Hardware & Technical FLY 5 - Not up to the job

mollymawk

mollymawk
Hiya Guys,

I have a fly 5, love the feel of it and I have been very pleased with it in use up till now. However buttons 2,3,4 and 5 are very flimsy..

Button 2 has now entirely broken & come off, button 3 is very wobbly and will come off soon ..

It has lasted about 2 weeks.

Get something a bit more robust if you are going to spend any amount of time flying..

Not sure what I'm going to do now ... Everywhere seems sold out.. I do hope they have all been snapped up by Elite Comanders.

Edit: I'm going to try fixing it with glue

Mollz
 
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WiseDuck

WiseDuck
I'm assuming it's one of these ...
l_06764357.jpg


Or you talking about that new insect boy band called FLY 5?
 

Dante80

Dante80
Logitech 3d pro or thrustmaster T16000 seem the best options for a low budget joystick right now. And if you are right handed and want to give a little more, the t-flight hotas x is also an excellent choice for a beginner HOTAS. ;)
 

mollymawk

mollymawk
Thats the one. looks great, works great. just not sure how many clicks the hat switches are rated at.

I have been running recon mission over and over as it seems closest to what you get in low intensity sites.. i guess i must have been firing too many missiles
 

Cosmo Bozo

Cosmo Bozo
I have one of those, bought it ages ago to fly helicopters in arma. It's been fine for me, although I have squashed up the spring a bit with cable ties to make it a little easier to make fine movements, still a bit clunky trying to make fine adjustments with the twist to yaw though
 
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Half Giant

H
That is a shame. I really like mine and hope it doesn't go the same way. I guess we are all different in the way we use them. Runners need different trainers depending on how hard they hit the ground, knees going the same way as your buttons. Maybe pilots need to decide if they are on the heavy handed side of things and then decide how tough a stick they need. No criticism of the OP intended.

Is there really no chance of taking/sending it back if it is only 2 weeks old? I'd check that before using glue.
 

Mark Allen

Programmer- Elite: Dangerous
M
Another slightly disappointed FLY5 user here, I've had one at home for a few months and felt great, then the yaw sensor went and it's locked on full right yaw. I've another at work that's starting to play up as well - nice in theory but don't seem to be robustly made :(.

Have my eye on an x52 next ;)
 

Pyros

P
metanoia said:
I had a FLY 5 mine broke too, Thrusmaster T-flight as a replacement and it's far far better
Click to expand...

I've had a T-flight X (it does have an X, no? - not the HOTAS but the "less expensive ordinary stick"), and it has performed well so far, good durability also. Survived Tachyon, Darkstar One and ED so far.

Not that I'm not looking after other options, but... :)
 

trekman

trekman
mollymawk said:
Hiya Guys,

I have a fly 5, love the feel of it and I have been very pleased with it in use up till now. However buttons 2,3,4 and 5 are very flimsy..

Button 2 has now entirely broken & come off, button 3 is very wobbly and will come off soon ..

It has lasted about 2 weeks.

Get something a bit more robust if you are going to spend any amount of time flying..

Not sure what I'm going to do now ... Everywhere seems sold out.. I do hope they have all been snapped up by Elite Comanders.

Edit: I'm going to try fixing it with glue

Mollz
Click to expand...

I got a fly 5 specifically for Elite Dangerous but my button number 2 is a bit wobbly as well. It hasn't broke completely yet but once i get right into the game and learn how to control my ship properly its only a matter of time before it fails completely. :rolleyes:

Mark Allen said:
Another slightly disappointed FLY5 user here, I've had one at home for a few months and felt great, then the yaw sensor went and it's locked on full right yaw. I've another at work that's starting to play up as well - nice in theory but don't seem to be robustly made :(.

Have my eye on an x52 next ;)
Click to expand...

I thought that the x52 was a bit too expensive just for a joystick but I think I'm going to have to bite the bullet and invest in one because it does seem a lot more robust than its poor relation (the fly 5). I cant recall reading any posts on here from people saying that their x52\x52 pro broke although I am sure that there are a few that have.
 

lazerus

L
Hmm, this thread doesn't fill me with confidence.

Had my FLY5 for about a year with no problem, got it for War Thunder but didn't hammer it as hard as I am now with PB2.
I can see what everyone says about flimsy and it was a (relatively) cheap HOTAS. Now I'm worried about my buttons and twist mechanism, I may never yaw or fire a missile again.

Obviously I will break this eventually so will need a replacement. Does anyone know of a better HOTAS with the throttles and stick on the same base a la FLY5, and failing that I can't find the thread regarding X52 vs X52 pro, so if someone can point me in the right direction that would be fab.
 

Gorodd

Gorodd
The FLY 5 is just not robust enough to take the kind of abuse ED will need you to throw at it...I bought one especially for the game but button two busted (like you mentioned) and so for awhile I held it together to the joystick shaft by rubber-band.

Bought a second FLY 5, hoping the first was a glitched model because I did like the feel of it and it is relatively cheap compared to other joysticks for what you get...however but button 2 failed again after a week of aggressive use!

Was fed up after that and went for X52 Pro instead - have to say, no regrets at all! The X52 takes punishment very well - has a better feel than the FLY 5 by far and the handheld (HOTAS?) thrust with additional buttons is great. Put a couple of screws through the joystick bases (they have holes set up for this) and screwed it to a nice plank of wood to stop the base shifting about.

Never have enough buttons until you get the X52 Pro! :D
 

Alien

Alien
Sooooo .... I'm the only one who can play Elite Dangerous with a FLY 5 and not break it?

Wow ... reminds me of Daley Thompson's Decathalon in the 80's.

Note to self ... do not take your joystick to Lavecon LAN room, it will get broken.
 

Togg

Togg
Two old saying come to mind.

Get the right tool for the job

You get what you pay for.

that being said I know some people cant afford to buy a full on setup. but if you can bite a big enough bullet then the CH-HOTAS + Pedals is a design that you will not be disappointed in. i'm in the US and my final bill on the setup (its 3 separate pieces ) came to just over $300.00 USD. but its a complete system that needs nothing else with a accuracy rating and durability record that nothing else can touch, not even the Warthog or the X-65 can claim they are better.

I know I and a few others sound like broken records when we recommend this setup, but it truly is a system that you buy once and never have to worry about it again. it may look like a cheap 1980's piece of kit, but that's one of its many charms. it was designed so well back then that there has been zero need to re-design it. and the fact that the company ,CH, builds industrial and military grade systems allows them to use components in their recreational systems that you would never see in a standalone company.

the Potentiometers are top grade, I know Hall effect sensors are all the rage, but they honestly are no better than what CH uses, the construction material is designed to be used daily, for hours at a time, by professionals in the Construction, Industrial professions and also by the military in flight systems.

So, bite the bullet and buy a setup that will last you a life time.


 
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mollymawk

mollymawk
trekman said:
I thought that the x52 was a bit too expensive just for a joystick but I think I'm going to have to bite the bullet and invest in one because it does seem a lot more robust than its poor relation (the fly 5). I cant recall reading any posts on here from people saying that their x52\x52 pro broke although I am sure that there are a few that have.
Click to expand...

This is where I am at now.. I am going to get an X52 (If/when they become available again).

X52 Pro.. There is an idea, professional game player. I wonder if there is a noticeable difference other than colour? I prefer the looks of the pro but its a lot extra for a paint job.

for now, I effected a repair.. glue and electrical tape. button 2 now works and isn't wobbly.. I have also adjusted the head so my thumb lands on 4 rather than 2 . button 4 feels a stronger design, so i will be spamming that for missiles with my massive fat thumbs:p
 

Mack71

Mack71
Hmm i used to have a saitek evo and then a force feedback vesion, had a dodgy hat button on the first one and the force feedback died on the second.

It seems to me that saitek are good inovators but their parts and construction are a tad questionable.

in the end went for a ebay chance and bought the saitek cyborg gold which is pretty old but solid. Shame about the saiteks because i think they look really sweet but of course aint much good if it falls apart before your 1st sidewinder!
 

mollymawk

mollymawk
Alien said:
Sooooo .... I'm the only one who can play Elite Dangerous with a FLY 5 and not break it?

Wow ... reminds me of Daley Thompson's Decathalon in the 80's.

Note to self ... do not take your joystick to Lavecon LAN room, it will get broken.
Click to expand...

I am not sure of the effect at home of claiming it broke at lave con.. I will have to be very careful how I use that.. I could get the big sympathy support and get a new x52 or I could be banned from lan parties and conferences in general and made to play mine sweeper.:eek:
 

ConquerorUK

C
mollymawk i'm in the same boat as u :( I've had to super glue my button 2 twice now.

CH is the best but i just saw the Siatek X45 on ebay & i'm wondering to get it ?
 
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