Warthog stick - any fix for center play/looseness

[Mud]

I have seen several posts of people experiencing the issue where the stick has or develops some slack at the center, which is very annoying for precision flying.

 

Since it has to be a problem of a mechanical nature, I'm positive there must be a way to solve it. Yet I have not managed to sort it out myself yet.

 

Has anybody been able to find a solution/fix for this?

[FoxTwo]

I fixed it by buying a VPC WarBRD base.

[Mud]

I own the WarBRD, but it's paperweight to me since I fly with an 11cm extension. The springs in the WarBRD are not strong enough for that.

[FoxTwo]

I own the WarBRD, but it's paperweight to me since I fly with an 11cm extension. The springs in the WarBRD are not strong enough for that.

 

 

Even the new extra heavy springs?

 

 

I mean they recommend the T-50CM2 for use with extensions but I know people using the warbrd with shorter ones without problems.

[Mud]

Yeah, I think with the Virpil stick it might work, but the weight of the TM stick is just too much. I even managed to put two springs on top of each other in the WarBRD and that still was not enough to properly center the stick. I do have the stick between my legs though, on a chair which is slightly reclinced backward.

 

With the TM base it works fine, just the center play is something I wish I could sort out.

[Gripen 4-1]

Does your stick have play if you only move it slightly? For example grab it with 2 fingers and try to move it. If it has too much Play 1-2 cm one screw in the inside is loose. You have to unmount the metal base and the silver top cover and carefully retighten the 4 bolts inside.

I had the same; after retightening the bolts everthing was ok.

 

Open it like this and carefully tighten the 4 bolts and the Play will be gone again:

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/douglashelmer/5488891751/in/photostream/

[Mud]

It's just a bit a play. Of course it get's extended since I am using an extension. Rotating the big spring around can sometimes help in the sense that the play will be only on the roll axis for instance. But most of the time it's on the pitch and roll axis.

[VpR81]

Even the new extra heavy springs?

 

 

I mean they recommend the T-50CM2 for use with extensions but I know people using the warbrd with shorter ones without problems.

 

I'd say that it depends on the attached grip. I use the WarBRD base with heavy springs installed and TM Warthog grip attached, no extension. Still the stick is very flippy. With an extension (Tested VPC 7,5cm and 10cm), it struggles to (7,5cm), or does not (10cm) perfectly recenter. I own the extra heavy springs as well, just haven't tested them yet as i like the current setup very much. But i realy doubt that they will make an extension significant better to use. Maybe the 5cm/7,5cm one, but anything longer is pretty much useless on the WarBRD base IMO. Not to talk about realistic extensions, the comparable stiff Warthog base is unable to recenter correctly with.

 

Never tested it, but i assume if i'd attach the extension set of my Warthog base (5cm + 10cm + 20cm S-type + Hornet grip, needed Sahajs blue spring to recenter) the WarBRD base would be unable to stay in center position without holding it in place. Not to talk about recentering on it's own. So IMO, the WarBRD base is a great sidestick base, but not realy suited for to use extensions with it...

[Mud]

To follow up on this:

 

I think I found the culprit. The black part with the white ring on top which slides over the 4 metal struts. There is some wear on the parts which slide over the metal struts, especially on the holes in the white ring. Mind you, I have +2000 hours of use on the HOTAS.

 

I contacted TM to see if I can order that part from them. I will report back here once I have an update.

[Mud]

Well it took a while of mailing back and forth to get the proper parts ordered, but it did indeed solve the problem.

 

Cost was €70 for the big black part, the ring which goes on top of it and a new ribbon cable which goes to the DIN connector. Took the whole stick apart and lubed it up with Nyogel 767A.

 

Feels good as new now. In fact, better than new!

[Sierra99]

You can spend hundreds of dollars and buy another base...

 

Or you can Take it apart and carefully clean it and re-grease it. I use Lucas marine grease.