Saitek Throttle Quadrants - how easy to clean potentiometers?

[Ray Proudfoot 8,903]

4 minutes ago, zmak said:

You dont remove anything

1. attach straw to spray can

2. insert straw into gap between throttles of the closed saitek unit . somewhere near where the throttles would pivot but it doesn't really matter. just insert and spray for a few seconds in all 3 slots

3. move all three throttles around their axis several times

should take about 30 seconds.

4. go fly concord

I need to repeat this procedure every 12 months or so but its always the same result.

let us know how you go

Okay, thanks. If things get worse I'll try it. At the moment it's not causing a major problem.

[SteveW 1,792]

Hi Ray,

Pots wear out the track gradually and leave bits of the track to interfere with the resistance up against the wiper. Best not to wet them as this can soften the track and then operate the wiper, instead blow them so the dust comes away while gently operating the wiper. Eventually the wiper wears through the track and they can't be salvaged.

[Ray Proudfoot 8,903]

16 minutes ago, SteveW said:

Hi Ray,

Pots wear out the track gradually and leave bits of the track to interfere with the resistance up against the wiper. Best not to wet them as this can soften the track and then operate the wiper, instead blow them so the dust comes away while gently operating the wiper. Eventually the wiper wears through the track and they can't be salvaged.

Thanks for the advice Steve. I'm not sure what you mean when you talk about the wiper.

[Jude Bradley 659]

Here you go Ray,

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potentiometer

The track is usually made of carbon or such material, and the wiper is the variable metal part that moves on the spindle.

[Ray Proudfoot 8,903]

14 minutes ago, Jude Bradley said:

Here you go Ray,

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potentiometer

The track is usually made of carbon or such material, and the wiper is the variable metal part that moves on the spindle.

Thanks Jude. So looking at Steve's advice it still seems necessary to gain access to the potentiometer in order to blow the dirt and dust out. Or can it be done without a full disassemble?

[Jude Bradley 659]

Yes, to clean it out, you would need to get access to it, and since the parts are very small and tricky, consider paying someone to give them a quick clean. The real issue here is though that the parts are really cheap and nasty and won't really stand up to rough handling (as I found out). I did try spraying them but a few days later they were dirty again.You can actually buy aerosol cans of air to blow dust and dirt out.

 

[Ray Proudfoot 8,903]

Thanks Jude, sound advice. I'll make enquiries with TV repair men. They should have the required skills.

In the long term I may look at the GoFlight throttle. Should anything happen to the quadrant purchased with the yoke it will probably be necessary to buy the yoke again since that throttle isn't available separately.

I've had GoFlight switches, buttons and comms modules for many years and the quality is a big step up.

[Jude Bradley 659]

Hello Ray, the throttles are now available again. If it costs less than £30,to repair, you are still ahead of the game, but a new set from Aerosoft is about €60 (not including shipping).

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-listing/B01MG4DCMD/ref=sr_1_1_olp?ie=UTF8&qid=1501870751&sr=8-1&keywords=saitek+throttle

[Ray Proudfoot 8,903]

Hi Jude,

Yes but if you read the small print those are the additional throttles, not the one that ships with the yoke. You can only get that one by buying another yoke. They have you by the short and curlies. Including that PS/2 connection was deliberate to bind the throttle to the yoke.

[vortex681 806]

21 hours ago, Ray Proudfoot said:

The problem with that is you can't have 2 USB ones as Windows can't see them as separate devices. Nor can FSUIPC.

Ray, what makes you think that Windows won't see them both? As far as the OS is concerned, they are just three-axis USB input devices.

[Ray Proudfoot 8,903]

Just now, vortex681 said:

Ray, what makes you think that Windows won't see them both? As far as The OS is concerned, they are just three-axis USB input devices.

There was a discussion on Pete Dowson's forum a few years ago about these quadrants. Someone had two with USB connectors and they didn't have a unique identifier for Windows to separate them. So in FSUIPC they showed up as the same device ID. That's from memory.

But ask yourself why Saitek would have a PS/2 connector for one quadrant if it wasn't necessary?

[vortex681 806]

38 minutes ago, Ray Proudfoot said:

Someone had two with USB connectors and they didn't have a unique identifier for Windows to separate them. So in FSUIPC they showed up as the same device ID.

There seem to be plenty of people successfully using 2 x USB Saitek quadrants. See here for just two examples:

https://www.avsim.com/forums/topic/510681-problems-with-two-saitek-pro-flight-throttle-quadrants/

https://www.avsim.com/forums/topic/400320-two-saitek-usb-throttle-quadrants/

 

[Ray Proudfoot 8,903]

35 minutes ago, vortex681 said:

There seem to be plenty of people successfully using 2 x USB Saitek quadrants. See here for just two examples:

https://www.avsim.com/forums/topic/510681-problems-with-two-saitek-pro-flight-throttle-quadrants/

https://www.avsim.com/forums/topic/400320-two-saitek-usb-throttle-quadrants/

 

I've never installed Saitek software so can't comment on the first problem. The second link had people still using the PS/2 port for the first quadrant.

Still doesn't explain why they use a PS/2 connection. Moot point for me as I won't be buying any more Saitek kit.  

[vortex681 806]

1 minute ago, Ray Proudfoot said:

The second link had people still using the PS/2 port for the first quadrant.

But if you look in the second post, he has the yoke with the PS2 quadrant plus two additional USB quadrants.

[Ray Proudfoot 8,903]

4 minutes ago, vortex681 said:

But if you look in the second post, he has the yoke with the PS2 quadrant plus two additional USB quadrants.

You're missing my point. Show me where people have 2 quadrants both connected via USB with none connected via PS/2.