MS Sidewinder precision pro repair

[MK-84]

Bought this in I think 99.'  Finally it's starting to wear out.

The buttons are starting to get much harder to press and there's a ton of play in the twisty and Y axis. 

Is it possible to fix, or is it time for a new stick?

[Krusty]

Generally speaking, no.

But you can try cleaning it up. You can take an old toothbrush and try scrubbing out around the buttons and so forth so that they don't stick as bad.

If the stick has potentiometers you might be able to try cleaning around them to see if any gunk/buildup has formed. Same goes for general maintenance/cleaning. If it's got the LED motion sensing you won't be able to clean much.

As far as spiking/movement, you can't do much about it. Better off getting a new stick. Or get a used stick of the same type if you really love it. I don't think they make the sidewinders anymore.


EDIT: Play in the twist could be the spring is worn or broken, or perhaps plastic frames that pinched the spring ends have snapped off allowing it more freedom, etc. You might be able to fix that depending on your level of "handiness"...

[Tigger29]

If you do a google search for "MS Sidewinder precision pro repair" you'll find many site people have posted on fixing various issues with your exact joystick.

While you won't have much luck finding the specific parts to fix specific problems some people have gotten creative in finding ways to fix things using other methods... but yeah if it's that worn out you might just want to consider buying a new stick.  It's a shame MS doesn't make those anymore but there are still plenty of used units available.

You can search ebay or CLICK HERE for an amazon link...

[BERN1]

they can be repaired to some extent,the sloppyness in the handle can be repaired by stretching the springs out,they can get compressed over time.
the buttons are a  diff matter,they can be replaced but pretty much only as a whole board, unplug and replug in new one.
I have rebuilt a few ,in this matter taking a broken one and one with bad buttons and combining the two. if you are really good and well equiped for the task the buttons can be replaced seperatly but that takes real electronics skill. krusty is right though you might get a long way with a good cleaning.

[Dragon Tamer]

It can be fixed to some extent, the pots that sense position sound like they are getting grimmey.  Try ordering some new ones, that should fix the precision issue.

As for the buttons, that all depends on the type of button that it has in it.  Some can be fixed, some can't.  No one will know untill it's open.

Buying a new stick may not be necesary, depends on what it costs to fix it of course.

[MrRiplEy[H]]

I finally managed to get my hat switch working again in my Precision Pro 1. Tried using contact cleaner to no avail but finally 'electronics cleaner' spray did the trick and I can view angles again! 

Now I can enjoy my 40 minutes a week again