Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => Hardware and Software => Topic started by: Ramesis on September 05, 2014, 03:07:09 PM
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Has anyone have any experience with the Saitek
X55 HOTAS? If so, any advice?
RAM
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I currently have the Rhino and I love it... what questions do you want to know about???
LawnDart
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Another Rhino owner checking in. :)
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Me too.
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Ive recently purchased this set up to replace my CH units ,I plugged them into a powered USB HUB and used AH to calibrate and map it out .
The only time consuming part was allocating all the options that I have , Love the set up , would by this just for the throttle set up alone . For me it was a good choice for the money . :aok
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For all the CH lovers that are concerned about build quality you should take note that when you get a Rhino with bad build quality you then truly have a paper-weight that won't weigh down paper.
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For all the CH lovers that are concerned about build quality you should take note that when you get a Rhino with bad build quality you then truly have a paper-weight that won't weigh down paper.
Yup.
The Rhino simply becomes a nice looking fancy paperweight if it has poor build quality..... (doesn't every stick?)
But here's the deal.... I have yet to see a Rhino with poor build quality. :lol :lol
And the Rhino is incredibly light.
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Has Saitek fixed the calibration issue? I've owned the X45, X52 and 3 or 4 twisty's. All of them had calibration issues between 6 - 12 months of use.
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But here's the deal.... I have yet to see a Rhino with poor build quality. :lol :lol
Yes, but you are implying you have seen more than one for some reason?
Customer reviews disagree with you when 38% of reviews are negative and focus upon Quality Assurance (QA). A 30% negative is terrible for a product that costs $200.
CH on the other hand still enjoys a 15% negative review rate. This is high for CH, which is why CH customers have been complaining, but still far lower than the other manufacturers.
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Then just based on x55 ownership you should have had one bad x55 posting here on AH.
btw the 200 bucks you pay for the is still less then the 300 you are forced to pay for ch hardware.
semp
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That would be true if everyone that plays AH actually posts on the forums, yet they do not.
Twist functions don't really count for rudder control semp, so you still have to spend the extra $100.
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btw the 200 bucks you pay for the is still less then the 300 you are forced to pay for ch hardware.
semp
Let's see...3 Cyborgs, 1 ST290, 1 X45, 1 X52...there's your $300 and everyone of them hit the trash in less than a year except my first Cyborg Gold, which lasted almost 2 years. Did I mention the Saitek peds that locked up constantly after less than a year? :furious
My Fighterstick, Pro Peds & throttle are going on 10 yrs with no issues other than replacement pots for the stick, which someone sent me F.O.C. :aok. Thank you Zestorer :salute
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Let's see...3 Cyborgs, 1 ST290, 1 X45, 1 X52...there's your $300 and everyone of them hit the trash in less than a year except my first Cyborg Gold, which lasted almost 2 years. Did I mention the Saitek peds that locked up constantly after less than a year? :furious
My Fighterstick, Pro Peds & throttle are going on 10 yrs with no issues other than replacement pots for the stick, which someone sent me F.O.C. :aok. Thank you Zestorer :salute
3 chfightersticks 2 went in the trash 1 I gave away. my x52 never failed me. x55 is way more accurate than any of the fightersticks.
semp
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My Fighterstick, Pro Peds & throttle are going on 10 yrs with no issues other than replacement pots for the stick, which someone sent me F.O.C. :aok. Thank you Zestorer :salute
No worries...glad I could help out a fellow AH pilot. :)
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Almost got your name right :bhead
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I purchased my x55 in late March of this year. Very happy with the stick my kd in fiters doubled, very precise feel with no nose bounce!
Only complaints are single stage trigger and I didn't buy it two weeks sooner. :aok
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I have had mine for about 25 hours flying time and using a stick program for Aces High that it is working well.
I am still learning the split throttle. I have some issues with throttle #1 and calibration. It is reluctant to calibrate (linearity). I have 'turned it off' in Aces High pending learning a little more.
On other boards, users have had similar experiences and immediately jumped to quality as the culprit. I'm not so proud, at this point, to rule out the 'nut job' on the stick as part of the problem. If I can't figure it out, I'll open a thread in Tech Support.
The joystick is pretty awesome. I am using the second lightest spring. I may try the 'red one' (lightest) once I've solved the throttle issue.
All in all this is a good (if plastic) stick. All this stuff wears out eventually. I have a joystick pig next to my rig where I put all my spare change and 'cuss dollars' when the wife catches me swearing. Right now my next stick will likely be an X55.
A challenge question: What types of lubricants would be correct to use on a Saitek joystick. STOP! NO PORN!
:salute
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DOW MOLYKOTE 44 Silicone Bearing Grease
http://www.amazon.com/Dow-Corning-Molykote-Medium-Lubricant/dp/B001VY1EL8 (http://www.amazon.com/Dow-Corning-Molykote-Medium-Lubricant/dp/B001VY1EL8)
You can find it cheaper on eBay in small 1oz tubs as well.
Great stuff. I have used it in the past on my TM Warthog and on CH Rudder Pedals so its safe for both plastic and metal.
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Awesome. Thanks, Fulcrum.
Update: I downloaded Joytester2 and confirmed that throttle number 2 is throwing spikes (which causes unwanted button activity and screws up calibration in Windows 7 64-bit in my case).
Based on what I've read for the past two days, buying a Rhino is still somewhat a gamble. If you get a good one, hang on to it. If you are going to buy one anyway, I recommend using Amazon (Prime). The return policy there runs at light speed compared to trying to obtain an RMA from MadCatz. The sticks are covered by a 2-year warranty from MadCatz, but I don't want to wait.
I submitted a trouble ticket with Saitek despite knowing that their process will likely have me running a driver reinstall-install multiple times before they see the light and issue the RMA. Again, when I return them, I'll be sending them back to Amazon (retailer).
I love these sticks at this price point. They do have quality issues presently, as far as my own experience goes. I prefer to think they'll iron those out over time.
In the meantime...it's back to my CH rig which is awesome in it's own right.
:salute
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Has anybody had any problems with their x55 thottle? Occasionally mine freaks out and gets a mind of its own. I can tap on the bottom of it and it seems to go back to normal. Maybe I got a bad one. Other than that I love it.
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Follow up:
I got the new sticks today (yes. 2-day turnaround.).
Using the original drivers and profile, everything is working very well indeed.
I did see something that I can't explain.
I needed to calibrate the sticks in Windows 7 64-bit. After calibration, the throttle started to act up in the test tab. After two more cycles of calibration it was still acting up (throwing random key presses, etc). So I calibrated one more time. The calibration program comes back to test...no change. So, for grins, I went back to the settings tab and selected "reset to default" button. Then I went back to test and the throttle was right as rain.
So I used the same method on the sticks I'm returning and test tab showed the same problem with Throttle 2. Back they go.
I also had a problem with the joystick. The centering base (lower spring keeper) was too small for the stick shaft and it took considerable spring tension to force a return to center. I was flying with the yellow spring (second softest). The new stick came properly lubricated and the lower spring keeper moves free and easy. I immediately installed the red spring (softest) and the difference is amazing. It feels light and positive just like a CH Fighterstick.
So I spent part of the afternoon flying a P-38 with split throttles. I watched a guy doing that at the first AH Con and it was amazing. My experience today was not so much, but it has nothing to do with the sticks!
I'm liking these units very much. But I'll use them a year before recommending them to others.
:salute
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I couldn't get used to the centering base on the x55 stick. Once it was unseated it was great but I couldn't control the first eighth inch or so and I had a hard time lining up shots with it. I guess maybe the right scaling might help too.