Logitech x56 joystick twist broke

[IstvaanDCIV]

So I was bounty hunting in a RES this evening when my joystick made a "snap" noise and the Z-twist became all loose. I quit the game and unplugged the joystick before taking a screwdriver to it to have a look inside, and as I was separating the two halves of the joystick shell a spring fell out, which I assume was part of the twist assembly. The spring looks OK, but I have no idea where it's supposed to go inside the joystick handle, so I am still at a loss as to how it came loose and how it might be put back where it's supposed to go.

Assuming none of the plastic holding bits have broken, I might be able to fix it with the appropriate information. Is there anything that might be able to tell me if I can either repair this, or write it off?

 

[Riverside]

The yaw spring should look like a circle with two ends around 30deg apart, if it only has one end (looks like a capital Q) it's broken & needs to be replaced. Contact Logitech support, they might be willing to help you out with a spare part.

I had a friend that had the same issue but weren't technically minded at all, they bought a new stick (a VKB NXT Gladiator with the space grip) & carried on using their X56 throttle with it.

 

[Schmack]

If you have the throttle with paddle, you can remap yaw to the paddle. My TM 16000 twist pot broke last week and i bought a new stick. Next time I'm getting the NXT though. I've gone through 3 or 4 TMs. Never tried the logitech.

 

[[VR] DDM_Reaper20]

VBK NXT Gladiator Evo Prime owner here (plus Omnithrottle). I switched from a Thustmaster HOTAS (kept the pedals). HUGE difference. Yes, the Gladiator is much more expensive, but the quality is, simply, superb. No comparison.

 

[Hooplah]

Many have had the yaw z-axis spring break on the X-56 joysticks including me. I've never been able to find a replacement even on eBay. Going with a VKB Gladiator NXT EVO 'Space Combat Edition' is a much better joystick and will gladly send parts when needed.

 

[OldCrowExpress]

So I was bounty hunting in a RES this evening when my joystick made a "snap" noise and the Z-twist became all loose. I quit the game and unplugged the joystick before taking a screwdriver to it to have a look inside, and as I was separating the two halves of the joystick shell a spring fell out, which I assume was part of the twist assembly. The spring looks OK, but I have no idea where it's supposed to go inside the joystick handle, so I am still at a loss as to how it came loose and how it might be put back where it's supposed to go.

Assuming none of the plastic holding bits have broken, I might be able to fix it with the appropriate information. Is there anything that might be able to tell me if I can either repair this, or write it off?

The "Yaw" torsion spring looks this: https://photos.app.goo.gl/mrHTdrRxuScdueE66

This spring is in the base of the grip, surrounded by the yaw housing.

The straight spring is for the trigger, real fiddly to get back in when re-assembling.

If the torsion spring has broken, and if you are in the US, just go online and order a torsion spring. Here in the UK, I bought a second hand yaw assembly a guy was parting out for £20. I couldn't find a torsion spring supplier in Wurope that didn't want you to buy 1000 damn springs!

 

[IstvaanDCIV]

The "Yaw" torsion spring looks this: https://photos.app.goo.gl/mrHTdrRxuScdueE66

This spring is in the base of the grip, surrounded by the yaw housing.

The straight spring is for the trigger, real fiddly to get back in when re-assembling.

If the torsion spring has broken, and if you are in the US, just go online and order a torsion spring. Here in the UK, I bought a second hand yaw assembly a guy was parting out for £20. I couldn't find a torsion spring supplier in Wurope that didn't want you to buy 1000 damn springs!

Ah-ha, that picture is exactly the sort of thing I was hoping for. I now have a clear idea of what I need to look at and what I most likely need to replace. Thank you very much!

I'll need to take apart the yaw potentiometer housing to see exactly what needs fixing, but from online reports it seems likely to be a snapped spring.

If that is indeed the case, then my first thought would to hit up Logitech support and ask for a replacement.

 

[CMDR_UKmouse]

I've had one break in the past. Never found an original part to replace it with.
One thing I did do which worked well, was use an old keyring coil of similar diameter. Bend and trim the ends to match and this worked. I did spend some time digging through AliExpress for torsion springs. I found some the right inner diameter, but the wire was thinner resulting in a looser twist action. I didn't like this so went back to the keyring coil option.
I'd love to know if you manage to get one from Logitech.

 

[OldCrowExpress]

My X56 was 4 years old when the torsion spring broke. I contacted Logitech, they politely told me that I was out of warranty, but even if it was in they do not supply parts for this device.

I did some Googling and found 2 online suppliers in the US that had similar springs but they don't ship world-wide.

I have since found RS Online (uk.rs-online.com) which has a torsion spring "kit" with hundreds of springs, only one type (10 in the kit) fits and it £80. So when it breaks again, I know what the cost will be.

 

[RexDogg]

Hello, all! I'm glad I stumbled onto this forum! I had the same thing happen to me, and after over a month runaround, Logitech finally sent me a replacement spring. Just the spring. No details, no instructions, nothing. Thanks to y'all, I figured out how to make the repair.

FOR THE LAST TIME EVER!!! Never again will I buy another of their joysticks. I used this thing hard, and it broke. These things happen. But the amount of stress and strain they put me through? They owe me for hours upon hours of stupid e-mails, stupid questions, extra work just trying to find out how to replace this.... No more. Never. Ever. Never ever, ever? NEVER EVER!!!

I assume this is a forum of adults, but out of respect I'll not use the words I have sent to them about this.... nonsense. I'll leave it to your imaginations what an old sailor would have sprinkled this message with. Many words rhyming with "duck" or "ducking", and for you UK folks, yes, a word that rhymes with "runt".

So stay tuned for when this breaks again and I give away everything else for free. Then you'll maybe get some useful spare parts. But don't ask Logitech for any help, all you'll get is a vast increase in your stress level.

Cheers, and thank you.

Rex