CH pedals all better now

Zimmerdylan · November 26, 2016

I have been using the lower end CH pedals for some time now. They are OK, and I appreciate them because they save me from having to use they keyboard or twist grip in my joystick saving my wrist from having to deal with staying in one position or another.

Before I purchased them I was using home made rudder pedals that I hacked from an old analog joystick. The home made ones were pretty good but I had no way of assigning pedal brakes to them and this was always an issue for me.

When I started on the CH pedals, I remember thinking that the rudder function on them was pretty much on par with my home made pedals. But I never went back because I needed the toe brakes.

My issue with the CH pedals became that right in the center, when you would reach the pivot balance and the springs both reached their minimum tension, there would be this slight snag to get them to go to the left of right. It wasn't anything major but you really notice it when you have to use it for any kind of precision. In my case it was aiming the guns. That little hesitation between dead center and left or right was always kind of aggravating. I would always find myself overcompensating to get it over the hump and would have to fiddle with it while gunning an enemy or attacking a ground target.

I decided last night (while bored out of my skull) to investigate the cause of this. I had always assumed that it was the nature of the pedal itself and that there wasn't anything that I could do about it. I thought that maybe I would save up and purchase a better set of pedals down the line.

To make a long post short, Whew! I'm glad I did this. It's simple to do, and it made this pedal so much better to use. No more catching in the center, the pedal flows much smoother now, and I know that I can perform maintenance on them in the future.

When I got it apart, I immediately noticed fragments of stuff inside. There was a steel rod about a half

an inch long, a piece of particle board, and a small piece of heavy paper. The steel rod was actually the axle for one of the rollers that one of the pedal carriages glides on. It had either been mis-mounted during production or had somehow gotten dislodged at some point. It wasn't rattling around in the set but was setting crooked with the wheel itself stuck in it's socket. Amazingly enough, this wasn't the real issue. It did leave the pedal a little more stiff than it otherwise would have been, but it was only a part of the problem. The piece of paper I found was stuck to one of the tracks that the wheel bearings rode on, right near the center area. So whenever I would try to use the pedal, it would have to go over the paper. It was just thick enough to cause the snag issue. The way the unit is assembled is actually pretty smart. The pedestal itself is almost exactly as wide as the pedal carriage and it's bearings (wheels) so there are wheels on the top and bottom of the carriage that cannot move anywhere but back and forth. The carriages for the pedals are snugly held together by the casing itself. That little piece of paper became a major lump in the pedal because of this.

How the particle board got in there was way beyond me, but it too had a hand in the issues. Really small pieces of it were stuck to the wheels. Not anything big but enough to hinder movement a little.

I cleaned everything up, got the wheel back into it's pocket with the axle and assembled the case. Before I got all of the screws back into the unit, I tested it out to make sure it was working properly. And it did. Very nicely. But I got to wondering why there was no lubrication in this pedal. There are several points of friction on every piece within it. Plastic on plastic, and medal on plastic in various pins and slots. So I took a chance and applied axle grease (with a graphite powder mix) to all of the points of contact. I gave it some though before doing this because I thought that maybe CH would have done this if it were needed. But I opted to go ahead for 2 reasons. First, there was no dust or dirt in the pedal unit. This told me that it's at least safe to do it because there would be nothing to gum it up over time. And second was (call my logic crazy) that the plug going from the PC board to the pedals themselves was so mismatched that I thought “These guys are just cheap!” Anyone who would couple those two connectors had to not care about quality all that much and didn't want to spring for the extra grease and labor to apply it. Call me crazy but it makes sense (to me anyway) after you see the picture of the plug assembly. 2 items that make no sense whatsoever in their assembled state. But it was the way it came apart and it works when it's back together.

Did the grease make a difference? Yes, very much so. The pedals work like a Swiss timepiece now.

I could not be happier with their performance. I'm now having to get use to something that works like it should have from the factory.

So if anyone has issues with their CH rudder pedals. Maybe this is your solution.

Be aware that if you disassemble this pedal setup, it has a very clear sticker that says “Warranty void if broken on it. So you enter at your own risk. In my case.....it was very much worth the effort.

I just hope that those (do not remove tag) people don't show up to take me away in the middle of the night

Edited November 26, 2016 by Zimmerdylan

OldE24 · November 27, 2016

the “Warranty void if broken" is a BS sticker to keep you out they cant legally enforce it.

coldViPer · November 27, 2016

Interesting, I really need to check my pedals also. I bought my CH setup 2008 so no worry about the warranty :)

Zimmerdylan · November 27, 2016

the “Warranty void if broken" is a BS sticker to keep you out they cant legally enforce it.

LOL.....I'm pretty sure that my warranty was way over expired anyway. I bought them used 2 years ago.

I was amazed at how hap hazardly the electronics were assembled in that thing. No wonder the sticker was there. They didn't want you looking at their shawdy work.

I can't really complain. The pedal works and has given me no real trouble in the time I have had it. And it works really well now.

Zimmerdylan · November 27, 2016

Interesting, I really need to check my pedals also. I bought my CH setup 2008 so no worry about the warranty :)

If you have the same setup as I do, I would be very interested to know if the main plug is rigged up the same way that mine is. Please let me know if you go into it. :smartass:

coldViPer · November 27, 2016

If you have the same setup as I do, I would be very interested to know if the main plug is rigged up the same way that mine is. Please let me know if you go into it. :smartass:

Absolutely, I'll try to do this next week.

Haukka81 · November 27, 2016

You get even better pedals if you throw out that 8bit board and install arduino (mmjoy) or leobodnar controller board in :)

Zimmerdylan · November 27, 2016

You get even better pedals if you throw out that 8bit board and install arduino (mmjoy) or leobodnar controller board in :)

Other than adding switches or other hardware, what would the benefit be?

Haukka81 · November 27, 2016

Other than adding switches or other hardware, what would the benefit be?

More resolution... 8 bit is 255 steps , so you get about 127,25 steps for full left to center pedal and same for right side.. and lets say that your pedas move 15cm from center to full left = its not so analog anymore :huh:

10bit is 1024 steps , much better. :smilewink:

Same is for ch joysticks , even fighter stick usb has 8 bit board in and it has long travel , so movement steps are easy to notice.. Makes fine control near imposible :)

Edited November 27, 2016 by Haukka81

PureEvil · November 28, 2016

I bought them used 2 years ago.

i wonder if it's the 1st user who swapped the plug. i never seen any mis-match between components in CH gear.

coldViPer · November 28, 2016

More resolution... 8 bit is 255 steps , so you get about 127,25 steps for full left to center pedal and same for right side.. and lets say that your pedas move 15cm from center to full left = its not so analog anymore :huh:

10bit is 1024 steps , much better. :smilewink:

Same is for ch joysticks , even fighter stick usb has 8 bit board in and it has long travel , so movement steps are easy to notice.. Makes fine control near imposible :)

That would be quite huge improvement. Is it possible to upgrade fighterstick to 10bit and how easily?

Zimmerdylan · November 28, 2016

i wonder if it's the 1st user who swapped the plug. i never seen any mis-match between components in CH gear.

Maybe we'll know for sure when ColdViper opens his up to have a look. I'm thinking that they may have changed the board post production.

I know that I was pretty surprised when I took it apart.

Zimmerdylan · November 28, 2016

More resolution... 8 bit is 255 steps , so you get about 127,25 steps for full left to center pedal and same for right side.. and lets say that your pedas move 15cm from center to full left = its not so analog anymore :huh:

10bit is 1024 steps , much better. :smilewink:

Same is for ch joysticks , even fighter stick usb has 8 bit board in and it has long travel , so movement steps are easy to notice.. Makes fine control near imposible :)

Hmm...... I was looking at the boards last night. Pretty interesting.

Haukka81 · November 29, 2016

That would be quite huge improvement. Is it possible to upgrade fighterstick to 10bit and how easily?

Just Google leobonard boards or go to http://simhq.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/3899105/MMJoy/MMjoy2_-_Build_your_own_ cheap and easy to made :) lots of pics and info :)

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coldViPer · November 29, 2016

Maybe someday, sound really interesting. Right now my daughter (6 months) says No, you dont have any free time! So maybe later ;)

Haukka81 · November 29, 2016

Maybe someday, sound really interesting. Right now my daughter (6 months) says No, you dont have any free time! So maybe later ;)

I understand , i have one 5month old and one 2 year old.. no much free time to use in flight sim's

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Lensman · November 29, 2016

A bit of advice if you are considering taking the CH pedals apart. Don't be tempted to go in from the bottom. I did, and after removing the base screws and prising the case apart was entertained by a blizzard of springs, axles and other parts, leaping out from the interior!

Go in from the top, removing the pedals first.

An excellent instruction sheet is available on the CH forum.

http://www.ch-hangar.com/forum/index.php/files/file/317-ch-products-pro-pedals-disassembly-guide/

You'll need to register with the forum to snag it tho'

Cheers.

hannibal · November 29, 2016

i wish they updated the ch control manager software so it doesnt add flaky devices in windows device manager

Zimmerdylan · November 29, 2016

A bit of advice if you are considering taking the CH pedals apart. Don't be tempted to go in from the bottom. I did, and after removing the base screws and prising the case apart was entertained by a blizzard of springs, axles and other parts, leaping out from the interior!
Go in from the top, removing the pedals first.
An excellent instruction sheet is available on the CH forum.
http://www.ch-hangar.com/forum/index.php/files/file/317-ch-products-pro-pedals-disassembly-guide/

You'll need to register with the forum to snag it tho'

Cheers.

I'm not understanding you on this. There is a top, and a bottom on mine. You cannot approach from the pedal side because the bottom plate is pretty much all that comes off. When I took mine apart, there were only 2 springs that were very easy to get back into place.

Do you have the more expensive pedals?

Lensman · November 29, 2016

I'm not understanding you on this. There is a top, and a bottom on mine. You cannot approach from the pedal side because the bottom plate is pretty much all that comes off. When I took mine apart, there were only 2 springs that were very easy to get back into place.
Do you have the more expensive pedals?

Ah, sorry, my bad. I didn't catch your reference to 'lower end pedals'.

Mine are the Pro Pedals. I didn't realise there was an alternative device.

Anyway, the 'official' disassembly guide for the 'Pro' pedals stresses that you should start by removing the pedals, then releasing the main body screws and lifting the top to reveal the inner workings.

Cheers

Dave

Haukka81 · November 29, 2016

Even pro pedals (i have those) there is just two spirngs and cam inside so its easy to work.. CH pedals are really simple , its good. Easy to mod and make better :)

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coldViPer · November 29, 2016

Oh, I have Pro pedals also. Didn't know there was a cheaper version :o Thanks for the disassembly instructions.

PureEvil · November 29, 2016

Maybe someday, sound really interesting. Right now my daughter (6 months) says No, you dont have any free time! So maybe later ;)

I understand , i have one 5month old and one 2 year old.. no much free time to use in flight sim's

daughter 2,5 years old and son 4 years old, still no free time :megalol:

coldViPer · December 1, 2016

Okay, had some time to make disassembly. Everything seemed to be ok and didn't found any problems except dirt, sand and dust :) And that was the reason for bad movement. All connectors was firmly attached, cleaned everything and some grease, now it works better. I think I'll open my Pro Throttle next, it have some issue also.

Zimmerdylan · December 4, 2016

Okay, had some time to make disassembly. Everything seemed to be ok and didn't found any problems except dirt, sand and dust :) And that was the reason for bad movement. All connectors was firmly attached, cleaned everything and some grease, now it works better. I think I'll open my Pro Throttle next, it have some issue also.

Yeah...I see a lot of particles of stuff floating around there. And your plug is identical to mine. It really does help to clean it out and put grease on the friction points. Cool! Thanks for showing me the pics.

I have taken my X52 apart a few times but never really found anything that could be adjusted to make things better. I did install a washer between the spring and stick to make it more stiff. I find it to be waaaay too lose for my liking. And I put graphite/ grease in the half ball joint to make it move more smoothly but you don't have to take it apart for that.

I loosened the clutch on the throttle from the inside. I hated those catch points on it.

My X55 is just fine so I have never taken it apart.

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