X-52 wire woes

[Yossarian]

I'm the proud owner of an X-52 (standard version), and I absolutely love it, except for one thing: the connections for the cable between the throttle and joystick are extremely sensitive, and sometimes (more so recently) even the slightest movement of the cable will sever the connection for a split second, sometimes leading to the stick uncalibrating itself.

Whilst I can generally keep this under control, it's still ultra-annoying.  Does anyone out there know of any clever tips for solving this?  I've tried searching on Google and these forums for similar problems with no luck.

Yossarian

[AirFlyer]

Duct-tape? Sounds stupid but sometimes it's the simple solutions that are best.

[Jayhawk]

I've heard of some guys using like sticky tack or something like that.

[cattb]

Could try hot glue if you have a glue gun. Just a small portion would hold it. Could use a razor blade if needed for removal but a hair dryer would work better. Hair dryer would warm the glue back up and make it soft.

[guncrasher]

my suggestion is dont glue it.  I have the x52 for 2 years now.  the calibration problem has always been the down side of it, I just unplugged the cord and plug it back in, you wont be able to do it if its glued.  funny thing is that under windows7 I havent had this problem, only on the xp, go figure.

semp

[oneway]

This is a common problem not restricted to the X52...it can be found in connections as simplistic as the common household 110 connection

Your physical connection interface is lacking the friction necessary to maintain a consistent electrical connection with its host....

Simply press the outer ground shields on the stick interconnect cable into a slightly out of round condition...

Voila...your connections will remain stable...

If that doesn't cure your problem...taking a small jewelers screwdriver and slightly skewing or bending each pin (ever so slightly) certainly will..

In the case of household 110 connections...take a utility knife and split the folded brass tongs to spread them so they gain purchase on the inner side of the female receptacle...

As a real world example...tonight I am building up a new computer system...new mobo ram and proc...the case connectors that attach to the header block that attaches to the mobo were anything but satisfying in terms of feeling solid...using a small jewlers screwdriver I tweaked the pins on the mobo, and tweaked the pins on the header block...once done...the case connectors to the header block were firm when slid on...and the header block mated up with satisfying friction to the mobo pin array...

Oneway

[Yossarian]

Simply press the outer ground shields on the stick interconnect cable into a slightly out of round condition...

Wow...that worked like a charm - thank you!!

I had had loads of ducttape and blue tack stuck around it, and that mostly worked, but not so much lately - however now all that's gone, and the stick's working brilliantly!

[oneway]

Being an X52 user....have you tried swapping cable ends?

In other words take the cable end normally plugged into the throttle..and plug it into the stick...and vice versa of course...

The intermittent signal error you are describing might simply be cured with such a simple fix because each cable end finds a new home in the sense of electrical contact with its host...

That might sound nutty...but try it...

If it works you won't have to massage your connection pins and ground shields...

Oneway

[zack1234]

hurrah! outer ground shield idea works.

 

[oneway]

 

Awsome...

Oneway

[oneway]

I am glad the ground shield trick works...but don't forget that pin tweaking is the next step...

If confronted with this problem again with any interface connection...and IF the first step does not work...tweaking a pin here and there can erase thousands of google searches and untold wasted time with tech support "KNOW IT ALLS"...

Think outside of the box...

 

Oneway

[mbailey]

Yossarian, can u post a picture of what you did, i have the same issue, loose wire from Hotas to stick

TY sir

<S>

Mbailey

[Jayhawk]

Simply press the outer ground shields on the stick interconnect cable into a slightly out of round condition...

Well geez, simple and effective, sometimes we just over think stuff don't we.

[Ruler2]

I lost my first X52 like that, and the ont I have now has a wire that has been bent and crushed a few times (due to evil siblings) so it holds in well, I just hope the ports don't get messed up like the last one.

[Infidelz]

I will have to try that ground shield technique. I have been looping a rubber band around the cord and wrapping the end around the base to hold it on.

Infidelz