting a bit of wire under the metal contacts on the base to lift them up and reduce the clearence of the button movement. It really makes them much better.
Oh, that's an interesting idea. I might try the button tuning, too. Very nice joysticks indeed. :)
Nice fix Jan :) My Tac-II is also from the 90's which I got for the Amiga and it's still working. One difference though, the stick is black plastic instead of your chrome one. I have never opened it up so it was interesting to see the inside of it in this video :)
Had Quickshot joystics in my C-64 days and one was totally destroyed and another one got broken micro switch, the spring snapped in one of them. TAC-II is much more durable.
My very first one was a Quickshot II. It mysteriously survived somehow. I still have it but barely use it nowadays.
Robust, if stiff controllers but the buttons weren't great. Design flaw is the two separated contacts that are bridged by the button. Unless you put well-centered force on the button, it's easy to tap just one of the two contacts. The result is that the physical feedback you get is that button made contact, but in reality you didn't make a connection. It can be modified to ground the washer on the button similar to the joystick, and then wire both button contacts common. That fixes it. Slik Stik from the same brand has the same issue.
Good video. Can you post a link where you ordered the replacement cable? I've had trouble finding them.
following this
I got mine from polyplay.xyz. They sell salvaged & tested cables for relatively cheap. You could also source a cheap (broken) DB9 joystick somewhere and reuse the cable of course.
@@JanBeta May we please have a link to the Polyplay product page?
Finally about to get one myself, these really seem robust and a decent compromise between durability and feel.
I saw these were really expensive on eBay so I gave up for a while but I actually just found a local guy selling a C64C for 100€ but it also included a TAC-2, 1541-2, tape drive, the Defender 64 light gun along with the manuals for the disk drive and the machine so I'm really happy about that
Nice! Yeah, these got pretty rare and sought after in the last couple of years. Still looking for a second one myself.
Such a stiff joystick... I've cleaned it thoroughly, checked contacts, all fine, but so stiff... How could I loosen it a bit? Any ideas?
Grabbed one of these from Ebay, I have access to a CNC factory that makes parts for F1 and Satellites so lets see if we can get it back. The gusset at the top will be the biggest struggle I think.
Oh, would be wonderful to have these back! One of the best joysticks ever made in my opinion!
If you solder the fire wire to the brass ring on the button and ground both the metal pieces under the button - that will help a lot.
I think I might try that some time. The only downside seems to be that the solder joints on the rings might break because they are moving all the time.
I cut a little trace in the ring, soldered the wire in that. If you use a small loop and a soft wire I don't think there will be more problems than the moving wire around the metal ball inside. I got full score with Boray's joystick tester after that mod.
Sounds convincing. :) I think I'm going to give it a shot (pun intended).
i just got one of these only I didn't notice it was a plastic shaft on mine. It's a bit slack but i heard that the rubber collar which gives the stick it's springyness can be replaced with a piece of a replacement schrader tire valve. Utter madness!
Oh, that's interesting. I hope I remember the schrader replacement when the time comes (at the moment, the stick still seems pretty indestructible to me...). :)
Those screws are called ‘Robertson’ screws. Invented in Canada. Also, I think those buttons use brass contacts.
Yes! Thanks. Interesting that they used a Canadian screw head on these. :)
Hi, could you please measure the diameter of the ball top? Is it 30mm, 35mm or something else?
Ah. That explains why the TAC-2 feels like it does. It's a fine stick, but I was more in the Competition Pro camp myself. Microswitches FTW!
I'm also a huge fan of (good) microswitches. The TAC-2 is brilliant for some games but I often go back to the Competition Pros I grew up with, too.
You can actually lift that plastic square on top of the contacts to get easier access to them if you like.
Ah, thanks for the tip!
I was excited by your game choice at first......but I was thinking of "Raid on Bungeling Bay". That was one of my favorites.
Oh, Raid on Bungeling Bay is brilliant, too. :D
screwhead is canadian , called Robertson 2 R2. a verry good system. i use them a lot as sheetmetal screw with a drill tip.
Thanks! I wasn't aware that it was popular in Canada. I've only ever seen square screwheads on some professional gear and for special use over here.
Allen Robertson Phillips. That guy has a few screws loose.
Ich liebe diese Joysticks einfach! Sicher, mir fehlen in meiner Sammlung immer noch ein paar Exoten, aber nach allem was ich sagen kann ist der TAC-2 für mich der beste Controller seiner Zeit. Wenn ich 'ernsthaft' am C64 oder Amiga zocken möchte, greife ich IMMER zum TAC-2 ... oder halt via Adapter zum Sega Genesis oder NES Controller - aber da diese ja nicht von Haus aus für Homecomputer ausgelegt sind, zähle ich die da nicht mit. ;)
Ich habe mich auch sehr schnell an das Feeling des TAC-2 gewöhnt und werde ihn viel nutzen. Die Competition Pro, die ich hier habe, fühlen sich immer noch vertrauter an (weil ich sie am längsten von allen Controllern benutzt habe), aber sind qualitativ letzten Endes unterlegen. Das mit dem Genesis/Mega Drive Pad wollte ich auch immer nochmal probieren. Danke für die Erinnerung (und sowieso für's nachdrücklich den TAC-2 loben und mich davon überzeugen). :)
I have broke a few when playing sport games and had to grind the copperplate to get good contact
Tac-2 joystick was and stiil is THE joystick for me. Loved them back. I remember new ones were too stiff and then old ones were too sloppy to play with. Well eh, that how life goes i think:)
Yeah, I love these joysticks, too. I have never experienced a new one but mine still plays nicely and accurately.
I had the TAC-2 and the Boss. The best combination in my opinion. One short stroke for wiggling and the Boss heavy with a good grip.
Nice ! I think you can polish a bit the copper ring of the two buttons and spray some cleaner or some wd40 to protect from oxidation to get a better contact.
I did that after shooting the video. The buttons seem to be the least reliable part of this joystick. I cleaned them a bit and sprayed my favorite contact cleaner/sealant on them. Work flawlessly now.
so, the color code for the new cord was the same as the old ?? ... I've replaced quite a few cords on joysticks and used a joystick tester to find the correct wires. The new cord color code was completely different
Yes, it was exactly the same. I've seen the same code on Competition Pros, too. Maybe there's one manufacturer of the cords that always uses the code?
Yes I remember those sticks.. it never was my favorite as it had limited accuracy for the games I played and it's responsiveness left quite a bit to be desired. I always found micro switch designs superior. Tac was build to a price stick that well usually worked unless it got used "roughly" what you often did those times. It's more reminiscent of of the early 1980's arcade sticks and that is what it imitated . Still it is compact and looks attractive and works just fine in certain arcade style games. In all fairness my memory might be slightly tainted by abundance of choice as I had joysticks a plenty. One worked best in this game another in this. Any case it is historically and functionally great addition to any commodore collection. If you happen to run across quickshot 2 turbo I can fondly recommend it for certain games that you need high accuracy of movement . There really is no one "best" stick it all depends of game personal preference and what you have grown to like.
Great work
Thank you!
Wow, unusual construction. But ingenious! :) Oh, that blue LED.. I'd like a blue one in mine as well. I love blue. I was wondering, could you point me in the right direction for the right kind of LED? Or, just let me know exact specs for it? I'd really appreciate it. Whenever you have time. :) Thanks for the great videos!
Thank you! The blue LED is actually an RGB LED. It is hooked up to bwack's quadruple kernal switcher and it signifies the kernal that is active. Red is standard, green is JiffyDOS and so on. I made a video about how I put it in: ua-cam.com/video/LpRaHkqjqJk/v-deo.html
If you just want a blue one, you can buy any 5mm standard round LED (diffused looks better). You will probably have to add another resistor to the power lines on the LED because the original ones are very dim compared to modern ones.
I can't remember how many TAC-2 I broke by breaking of the ball inside from the stick! Usually when playing 100m in Summer Games or similar.
Hello Jan Beta. I am a ZX spectrum user.
Long time ago i have my ZX (CZ for Argentina), Joystick, almost 20 years past and i continue using zx games and apps by emulator.
BUT, i see your video and i start to think to RE-MAKE my old joystick from scratch.
I do not see any video explaining how was the contacts or the electronic. I remember that was VERY BASIC.
I also a wood carver, and i was thinking in make all the joystick (almost) from wood. (as an exercise).
My question.
How can i search info in youtube related to tear down one of this old joysticks. I search and the best videos are from Atari controllers, they are very similar in the components.
My objetive is do all by myself. Not buy a thing. I have many components of old keyboards, many sticks i can use from old joysticks.... but i want to do with the original form factor or the most similar way.
Can you help me with this?
...
And, in other things... The video is great and give me the idea to do it. SO, Thanks for the video, my like to the video is included.
Hi ! I did the same on my channnel a few weeks ago 'Inside a TA-2C'.
Great building.
And I am not forgetting you. Just too busy at the moment.
Yes! I remember watching your sunny look at the TAC-2 I just didn't remember where I saw it. :)
And no problem at all, I'm really busy at the moment as well. Plus, I have video ideas/to dos for months I think. So take whatever time you need. :)
Der beste Joystick, wollte ich damals auch immer haben, aber der war sooo teuer. Nana, habe mich mit competion pro getröstet, der war auch gut und läuft noch heute an meinem 500er
Ich bin auch mit verschiedenen Competition Pros aufgewachsen und benutze die immer noch gerne. Den TAC-2 wollte ich ewig schon ausprobieren und dieser fiel mir recht günstig in die Hände. Ist wirklich ein sehr guter Joystick.
What no micro switches. Looks a great joystick well built. Good vid again Jan 😁😂😂😂😂..Kim ..
It is nearly indestructible (and if destroyed, it's easily repaired). It also feels really accurate once you get used to it. Very nice joystick. :)
Are the two buttons independent of one another (which would be good for two-button games), or do they have the same function (essentially a right-hand/left-hand single-button joystick)?
It's the same function for both buttons as with most joysticks of the era.
I just picked up a Competition Pro and a "The Arcade"..... seems I need another now :)
Haha, I guess there's a lot of classic joysticks to collect out there. The TAC-2 is definitely one of the best in my opinion. Feels very different from the micro switched models but GOOD. ;)
I got the Competition Pro back in the C64/Amiga days.
I originally used Competition Pros, too. (After some less capable Quickshots and the like...)
But the suncom looks great to me. I think the Competition Pro uses microswitches
The later models do, yes. The first Comp Pro used all leaf switches and were a lot less clicky (also a lot less reliable sadly). ;)
That's an awesome joystick. I have never seen it before.
Everyone in the comments below beat me to the punch regarding the Robertson screw head. They are very common here, indeed, probably because it was a Canadian gentleman who invented it (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P._L._Robertson). They are simple and rather handy: a quality Robertson screwdriver or drill bit will hold the screw so it doesn't drop off the tool, you can hand tighten them (toque them) a lot, but when used with a standard drill or percussion drill the bit will pop out before over tightening -- pretty cool for a simple square hole. I figured they would be all over the world -- I'm surprised to hear otherwise.
Ha. Funny how the comments on video turned into a tool talk episode.
I like some tool talk. Always learning stuff from the comments. :)
Our friend brotkastenblog insisted I try this joystick a while back so I did. It's awesome indeed. Definitely one of my favorites now.
I'm on the hunt for one now too. I see Maddy has one - it's in one of her recent videos.
Yes! I think she found one shortly after I hunted down mine. Good luck! It's probably (hopefully) easier to find one over there than it is in Europe. :)
Never seen it before?
Weird that it uses Robertson screws. Those are pretty much unique to Canada as far as I know.
I have one of these and at first it didn't work on my Atari 2600 years ago, does this not work with that console?
Now I have an C64 now thanks to a friend and my TAC 2 has had it's ground wire broken right at the metal clip that connects to the metal ball recently. Will a full on cable replacement be a good idea for me? Or should I just try to fix the ground wire?
It's using the Atari standard so it should be working fine with the Atari 2600. It does with mine.
If the cable is otherwise okay I'd strip a few mm of the ground wire and solder it back onto the tab. It depends a bit on where it broke of course.
Thank you for your help! Also I do remember it having an issue moving in certain directions when it's ground cable was still intact, maybe just doing what you showed here will save it again.
What is the joystick used for?
It's used for removing the gasket off of washing machines.
Schöner Startscreen. Eine besonders Jiffydos?
Es ist eine gepatchte Jiffy-Version mit Funktionalität von DolphinDOS (das ich sehr mag und von früher kenne). Gibt es z.B. hier: csdb.dk/release/?id=137270&show=summary
Tac2 was my favourite joystick!
I ruined mine playing, Summer games, in the 80's
Tried to fix it but failed, I was 15.
Nice! You must have put quite some effort into destroying it I guess. ;)
I remember fixing my Quickshot II with some sellotape when I was about that age. I was proud as. ;)
Oops my mistake! I had the Slik stick.
Do you remember if it's similar inside? I would guess that it uses the same mechanism but never seen one in person.
Where can I buy this authentic replacement cable?
I got it from polyplay.xyz. They are selling salvaged/used and tested cables for a couple of €. You could of course also hit eBay and look for a cheap broken joystick with a working cable and salvage it yourself.
Jan Beta, thank you. I will check it. I got a couple of old junky joystick. I also got extension cables for Megadrive and junky new joystick for Megadrive. I will take a suitable cable from some.
Oh still remember the horrors of that gameplay destroying "joy"-stick. Thank God for Wico joysticks, bat-handle/redball etc.
I got used to this one pretty quickly and like it a lot. The Wico sticks are great, too, of course. I guess it's a matter of taste/preference. :)
pretty indestructible..... yes i broke mine lol
Jan can you next time mod it to use microswitches under buttons :) It would be Beta testing XD
Haha, I probably won't destroy my valued TAC-2 now that it's working nicely again. I like the idea of Beta testing though... ;D
The tinkering music at 5:00 - I just realized what it reminds me of. ua-cam.com/video/fbGkxcY7YFU/v-deo.html
Haha, that is unintentional... :D
Heheh,
i passed on one that was 3€ D':
Oh no! That would have been a very good price indeed. I think I paid around 30-40€ for mine including shipping and had been looking for one for ages before. :/
if there is anything that is indestructable, it is this joystick.
Teardown and REPAIR...
you are lying
Technically you are right... It was only the cable that was broken though. ;)