orenc

Wish I had the budget for that... :)

I agree that solving that "stickiness" problem is a *TOTAL MUST*! But luckily it's fairly simple to do. The main problem of the Saitek Yoke is the nylon bushing which is simply too tight.The fix is simply creating a single cut on the bushing closer to you, when you hold the Yoke. A full single cut with a sharp knife, reduces the strain on the shaft and allows it to move freely but still without a "wobble" or excessive freedom. (don't worry about where to cut, you can always rotate it afterwards).Well, it does involves opening the yoke, but it's not too complex. Sorry, don't have the original link as it was like at least a year ago. But I'm sure that a short search will probably dig up this wonderful fix.Anyway, once done...the feeling of the yoke is truly great, and that's after around 7 years with the CH yoke.Btw, another personal recommendation is to lubricant the yoke. I've done this to both of my the CH and the Saitek. I'm using a 'carmex' ointment :-) the greasiest thing I could find at home back then, and since that is proven to be harmless for the past years, I'm keeping on using it. While some people are against lubricants, I found it working like a charm for a real fluent movement.Oren

Hi all, Just sharing what worked for me. -=-=-=-= LONG VERSION =-=-=-=- Having "jitter" or random spikes in joystick is a very common problem and happens a lot on old or just low quality potentiometers. Sadly, both Saitek yoke and throttle are plagued with this problem. Mine started with this problem after a few months, reaching a state where you can barely find a position where it won't jitter. Any software based solution is not an option for me as it creates a lag and can't 100% cure the problem anyway. Anyway, the thing was that my Yoke was "imported" by a friend from far abroad and I just couldn't (nor wanted) to send it back.For the sake of discussion I will mention that I had a simple DIY home made cockpit based on the Pro Flight Yoke, CH rudders , and custom throttle/prop/mix connected to my CH yoke electronics (yoke was overly worn).So, at some point, it was convenient for me to hook the custom throttle and the pedals to the Yoke. Then I discovered that if I feed the Yoke's USB hub with power, it behaves much better. But that didn't last too long. -=-=-=-= SHORT VERSION / "Executive Summary" =-=-=-=-What was really fixing the problem was:* Using "tuner cleaner" spray to clean the pots (compressed air didn't helped) - Helps a lot! but still, read below.* Keeping the Yoke's USB hub *unpowered** Keeping the Yoke's USB hub totally unused.* Keeping the Yoke's own USB CABLE connected DIRECTLY to the computer without any hub in the way.I believe that perhaps the USB issues are due to some defect in my yoke, but they were essential to make it really smooth and stable. No matter what was connected to the yoke, it caused instability. If you still feel lost with this annoying problem, give this a try. Make sure you are using a "tuner" cleaning spray which basically has fast vaporizing oily fluid for cleaning contacts.**Also, make sure to unplug your device when cleaning! *** (I think that this might caused my USB problem)Hope it helps someone as it did to me.Oren.