Saitek Hardware Question - Parts

[Dougal 165]

Anyone know if I can get replacement 'pots' for the Saitek throttle quadrant?  Preferably in the UK?

 

Thanks

[Andydigital 93]

Clean the old ones yourself, its easy, I can more or less guarantee you they will work for the same time again if you clean them in contact cleaner. I  cleaned mine out by taking them apart and using an ear bud (Q-tip) with CC on it and they are like new now, I did that about 4 months ago and they are still perfect. Have a look on Youtube for a tutorial, that's what I did.

[Dougal 165]

Hi Andy

Trouble is, I've done that about 50 times now and they're about goosed. We have an open coal burning fire and its impossible to stop the dust:-(

Also had to re solder it several times.  That's a real **** to do;-)

[rojantrojan 17]

I pulled mine apart and cleaned them with Isopropyl alcohol. Worked great for about 2 months but then after that they were absolutely terrible again, spiking all over the place. I am surprised Saitek use such cheap 'trim' pots to be honest.

[Andydigital 93]

Isopropyl doesn't have any lubricant in it so I'm not surprised they stopped working so quickly, good contact cleaner also has a very light lubricant that will stop the tracks wearing too quickly. It cant do anything about poor atmospheric conditions though Like I said 4 months of almost daily use here and they are still working as good as new.

[Dougal 165]

I had one setup purchased in the USA and one in the UK.  They were completely different and probably made by separate companies under licence.

 

The UK one is garbage build quality compared to the US model!

[rojantrojan 17]

Isopropyl doesn't have any lubricant in it so I'm not surprised they stopped working so quickly, good contact cleaner also has a very light lubricant that will stop the tracks wearing too quickly. It cant do anything about poor atmospheric conditions though Like I said 4 months of almost daily use here and they are still working as good as new.

Thanks for the advice Andy. Didnt think about the lack of lubricant. I have some VCR head cleaner lying around, it doesn't work on my DVD player would something like that be more useful?

 

Cheers

 

Rhydian

[Andydigital 93]

I doubt it, it needs to have a lubricant in it that is suitable for pots, that's exactly what CC is for. I can't for a moment think why VCR head cleaner would have a suitable lubricant in it, the point is to clean the head not goo it up, so no I don't think it would help.

[rojantrojan 17]

OK thanks Andy, will see if work has some contact cleaner and give that a shot.

 

Rhydian