Hardware & Technical Thrustmaster T.16000M FCS HOTAS official thread

[cmdrrdmc]

Mine developed the same problem along with a flaky trigger. I replaced it with a VKB Gladiator Mk.II which should have much better build quality, and uses a contactless sensor for twist rather than a cheap pot. AFAIK it's the only "high end budget" stick. If you're looking for a replacement that won't break the bank I'd suggest it.

 

[VerticalBlank]

The trigger is easily fixed without opening it up by squirting some contact cleaner into the underlying button's seating (with the stick lying on its back) and working it a bit.

 

[cmdrrdmc]

The trigger is easily fixed without opening it up by squirting some contact cleaner into the underlying button's seating (with the stick lying on its back) and working it a bit.

Yup, I've done that, but unfortunately it doesn't work so well anymore. Buys me a few days before I have to do it again at this point. Really shouldn't have to do it so often either way, and it's clearly a really cheap switch.

 

[Iceeye]

Looks like my TFlight is slowly dying. Developed ghost rotation inputs and yaw is off center. Have 16000m fcs arriving tomorrow. Greatly appreciated all of your inputs in this thread, will try magnet modification since I'm used to have throttle in full range. I had a look at edrefcard list, would be grateful if anyone that moved from Tflight to 16000m fcs with VR share their mapping link. It would be a good start, since on TFlight i had two modifier keys and still was lacking few mappings, so I had to use keyboard. Mostly using faoff.
Another thing. I didn't have forward/reverse thrusters, and I saw in this thread that some of you are using rudder for this. (On TFlight I had them as Vertical thrusters). Where do you see for/rev thrusters beeing important?

 

[VerticalBlank]

Where do you see for/rev thrusters beeing important?

I find it gives me much of the flexibility of a two-stick setup. In some close quarters situations such as cargo scooping and cosying up to data points on megaships, zeroing the throttle and using the paddles for fore-and-aft can be easier because they centre on release.

Conversely I have the landing gear override set up so that the paddles do vertical and the mini-stick does fore-and-aft and lateral. I find that easiest for lining up on the landing pad, plus on high-G worlds it is absolutely vital to have the vertical axis isolated so you don't use it by accicdent. HTH

With headlook: https://edrefcard.info/binds/ygjfua
Without headlook: https://edrefcard.info/binds/skekfb

 

[BL1P]

I find it gives me much of the flexibility of a two-stick setup. In some close quarters situations such as cargo scooping and cosying up to data points on megaships, zeroing the throttle and using the paddles for fore-and-aft can be easier because they centre on release.

Conversely I have the landing gear override set up so that the paddles do vertical and the mini-stick does fore-and-aft and lateral. I find that easiest for lining up on the landing pad, plus on high-G worlds it is absolutely vital to have the vertical axis isolated so you don't use it by accicdent. HTH

With headlook: https://edrefcard.info/binds/ygjfua
Without headlook: https://edrefcard.info/binds/skekfb

I fly 100% FA-OFF and use Zeroed Throttle with paddles for for/rev, when not in supper-cruise.
I find this much better than throttle for fa-off, Because of the centre function it aids with the small amounts needed to counter vector.

 

[KellyR]

Mine developed the same problem along with a flaky trigger. I replaced it with a VKB Gladiator Mk.II which should have much better build quality, and uses a contactless sensor for twist rather than a cheap pot. AFAIK it's the only "high end budget" stick. If you're looking for a replacement that won't break the bank I'd suggest it.

I looked up that VKB Gladiator Mk II. That's one whale of a flight stick. Almost is a HOTAS in and of itself. 4 Axes and 29 logical buttons. WOW!!! Plus it can be locked in safe mode with just a flip of the thumb to unlock it. I could still use one more axis, but I guess I could bind a couple of the hat buttons with the shift for the Z axis on the map. Guess I could do the same with the FSS tuning, but I don't normally use that function. I'm a fighter and trader, not an explorer.

And $99 USD is a great price for the precision that the MaRS sensors provide.

 

[VerticalBlank]

I looked up that VKB Gladiator Mk II. That's one whale of a flight stick. Almost is a HOTAS in and of itself. 4 Axes and 29 logical buttons. WOW!!! Plus it can be locked in safe mode with just a flip of the thumb to unlock it. I could still use one more axis, but I guess I could bind a couple of the hat buttons with the shift for the Z axis on the map. Guess I could do the same with the FSS tuning, but I don't normally use that function. I'm a fighter and trader, not an explorer.

And $99 USD is a great price for the precision that the MaRS sensors provide.

Looks like a great aviation stick, and is tantalisingly close to being a standalone 6DOF stick for space sims, but lacks the left-hand analog mini-stick and paddle axis to be fully 6DOF.

Pretty impressive though.

 

[KellyR]

Looks like a great aviation stick, and is tantalisingly close to being a standalone 6DOF stick for space sims, but lacks the left-hand analog mini-stick and paddle axis to be fully 6DOF.

Pretty impressive though.

I thought so as well and am going to be ordering one. Yes, I would prefer the analog paddle, but using the pinky shift, I can assign the hat to lateral/ventral thrust. But I do agree, it needs the extra 2 axes to be fully 6dof. Might just keep my TCWS throttle and have the best of both worlds. Problem is I don't have a lot of desk space. I could order a couple of table mounts from MonsterTech but that would cost me about $250 with shipping. Just don't think I'm ready to spend another $350.00 for gaming peripherals.

 

[Spaceman Si]

Hi all,

I bought a T.16000M FCS HOTAS 10 months ago. Just this week, the yaw axis started to act up and eventually fail altogether despite deadzoning, as I've read about in previous posts - I just didn't expect it to happen to my stick less than a year after buying it

What's more, the little analogue stick on the throttle has started to behave similarly, though not quite as bad. I found I had to set a large deadzone on it earlier this week in order to stop it drifting me sideways all the time.

Is there anything that can be done about repairing these points, or should I pursue the tedious and probably thankless task of trying to get a replacement under warranty?

I really like the set-up, and the rest of the stick/throttle works perfectly - it seems a shame that it is let down by this issue. In the worst case, if anyone has any sensible throttle /stick replacement suggestions that don't cost the GNP of a small country, I'd be glad to hear about them

 

[Faded Glory]

Hi all,

I bought a T.16000M FCS HOTAS 10 months ago. Just this week, the yaw axis started to act up and eventually fail altogether despite deadzoning, as I've read about in previous posts - I just didn't expect it to happen to my stick less than a year after buying it

What's more, the little analogue stick on the throttle has started to behave similarly, though not quite as bad. I found I had to set a large deadzone on it earlier this week in order to stop it drifting me sideways all the time.

Is there anything that can be done about repairing these points, or should I pursue the tedious and probably thankless task of trying to get a replacement under warranty?

I really like the set-up, and the rest of the stick/throttle works perfectly - it seems a shame that it is let down by this issue. In the worst case, if anyone has any sensible throttle /stick replacement suggestions that don't cost the GNP of a small country, I'd be glad to hear about them

If your stick is still under warranty, I would strongly suggest a support ticket to get a replacement. It's a bit long winded, but they will replace it if it's still in the warranty period.

As to fixing it, there is a post a little way back in this thread that details the process of opening up the stick and cleaning the potentiometer. I haven't yet got around to testing this out, as I couldn't get the trigger pin out with the tools I have, but still intend to try it when I can. (This won't help with the analogue stick on the throttle. I've not had a problem with that, although it is very sensitive - I use it for up / down and left / right thrust - even with quite a big deadzone, but I can live with that.)

For me this is the only failing of this HOTAS. Frankly, because it's so cheap, I look out for the stick when it's on sale, usually less than $40 and just buy spares, but it's shoddy and disappointing that they don't fix this known issue. Support are Ok, they replaced my original one when it was within the warranty period, took a while but they did it. Unfortunately the replacement doesn't appear to have much of a warranty, as it failed at around the same time frame as yours, and they declined to replace that one.

 

[Chinfox]

Hmmm... the yaw axis thing has also happened to me. I have bought a spare T.16000m but have kept the iffy one because I have some upgrade plans for it. I'm in the process of acquiring bits and bobs for adding an analog thumb operated joystick and some more buttons to the stick. In the course of that I'll also swap out the yaw potentiometer. Goes to show how much I like the main stick action heheh...

 

[ExecutiveDysfunction]

For some reason my T16000m seems to dip forward a very tiny amount, but enough to make the light stay on at the base of the stick. I have to gently pull it back a little too very the light to turn off.

I just landed a great job so I'm going to be buying a complete Virpil setup within the next three months so I'm not too worried about it.

 

[Chinfox]

For some reason my T16000m seems to dip forward a very tiny amount, but enough to make the light stay on at the base of the stick. I have to gently pull it back a little too very the light to turn off.

I just landed a great job so I'm going to be buying a complete Virpil setup within the next three months so I'm not too worried about it.

If you feel up to it you could remove the base cover and you'll see four screws holding the gimbal together against the base. You might want to check they are all still tight - I get the impression your symptoms indicate that something is askew, which might be due to a loose screw...

 

[Chinfox]

I've decided to take apart the T.16000m unit with the iffy yaw axis. It seems at least one or two of the wires leading to the yaw potentiometer have been pinched at some stage during assembly, close to the ends where they were soldered to the potentiometer. Cutting the wires a little shorter and (just to make doubly sure) replacing the potentiometer has hopefully solved the problem, pending verification.
What I also noticed is that the solder on the wire connections to the PCB carrying the hat switch and button pads (and trigger switch) was rather slapdash. I'll probably not need that PCB anyway, since I plan to rebuild the stick's top to accept a casing with more room for buttons and hat switches (so I may repurpose said hat switch at least). Various switches, both single/momentary and 5-way nav, are on their way.

In related news, the TWCS throttle unit has now acquired a few neodymium magnets which create a centre detent, so that I can finally use the throttle's stroke (which is looooong) for forward and reverse throttle. Saves another button "slot" (hitherto assigned to Reverse, but it required a modifier and I found operating that with my left hand very awkward).

 

[Rudolphus]

My T16000M drift also sometimes or twist don't react, It is solved when I use another usb port and restart elite,

 

[Henkka77]

My FCS, which i bought Dec 2016 is still going strong. Yaw, roll and twist requires approx 5-10% of deadzone to eliminate drift and the main trigger sometimes requires two clicks to work, but otherwise i have been very satisfied and truly this HOTAS has given bang for the buck.

 

[Chinfox]

My T16000M drift also sometimes or twist don't react, It is solved when I use another usb port and restart elite,

Hmmm... I have read somewhere that there is some re-calibration taking place at some stage but I have never quite understood what could trigger it - maybe a change of USB port does the trick.
As to the basic cause of twist not reacting, that might be down to a worn yaw pot(entiometer) - If one felt up to doing this, one could relatively easily swap this out. It's located inside the stick handle, not the base.
With the drift, I assume you mean a constant off-centre bias on the main joystick axes (pitch, roll in ED)? As these drive hall effect sensors instead of pots, wear in the latter can be excluded and hall effect per se is not subject to mechanical wear. What could happen is that the gimbal has acquired an off-centre bias over time... :S maybe open up the base and check if the gimbal screws are all still tight?

My FCS, which i bought Dec 2016 is still going strong. Yaw, roll and twist requires approx 5-10% of deadzone to eliminate drift and the main trigger sometimes requires two clicks to work, but otherwise i have been very satisfied and truly this HOTAS has given bang for the buck.

That is very encouraging . If the drift can be fought with deadzone management, so much the better - for thoughts on possible mechanical causes, see above. The trigger button activates a very common mass-produced "tactile momentary switch" on a PCB in the stick handle; replacements for the switch can be obtained online at less than 10 € for a 50 pack (gives you some spares but smaller packages available), so assuming you can handle a #2 Phillips screwdriver and fine-tipped soldering iron, you can perform the swap yourself.

Edit: the same tactile switches are in fact used in the innards of the hat switch - useful in case one of the directions will no longer respond.

 

[VerticalBlank]

Concerning the trigger, the contacts are a bit prone to get dirty, in my case causing it to double-tap for a single pull. I've found that squriting in any commercial contact cleaner and exercising it can work wonders. No need to disassemble, just squirt it in where the button enters the casing.

Oh, and get the drivers. I don't bother with TARGET but the drivers enable a system-wide deadzone on the mini-stick.

Spoiler

 

[Chinfox]

I've been building away at one of my T.16000m sticks to add some axes, POV hats and buttons. I've finally given up on using my left hand for anything more involved than simpler throttle functions and toggle switches - as I alluded to above, my left index lacks the fine coordination required to properly operate the mini joystick on the throttle, and the addition of a second T.16000m for my left hand to cover lateral and vertical thrust has not made things easier.

While looking for other netizens' examples of adding stuff to existing joysticks I came across this: https://robertsspaceindustries.com/...ght/5759-Joystick-amp-Xbox-One-Controller-Mod - I may not go quite as far, but this is the general idea. I'll post pics once ready, it's still way too messy right now.