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Step by Step (by Step by Step) Guide on Nav Joystick Replacement

91K views 174 replies 73 participants last post by  mojavejoe 
#1 · (Edited)
*******************EDIT********************
Alpine has discontinued the joystick

RKJXT1F42001 is the replacement number now.

looks like you can buy 1 part here:

http://www.onlinecomponents.com/alps-electric_rkjxt1f42001.html?p=10114296

keep in mind the replacement is a 4-way not an 8-way. the 8-way was discontinued, probably because they kept breaking.

looks like they also have the 8-way but it's $50

http://www.onlinecomponents.com/alps-electric_rkjxt1e12001.html?p=10114295&pref=Repl

*******************************************

you can order a new plastic knob thing here:
DTR--- 1-800-373-3539 ...ext262...ask for katie

Ok.. first sorry the pictures are bad, all I had was my phone when I did this:

order the Joystick here: http://www.mouser.com/Search/Refine.aspx?Ntt=*RKJXT1E12001*&N=1323038&Ntx=mode%2bmatchall&Ns=P_SField&OriginalKeyword=RKJXT1E12001&Ntk=Mouser_Wildcards

Thank You Jaak for finding that...

Tools needed:

Desolder iron
empty can of some kind..
Solder iron
Solder
Jewelers Flat Blade Screw Driver
Jewelers Phillips Head Screw Driver

**basic soldering skills**

Step 1.

remove Nav unit from car. (if you struggle with this, then stops here DO NOT go further)

Step 2.

there are 4 screws on each side and 2 on the top and bottom of the face plate, remove these and pull off the Knobs (volume, tuning, Joystick)

(thank you Jaak for providing these pictures)







use small screw driver to top pop the tabs that hold the face plae on.



Step 3.

Remove the PCB board:
4 screws hold it in place:



remove the connector on the left side



Step 4.

place the unit on a mouse pad or some other type of anti-static pad.

I personally use an empty tissue box, because I can set the unit on it with the knobs inside the opening to prevent damage to them.

Step 5.

Desolder the old joystick, make sure you EMPTY the desolder iron after each pass (empty into the can) or you could spit hot solder onto the pcb board and Bye Bye Navi Unit.

this is a desoldering iron $25 at Radio Shack:






Step 5A

look at the difference in the 2 joysticks.. if the new one (shorter shaft) bugs you then you can do the following and swap out the shaft:


A. dissemble the old joystick:

use the flat blade screw driver to lift these four tabs:


open joystick:


remove the shaft:


repeat the steps for the new joystick and swap the shafts.

Step 6.

Now resolder the new stick in place:



If I recall there are 15 points to solder, the stick only goes in one way so you can't mess that up,, but BE CAREFUL not to bend the ends as you insert it, they break kinda easy.

Step 7.

finished:


Disclaimer

YOU DO THIS AT YOUR OWN RISK.. DON'T BLAME ME IF YOU SCREW UP YOUR UNIT.
 
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#163 ·
I could use the pdf as well. Still need to do this myself. Sending PM.
 
#165 ·
Dear Mr. Incredible,

Is there someone to whom I can mail my GPS system that can fix the darn thing? I'm afraid I'm not handy and would surely break the thing if I tried to follow your excellent but over-my-head instructions.

A helpless female when it comes to car stuff,
Suzy
 
#166 ·
I see no one has posted to this thread in a while except for selain looking for someone to do the swap. Maybe I am the only one that has recently broken the control knob. I searched and searched the internet and called a few sources - even Alps the switch manufacturer (never answered my voice mail) without success finding the CORRECT replacement. Until ... I did an eBay search and came up with the correct part. ipodmycar is the eBay seller that has the part. Chrysler Joystick for Jeep Dodge Rec Navigation with 8 Direction and Long Shaft | eBay It is what I would consider very expensive at $70 + $7 shipping but was quick delivery and most importantly drops right in as the exact part. The unit has been re-installed in the car and working fine once again.
I want to thank Mr iNCREDIBLE for the very good write up on replacing the switch. Without this info my job would have been much harder I am sure.
 
#168 ·
I know I'm bringing an old thread back from the dead, but I couldn't find this info anywhere else.

Did anyone ever figure out the click to enter jumper wire location on the PCB?

I guess I'll be paying $90 for the OEM switch since i dont want to grind on my face plate or risk the zoom not working. (So, does the OEM switch even have a center click fucntion?)

Ugh!

There was no nav disc in the car when I bought it, so I didn't know the joystick didn't work. I got a disc and now this...
 
#169 ·
the push to enter mod only worked on the first revisions of the REC unit.. manufacture dates of 2003 and 2004.. if the unit was made after 9/2004 then the PCB is different and jumping the wiring to the enter function will ground out the unit.

when I originally did this I had my OEM unit with a build date of 12/2003, then my unit was warranty replaced for the LCD failing, and the new unit which was a 2006 model when I attempted the push to enter mod, I discovered the PCB was different and that trace had been removed from the board..


Alpine had 9 revisions of the REC unit between 2003 and 2006 addressing multiple issues and finally scrapped the unit and discontinued it in Aug 2006.. 2007 model vehicles got the last revision with the VGA sync for a backup camera, and after that it was done.
 
#172 ·
Hi, I hope someone still reads this thread :)
Just got a 2006 Magnum with a REC unit. Joystick is OK but the audio cd player doesn't read anymore.
I see that laser assemblies for Alpine are cheap on ebay. Anyone would happen to know the model used on the REC unit ?
The local shop wants 480$ to repair it, so if guess I can take a guess and change a 20$ part, otherwise I'll dump it and buy something else.
 
#174 ·
Just installed the short shaft 8 way joystick, was not too bad, had one pin that did not want to come unsoldered. As long as you have one of those unsoldering guns it is not a chore. Thanks for all of you folks input on this, thanks Mr. Incredible for rounding this up, couldn't have done it without it.
 
#175 ·
Thank You Mr. iNCREDIBLE, and all the other contributors for this 13 year old thread. While it is 2020 now I used this thread to figure out how to replace the joystick on my wife's 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee Nav unit. While I did some electronics repair in the Army in 68-69, without this thread I would have been stumped on how to proceed. It was an arduous task all the same. Hardest part was desoldering the 12+ contacts on the joystick, especially that one that was connected to nothing, that I had to drill out. But with the help of Hakko I managed just fine. Frankly I was surprised it worked again when reinstalled. What can I say, Im 72 now and haven't done anything like this job for over 50 years. So i guess the saying "Not Hard to teach an old dog old tricks" still holds. Thanks Again Mr I, You are the man.
 
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