Seimitsu LS-56 to fix TwinStick ?

[Fredo]

Hey guys, I have a problem with my Dreamcast TwinStick:

DSC_0339.jpg

As the Dreamcast TwinSticks seem to be based on LS-56 joysticks, I was wondering if I could use some parts of LS-56 to fix this ?

LS-56 parts

ls56_xp.jpg

Dreamcast Twin Stick parts

twinstick-4.jpg

twinstick.jpg

The spring holder seems a bit longer for the Twin Stick, would it work too eventhough ? Or is their another way to fix this or to find a spare part ?

Thanks for the help.

[MentholMoose]

Yes, you can use the spring catch from the LS-56. Another forum member confirmed this a few years ago.

Dreamcast Twin Stick Repair

This is the most common point of failure in DC Twin Sticks. The yellow spring catches in DC Twin Sticks are known to be weak, and in the second production run were replaced with stronger ones that were green. When you replace it, make sure to apply enough lubricant.

[Fredo]

Ok, thanks for the confirmation !

Ho, and the same problem occured to my Saturn TwinStick, any clues on how to fix it ?

[MentholMoose]

I don't recall a solution specific to the issue on Saturn Twin Sticks. Does the spring catch look similar to one from the DC Twin Sticks / LS-56? Years ago before anyone knew about the LS-56 compatibility, people would replace broken spring catches on DC Twin Sticks with metallic thread spools that were cut in half. These are essentially indestructible, though may add to the wear and tear of other components.

[Fredo]

It's not really a spring catch like for the DC TS.

It's the small black plastic washer on this picture, except it's white in my case:


I tried to replace it by a metallic washer, but it does not work properly, the stick has no spring return for one direction.

[Edit] Problem solved: I just bought a new Saturn TwinStick and a pair of Seimitsu LS-56 to fix my two TwinSticks !

[Fredo]

Back agin with a new question:

The two Seimitsu sticks I was about to buy were no LS-56 but LS-33, which do not have the spring catch I'm looking for. Thankfully I didn't purchase them.

Since finding LS-56 joysticks in France has become quite hard, I was wondering if LS-58 joysticks would work too, as they seem to share a lot with the LS-56, including the precious spring catch:

http://forums.shoryuken.com/discussion/ ... -questions

Can anyone confirm ?

[MentholMoose]

Sorry, I don't know about the LS-58. If you can find schematics, check the shaft diameter to see if it matches the LS-56. If it matches, the spring catch should be the same or at least compatible.

However, first I suggest contacting Seimitsu directly to ask for the LS-56 spring catches. They shipped some to forum member Jumbo in the US without a problem. That was a few years ago, though.

[Fredo]

Ok, I've tried contacting Seimitsu (in English + Japanes Google Tard), and asked to buy some LS-56 spring catches. I'm waiting for the answer.

[Fredo]

Seimitsu does not seem to want to answer my request...

By the way, I've found this page whose author seems to have thought a lot about fixing thos spring catches, with several ideas:
http://blog.goo.ne.jp/kagami-en/e/59b0c ... b3a1da9cc5
http://blog.goo.ne.jp/kagami-en/e/b28be ... 7ac02fde18

custom_spring_catch.png

custom_spring_catch2.jpg

repai_spring_catch.png

repair_spring_catch.jpg

I'll try the second option to fix my stick.

I also found this diagram thar seems to show that by adding some kind of thin washer, you could prevent those spring catches from breaking, translation would be appriciated :

up.gif

[Fredo]

Hey, I've tried this method:



And I must admit it works surprisingly well ! you can hardly feel any difference !

Good thing to know

[Billkwando]

Hey, I've tried this method:



And I must admit it works surprisingly well ! you can hardly feel any difference !

Good thing to know

Can you explain what "this method" is?

[MentholMoose]

Can you explain what "this method" is?

I'm not sure if Fredo will reply. He followed the guide posted above and replaced the spring catch with a washer or half of a metal bobbin. This does work but has two main downsides. First, wear and tear is increased on other parts (metal versus plastic), so sufficient lubrication is much more important. Second, it affects the feel of the sticks as Fredo mentioned.

Using half of a bobbin was the go-to solution for the US VOOT community before we found out we could buy replacement spring catches. See Dreamcast Twin Stick Repair for details. Note that spring catch is also known as spring receiver or spring stopper.

[Billkwando]

Can you explain what "this method" is?

I'm not sure if Fredo will reply. He followed the guide posted above and replaced the spring catch with a washer or half of a metal bobbin. This does work but has two main downsides. First, wear and tear is increased on other parts (metal versus plastic), so sufficient lubrication is much more important. Second, it affects the feel of the sticks as Fredo mentioned.

Using half of a bobbin was the go-to solution for the US VOOT community before we found out we could buy replacement spring catches. See Dreamcast Twin Stick Repair for details. Note that spring catch is also known as spring receiver or spring stopper.

I checked Focus Attack, and the only spring stopper I could find was this:

https://www.focusattack.com/seimitsu-ls ... ring-base/

I wanted to order some spares, preemptively. Do you think that would work?

Assuming the SS and DC are similar enough, here's the only pic of SS innards I could find, from here on the forum:



This is also what prompted me to ask how much disassembly was required to lube the spring catches (which are the small black washers here, apparently), but you said none was required, so I guess I'll figure it out once I take the bottom plate off...

[MentholMoose]

I think the SS TS shafts are a different diameter that the ones from the DC TS so the LS-56 spring catches won't work. I don't know if the LS-32 spring catches would work, either.

[Billkwando]

I think the SS TS shafts are a different diameter that the ones from the DC TS so the LS-56 spring catches won't work. I don't know if the LS-32 spring catches would work, either.

They're also a different design entirely, which I talk about here:

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=84&p=12900#p12900