Anyone have bad experience with Logitech 3d Pro?

[Jim Robinson]

I would be hesitant to use water for any cleaning. It tends to wick into places and can cause serious problems if not completely removed.

 

You don't submerge the stick, you remove the pots and clean them out separately with hot soapy water (the have holes where the water can get in and out), then you blow them out with compressed air at 120 psi and I guarantee you there will be no water left hanging around to cause any problems. I've done this a dozen times to 3 or 4 different sticks, never caused a problem.

[jandjfrench]

Hey Jim,

When I read your post about using hot soapy water and then the the time between required cleanings decreasing I wasn't a bit surprised. All commercial cleaners that I'm aware of contain a small amount of lubricant to prevent excessive wear. And water that gets between the shaft and the housing tends to resist removal without using something to displace it. And even a small amount will promote rust and it's downhill from there. The use of soap seems especially ill advised. The complete removal of lubricant, even graphite, would not be good. If longevity is not a factor then using hot soapy water and high pressure air is probably just fine.

A couple of years ago I was given a set of CH rudder pedals that had a glitch when at a certain amount of deflection. I took it apart and used denatured alcohol followed up with using warm air from a hair dryer and some light oil on the end of a toothpick. I used them for about 18 months without any further problems. I found another set in a thrift store for $7.50 and and installed these and now I have the ones I cleaned in reserve.

[Jim Robinson]

We're talking about a $.005 cent pot in a $30 joystick that was twitchy beyond useable to begin with Jim. Does it not stand to reason that if one were to use soap & water most sensible people would follow that with a fresh water rinse afterwards or do we have to include that specifically in the instructions as well? Since these $.005 cent pots are all plastic with the exception of the wiper contact I doubt rust will be a problem.

[jandjfrench]

Hi Jim,

If you think I was implying that you were too stupid not to rinse the pot after washing that's not the case. That never even occurred to me. I purchased a Logitech Extreme 3D PRO the same day FSX was released and used it for about 5 years without any problems and only switched to the Cyborg EVO because less pressure was required when flying helicopters. I've never had the Logitech apart but I'd be very surprised that the pots that it uses cost one half cent. I wasn't sure how much I paid for the joystick but I think it was $30. I got it at Fry's and am just about positive it was on sale but don't know what the suggested retail price for it was.

[Jim Robinson]

The OP was asking about a tutorial for disassembling one of these, this seems like a fairly good one:

 

http://anythingispossibleyou.blogspot.com/2010/02/logitech-3d-joystick-repair-and.html

 

Photo #6 shows the pots I'm talking about, yeah maybe $.005/ea might be a little cheap but I assure you in bags of 1000 or so they come in at significantly under a buck.

 

It's been several years since I've bought one of these sticks but IIRC I picked up two or three at Target for $29.99 over the course of a few years. I think Target stopped stocking them and the last one I bought was from Best Buy and I hated it since the day I brought it home. It's the one I'm using now however but it's used up along with all the used pots I had laying around here from other dead joysticks. It's definitely beyond time for a new one but I don't have a Fry's electronics 3 blocks from my house so that means Newegg or driving 100 miles - or fix it and use it some more, lol. My flying consists of 10 min here and there usually after I've fired up the sim to place a model or something so it's really not that important to me.

[TommyK154]

The OP was asking about a tutorial for disassembling one of these, this seems like a fairly good one:

 

http://anythingispossibleyou.blogspot.com/2010/02/logitech-3d-joystick-repair-and.html

 

Photo #6 shows the pots I'm talking about, yeah maybe $.005/ea might be a little cheap but I assure you in bags of 1000 or so they come in at significantly under a buck.

 

It's been several years since I've bought one of these sticks but IIRC I picked up two or three at Target for $29.99 over the course of a few years. I think Target stopped stocking them and the last one I bought was from Best Buy and I hated it since the day I brought it home. It's the one I'm using now however but it's used up along with all the used pots I had laying around here from other dead joysticks. It's definitely beyond time for a new one but I don't have a Fry's electronics 3 blocks from my house so that means Newegg or driving 100 miles - or fix it and use it some more, lol. My flying consists of 10 min here and there usually after I've fired up the sim to place a model or something so it's really not that important to me.

 

Yea so I tried this and I got excited when I read that he just twisted the sensor fully back and forth and it worked for him, but it sure didn't work for me. Nothing changed when I went back and calibrated it. when the stick is in the middle, the z-axis is at 61%, just breathing on it to the left makes it jump all the way to 49%. The sensor is completely messed up. I could try to get a new sensor and fix it, but the holiday season is coming up so I think I'm gonna go for a saitek x52 either for myself or from Santa. It's really disappointing that this is my second one that this happened to meanwhile others have had theirs for years with no problems. I don't abuse or bang my joysticks in any way (insert innuendo here). Either way I do like the many extra axis (i.e wheels) on the x52 which I could use for trims, spoilers or even radio dial and it doesn't break the bank compared to the other Hotases.

[HillBillyJim]

Sorry it didn't work. The 3d Pro is an entry-level joystick, so you can't expect life long use. The one you are thinking about buying should be a nice upgrade.

[Jim Robinson]

I had an X-45 for about a month and quality-wise it was amazing, I didn't like the big throttle thingy being separated from the rest of the stick though, it's almost like you forfeit using your PC for PhotoShop, gmax and other programs when you go that route because the damn thing takes up so much room on the desk. Also I couldn't do the rocker switch for rudder. I ended up selling the X-45 at the local auction. It was a quality piece of equipment though and I'm pretty sure the pots in it cost a few bucks apiece, they were "real" potentiometers.

 

You might still try the soap & water trick on the rudder pot, I dunno, seriously mine has always come out smooth as butter after doing that. You said this was your 2nd Logitech stick, do you still have the first one? Steal the pot out of it, wash it out, and see what happens. Might tide you over 'till Santa get's off his lazy butt and brings you the X-52?

[jandjfrench]

Hi,

I've been bothered since post #3 of this thread where Jim Robinson said:

 

"I've taken mine apart a number of times and rinsed out the pots with hot soapy water followed by compressed air. It makes the stick feel like new again but lasts proportionately less & less time the older the stick gets. Mine's in really rough shape now and I've already stolen all the pots out of other dead joysticks to fix the one I use."

 

I initially assumed that water remained in the pots and that was causing the problem. I went to the link that Jim later provided about disassembling the joystick and heard the reference to "rubbing alcohol". Rubbing alcohol can be as much as 30% water and contain other ingredients none of which can be good. But then I thought perhaps my concerns about soapy water getting into things were unfounded. Perhaps it was the loss of lubrication that was the problem.

My 3D pro works every bit as good as the day I bought it, which was the same day that FSX was released. About 5 years ago I replaced it with a Saitek Cyborg as the Cyborg requires less pressure to maintain level flight in a helicopter. I got the 3D out and checked it and it shows no problems whatsoever. I'm a great believer in the maxim "If it ain't broke don't fix it!" but curiosity got the better of me and today I disassembled the handle and looked at the twist pot. I think you could blow on that little thing with compressed air until the cows came home and you couldn't be sure about removing all the water. Much less soap residue. So I don't know what to think. You pays yer money you takes yer chances.

Jim F.

[Jim Robinson]

Thanks for your input Jim, I've been a mechanic for about 45 years now and my successes far outweigh my failures.

[jandjfrench]

Hi Jim,

My posts were not intended to be a blanket indictment of your skills. I was only intending to address this particular situation.

I was an electronics mechanic for 11 years working for the Navy at Hunter's Point Naval Shipyard in San Francisco prior to going to work for the FAA. I regularly used heavy duty detergents, coupled with super hot water and high-pressure air to clean equipment. Even wrapping Mil-Spec Allen Bradley water-proof pots in plastic prior to cleaning, water still managed to get in. Rather than wholesale replacement I still recall using a 5/8th inch box end wrench to tap gently around the perimeter of the pot to break the seal, unbending the tabs holding it together and finally getting it apart to find drops inside.

It seems rather strange but when asked to fix problems with friend's Hi-Fis, with really cheap, open pots a simple spray of contact cleaner resulted in a permanent fix. At least I don't ever recall ever having to fix one again.

If you had said you dipped the pots in butter milk and they worked perfectly from that point on I would have thought "Wow, whatever works!"

Jim F.

[hornetdriver25]

Only problem I had was after 5 years of use, then it started acting funny.

[dog4zero]

I've had mine for about 10 years now, no problems.