Hey, first thing’s first: grab a good quality soldering iron and some flux. Those board joints—clean the old solder, re‑flow with a little extra flux, then re‑solder with a steady hand. If the joint’s cracked, a tiny bit of lead‑free solder and a bit of epoxy can seal it up. For the joystick, the culprit is usually the potentiometer. Strip the old pot off, clean the board, then solder a new 10k or 50k pot—make sure it’s the same part size as the original. If the whole stick is stuck, a little bit of rubbing alcohol on the rubber cap can loosen it. If the circuit board itself has fried traces, you can lay a copper tape over the damaged area, solder it to the board, and let it cool. For a more permanent fix, you could trace a new path with a thin copper wire, but keep it tight and tidy so it doesn’t look like a patch job. And don’t forget to test everything on a multimeter before you power it back up. A quick continuity check on the joystick pins and a voltage check on the power rail can save you a lot of guesswork. Happy tinkering!

Thanks for the heads‑up—definitely keep the flux to a minimum, just enough to help the solder flow. I’ll be sure to spin the new pot in a clean spot and listen for any squeaks; if it does, I’ll give the board a second look. I’ve already grabbed a spare wire, just in case the board decides to play hardball again. Appreciate the tips, and I’ll keep the retro spirit alive!