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Author Topic: 9 year old CH Fighterstick is dying  (Read 1555 times)

Offline Stang

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9 year old CH Fighterstick is dying
« on: February 10, 2008, 12:24:02 PM »
If anyone has an old analog CH fighterstick (my cpu doesn't have a usb port) lying around in good working condition let me know.  Had my current one since late fall of '98 and have never had a problem with it until about a week ago.  Any stick input back to neutral causes wild spiking that makes it almost unplayable.  Cleaning it out did nothing to fix the spiking so unfortunately it's done I think.

So if anyone has an old one in good condition lying around, let me know, I'm willing to buy it.  My pedals are fine and I'd rather not have to upgrade my whole system just because one piece of it is crapping out.

Thanks,

Dave
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Offline Max

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Re: 9 year old CH Fighterstick is dying
« Reply #1 on: February 10, 2008, 01:09:31 PM »
Quote
Originally posted by Stang
If anyone has an old analog CH fighterstick (my cpu doesn't have a usb port) lying around in good working condition let me know.  


What you flying Stang...a Commodore64?






:rofl
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Offline Stang

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9 year old CH Fighterstick is dying
« Reply #2 on: February 10, 2008, 01:13:37 PM »
Rofl man, when I got an iphone last month I went to plug it into my cpu to download stuff off itunes and was like wtf where's the usb port...

I had no idea 'til then heh.  Never had anything usb on my cpu before that so I never even bothered to check.

:lol
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Offline moot

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9 year old CH Fighterstick is dying
« Reply #3 on: February 10, 2008, 01:29:30 PM »
Stang did you take it completely apart to see if there's any obvious easy fixes?  I don't know what it looks like in there, but it could be as simple as some dust in the wrong spot.
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Offline Stang

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9 year old CH Fighterstick is dying
« Reply #4 on: February 10, 2008, 01:35:23 PM »
I did, moot.  Everything looked fine aside from being a little dirty. I cleaned her out thoroughly and even used a small vacuum cleaner to get the dust out of the hard to reach spots.  At 9 years old and a lot of use I think wear and tear has just got the best of it.

Someone mentioned last night there's some kind of fluid that can help with wire connections sold at electronics stores like Radio Shack.  Not sure what it is since I was hammered though.  Perhaps it could help if the connections are shot.  Anyone know what I'm referring to?
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Offline Max

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9 year old CH Fighterstick is dying
« Reply #5 on: February 10, 2008, 01:51:50 PM »
Stang give CH support a call tomorrow. They might offer you a quick fix over the phone, or determine what's needed to fix it.

Another option would be a usb>gameport converter. Radio Shack used to sell 'em...dunno if they still do.

Good luck!
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Offline Auger

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9 year old CH Fighterstick is dying
« Reply #6 on: February 10, 2008, 02:24:02 PM »
Here's the link for CH Products spare parts store:

http://www.chproducts.com/shop/parts.html

As a stop gap, see if you can find some tuner cleaner and spray it into the pots.  It may smooth out the spikes until you can replace them.
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Offline xtyger

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9 year old CH Fighterstick is dying
« Reply #7 on: February 10, 2008, 02:30:18 PM »
USB converters are a good idea, although I've done it the other way around from what you'd need. I went gameport to USB. Check with Tiger Direct. That's where I got mine. Maybe they have a USB to gameport converter.
http://www.tigerdirect.com/
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Offline TequilaChaser

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9 year old CH Fighterstick is dying
« Reply #8 on: February 10, 2008, 03:16:14 PM »
Stang,
take it back apart, where the female wire connecters are see if they are wiggly ( move around easy ) or if they are snug... I found on my old CH analog sticks ( had 2 Fitersticks, a combat stick, and FX fiter Stick ) that the spikes came from the wires not being crimped down tight enough.once I crimped them down with pliers ( linemen pliers ) I had excellent response and hardly any spikes

just a guess.

I only have my old janes combat stick left and the CH hotas fiterstick/throttle/pedals   gave away or traded the rest to squaddies...... mine is dated 1996 and is still working fine.. the other I gave to a squaddie only replaced 1 or 2 pots in it........


good luck!
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Offline Badboy

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Re: 9 year old CH Fighterstick is dying
« Reply #9 on: February 10, 2008, 04:59:02 PM »
Quote
Originally posted by Stang
Cleaning it out did nothing to fix the spiking so unfortunately it's done I think.


Nope, the pots are probably just worn, I'm surprised they lasted as long as they did, mine never last that long. Easy fix. Go to the CH website posted in the message above, order a pair of new Potentiometers. Just solder them in place of the old ones and your stick will be as good as new.

Or, you could take out the old ones and just go to your nearest electronics parts shop and ask for something the same, probably much cheaper, but might not last as long, and solder them in instead.

Badboy
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Offline Stang

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9 year old CH Fighterstick is dying
« Reply #10 on: February 10, 2008, 06:20:59 PM »
Ch actually sent me a pair of pots 8 years ago when I thought I had an issue.  Need to find them, they're buried somewhere around here heh.
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Offline Simaril

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9 year old CH Fighterstick is dying
« Reply #11 on: February 10, 2008, 07:04:18 PM »
Pots are the first thing I thought of too. My pedals had the same spiking problem, easily solved when I switched them out.

Good luck
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Offline KONG1

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9 year old CH Fighterstick is dying
« Reply #12 on: February 10, 2008, 07:43:25 PM »
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Offline BaldEagl

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9 year old CH Fighterstick is dying
« Reply #13 on: February 11, 2008, 12:59:04 AM »
I used to have a cheap Logitech steering wheel and pedals.  Every few months I'd have to take the pedals apart and spray the pots with electrical contact cleaner (comes in a spray can with a nozzle like WD-40 does).  If that doesn't work pull the pots.  They should have a number on them.  I'm sure you can find them on the Internet if you can identify the part #.
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Offline Flayed1

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9 year old CH Fighterstick is dying
« Reply #14 on: February 11, 2008, 01:27:27 AM »
Walmart  here has a 4 port USB PCI card you can buy so if you need to get a new stick you might try that. :)
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