Microsoft Sidewinder Precision Pro joystick overhaul
I've been using the old Microsoft Sidewinder Precision Pro joysticks since I bought a Force Feed Back version about mid 1999. Liked it enough that when I caught a regular one (non-FFB) on sale a couple of months later, I bought it for a back up. These sticks haven't been made since about 2001 at the latest, but because of the infrared technology they use instead of pontentiometers, unless you physically break one, it has the potential of an unlimited working life. You never have to calibrate them, since XP, I haven't had to load drivers for them and they have plenty of programmable buttons (9). They're kind of plain looking, but they work.
The FFB versions had a serious issue with the power supply connector in the stick base failing. And with without the power supply, they just wouldn't work. When mine initially failed after about 6 months of use, I hated to throw away a stick that I paid over $100 for, so I took the base apart, removed the connector from the board, clipped the end off of the power cord and soldered it to the mother board. That got me another couple of years of use out of it before the PS failed all together. By that time, I couldn't find another ps without buying a whole new stick, so the almost new regular non-FFB stick was put into use. This was about 2002. I have used that stick ever since. That thing's like the energizer bunny, it just keeps going.
A couple of nights ago, during our nightly flights, I was reaching for something and accidentally knocked it off my desk. It landed on the hat switch and when checking it out, I couldn't go left when moving the view about. (made for an interesting rest of the flight).
When my FFB Sidewinder quit years ago, I put it up thinking I might eventually find a power supply for it. Never did. Mrs Willy bought another regular non-FFB one at a yardsale about 04 and I found a FFB one without the power supply at Goodwill a couple of years later. I've kept all 3 with the idea of using the FFB ones for parts sticks and the regular one as a backup stick.
So, yesterday after lunch, I took them to the shop to replace the hat switch on the one I've been using. I found out a few things about the parts interchangeability between FFB and regular Sidewinder Precision Pros. While a lot of the guts will interchange, the actual stick mechanism will not nor will the circuit boards. Not that I was going to use the FFB circuit board anyway as I don't have a power supply for one (and they're not USB compatible).
When I got the regular stick apart, along with both FFB sticks, I found that the handles, the infrared bits, and the buttons were the same. The FFB handles have a pair of leds that the regular ones don't have but figured that just makes reassembly easier not having to mess with them. The wiring harness for the upper switch board in the handle goes through a hollow central shaft and it's a pain to get the connector through it. I ended up having to put the shaft into a vise to hold it while I used a pair of screwdrivers to align and push it on through.
During this I realized that I couldn't remember how the regular stick mechanism went together and I really didn't want to take the backup stick apart, so I got the idea of putting the regular circuit board into a FFB housing minus the FFB bits. I got a ways into it before I figured out that while the switches on the board lined up just fine, the circuit board itself mounted different between the two types. So as that was a "not happening thing", I went back to the smaller regular housing.
I played around with the stick mechanism pieces for a bit and decided to just take the base off the backup stick for comparison. That was probably my smartest move of the afternoon. Although I did end up having to partially disassemble the mechanism (and lost the damn spring for it when it launched across the shop), it did show me where I was mucking things up. From there it was easy to put it all back together.
I ended up using the base casing and stick mechanism from the stick I've used for years. The handle plus it's switches from my original FFB stick (I knew those were still working when I quit using it). Also used the buttons from it in the base. The throttle mechanism and infrared sensors & associated bits came from the Goodwill stick. I was still needing to replace the cord to the stick as a mouse had chewed up the old one some years ago and I'd just put some electrical tape around it. The FFB cords look the same and the wire color coding is the same at the circuit board connector, but I know enough about those boards to not really trust that. So I ended up using the circuit board and cord from my ex backup stick now that the spring was somewhere in orbit in the shop and I couldn't find it. The button switches in the base are integral with the board so those are "new" too.
The first functional test had me a little worried. Everything worked but I'd hit a button and it would be a second or so for what it was programmed for to work. But the more I used it, the better it got. Probably from the switches not having been used in about 15 years. Last night's online flight was the test for it and it is like a brand new stick now. I'd been having problems with a couple of the buttons not wanting to work for a while and they're all first time, every time now.
Oh, and I still stay on the lookout for these sticks at yard sales and second hand shops. Now if I could figure out a way to put a standard USB cord on them instead of having to use that gameport to USB adapter.
