Hardware & Technical To any Saitek x52 owners out there that want to make their ED experience better

Murp

Murp
I know, the drivers are probably amongst the worst that have ever existed, and the HOTAS itself has a lot of issues... but DAMN the design itself is good! If only there weren't so many issues that make it annoying to use.

Now, this has nothing to do with fixing software or drivers, but let me say it can make your experience a lot better.

NOTE THAT ALMOST EVERY TIP LISTED HERE WILL VOID YOUR WARRANTY


These are three mods that I've done so far and the ups and downs of each of them. Trust me, doing this can make the stick feel so much better to use and, in my opinion, makes it a little bit more worth dealing with the crappy drivers. All of these will probably take less than 10 minutes to do, it's really easy.



The Zip-Tie Mod (Only one that will not void warranty)


This will increase the spring tension and make the stick feel slightly more stiff. This is great because after using the Thrustmaster T.Flight, the x52 felt really loose.

All you have to do is lift up the spring and place 3-4 zip-ties (or anything else that you can find, zip-ties are probably just more easily accessible for most people) under it to hold it up. Here is a video I found showing how to do it.

[video=youtube;4QcQ_aYui-U]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4QcQ_aYui-U[/video]


Pros:
-Feels much better
-Will not void warranty
-For me at least it fixed an issue where the stick would lean on the X/Y axis

Cons:
-Depending on what you're using it may rub against the plastic disc the spring is on
-Looks somewhat unnatural

The Magnet Mod


This will increase the sensitivity of the stick, simple enough. Note that I haven't done this mod yet since I'm waiting for the magnets to arrive.

Once again, here is a video I found describing how to do it.

[video=youtube;-JGZSx7UaVU]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JGZSx7UaVU[/video]


Pros:
-Increased sensitivity
-(CAN'T CONFIRM YET, WILL UPDATE) Fixes X/Y axis calibration "leaning" as described in the Zip-Tie mod pros

Cons:
-Will void warranty


Removing Throttle Detent

This will remove the "bump" you get at the start and end of moving the throttle. This is very much based on whether you like the bump or not, as I really didn't mind it much but after removing it I do find it slightly better.

I couldn't find a video so I'll just describe how to do it.


  1. Unscrew the 8 screws on the bottom of the throttle (two will be under the grip pads)
  2. Remove the bottom cover
  3. On the inside of the bottom cover you should see the detent in a small rectangular slot
  4. Remove said detent
  5. Reassemble throttle
  6. Profit!

Not even going to list pros and cons since it really all depends on preference. Just remember that this still voids your warranty.


There you go! Hope this helps some of my fellow x52/x52 pro owners have a better experience with this HOTAS and ED as it did me!

Profit!
 

Cythrawl

C
And if you are REALLY brave, you can use a dremel on the Throttle barrel and sand off the two bumps. Then gouge a pit in the middle of them and use some 16 gage wire with the insulation and glue it in there... Then you have a center Detent which is FAR more useful than the two other ones..

Of course, this is ULTRA non reversible. and if you mess it up, then you will need a new joystick.. But it worked for me..
 

Captain w00t

C
I was thinking of removing the throttle bump as that's the only thing I don't like about the X52. The stick action I think is great personally I find the range a lot better.
 

Cmdr PeryplusErithrea

C
Ah the brilliance of uncle bodge, i've been playing with my profile settings trying to fix basically all of these issues which are minor niggles but make all the difference.
Lotsa rep if i could to you

except the bump, I love that bump :p
 
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AntiDisco

AntiDisco
Little warning, after I did the zip-tie mod the varnish (I hope that's the right word for it) on the bottom of the metal plate under the spring began to peel off. As a result you could feel and hear a little chafing in some movements.
Luckily I just bought it and could return it to the shop as a defect. :D And to be honest it was a little too much tension for me, I like it better unchanged.
Magnet mod and detent removal works great and I think if you remove the magnets and put the detent back in for a warranty case they will have a hard time detecting any tampering.
 

Cmdr PeryplusErithrea

C
Hmm i've just tried the zip tie one and thankfully my paint/varnish whatever is still intact, i do like the feeling better though
Which is amazing since i usually scratch ding, spill coffee on most of my electronics within a month of getting them.
Elite has done strange things to my gaming habits :p
 

Sandmann

Sandmann
I removed the detents (best bit of this mod is it's totally reversable) but the stick itself felt fine to me, plenty sensitive and accurate without the need for mods. Perhaps I'll do it as it ages and the spring loses tension, though there's a guy on ebay selling thicker springs for them if you really want that.

I did find that it started started "sticking" after a while... If I didn't use it overnight the next day it would be stuck in the central position and make a "click" before releasing. It turned out to be the collar under the spring that slides up the shaft needing lubricating. You can't use vaseline etc as it's a petrochemical that will attack the plastics. I tried lubricating with silicon grease and it worked but only lasted 2-3 days. After a bit of research I found a guy who had used trombone lubricating cream... this stuff has PTF in it (the same plastic that the little slippery pads under your mouse are made of), and not only is it cheaps and works perfectly, but a tiny dab lasts for ages (2 months and counting for me). You can get it from any music shop, or order it on ebay.
 

Wicz

Wicz
Thanks OP, but I made my experience better by returning my Saitek kit and buying a CH pro throttle and a T16000M :D
 
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Murp

Murp
Wicz said:
Thanks OP, but I made my experience better by returning my Saitek kit and buying a CH pro throttle and a T16000M :D
Click to expand...

Except the design for the x52 is better in every way. More comfortable, nearly all the buttons are accessible without taking your hands off the stick or throttle, it looks better, and for a cherry on top the game was designed to be played with it. Look down in the cockpit, the stick is an x52.

The only bad things about it are the drivers and software :p
 

Berty Dastard

Berty Dastard
Great. Now if only someone could come up with a method to make the i and E buttons on the throttle operate consistently. Yes I have turned off the clutch, uninstalled all saitek drivers and software, plugged into a seperate usb2 card and turned off the power down in usb hubs in device manager. The buttons are perfectly responsive outside of ED, but very inconsistent (sometime work throughout the throttle range, other times somewhere else) And if you look at the Game Controller settings whilst in game they don't work much. Out of the game they do. Somehow ED is interfering with the driver it seems
 

NeoTron

NeoTron
Morgan Grimes said:
Forward throttle detent is perfectly positioned for optimum supercruise without overshoot for me, would not want to remove it.
Click to expand...

I pretty much agree on this fact - I kind of liked having it. Unfortunately something broke in my throttle causing the "afterburner" detent to not work, and making the "zero" detent catch at times. I can return it for RMA but that means literally shipping the throttle away and waiting for I don't know how long.

I'm still trying to decide whether to mod/fix it myself or send it back and use a Thrustmaster HOTAS temporarily.

Edit: mainly, it's such a new joystick, bought in January, that the warranty might be nice to have.
 
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Berty Dastard

Berty Dastard
I removed mine after 3 months as the throttle would not close fully. It just pops out. I'm guessing I could give the detent a clean up and lube with a silicone spray might restore it. But I can't be bothered as I have got quite used to it without.
 

Sandmann

Sandmann
Berty Dastard said:
Great. Now if only someone could come up with a method to make the i and E buttons on the throttle operate consistently. Yes I have turned off the clutch, uninstalled all saitek drivers and software, plugged into a seperate usb2 card and turned off the power down in usb hubs in device manager. The buttons are perfectly responsive outside of ED, but very inconsistent (sometime work throughout the throttle range, other times somewhere else) And if you look at the Game Controller settings whilst in game they don't work much. Out of the game they do. Somehow ED is interfering with the driver it seems
Click to expand...

I had the same problem.. past tense "HAD". There's a thread on here somewhere that details exactly how to fix this step by step, but the general gist of it is that you have to get into the profile editor and delete all but the one profile for those two buttons and have them set to their default action. I'll try to find the original thread on it for you.
 

Beardless

Beardless
Sandmann said:
I removed the detents (best bit of this mod is it's totally reversable) but the stick itself felt fine to me, plenty sensitive and accurate without the need for mods. Perhaps I'll do it as it ages and the spring loses tension, though there's a guy on ebay selling thicker springs for them if you really want that.

I did find that it started started "sticking" after a while... If I didn't use it overnight the next day it would be stuck in the central position and make a "click" before releasing. It turned out to be the collar under the spring that slides up the shaft needing lubricating. You can't use vaseline etc as it's a petrochemical that will attack the plastics. I tried lubricating with silicon grease and it worked but only lasted 2-3 days. After a bit of research I found a guy who had used trombone lubricating cream... this stuff has PTF in it (the same plastic that the little slippery pads under your mouse are made of), and not only is it cheaps and works perfectly, but a tiny dab lasts for ages (2 months and counting for me). You can get it from any music shop, or order it on ebay.
Click to expand...

Nice tip ;-)
 

NeoTron

NeoTron
I just removed the detents since I can't imagine being without it for RMA replacement. Turns out there was a little broken plastic piece (part of what hold the detents thing in place) and that's why it was broken.

In either case, it was a very simple mod and the result is amazingly nice. Recommended.
 
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