bumfire Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 Yea, the title says it all, why it lasted so long I will never know, as it was already held together by elastic bands, but numb nutz me went to grab something and my arm knocked the led portion of the track clip pro out of its holder and broke one of the 2 little leg clips that hold it in place. So, is it worth buying another piece of cheap chinese plastic that will undoubtably fail within 2 years time, or is the normal hat tracking system just as precise as the track clip pro ? I havent used the normal method as I never got around to it and now I cant find the bloody thing, but I dont really fancy having a hat on my head to play a game. I know this thread serves 0 purpose, more of a way for me to share my FAIL with you all, but I would like replies from those of you who have used both types of tracking system, clip pro and the metal hat thingy, to help me figure out whats the better of the two and if its worth spending another 40 quid on a piece of plastic with 3 leds on it. :helpsmilie: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Apples Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 Duct tape works for thousands of things!! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duct_tape [sIGPIC][/sIGPIC] 6 Monitors, 5 Video Cards, 90inch Flat Screen, Intel Bad Ass 2 @ 72.6Ghz, Atari Hotas!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty_M Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 Just tape it. Mine has masking tape all around it. As long as the wires are in tact, it'll work just fine. Saves buying a new one for quite some time. The world is going mad. Me? I'm doing fine! http://www.twitch.tv/rusty_the_robot https://www.youtube.com/user/RustyRobotGaming Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaman Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 I have used super-glue. It broke already there as you mentioned plus where the second joint is (on the clip itself). 51PVO Founding member (DEC2007-) 100KIAP Founding member (DEC2018-) :: Shaman aka [100☭] Shamansky tail# 44 or 444 [sIGPIC][/sIGPIC] 100KIAP Regiment Early Warning & Control officer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadTommy Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 Mine also has more duct tape on it than anything else.... and am also curious about the comparison between the track clip and metal hat thingy...so if anyone has used both i like to hear their thought too. i5-3570K @ 4.5 Ghz, Asus P8Z77-V, 8 GB DDR3, 1.5GB GTX 480 (EVGA, superclocked), SSD, 2 x 1680x1050, x-fi extreme music. TM Warthog, Saitek combat pro pedals, TrackIR 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steel Jaw Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 Same, I just taped it to my headset. The clip was garbage from the start. "You see, IronHand is my thing" My specs: W10 Pro, I5/11600K o/c to 4800 @1.32v, 64 GB 3200 XML RAM, ASUS RTX3060ti/8GB. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MTFDarkEagle Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 One only needs 2 things in life for fixing stuff. Ducttape, and WD-40. My trackclip pro is still in one piece :P But I've only had it for a couple of months. :) Lukas - "TIN TIN" - 9th Shrek Air Strike Squadron TIN TIN's Cockpit thread Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bumfire Posted March 23, 2011 Author Share Posted March 23, 2011 LOL I am reading through this thread and every single person bar MTFDarkEagle, who has only had his for a couple months, so their is plenty of time yet, but apart from him, everyone else has also broken theirs :) NP need to take their finger out of their collective Assess and develop something similar but which is far more reliable and make it so that it wont break if you give it a dirty look. I decided to use superglue to glue it back on, basically glued it onto the tiny rubber O ring, now the part with the leds on it cannot swivel due to the glueing. It shouldnt be too much of a problem, as I played il2 all morning and also checked out dcsa10 and everything is working OK, so fingers crossed it stays like that. Cheers for the replies, it gave me a laugh knowing that everyone elses is broke also :) Atleast this gives me some more time with it before it does eventually kick the bucket due to its uniquely indestructable manufacturing process. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yskonyn Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 The TrackClip is WAY better than the reflector. I first used the latter and later got the TrackClip. If it breaks beyond repair I will not hesitate to buy a new one. Charish it! 1 [sIGPIC][/sIGPIC] Asus Z390-E, 32GB Crucial Ballistix 2400Mhz, Intel i7 9700K 5.0Ghz, Asus GTX1080 8GB, SoundBlaster AE-5, G15, Streamdeck, DSD Flight, TM Warthog, VirPil BRD, MFG Crosswind CAM5, TrackIR 5, KW-908 Jetseat, Win 10 64-bit ”Pilots do not get paid for what they do daily, but they get paid for what they are capable of doing. However, if pilots would need to do daily what they are capable of doing, nobody would dare to fly anymore.” Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G00dnight Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 you can always make a new one out of a metal coathanger, I have mine running cordless where the wire broke so I connected a small lipo heli battery and recharge it after use, make sure to get a low volt one under 5V and dont get the polarity wrong or you will blow the leds. AMD A8-5600K @ 4GHz, Radeon 7970 6Gig, 16 Gig Ram, Win 10 , 250 gig SSD, 40" Screen + 22 inch below, Track Ir, TMWH, Saitek combat pedals & a loose nut behind the stick :thumbup: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irregular programming Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 Mine broke the instant I touched it as I took it out of the packaging (the backside came out). It then just a week ago broke again on the same spot as the OPs did after barely a month of use. It's now more glue than trackclippro holding the device together. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yskonyn Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 I never found it too fragile, tbh. I am using it well over 2 years now and it's still in pristine shape! Do you guys get into a exitement tantrum or something when you grab it? :megalol: [sIGPIC][/sIGPIC] Asus Z390-E, 32GB Crucial Ballistix 2400Mhz, Intel i7 9700K 5.0Ghz, Asus GTX1080 8GB, SoundBlaster AE-5, G15, Streamdeck, DSD Flight, TM Warthog, VirPil BRD, MFG Crosswind CAM5, TrackIR 5, KW-908 Jetseat, Win 10 64-bit ”Pilots do not get paid for what they do daily, but they get paid for what they are capable of doing. However, if pilots would need to do daily what they are capable of doing, nobody would dare to fly anymore.” Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PoleCat Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 (edited) LOL I am reading through this thread and every single person bar MTFDarkEagle, who has only had his for a couple months, so their is plenty of time yet, but apart from him, everyone else has also broken theirs :) NP need to take their finger out of their collective Assess and develop something similar but which is far more reliable and make it so that it wont break if you give it a dirty look. I decided to use superglue to glue it back on, basically glued it onto the tiny rubber O ring, now the part with the leds on it cannot swivel due to the glueing. It shouldnt be too much of a problem, as I played il2 all morning and also checked out dcsa10 and everything is working OK, so fingers crossed it stays like that. Cheers for the replies, it gave me a laugh knowing that everyone elses is broke also :) Atleast this gives me some more time with it before it does eventually kick the bucket due to its uniquely indestructable manufacturing process. Agree totally. the Track clip pro is an absolute POS. Don't buy it unless you like to be frustrated. I have had 4 break on me so far. Of these two were replaced under warranty. The other two bought as spares more than 2 years ago broke shortly after unpacking them, not even one hours use. Because I bought them more then a year ago they would not replace them. It is my understanding that there is a new TCP being designed now. I have very mixed feelings about natural point due to the really shoddy construction of this device. Of course the TIR itself is just amazing so it is hard to stay mad...but come on. These things break so easy it is sick. Yskonyn - It takes barely anything for these things to either break or fall apart. Careful reaching up near it, just barely touch it wrong and you will be rewarded by a pile of disconnected or broken plastic and LED's and then left wondering how to fix it. If you glue it or tape it it winds up butt ugly and fully extended and even more brittle then before. Out Edited March 23, 2011 by PoleCat http://www.104thphoenix.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty_M Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 I never found it too fragile, tbh. I am using it well over 2 years now and it's still in pristine shape! Do you guys get into a exitement tantrum or something when you grab it? :megalol: Nope, Mine was on the PC, attached to the headphones, which fell between the PC and the sofa, breaking one of the little legs off, just like the OP. The world is going mad. Me? I'm doing fine! http://www.twitch.tv/rusty_the_robot https://www.youtube.com/user/RustyRobotGaming Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilentEagle Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 Me and everyone I know who owns a TCP has broken theirs in every possible vulnerable spot. I agree with some here that there is more duct tape on my TCP than there is original plastic. It is so extremely frustrating that some of us have given up on it and gone back to the regular ol' track clip. I have found that I actually enjoy flying much more without that bulky and faulty POS hanging off my headset. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mugenjin Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 Considering all of these posts here I should be glad that mine did atleast last nearly 1 year before it broke down :D Nothing duct tape couldn't fix though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty_M Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 About 9 months for me before carelessness injured it. The world is going mad. Me? I'm doing fine! http://www.twitch.tv/rusty_the_robot https://www.youtube.com/user/RustyRobotGaming Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadTommy Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 Mine should get a long service medal...and then a purple heart.. 2 years before mine was covered in duct tape. i5-3570K @ 4.5 Ghz, Asus P8Z77-V, 8 GB DDR3, 1.5GB GTX 480 (EVGA, superclocked), SSD, 2 x 1680x1050, x-fi extreme music. TM Warthog, Saitek combat pro pedals, TrackIR 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
effte Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 I bought a TCP when upgrading to TIR5 from TIR3. Gave it a good while, but eventually went back to the basic clip. The TCP only makes the tracking marginally better, but not enough to outweigh having to mess with it and have the weight of it on my head. If I used a headset all the time anyway, and if it didn't have the cable then maybe, just maybe, I would have converted. ----- Introduction to UTM/MGRS - Trying to get your head around what trim is, how it works and how to use it? - DCS helos vs the real world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Total Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 I , personally, have had a TIR4 TCPro for going on 3 years now. Haven't broken it and use it pretty much nightly. My friend's broke one of the fingers from it as well. I took a good look at it and decided to do the following. There is a small gap between the clamp housing and the back of the trackclip. I put 2-3 small washers into this gap. This pushes the trackclip so it sits on the hole that the fingers normally went into. I used some sand paper to rough up the area of the clamp holder around the washers. Then I used a little JB Weld to glue the washers in place beuing careful not to let the glue touch the trackclip. He can now still move his trackclip as always. I'll ask him to take a pic of it one night and send it to me so I can post it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
74th_Lunatic Posted September 3, 2011 Share Posted September 3, 2011 As I type this I'm holding mine waiting for the glue to set. Better tracking than the metal clip, but way too flimsy, definitely not child or old person proof (my son just broke it, but my Father made it fall apart 3 times last week when he was skypeing). [sIGPIC][/sIGPIC] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ragtop Posted September 4, 2011 Share Posted September 4, 2011 Mine failed almost instantly, and although the amazing folk at RCSimulations (Shameless plug) replaced it fuss free, it's not been out of it's packaging. I really can't feel the difference between it and the Hat Clip. For the sake of having another wire, vulnerability, needing to wear headphones, and almost no performance gain, I'm a Track Hat fan. I think a lot of people only prefer it cause they paid extra for it, and don't like admitting it's no different :P 476th vFG Alumni Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WarriorX Posted September 5, 2011 Share Posted September 5, 2011 I think the trackclip shows it's true worth in situations where the conditions for the TrackIR camera view are less than ideal. (e.g. Using TrackIR in a room with some IR reflections in the camera view) The fact that many people use headphones for the sake of a mandatory TS3 microphone and the wife does not want to hear a GAU8 rumbling the whole house...means for me, the TrackClip free's me from wearing a hat with hat clip under my headphones. I do agree that the TrackClip needs to be handled VERY carefully. There may have been a few design compromises that were made for the sake of being so lightweight. [sIGPIC][/sIGPIC] "Is that you John Wayne?.......Is this me?" Full Metal Jacket //My Mission Data Card//My Cold Start Checklist //Clearing a Hung Store Tutorial //CDU Offset//Asterisk Error Correction Procedure//JTAC UTM Coordinate Entry Tutorial//JTAC 9 Line Lat Long Coordinate Entry Tutorial Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HiJack Posted September 5, 2011 Share Posted September 5, 2011 As I type this I'm holding mine waiting for the glue to set. Better tracking than the metal clip, but way too flimsy, definitely not child or old person proof (my son just broke it, but my Father made it fall apart 3 times last week when he was skypeing). Glue it to your head! Solves the problem with your son reaching it also :P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fleshpiston Posted September 8, 2011 Share Posted September 8, 2011 They are a bit of a flimsy design but mine has lasted well. I swap between the hat clip and the Pro depending on if the better half wants to watch telly or not ;) . I find they both do the job very well and really have no preference between them. I did have a little bit fall off the arm of the pro but I used the good old plastic weld and it has been fine since. Have moved it around a lot and not just from house to house but it has travelled between three country's now and still works. I hope the next design is a bit more on the sturdy side. [sIGPIC][/sIGPIC] AEF Flesh | 161 SQN System: 965BE / 5850 Toxic / TrackIR 5 Pro / 120gb Corsair Force 3 GT / 2TB Raid10 / 6GB RAM /TM HOTAS Warthog / G13 / Combat Rudder Pedals..... and lots more :doh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts