Sergey_Pe Posted July 20, 2020 Share Posted July 20, 2020 (edited) Yes. I've just had a surplus of ALPS joysticks for a different project and it was a pure coincidence that the pots were an almost perfect fit for a Saitek. Do you need any details of the process? Actually the replacement is quite straightforward. To be precise, the working angle with ALPS pots is just a bit smaller so that at the maximum position of the lever there is a deadzone of approx. 3-5 mm, but in practice it doesn't make any difference. Edited July 20, 2020 by Sergey_Pe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sokol1_br Posted July 20, 2020 Share Posted July 20, 2020 Well, it's an old thread but there are not so many specific recommendations on flight simulation forums. This is what I did: https://www.avsim.com/forums/topic/572674-saitek-throttle-quadrant-potentiometers-replacements/?do=findComment&comment=4271278 AVSim topic don't show pictures (I did login), you can post there? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sokol1_br Posted July 20, 2020 Share Posted July 20, 2020 (edited) And that it was cheap, and very much longer lasting, possibly better quality pot, like a CH or Thrustmaster pot ? Per specs ALPS RKJXV mini-stick pot' has 133x better (theoretica)l lifespan than pot used in Saitek. BTW - Pot that Thrustmster use are crap like the ones in Saitek/Logitech, see all the complains about T.16000M twist rudder pot giving issues few mounts of use. Kinda makes me wonder about the market for a long-lasting precise competitor to this... maybe using Hall or Magneto Resistive sensors instead of cheap pots? I suspect that even the recently released Honeycomb throttle still using potentiometers. Contactless sensor is cheap ($1-3), but since pot is even more ~$0.10-0.30 manufactures continue using. Edited July 20, 2020 by Sokol1_br Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sergey_Pe Posted July 21, 2020 Share Posted July 21, 2020 AVSim topic don't show pictures (I did login), you can post there? Strange, as I can see the pictures there even after I log out... Here they are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sergey_Pe Posted July 21, 2020 Share Posted July 21, 2020 Hmm, was hoping for a better outcom on this. Seems like the results aren't yet certain, if I understand it was just tried this weekend... but this is potentiometrically good news! :) Of course time will tell, but in all my engineering experience (about 40 years) ALPS was always delivering on their quality promises. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sergey_Pe Posted July 21, 2020 Share Posted July 21, 2020 I suspect that even the recently released Honeycomb throttle still using potentiometers. Contactless sensor is cheap ($1-3), but since pot is even more ~$0.10-0.30 manufactures continue using. For sure they do. Price constraints are always very critical for mass-produced gear. Honeycomb yoke has a linear pot as the pich axis sensor; they were putting a high-quality Bourns PTF pot with 100K cycles lifetime into the prototypes, but in the production version there is a standard one with about 15K... Back to Saitek throttle- I thought about using a contactless sensor, putting in an AS5600 in analog mode (so that a stock controller can be used). However the space inside is extremely limited which would require the additional modifications, and if ALPS resistors work up to their lifetime specs (I don't see why they shouldn't)- why bother with anything else? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sokol1_br Posted July 22, 2020 Share Posted July 22, 2020 Kinda makes me wonder about the market for a long-lasting precise competitor to this... maybe using Hall or Magneto Resistive sensors instead of cheap pots? I've forget, GVL224 can make this with MagREz sensor, and their metal, bearings "mechanics". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sergey_Pe Posted July 22, 2020 Share Posted July 22, 2020 I've forget, GVL224 can make this with MagREz sensor, and their metal, bearings "mechanics". True. But pricey, although you can order practically any configuration according to your own layout. And the built quality is perfect- I'm using his flaps control mechanism, it's excellent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick50 Posted July 24, 2020 Share Posted July 24, 2020 :) Of course time will tell, but in all my engineering experience (about 40 years) ALPS was always delivering on their quality promises. Hmm, I believe you! Just found out they make the Alpine brand car stereos, or used to anyway! Those last a long time in harsh conditions... Anyone know what kind of resolution does this put out? Meaning how many "steps" does it detect/send to the computer? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sergey_Pe Posted July 24, 2020 Share Posted July 24, 2020 Anyone know what kind of resolution does this put out? Meaning how many "steps" does it detect/send to the computer? 256 steps in total- this is the resolution of Saitek controller. When you use a regular potentiometer (or an analog Hall sensor) the resolution fully depends on an ADC (Analog-to-Digital Converter) at the controller's input. But to utilize this resolution you need to ensure that the sensor provides a full power supply voltage range to the input. If it is less than the resolution will degrade proportionally. This is why its's very important to use a pot with the same working angle as the original one- smaller angle will reduce a throttle lever's working zone, bigger angle will degrade the resolution which is already small with a Saitek. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
randomTOTEN Posted July 24, 2020 Share Posted July 24, 2020 Russian simmer installs hall sensors in the Saitek Throttle Quadrant :thumbup: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sergey_Pe Posted July 24, 2020 Share Posted July 24, 2020 (edited) Russian simmer installs hall sensors in the Saitek Throttle Quadrant :thumbup: Yes, but it requires changing the controller as well. However it will give you better resolution- minimum 10 bit or 1024 steps with MMJoy2 controller that this guy is using. And this controller is way more flexible compared with Saitek. You can put in the additional buttons, play with the axis parameters etc. He has also installied the magnet, cutting an upper part of the lever bearing. This will lead to an additional "play" of the lever as the leftover part wouldn't sit tightly in the bearing anymore. You'll need to put some additional bushing there which again raises the question- is Saitek's plastic mechanics worth the extra effort? Initially I planned to put a different hall sensor there- AS5600. It can be calibrated individually to provide the full voltage swing to the existing controller and the body size is even less than KM2100 in the video. Still you need to fiddle with the magnet and the bearing- possible but doesn't make sense in my opinion... Edited July 25, 2020 by Sergey_Pe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sergey_Pe Posted June 14, 2021 Share Posted June 14, 2021 Well, I've finally installed an AS5600 magnetic sensor into Saitek throttle. A small round magnet (approximately the diameter of a lever bearing which was cut flush with the lever body) was super-glued to the lever, working as a new bearing. A small circular PCB with AS5600 was hot-glued in place of a stock resistor as seen on the picture. Then AS5600 was calibrated to provide a full output voltage swing within a lever movement angle. Of course it works like a charm, as expected. The trick is to find a a magnet with the appropriate diameter (I had one as a leftover from one of the old projects). 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomVR Posted December 14, 2022 Share Posted December 14, 2022 On 6/14/2021 at 2:28 PM, Sergey_Pe said: Well, I've finally installed an AS5600 magnetic sensor into Saitek throttle. A small round magnet (approximately the diameter of a lever bearing which was cut flush with the lever body) was super-glued to the lever, working as a new bearing. A small circular PCB with AS5600 was hot-glued in place of a stock resistor as seen on the picture. Then AS5600 was calibrated to provide a full output voltage swing within a lever movement angle. Of course it works like a charm, as expected. The trick is to find a a magnet with the appropriate diameter (I had one as a leftover from one of the old projects). What is your programming process for 3 wired more? Tried to do it and bricked 3 sensors Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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