Arcade Stick Sticking

[SpaceBooger]

On my MAME cab I have a Hanaho Hotrod joystick and the buttons keep sticking and other problems.

For example when playing Pro Pinball the left pinball button (player 1 credit button) sticks and the flipper stays up some times. That same button also lags. On the player 1 joystick sometimes when moving left the character/ship continues moving left even when I release the joystick.

I also have another problem, for some reason when using this stick (set universally to MAME defaults) it cuts out my ability to use the keyboard after about 3 minutes of playing. I have it set to quit the current game and return to the front-end when pushing P1&P2 start at the same time. After about 3 minutes of playing I am not able to quit via that method and then the keyboard and stick is unresponsive after that.

I have yet to take the stick apart yet to look inside for issues related to it sticking. Does anyone have any suggestions on the best way to clean the buttons so they don't stick AND any ideas on the other problem.

Thanks!

For reference here is a link about the arcade stick

[mjmjr25]

Can you take a pic of the inside (where the wires connect to the buttons)? If it is quick disconnects and standard 24mm and 30mm button holes, then it'd be a really easy fix for the buttons. I'm not familiar w/the hotrod brand, but as a general rule most 3rd party buttons are going to lack the quality components (spring, clips, exact centering and cut of interior button mech). Some present day HORI and Madcatz buttons are better than "normal" but still do not match the quality of the majors (seimitsu, sanwa).

EDIT: Read the article you linked.

So it has Happ buttons and stick - the stick is decent, though I prefer ball top to bat top. The stick mech itself is well made.

I'm not a fan of Happ buttons or concave buttons for that matter, concave buttons tend to require the player to feel like they need to hit the buttons harder which will wear them down quicker than convex buttons, but that is going to be a personal preference.

If it is just one of the buttons you want to replace, it'll be easy - it is stock with nicely made quick disconnects. You can buy Happ buttons on multiple arcade sites, ebay, etc.

I can't help with the other problem you're having though.

[SpaceBooger]

Here are pics.. the inside was nice and clean.
Player 1:

Player 2:

The button itself doesn't stick, meaning that it's clean and I don't think its gunked up, any ideas since I don't think the button needs replaced?

[mjmjr25]

So the button is pressing and depressing just fine, rather when you hit the button, it pops back up but continues to register as if it's being held down?

That would be an issue with the wire(s) going to that button, or the pcb that the other end of the wire is going back to (unlikely it's the pcb).

Are you able to disconnect both wires from the other credit button, attach them both to the button you're having trouble with, and see what that does?

[noiseredux]

That would be an issue with the wire(s) going to that button, or the pcb that the other end of the wire is going back to (unlikely it's the pcb).

or it could be a software issue?

[mjmjr25]

With MAME, yeah, I suppose, as in if the settings were set to "rapid or turbo" or something, so you hit it once an it registers consecutively or something? Dunno - MAME isn't my thing, others might know if it could be that...

[fastbilly1]

I had an issue with my Hotrod like your button sticking and it turned out to be a bad PS/2 wire.

[CRTGAMER]

Interface Issue
Since the Hot Rod only has a PS/2 connector, maybe it could be an issue of the PC trying to recognize two keyboards at once? Or as Fast pointed out the PS/2 cable could be bad, a marginal pin at the round connector? Disconnect the other keyboard and see if the problem goes away. If an interference problem with the other keyboard, maybe convert the Hot Rod PS/2 connecter with a USB adapter?

Switch Issue
You can verify the switches with a volt meter for a short and continuity reading. Temporarily disconnect both wires for each switch to be tested. Do one switch at a time to prevent crossed wires. The Stick has microswitches, you should hear them click and see the leaf engage the small switch button as you bump the stick around. Verify the on off with the meter. If I am looking at the pics correctly, each Fire Button looks like leaf switches where one spring bends to make contact with the other when the button is pressed. See that there is a slight gap and that they "hit" when the button is pressed. You can even fine tune the throw by bending the spring contact a little. Again the meter will verify the on and off status.