Hardware & Technical x52 lubrication.

ZZleeZZ · Oct 24, 2014

My x52 pro (bought second hand) was really clunky and grounchy. I had considered lubrication and had head all the previous solutions. I did intend to buy some silicon lube.

Before I got round to buying the lube I decided to mod my throttle to get rid of the 25% and 75% detents, the little sprung nubbin that creates the detents is swamped in silicon grease inside the throttle so I scooped a little of this up and rubbed it around the base of the stick (soooooo many double entendres) it is now super slick and totally silent - like new!

Beat that for cheap

Snyperal · Oct 25, 2014

Haha! I had to give mine a fluff and buff when I brought it down from the loft, for some reason the black parts had gone tacky. My missus came home and the house stank of white spirit, she enquired and I told her that naturally I'd been cleaning my joystick! If I tell her I need lube as well it would probably put her over the edge!

Aquila Oculus · Oct 25, 2014

xxThe_Dice_manxx said:
Can you explain how the slider works as your reverse now please, and how you set it to work as reverse.

I'd like to know that too please...

Scourge · Oct 25, 2014

I have to say I really love the look of the X52 pro over all of the other joysticks but if you have to mod the thing to get reasonable performance from it, this makes it very expensive rubbish does it not? I'm really mad about it too, looks great and I want it bad. I just can't justify spending so much on so little in the end though.

Viajero · Oct 25, 2014

I must admit every time i read the title of this thread I giggle like a teenager school boy. Even most of the posts can be read within the same context without almost changing a comma!

Apologies! Just had to say something!

Hawkmoon · Oct 25, 2014

Guys please stop using WD-40 as a lubricant, for this purpose it is useless and will just cause long term damage. WD-40 is a water dispersent meant to purge electrics of moisture to prevent current leakage (starter motors and distributors are a good use). If you want something to ease movement but don't want to flood the area try a little bit of dry chain lube for a bike chain applied with a cotton bud, this is normally Teflon in suspension and will leave a layer on the surfaces it is applied to. One of my friends is a lock smith and he says that WD-40 has destroyed more locks then all the thieves in the whole of history.

ocflyer · Apr 3, 2015

The friction occurs between the concave disk and the shaft due to the pressure imposed by the spring. This is what causes the noise, stiffness, and an inability to return to zero. So, lubrication is needed in only ONE place - on the shaft where the concave disk moves along the shaft. Since this contact is metal-on-metal, I used a tiny amount of petroleum jelly. Only a tiny amount because I didn't want it to get pushed below. Since the friction doesn't generate heat, the petroleum jelly should stay on there for a long time. To apply, push the stick to the side and use a swab or finger to put it on. No need to put any on the underside of the disk or on the spring. Before lubricating, I was forced to set a deadzone for roll and pitch. After lubricating, I was able to remove the deadzone. It is performing like it was new!
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Edit: After using this method for the last month, I've noticed that it continues to work well but the lubricant gets pushed down and I have to re-apply after a few hours of flying. I've been using a finger to apply it but that puts on too much and is hard too reach (fat fingers!). So, I'm switching to using a swab. Also, I found that I needed to clean up the excess that got pushed down.
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Conclusion: This method works great but use a swab to apply only a little.

Valethar · Apr 3, 2015

Viajero said:
I must admit every time i read the title of this thread I giggle like a teenager school boy. Even most of the posts can be read within the same context without almost changing a comma!

Apologies! Just had to say something!

LOL I was thinking the same thing. Because of stuff like this...

Ned Starwind said:
The lubricant is for added protection and longer lasting quality. I just don't wanna apply it in the wrong spot =P

Almost begs for a "that's what she said" comment, but I'm not going to go there....

(I know.. thread necros r bad....

)

Sandmann · Apr 3, 2015

I'm a scuba instructor so I had silicon grease at hand so that was my first attempt... that works on mine for about 18-24 hours then needs more. WD40, CRC, Vaseline etc are petro-chemicals and will eat away the plastics. KY is a water based lubricant that will wipe off REALLY quickly. THe single best solution I have found is (weirdly) "Superslick Trombone Cream". It's a cream they use for trombone slides which has PTFE in it (the same stuff they make the little nylon slides under your mouse out of). Just put the tinest smear on the metal shaft of your x52 and it'll last about a month at least. You can pick it up from any half decent music shop, but I bought mine on ebay and it arrived in the mail a few days later.

onclebob · May 16, 2015

Mhouhahahaaaa !!!! I love you sooo much ! thanks

ocflyer said:
The friction occurs between the concave disk and the shaft due to the pressure imposed by the spring. This is what causes the noise, stiffness, and an inability to return to zero. So, lubrication is needed in only ONE place - on the shaft where the concave disk moves along the shaft. Since this contact is metal-on-metal, I used a tiny amount of petroleum jelly. Only a tiny amount because I didn't want it to get pushed below. Since the friction doesn't generate heat, the petroleum jelly should stay on there for a long time. To apply, push the stick to the side and use a swab or finger to put it on. No need to put any on the underside of the disk or on the spring. Before lubricating, I was forced to set a deadzone for roll and pitch. After lubricating, I was able to remove the deadzone. It is performing like it was new!
.
View attachment 26556

Super_Duty · May 16, 2015

Regarding WD-40... I don't see X52 on the list.

View attachment wd40-2000.pdf

c64orinoco · May 16, 2015

Mine is quite old now, but very cordial.

I found the 'soaker muffin' mod to be the most appropriate, but only for really hard yaw. The 1/4 cymbal felt mod is really only necessary if your frequently using the snare or actually performing in the Edinburgh Military Tattoo.

WD40 I would stay well away from - the X52 is only plastic and not the spacecraft WD40 was designed to lubricate.

Seriously though I bought my X52 in 2006 and have done exactly nothing to it except the occasional dust. It has flown around the world numerous times in FS2004/6/9/FSX/Flight/FSX, fought for hours in IL2, Xwing Alliance, and has steered my Cobra every day since some time in July 2014. It recently flew me to Sag A* and back in 4 weeks.

It has outlasted 3 PCs so far.

Bacon Sarnie · May 16, 2015

I bought mine 2nd hand off ebay, its a couple of years old and still in excellent condition.
So far all I've done to it in the 4 months Ive owned it is give it a little dust.
I will if needs be give it a spray of silicon lubricant, I dont use WD40 on anything, been an airsofter for years and always have silicon spray in for cleaning and maintaining them.
So far though all its needed is a blow to get the crumbs off, I shouldnt eat at my desk but I do, and a dust.

Sugarat · May 16, 2015

Using an X52 pro which I've had for 3-4 months. Love the set up but just recently I have had a problem where after a few hours play the throttle becomes "twitchy". This is not an issue unless I am using a docking computer (the shame!) as the game picks up the throttle movement and cancels automatic docking. I guess I could set a deadzone to compensate but am wondering if this could be the start of a bigger problem. Any ideas would be appreciated.

Bacon Sarnie · May 16, 2015

Have you made sure its plugged into a USB3 or powered hub?
A lot of people have found issues like that as the X52 requires decent power to it or it can lose connection momentarily and it recalibrates, that could be whats causing your throttle issue.

Sugarat · May 16, 2015

Bacon Sarnie said:
Have you made sure its plugged into a USB3 or powered hub?
A lot of people have found issues like that as the X52 requires decent power to it or it can lose connection momentarily and it recalibrates, that could be whats causing your throttle issue.

I have been using the same USB port since I bought it but yesterday noticed the display screen had dimmed and was flickering slightly. So I changed port and everything was fine again for a few hours, then the throttle fluctuation came back, but not the screen issue. Again today everything was fine until a few hours of use when the throttle becomes twitchy. On changing port yesterday it re-installed drivers so I thought that may have been the issue. Will try USB3 when I next play. Thanks.

Bacon Sarnie · May 16, 2015

Make sure the cables are all in tight too, the cable between my stick and throttle was a little loose, I kept noticing I was rolling slightly now and then.
Especially if I moved the stick itself or the beyboard and it touched the wire.
Made sure it was fully in and no issues since.

Steve50 · May 16, 2015

Mine used to squeak and creak like crazy and it drove me mad. I tried over a dozen different things until someone told me the solution.

Buy a chap stick, for putting on your lips when it's cold out, rub that on and bingo.. No squeak or creak and as much as I thought it was a joke at first, I did try it and wow.. It worked instantly.

Sugarat · May 16, 2015

Bacon Sarnie said:
Make sure the cables are all in tight too, the cable between my stick and throttle was a little loose, I kept noticing I was rolling slightly now and then.
Especially if I moved the stick itself or the beyboard and it touched the wire.
Made sure it was fully in and no issues since.

First thing I checked

Zplintz · May 16, 2015

WD40 is electrically conductive - I wouldn't use it where you don't want to risk short circuiting components. It also evaporates. My stick hasn't started squeaking yet but I do get the occasional twang from a spring. I think I would use a wax or silicon spray. If mine does start squeaking, I now know where apply the lubrication (thanks).

I have had the constant roll to one side off my joystick and found it was the cable connecting the throttle to the stick coming out.

I also have mine plugged into a powered USB hub along with TrackIr and the hub plugs into a dedicated USB port at the back of the machine (some USB ports accessible from the front of a machine that connect to the mboard via a ribbon cable are not as well powered as the ones attached to the mboard directly (or in my case to the PCIE USB board I've added). My headset is plugged directly into its own port and all my other devices (inc mouse, keyboard, tablets etc) are all plugged into other ports.

I had issues with TS cutting out when I was speaking while I had the headset on the same hub as the x52pro. After I separated them, the stick and the audio seemed better.