Notchy X52 pro

[Eskam001]

Just wondering how people find the x52 pro in use.Mine is fairly new but has been a bit notchy since the start.It is only noticible when flying the helo due to the need for precice movements near the centre.If,for instance, moving from hover or changing direction slowly, the stick meets a sticky point near the centre.I then add force to overcome it & the stick suddenly moves & follows through producing unwanted movement.Very annoying.Sometimes moving the silver disk below the spring helps,but the problem returns.I have sprayed white grease everywhere but no change.Has anyone had this problem/sorted it?

thanks

[159th_Falcon]

Got the same stick here but dont find the problem to be anoying.

I did read that some people reduced the tension of the spring inbetween the stick and the silver disk so its not pressed as hard on the base.

You could achieve this by using two or three ty-raps that pulls the windings of the spring together.

Adjust to the point you like it.

(some people pulled the spring all the way up so it isnt touching the silver plate at all)

[Eskam001]

Thanks Falcon

Interesting, I did try the old tie wrap thing & it seemed to help but the big end of the tie wrap started catching.I will try again with smaller ones maybe.

cheers

[bumfire]

I put some vaseline on the underside of the black disc that makes contact with the base unit, helps the stick move without any sticking near the centre, as I used to find that when the stick was centred, sometimes when I went to move the stick, it would be like stuck or harder to move for a split second, then it wud jump a few mm and that translates into a judder ingame, but with some L00b, its all gone now :p

 

I dont use 52 pro, I just use the x52.

[andyfoot]

I occasionally use furniture spray polish on the silver disc and on the underside ring it rubs against. I find it helps, and I haven't used the tie-wrap trick.

[T.Goat]

I don't mean to hi-jack, but I have another question related to the X52. When I move the joystick to the right, it gives full right input with only 1/2 to 2/3's actual stick movement. Does anyone have any ideas on how to fix this?

[deadsmell]

some serendipity going on around here lol, just last night I myself was trying to fix the same problem with my x-52.

 

I tried spraying electronics contact cleaner/ lubricant on the area, and it still sticks there near the center.

 

It is quite annoying, as I finally had to realize myself that it does create a problem when making small precise adjustments near the center. Its driving me nuts on IL-2 when trying to line up that perfect gun shot.

 

I dont like the idea of putting vaseline on it. Maybe ill try some WD-40 next.

[159th_Viper]

 

I dont like the idea of putting vaseline on it. Maybe ill try some WD-40 next.

 

Try Liquid Fabric Softener - dab a wee bit on a cloth and rub it on.......Worked a treat on mine :)

[Eskam001]

Not sure WD40 will be any good,its way too thin & wont stick to the applied surfaces.I might try the softener though, it needs something viscous I think.

T Goat, cannot you adjust the saturation in options/controlls/axis comands/axis tune.Try altering sat X? or Y? Although left & right should be the same.

Edited September 9, 2009 by Eskam001

[Frazer]

Me and my aerobatic squadron use Ballistol gun oil to solve this problem.

I've also tried WD-40 and vaseline but didn't give the desired result.

 

Every gun/airgun store should have Ballistol and one bottle lasts forever.

 

 

Put a drop of Ballistol here and it will spread to all the places required. Depending on how much you fly this one drop will last at least 2 weeks.

 

Note: it is adviced to clean the stick every once in a while.

Edited September 9, 2009 by Frazer

[Eskam001]

Excellent,sounds like this will need a try,thanks Frazer.Just a thought though, closer inspection of mine seems to point to sticking below the hole in the base casing,more like the larger flat disk that the shaft protrudes through,in youre picture the one with all the concentric rings which moves back & forth.Or even below that.........

[Frazer]

Ah I see, well I guess opening the stick and refix some screws might solve that issue. Good luck!

[deadsmell]

Great suggestions everyone.

 

 

I have tried some gun oil, its not "ballistol" just some generic stuff I had on hand.

 

It helped a little but its still sticky and makes that sound, like when you have a soda or a shake in a disposable cup from a fast food joint, and you work the straw up and down through the plastic lid and it goes ........

 

"errr-r-errr-r-errr-r-errr-r-errr-r-errr"

 

Im even noticing now that it isnt isolated only to the center, whenever I am applying any kind of slow movement to the stick, it gets stuck.

 

Say im pursuing another plane, and were climbing, and as were approaching the apex of our ascent, were also barrel rolling to the right through the top, I am slowly pulling back and right on the stick, a little further.."errr-r"...a little further.."err-r", a little fuuurther...."eer-r" and oh boy hes pulling hard through the top! were going back down to the deck, and were rolling scissors all the way........."errr-r-errr-r-errr-r-errr-r-errr-r"

 

Its really more when its slow and precise though.

 

I tried the zip ties on the spring, first problem i have with that, is my zip ties are to thick i guess, the plastic ties were hindering the range of motion so thats out for now. I tried some garbage bag ties just to see, and I guess they help a bit too, but the words "mickey mouse" come to mind.

 

At this point im seriously debating just removing that plastic piece altogether. Now this would obviously mean that for one I would never again be able to remove my hand from the flight stick while in flight. No scratching that spot under my nose that itches, no drinks, no smokes. And for two my stick is going to look all floppy and impotent when not in use. So sad, so sad.

 

I know some of the guys around here have taken their x52's, and x45's apart to make custom cyclic's and what not.

 

Theoretically if i could get that piece of plastic off, and bore out the center hole just a tad, that should solve the problem. However, im not sure how easy it is to take it apart and get it back together again without screwing it up.

 

Anybody familiar with the process of dismantling this thing?

 

Frazer when you say to clean it periodically do you mean just like dusting the outside (which i do) or do you take it apart and clean the guts at all?

 

 

 

Edit: everyones got great ideas though, Currently it is lubed and twisty tied lol, would really like to get that plastic washer/rocker thing off and run a drill through it a few times. I dont use liquid fabric softener, so I couldnt try that lol.

Edited September 9, 2009 by deadsmell

[Kilo_60]

You should set up the "Axis" commands in the HOTAS in-game configuration screen.

 

I have the same problem with my X45 so I set up "2" variable on deadzone and added a slight "S" curve to the cyclic aileron and elevator response (adds "exponential").

 

Works much better at achieving what you are looking for.

[Frazer]

@ deadsmell, I understand your issue now and it can not be fixed by any oil. You will have to open the stick and inspect closely what exactly makes the sound. Most likely it will be one of the inverted screws touching the plastic.

 

Advice, when you open and dismantle the X52, take your time and use the best screwdrivers you got. The X52 is a tricky thing.

[deadsmell]

yeah I took it apart last night. LOL all I used was a alan wrench and I didnt have a skinny enough screwdriver, so I actually used a tiny little screwdriver from a 2 dollar eyeglass repair kit lol.

 

Any way I got the stick taken apart, but you can really only go so far with it. There was no way I could disassemble it any further without risking damage. So basically, i was unable to remove the stick from the shaft which would have allowed me to remove that plastic piece.

 

Whats causing the noise and friction is still that same plastic piece you showed in your picture Frazer, its just mine is really bad. Im about ready to just break it off of there with brute force. Of course then ill have zero tension on the stick, and no recentering mechanism.

 

When i first got the stick, i thought maybe it just needed to be broken in, but this problem has only gotten worse.

 

its basically unplayable in its current state.

[Frazer]

For how long do you have your X52? If this issue is coused by long extensive usage, I advice you to buy a X52 Pro and use the Ballistol from the beginning. This way you can make your stick last for years (the oil reduces a lot of friction).

[deadsmell]

Ive barely had it a year, and to be honest I havent even used it that much.

 

I must have a faulty stick, where the center diameter of the plastic recentering thing that the shaft goes through is just a bit too small.

 

 

I suppose even the weather could be affecting it, but Im pretty sure in the end, i just have a bad stick.

 

Ive contacted saitek customer support twice and noone has called me back.

 

I really dont know, Ive babied this thing since i got it, always careful with it, always keep it clean. So for me to be taking it apart and dripping oil in it, you gotta know something is very wrong with the damn thing.

 

If Saitek doesnt want to provide any customer service/support, then ill go buy another one in the store, and just return it with my old broken one in the box and say there ya go im returning this.

 

Either way im gettin this baby exchanged for one that works properly.

 

I am very disappointed with this thing. I Should have saved up for a CH set up.

 

 

Thanks Frazer.

[deadsmell]

hey guys, just wanted to update this.

 

I did end up trading in my old x52 for a new one.

 

The new one worked great for approximately 3-4 weeks.

 

Then the exact same same issue came back. I put the gun oil I have on it and it actually makes it worse. (i did not use ballistol as Frazer suggested just because i didnt have it).

 

I did go and buy a thing of vaseline, and apply that, and it seems to be working.

 

Nobody even looked at me funny when I went through the check out line with a six pack of budweiser, a pack of cigarettes, and a tub of vaseline either. These days im not sure if thats a good thing or a bad thing.

 

I just wanted to update this as, I am sure many people with X52's will experience this issue. I was hesitant to put vaseline on it before, but after taking my first X52 apart, I saw the guts were pretty well slathered with grease anyway, and that vaseline could be applied to the stick safely without risk of any damage or anything.

 

So there you have it folks. I hope you enjoyed this story about me rubbing vaseline on my stick as much as i enjoyed doing it.

[Frazer]

:megalol:

 

One thing for sure, you are dedicated to your simulator and everything it needs ;)

Vaseline might be working better for a X52 (plastic). Best would be X52Pro (plastic&metal) + Ballistol but that doesn't matter now.

 

Glad it worked out for you eventually. Remember though not to make it too greesy or your X52 may malfunction.

[deadsmell]

k guys im bringing this back from the dead HOPEFULLY for the last time.

 

it appears my post on the vaseline was made a bit too hastily.

 

Long story short the vaseline no longer works. It has its own problems, it evaporates, and in the end it just stops working even after a fresh application.

 

So while I dont use liquid fabric softener, I do use those fabric softener sheets that you throw in the dryer with your clothes.

 

I cut a piece of one off, cut a hole in the center, and placed it under that annoying plastic piece under the spring (re-centering mechanism).

 

Its working like a charm. I have been using it that way for weeks, as I wanted to make sure it was a viable solution before updating this.

 

159th Viper was the one to suggest fabric softener, and it works!!

 

Good call Viper, :)

 

Again im using fabric softener sheets, so i cant comment on the liquid softener.

[Bucic]

Me and my aerobatic squadron use Ballistol gun oil to solve this problem.

I've also tried WD-40 and vaseline but didn't give the desired result.

 

...

 

Put a drop of Ballistol here and it will spread to all the places required. Depending on how much you fly this one drop will last at least 2 weeks.

 

Note: it is adviced to clean the stick every once in a while.

 

Won't ballistol cause plastic deterioration like regular machinery grease could?

[Frazer]

Won't ballistol cause plastic deterioration like regular machinery grease could?

 

Almost none....

[Bucic]

Almost none....

Very assuring :) I took a risk with my Saitek AV8R but you know, it's dirt cheap.

 

http://a2asimulations.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=138064#p138064

 

 

I disassembled it completely, washed it perfectly and re-greased every single part with standard roller bearing/machinery grease. I can't confirm if it caused plastic deterioration as I greased the junk when it already started seizing. Greasing the fresh one would show. I can only say it's much better compared to when it started seizing.

[Frazer]

The gun oil I use (and my whole squadron btw) helps me from a notchy X52Pro for about 3 years now. Never had a problem. Please note, for the X52 (not the pro) you should not use gun oil but grease.