Any advice on cleaning a Kraft joystick?

[djfitzgerald]

I'm posting this here because my particular Kraft joystick is the stock one for a PCjr. It hasn't been used in ??? years, and just plugging it in and trying it out shows that it isn't registering downward direction data. I had two more Kraft joysticks (one still new in box), and got similar problems with differing directions. So, since "blindly trying an old joystick with no service" didn't work for me (who knew?), what care and maintaince should I give to these joysticks to help get them working again?

 

[dmark]

What helped with my two Kraft joysticks of this vintage (one Apple II compatible, the other PC gameport) was to clean and lubricate the mechanism. In particular one of them had a similar issue to what you described, where it would not register movements in a certain direction. I would suggest disassembly of the mechanisms for both axes (they slide right out), and then clean everything with some IPA, then apply some silicone based lubricant, and put everything back together. Works like a charm afterwards.

 

[twolazy]

I just used a few squirts of Deoxit faderlube in mine, brought both back to life. I have 3 of them, 1 is pc only, 1 is pc and apple, and 1 is just apple. Weird thing is the apple one never gave me any issues, unlike the other 2. Perhaps I use it more? Who knows...