Based on the suggestion of @Ray Proudfoot I'm opening a topic with the data on various Fulcrum yoke parts that may get broken and can be replaced easily enough (some basic soldering skills will still be required). This info is based on my own experience with the yoke; I'm not affiliated with Fulcrum company in any way but with the current lack of support for the yoke owners any info on the relatively easy fixes might be helpful.

The handle (here are the pics of the internals):

1. The pushbuttons are C&K 8125SHZ. The plastic caps used are 80180 series; the black ones are 801802000, the red one- 801803000. Different cap colors are available, you can check them in the datasheet that I've uploaded to the same folder (link above).

There is also a cheaper Chinese clone of a good quality which is Salecom P8701. The tactile "click" feeling is slightly different, but it's quite a reasonable substitute; I've bought quite a lot of Salecom switches from this seller with no complaints so far. Using the link provided is highly recommended as there is a huge number of "clone the clone" word not allowed on Ali that looks similar but breaks down fast...

2. The trim switches are C&K 7105J61Z--22. The two dashes in the name mean that any letters/ numbers on these places are OK.

Again, the possible replacement is Salecom R8016A.

3. The hat switch is ALPS RKJXM. Chris was using a kit from Leo Bodnar with a matching PCB and metal standoffs/ screws. This might be a good option as the removal of a broken switch from a 2-sided PCB may be tricky if you don't have enough experience.

4. The 5-pin connector to the yoke shaft is Lumberg SFV 50, the matching one in the shaft is KFV 50.

The main body:

1. The plastic bracket holding the PTFE-lined shaft collar at in the front wall of the main body is 3D-printed and at least one of the forum colleagues had it broken. Here is the model of the replacement bracket in two versions: for M4 and M5 mounting screws (both versions were used in different Fulcrum production batches). The new one is U-shaped to allow the bracket mounting without the need to disassemble half of the yoke which is not an easy job; the upper part of the original bracket doesn't take any load from the shaft and is redundant. The design was tested by our colleague and works fine.

2. The contactless sensors used are from BI Technologies; 6127V1A360L.5FS for the pitch axis (360 degrees rotation) and 61227V1A180L.5FS for the roll axis (180 degrees). They are working from 5 Volts power supply and provide the output from 0 to 5 Volts.

The alternatives are this and this sensors that offer the same performance and 1:1 physical replacement.

As for the other electronic components (the shift register board in the handle and the controller)- they are custom-made for the Fulcrum and are not available as spare parts. The shift register board is highly unlikely to fail; as for the controller- there are some replacement options that unfortunately do not offer a 1:1 compatibility. I'll be happy to provide the advice on this matter but this mod is more serious than simply replacing the broken part.

 

Edited October 30, 20232 yr by SergeyPe

Sergey, many thanks for providing this invaluable info for all Fulcrum yoke owners. It's much appreciated.

Anyone know the size of the 4 mounting screws for the desk clamp on the fulcrum yoke? Chris emailed me once the size but for the life of me, can't find that email. any help will be greatly appreciated.

The size is metric M6, 12 mm long, with countersunk head.

This information is based on user experience and is not affiliated with Fulcrum company in any way. It aims to provide helpful information for relatively easy fixes with basic soldering skills.

 

 

6 hours ago, jannickz said:

This information is based on user experience and is not affiliated with Fulcrum company in any way. It aims to provide helpful information for relatively easy fixes with basic soldering skills.

Any specific reason for duplicating the information given in the second sentence of my post? 

On 10/30/2023 at 10:06 AM, SergeyPe said:

As for the other electronic components (the shift register board in the handle and the controller)- they are custom-made for the Fulcrum and are not available as spare parts. The shift register board is highly unlikely to fail; as for the controller- there are some replacement options that unfortunately do not offer a 1:1 compatibility. I'll be happy to provide the advice on this matter but this mod is more serious than simply replacing the broken part.

Thanks SergeyPe for such a comprehensive list of potential mods and repairs, I was wondering if I could pick your brains about replacement options for the shift register board and / or the controller. I love my Fulcrum yoke, and it's had relatively little use, but of late the yoke buttons (or most of them) have stopped working. I still have pitch and roll working fine - as well as the yoke hat switch - but nothing else works. I've tried pretty much everything I can think of both in the software (Windows 10) and hardware - opened everything up / reseated the yoke but nothing obviously loose or ill fitting. I've tried reaching out to Chris on the support email but had no answer - presumably things still aren't great there sadly.

The fact that the L/H hat buttons still work (but no other buttons on either side of the yoke) suggests that it might be the main board - presumably no way of sourcing these (or indeed the shift register board if it's that). I was thinking one option might be to rewire the yoke buttons up to an Arduino or Pi or similar and using AirManager or SimVim (using X-Plane), hopefully routing the wires (probably without any multiplexing sadly) through the yoke shaft somehow. Just wondered if you had any thoughts on that or indeed any potentially better fixes. 

Very big thanks! 

Hi Noddycat,

As the hat buttons work it's highly unlikely that the issue is the main board- it's rather a shift register one. There is at least one shop at Aliexpress selling the ready-made boards with 3 pieces of 74HC165 shift registers- the ones used in a stock Fulcrum PCB; probably the same boards can be found on Amazon/ eBay (search for "74HC165 board"- this is the one on eBay). I've never used this particular PCB, but for sure it's compatible with Fulcrum controller. The stock board is using two shift register chips, so the replacement will require some fiddling with the buttons/ hat connection to the new board to ensure that the switches are using the same shift register ports. This can be done with the new board in place by connecting the new board's inputs to ground one by one and checking the controller's reaction. The shift register chips are connected in series, so the third one will simply not be used.

In my opinion this is by far the best option if you can find the replacement board. If not then we could discuss some other possibilities.

BR,

Sergey

Edited February 20, 20242 yr by SergeyPe

Well, I've checked the documentation on the board from eBay; based on the circuit diagram the buttons will work by connecting them to VCC rather than ground (typically the logic is opposite). I'll check the logic of the stock shift register board operation later today, digging out the yoke stock handle from the storage. Depending on the results I'll suggest the further actions. 

On 2/21/2024 at 9:11 AM, SergeyPe said:

Well, I've checked the documentation on the board from eBay; based on the circuit diagram the buttons will work by connecting them to VCC rather than ground (typically the logic is opposite). I'll check the logic of the stock shift register board operation later today, digging out the yoke stock handle from the storage. Depending on the results I'll suggest the further actions. 

Thanks very much indeed Sergey - really appreciate your help and time. I've found the eBay board - and it appears the AliExpress one is identical - looking forward to hearing what you think on further re the stock board and its operation. Thanks again for all this - keeping a great bit of hardware alive and well.

Cheers.

49 minutes ago, Noddycat said:

looking forward to hearing what you think on further re the stock board and its operation

I didn't manage to pick up the stock handle yet; hopefully later today. As for the possibilities- if the new board offers the "inverted" operation then there are two options: 1) to "invert" all the buttons in the sim (might not work for the hat) or 2) to use the stock Fulcrum configurator software for this purpose. Chris didn't make it open to the users but when we discussed the possible design updates he was very kind to share it with me. Let's check if it's needed.

Edit: I've made an effort and picked up the handle. Good news: the stock board uses the same logic- pressing the button connects the shift register input to VCC (power). So the new board will be fully compatible- no need to re-configure the buttons😀.

Edited February 22, 20242 yr by SergeyPe

On 2/22/2024 at 1:23 PM, SergeyPe said:

I didn't manage to pick up the stock handle yet; hopefully later today. As for the possibilities- if the new board offers the "inverted" operation then there are two options: 1) to "invert" all the buttons in the sim (might not work for the hat) or 2) to use the stock Fulcrum configurator software for this purpose. Chris didn't make it open to the users but when we discussed the possible design updates he was very kind to share it with me. Let's check if it's needed.

Edit: I've made an effort and picked up the handle. Good news: the stock board uses the same logic- pressing the button connects the shift register input to VCC (power). So the new board will be fully compatible- no need to re-configure the buttons😀.

Thanks so much for that Sergey, very much appreciate your time on it. I'll order the board and report back once it comes and I can play around with it. Hopefully all straightforward but I'll let you know. Big thanks.

9 hours ago, Noddycat said:

Thanks so much for that Sergey, very much appreciate your time on it. I'll order the board and report back once it comes and I can play around with it. Hopefully all straightforward but I'll let you know. Big thanks.

You are welcome Noddycat; I am more than happy to help the community while Chris is struggling to get the business back on track. Please let me know how it goes with the new board.

I just broke a push button off my Fulcrum yoke. Its the rightmost black button on the right yoke handle.

Can anyone tell me what I need to replace it?

 

 

1 hour ago, KAE said:

I just broke a push button off my Fulcrum yoke. Its the rightmost black button on the right yoke handle.

Can anyone tell me what I need to replace it?

 

 

Doesn't item #1 in the first post in this thread by SergeyPe answer your question?

Al

Edited March 8, 20242 yr by ark