Hardware & Technical X52 Stick Hall Sensor Type?

[Halikus]

Greetings CMDR's

My X52 has what I believe faulty Hall sensor on the pitch axis as it will just lock up entirely leaving me either unable to pitch at all or stuck in a death loop or varying magnitudes....

I can unplug and all is right for a few seconds or maybe a few minutes/hours but at some unspecified random point it just messes up again.

What I wondered was does anyone have the info on the specific sensor they use? I have tried to access my sensor to get a sensor part number but there's a small plastic case around it that is refusing to un-clip from the mini PCB with the amount of force im comfortable with. I'm perfectly capable or soldering in a new part but Im wondering what would be most appropriate to use. I'm thinking i'l try an SE49E if worst comes to worst.

 

[d8veh]

Hall sensors normally work or not. I've never come across an intermittent one, though anything is possible, especially the wires connecting them. Did you check that the cable between the throttle and flight stick is fully in?

 

[Halikus]

I did try reseating the external DIN cable however i guess its time to get the multimeter out and check for continuity. itll be sweet if it is an intermittent break in the cable. Thanks for the headsup, il report back.

 

[Shadowdancer]

The external cable is horrible. Rinse the connectors with contact cleaner, and if you are equipped to do so, check into resoldering the connectors to the small PCBs they are mounted on because those joints love to break.

(If you are equipped that little bit better, maybe replace the link with RJ45 )

 

[Halikus]

The external cable is horrible. Rinse the connectors with contact cleaner, and if you are equipped to do so, check into resoldering the connectors to the small PCBs they are mounted on because those joints love to break.

(If you are equipped that little bit better, maybe replace the link with RJ45 )

Great suggestions mate, i have a nice full can of servisol cleaner and im planning on cleaning everything i can get my hands on, as well as getting my multi meter out to check for inconsistencies in the wiring. I defo remember having to bend some pins back into place to get the existing cable seated so that may well be my issue. I have a new cable on order and likly have a bunch laying around from the old days but i like the rj45 suggestion and il certainly keep it in mind.

 

[Halikus]

I have alarge can of contact cleaner at the ready and a new DIN cable ordered. Im going to break out the multimeter and check the internal wiring for dodgy solder joints as well as reseat all the internal plugs. Fingers crossed.

 

[Shadowdancer]

If you're going in there anyway and have at least enough experience with an iron so you don't melt the whole thing, I'd just reflow the solder points blind, IIRC there's nothing sensitive around there anyway.

 

[Halikus]

So last night I used ample quantities of contact cleaner on the DIN ports and cables, reflowed the solder on the DIN pcb, a little dab of flux kept the cold joints at bay as im convinced the lead free solder they use is just garbage. Im tempted to suck it all away and redo the lot with some 63/37 rosin but thats just me being pedantic as all reports continuity.

Sadly still the same results, however it feels more like the signal for the pitch axis is being cut rather than sensor failure as i noticed that if you yank the cable with the stick providing an input that input is continuous untill the stick is plugged back in, I have a new DIN cable on order and hope its that...

Otherwise i might have to be brave and trust Logitech and try out the revamped x56....

 

[Shadowdancer]

Lead-free solder sucks noodle, remove it all when redoing joints. It's more brittle than lead-based, grows whiskers, needs higher temperatures, and it's hard to tell if you made a good joint because it's not shiny. And as long as you don't lick it, it's not like the lead was an issue, it's the flux fumes that give you lung cancer

 

[Halikus]

Well that DIN cable showed up on Saturday and sadly there's no difference. I did however discover that when the pitch stops responding it can be quickly coaxed back into life with a twist of the stick which makes me think theres a intermittent connection in the loom that goes up the stick. Sadly the calibration is totally out of whack when resuscitating....I dont know if i can be bothered to try to troubleshoot the loom unless someone already has knowledge of what wire would carry the pitch signal.

 

[Shadowdancer]

Pitch should not be related to anything going into the stick at all, it's the few wires going from the camera left sensor board to the stick's multiplexing board:

(That's an X-52 Pro, the non-pro seems to be mostly the same with fewer sensors and a slightly different board layout.)

 

[d8veh]

when the calibration is out, just unplug and replug the usb to re-centre it.

 

[Halikus]

@ Shadowdancer - This confused me entirely too, your right there seems to be no wiring for the picth axis going anywhere near the stick loom( its the longer of the hall sensor looms in my stick) yet the issue will happen and a quick twist on the stick resets things.

@D8veh - thanks for the info, unfortunatly i play in VR so having to fumble around for cables with a headset on, every 2 minutes to recalibrate in a res is just too much for my brain to handle....

Upside is there's gonna be another x52 hitting the spares and repairs market (PM me if anyone wants to cut a deal - Im in UK and domestic shipping will be no issues) I have ordered the X56!

 

[ArcherS]

(I realize this is 5 years late, but in case anyone else has this issue...) Are you using the throttle's mouse button1 for any Elite control? I had bound this to something I use in combat. However, 20% of the time that I pressed the button, the joystick would recalibrate, and I'd be stuck doing whatever pitch or roll loop I'd been in when I pressed the button. The solution was to remove mouse button1 for my control configuration. Never had the problem since.