Kraft vs. IBM joystick innards comparison

From: Sellam Ismail <foo_at_siconic.com>
Date: Thu Dec 20 00:50:28 2001

On Fri, 14 Dec 2001, Fred Cisin (XenoSoft) wrote:

> On Fri, 14 Dec 2001, Sellam Ismail wrote:
> > > So the IBM joystick can't be just a rebadged Tandy one.
> > Ok, to be more accurate: it LOOKS like a re-badged Tandy joystick ;)
>
> OK, it could be a re-badged Tandy joystick housing and mechanical works
> with slightly different pots and wiring.

Ok, here is the scoop on these joysticks. I found an IBM badged one and a
Kraft badged one. The IBM one had a PCjr connector on the end. I don't
know if I have one for the IBM PC. In fact, I may have been mistaken and
premature in saying that I have one for the IBM PC. I think all the ones
I have may well be for the PCjr. I'll check tomorrow.

At any rate, here are pictures of each and their innards:

http://www.siconic.com/crap/joysticks/

The Kraft stick has pots labelled 365Z145K<ohm> and the IBM are
365Z100K<ohm>. There are also some capacitors (markings say 684Z) in
series with the pots and joystick buttons on the IBM stick that are not
present on the Kraft stick. So Tony's prediction as it were was right on.
Tony, as always, gets the award for Intimate Knowledge of Something No
Sane Person Should Have.

The Kraft joystick works on my Apple //e.

I found another IBM PCjr joystick today at a thrift store so I would
classify these as "uncommon".

BTW, these sticks can be configured for either self-centering or
free-floating. I'm too tired and lazy to describe the mechanism properly,
but basically there are these two tabs on the bottom of the stick (for
each axis) that catches an armature that is holding down the
self-centering spring inside. When you move the stick to a corner and
then flip the tab, it catches into a slot on the spring arm and allows the
stick to move around freely without the force from the spring pushing it
back to center. Very clever.

Sellam Ismail Vintage Computer Festival
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International Man of Intrigue and Danger http://www.vintage.org
Received on Thu Dec 20 2001 - 00:50:28 GMT

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