VWood Posted August 27, 2016 Share Posted August 27, 2016 Hello, I would like to find out from people who have owned the FSSB R3 mod for a while if you have noticed any sort of 'wiggle' develop in the grip? Hearing from people who have the FSSB or FSSB R2 cougar would also be very welcome since they would have had the mod for a much longer time. The reason I ask is because the grip and shaft appear to be made from pot metal and doesn't seem to be inserted very deeply. I have also seen a video of someone who had a failure in this part: I would like to get the mod, but I am concerned about the extra strain it might put on the stick and the effect this could have over time. Thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Invisibull Posted August 27, 2016 Share Posted August 27, 2016 After 3 yrs of heavy use no problems at all. i9 9900k - GTX 2080 Ti - MSI Z87 GD65 Mobo - 64GB HyperX Predator RGB DDR4 3200MHz - Win10 64 bit - TM Warthog w FSSB R3 mod - TrackIr 5. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ggerman Posted August 27, 2016 Share Posted August 27, 2016 (edited) I have an FSSB R3 and Warthog stick that developed a slight wiggle after about 1 year and then one day the pot metal shaft snapped in two right at the base. There is, indeed, a great deal of pressure asserted on that shaft - but only when you have the force set to higher levels. Instead of getting a replacement from Thrustmaster, I ordered a 3-D printed heavy vinyl replacement from Debolestis Shapeways shop in this thread It's extremely stiff and it also has the correct angle and slight offset that are missing from the original TM version. So far, it has held up remarkably well... there was a slight wobble at first, but I managed to tighten it down and now it is perfect! It was very affordable and so far it has been a great replacement! Edited August 27, 2016 by ggerman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thadiun Okona Posted August 27, 2016 Share Posted August 27, 2016 The wiggle happens when the screw inside the grip holding the tailstock comes loose. If yours does, tighten it back up right away and maybe use Loctite on the threads. So long as it stays tight it won't wallow the metal, but if you leave it loose it may lose the ability to tighten back up. If you ever break it (zinc is very weak), Deboloestis has a Shapeways page where you can print a black steel replacement and even add the 13deg fed pitch angle Thrustmaster omitted from their already nose-heavy grip likely for balance purposes. http://www.shapeways.com/shops/debolestis This will not put 'extra stress' on the grip or whatever you are worried about; it's just a superior replacement part for the cheap pot-metal one TM makes. They use zinc to save money, not to act as a mechanical fuse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vladinsky Posted August 27, 2016 Share Posted August 27, 2016 I've only had my R3 for about 3 months now, I did get some wiggle initially with the standard zinc shaft that went away when I tightened down the screws properly. Never did trust that potmetal though so I replaced it with a stainless shaft from Debolestis shapeways within two weeks. In addition to using Loctite on that one I also cut some small aluminium shims to stop it from moving even if the screws got loose, it's been rock solid for two and a half months now and I expect it will remain that way for quite some time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fuzzysham Posted August 28, 2016 Share Posted August 28, 2016 I had this happen. Tightened the screws and it helped for about a month. Once I couldn't tighten it anymore I contacted Thrustmaster to see if I could get a replacement stick. Only the stick and nothing else. You can buy a replacement stick for $100. It was worth it since the buttons on my old stick had gotten soft. Now that I see these replacement parts, I think I'm going to buy one to make it stronger and preempt any issues. I just hate taking apart Thrustmater stuff; wires are so fragile. Quick question; would the 13 degree angled one accurately reflect a side-stick F-16? I have the FSSB setup as a side stick in my Obutto. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thadiun Okona Posted August 28, 2016 Share Posted August 28, 2016 Quick question; would the 13 degree angled one accurately reflect a side-stick F-16? Yes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VWood Posted August 28, 2016 Author Share Posted August 28, 2016 I have an FSSB R3 and Warthog stick that developed a slight wiggle after about 1 year and then one day the pot metal shaft snapped in two right at the base. There is, indeed, a great deal of pressure asserted on that shaft - but only when you have the force set to higher levels. Instead of getting a replacement from Thrustmaster, I ordered a 3-D printed heavy vinyl replacement from Debolestis Shapeways shop in this thread It's extremely stiff and it also has the correct angle and slight offset that are missing from the original TM version. So far, it has held up remarkably well... there was a slight wobble at first, but I managed to tighten it down and now it is perfect! It was very affordable and so far it has been a great replacement! The wiggle happens when the screw inside the grip holding the tailstock comes loose. If yours does, tighten it back up right away and maybe use Loctite on the threads. So long as it stays tight it won't wallow the metal, but if you leave it loose it may lose the ability to tighten back up. If you ever break it (zinc is very weak), Deboloestis has a Shapeways page where you can print a black steel replacement and even add the 13deg fed pitch angle Thrustmaster omitted from their already nose-heavy grip likely for balance purposes. http://www.shapeways.com/shops/debolestis This will not put 'extra stress' on the grip or whatever you are worried about; it's just a superior replacement part for the cheap pot-metal one TM makes. They use zinc to save money, not to act as a mechanical fuse. Thanks for the replies. It seems Shapeways is the way to go. So your saying the grip won't bend out of shape? That is good to hear. I understand why they use molding for all the parts, including the plastic. Machining can cost more than 20 times as much as molding. It would have been nice if they used something other than zinc though. Thank goodness Thrustmaster's high end HOTAS have such a large support community. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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