Hardware & Technical Is the X-52 Pro a worthwhile purchase now that Logitech have take over manufacture?

BigF

BigF
Bought mine second hand so not really sure if its Madkatz , Saitek or Logitec, how can you tell any how. But its been so far faultless. I have had issues with the software but they are all well documented and easily fixed.

I do think the throttle zero point is starting to slip as some times it starts me moving by itself. So my guess is the potentiometer is getting a bit old.

Plenty of guides online on how to change them out for better parts, so not really that bothered. Im going to mod it a bit to remove the mouse on the throttle and replace it with buttons as I don't use them, and you can do this kind of thing as others have.

I did fit a spring spacer as its a bit slack imo.
It is a worthy replacement to my Microsoft sidewinder, which I have two of :)

I have used more expensive and better stuff but dont really want to spend my cash on high end when the funds are needed elsewhere.

Any way I can mod it with metal parts and better movement parts much as I have done to sticks in the past, that way I get the stick I want as I cant buy exactly what I want.
Prior to the x52 I had planned making a stick myself using the x52 stick shells as I like the feel of the grip. I may still do this at some point as I have a lot of the parts nessesarry all ready to use.
 
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dognosh

dognosh
Mole HD said:
Never had any issues with my X52 proflight at all...it was one of the first Logitech ones as opposed to the Saitek/Madcatz builds. I upgraded a bit to the X56 a few months ago (shiny button syndrome) which I'm also very happy with apart from not feeling as 'solid' as the X52 proflight. Both HOTAS setups have lasted several hundreds of hours not only in E-D but other flight sims...the new Logitech software is OK...didn't like it for the X52 pro so I went back to the old Saitek programming software whilst running the latest Logitech drivers.

Both are good quality HOTAS setups... all in all I'd recommend either the X52 proflight or the X56 Rhino without hesitation.
Click to expand...

I too had an original logitech X52-pro , it worked for over 12 years.I doubt the new owners will make the terrible saitek "save on costs" X52 Pro version any better as they are busy fixing the X56 and have a new stick coming out soon(rumours)

In my opinion, do not buy the X52-Pro, it will still be the terrible madcatz/saitek version.
 

the100thmonkey

the100thmonkey
No, it's a crap buy because the sensors are garbage, even when the stick doesn't break. My X52 still works as well as it did when I bought it, but a T.16000m (which costs something like 20% of an X52) is a far superior stick due to both the sensitivity of the sensor and the much better throw on the physical stick. I simply cannot stress enough how much better the T.16000M is than the stick on the X52. The crown on the X52 is very useful, sure (two hats!), but that utility masks the fundamental problem, which is that even when it works the sensors are pure crap.

It doesn't matter if the FCS is ugly - you don't buy the thing to look at; you buy it to put your hands around.
 
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Hooplah

Hooplah
Mad Mike said:
X52 was saitek designed and as such build quality is...... OK.
X55 was designed by madkatz after the buyout and as such are built terribly. I now use an x56 at moment but essentially it is the same (confirmed by Logitech support rep). I believe Logitech are preparing to launch a Logitech designed and built stick "soon"
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The new Logitech X-56 grey is now available and supposedly resolved a lot of the issues with the X-55/56 series. We'll see.
I have one but haven't got around to swapping out the working X-56 blue yet.

Logitech X-56 Grey at Amazon.

As for the X-52 like all controllers players report they work great and awful, liked and hated. It's all per your immersion factor.
Note that the X-52 is athletically pleasing when flying the more stylish Empire ships. Frontier even had a sale on them years ago.
 
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Stealthie

Stealthie
Just a general observation....

I have a lot of experience with repairing joysticks (a combination of electrical and mechanical engineering skills and tools) and I tend to find that the biggest thing that kills joysticks is passive force.

By that, I mean how much weight you put on the stick simply by holding it.

Sure, you'll get some people who wreck sticks by yanking them around like Ben Affleck in Pearl Harbour.
If you do that, you can expect them to break.

I get quite a few people who claim that they don't abuse their joysticks (fnar, fnar) - and the overall condition of the joystick would seem to support that - and yet they'll still have suffered catastrophic failures.
With a bit of investigation, it usually turns out that the failure has occurred simply as a result of the force applied as a result of the person holding onto it for long periods, causing fatigue failure.

In a nutshell, if you hold onto the joystick in such a way that the weight of your arm is being supported by the joystick, chances are it's going to fail much quicker than if you're handling it in a way that means the joystick isn't supporting the weight of your arm.

This, IMO, is one of the main reasons why some people claim a given joystick has been reliable for years while others claim it broke after a few months.
It's not that people are being heavy-handed. It's just that the way they hold the stick puts a load on the mechanical components.


On topic, I think the X52 is a nice enough stick but there's no denying that it's really, really, cheaply made inside - even if it does turn out to be reliable.
Personally, I find the worst thing about Saitek sticks is the shonky self-centring system, which causes stiction as it wears as well as having an imprecise centre, leading to ships slowly pitching/rolling without constant adjustment.
I'd have one if it was cheap but I wouldn't go out of my way to get one.
 

DaggerSnake

DaggerSnake
I had an original X-52 from Saitek. The blue and silver one. I bought it at Elite launch and it lasted about 300 hours. It did start to get “Sticktion” issues and then finally a chip on the board inside went bad.

I replaced it with a new X-52 Pro after Logitech redesign. I picked it up on sale.

I find there is an issue with the drivers that has the throttle axis loosing its position and registering slightly high. It causes my ship to always be going forward. If I pull the USB and replug it resets fine. I’m pretty confident that it’s a software issue. I’m also noticing the sticktion is there.

I really like the stick as it is what the ingame avatar is modeled after. It’s petty, but I like the immersion. I also really like the double hat and that my muscle memory is still there. I actually do not think there is much difference than the original X-52.

At $199.00 I don’t think it’s worth it. I happened to have a gift card and it was on sale or I would have got the Thrustmaster 16000m

I’ll probably try something new with my next one.
 

mbar

mbar
I had the x52 regular and it was good. I ended up removing the throttle detent after they started interfering with smooth movement. I white greased the base of the stick fairly regularly. The pinky switch finally gave out so I had to decide if I wanted to try the x52 pro. Instead I went with the Thrustmaster 16000m which I'm impressed with. It did take some getting used to having only one HAT on the stick. I'm still trying to decide how I want to map the bottom HAT on the throttle. The only thing I do not like is the movement of the throttle. Very sticky and I've had it apart and greased it many times.
 
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RymdLazer

RymdLazer
Jumping in since it seems you guys have serious maintenance skills.
I recently got the thrustmaster x hotas which I am fairly happy with (a modest upgrade from 3d Pro and keyboard). Only nag I have, except being very plastic, is that the stick creaks. Can I easily do something about that?
It doesn't bother me as long as I'm using headphones but without it really makes my ships feel like babys first spaceship :D
 

Cmdr BrinBrown

Cmdr BrinBrown
Always when you have drifting/creep problems, unplug USB cable and plug it in again!
I have used my X52 Pro for 3 years, once had the creep problem, but "replugin" fixed it.
BB
 

BigF

BigF
Lithium or silicon should be fine, I have used both on sticks before and also good olde Vaseline, works although it disperses quickly. So used on sticks where you just need to see if it will help prior to fixing them or binning them.

A PTFE Based grease would be the best though.
 

CMDR MAIN SEQUENCE

CMDR MAIN SEQUENCE
mbar said:
I use a white lithium grease. Would a damping grease be a silicon grease?
Click to expand...

I wouldn't use lithium grease, though it's better than nothing I suppose. Use a grease that is intended for damping - the one I've seen most recommended is Nyogel 767A https://www.nyelubricants.com/nyogel

Where are you based? 767A is hard to get in the UK but there's a guy on ebay who sells damping grease in small quantities every now and then (I waited til he had some in stock). This is what I used for my TWCS and it's great, it transformed the throttle into a high-end model.

[video=youtube;59F9qUDNwnQ]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59F9qUDNwnQ[/video]

EDIT: have a look on YT, there are some before-and-after videos for the TWCS and other HOTAS.

http://www.micro-tools.de/en/byManufacturer/NYE/Lubricant-Grease-Nyogel-2oz-Tube.html
An alternative if you can't find 767A: http://www.micro-tools.de/en/byManufacturer/NYE/Damping-Grease.html
 
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Shadowdancer

Shadowdancer
I'll have to generally say no. The design itself is flawed, apart from any manufacturing or software deficits. It simply spends too much space and manufacturing budget on useless features like the LCD with associated semi-fixed function controls, the rotary controls, the ever-broken mouse emulation on the fundamentally misdesigned ministick, or the stick centring mechanism that's theoretically nice but in practice just too prone to wear (even on the "pro" version with more spring force).
 

BigF

BigF
Shadowdancer said:
I'll have to generally say no. The design itself is flawed, apart from any manufacturing or software deficits. It simply spends too much space and manufacturing budget on useless features like the LCD with associated semi-fixed function controls, the rotary controls, the ever-broken mouse emulation on the fundamentally misdesigned ministick, or the stick centring mechanism that's theoretically nice but in practice just too prone to wear (even on the "pro" version with more spring force).
Click to expand...

Thats where a cheap broken one is ripe for modding :)
 

Shadowdancer

Shadowdancer
BigF said:
Thats where a cheap broken one is ripe for modding :)
Click to expand...
That heap of cheap plastic is the last thing I'd mod. By the time I'd need to replace the ministick, gimbal, unit interconnect, and centring collar with functional parts, I'd already have bought and enjoyed a CH combo :p

(Oh right, I forgot… if you get one, get a pair of RJ45 jacks and replace the idiotic Mini-DIN interconnect right after making sure that the stick works, because the stock solution will cause you grief. Also get the mandatory powered USB hub. It easily takes the cost of the stick again in parts and several days of work to make it into something that would potentially last, at which point you might as well have gotten a Warthog.)
 

mbar

mbar
Thank you MAIN SEQUENCE and BigF. The white lithium grease has been my goto stick lube but I will have to give the 767A a try on the throttle.
 

BigF

BigF
Shadowdancer said:
That heap of cheap plastic is the last thing I'd mod. By the time I'd need to replace the ministick, gimbal, unit interconnect, and centring collar with functional parts, I'd already have bought and enjoyed a CH combo :p

(Oh right, I forgot… if you get one, get a pair of RJ45 jacks and replace the idiotic Mini-DIN interconnect right after making sure that the stick works, because the stock solution will cause you grief. Also get the mandatory powered USB hub. It easily takes the cost of the stick again in parts and several days of work to make it into something that would potentially last, at which point you might as well have gotten a Warthog.)
Click to expand...

The RJ45 mod is a good idea, not had the issue of the mini din on mine yet, but I agree its a daft thing.

Not come across the need for a powered hub, but I do have it connected to a powered Usb 3 card that was bought for its extra juice ability, so maybe I dodged that bullet.

The mini mouse thing is going to get deleted from mine and will be replaced by a few extra buttons which should wire up to the existing inputs.

I agree the LCD is a bit pointless, especially as i use it only for ED with a Rift sat on my head.

Yes the time spent etc but modding stuff is what I do so. I kinda see it as ok but tottaly understand why others wouldnt.
 
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Pville_Piper

Pville_Piper
MAIN SEQUENCE said:
I wouldn't use lithium grease, though it's better than nothing I suppose. Use a grease that is intended for damping - the one I've seen most recommended is Nyogel 767A https://www.nyelubricants.com/nyogel

Where are you based? 767A is hard to get in the UK but there's a guy on ebay who sells damping grease in small quantities every now and then (I waited til he had some in stock). This is what I used for my TWCS and it's great, it transformed the throttle into a high-end model.



EDIT: have a look on YT, there might be some before-and-after videos for the X-52 (there certainly are for the TWCS).

http://www.micro-tools.de/en/byManufacturer/NYE/Lubricant-Grease-Nyogel-2oz-Tube.html
An alternative if you can't find 767A: http://www.micro-tools.de/en/byManufacturer/NYE/Damping-Grease.html
Click to expand...

WOW! That crap is expensive!
 
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