VKB-SIM

Hey.

I recently pulled out my GF2 with the MCG Pro after not having used it for quite a while and now Windows/VKBDevCfg won't detect it for some reason, I've made sure to try several working USB ports and that the connectors by the PCB's are firmly seated.

If I disconnect one of the pin connectors between the Black Box and the Gunfighter, the ''Stick'' LED starts flashing red, the ''SYS'' shows a static blue and the ''BUS'' a static green - but when everything is connected through the BB none of the LED's show as active, that indicates that the BB is at least receiving power from the computer but other than that I'm pretty clueless as to what the culprit is.

Anybody got any ideas?

Clean up the 3 contact pads on the base stem with some alcohol on a cloth and press down (not too hard though) on the grip when tightening the locking screw.
If still doesn't work kill background running software like Logitech, Razer, Aorus etc; could even restart in Safe mode. Start VKBDevCfg as Admin.
If there are still issues try on another computer.

Show screenshots from the configurator - this will allow you to localize the problem faster.

fallout9 wrote:Clean up the 3 contact pads on the base stem with some alcohol on a cloth and press down (not too hard though) on the grip when tightening the locking screw.
If still doesn't work kill background running software like Logitech, Razer, Aorus etc; could even restart in Safe mode. Start VKBDevCfg as Admin.
If there are still issues try on another computer.

I tried everything you suggested without any luck.

What I did notice by happenstance though was that if I remove the grip then Windows and VKBDevCfg detects it, but simply lowering the grip onto the contact pads makes it disappear again - this is with the twist adapter installed, removing the 200mm extension had no effect.

There were also a scratch on each of the contact pads, as seen below - which are most likely the aftermath of adjusting the grip angle over time, how big of an effect those would have in relation to my issue I've no idea (I've learned that I should probably lift the grip a little when adjusting it though!).

Ron61 wrote:Show screenshots from the configurator - this will allow you to localize the problem faster.

I didn't supply any screenshots from the configurator because there was really nothing to show, when everything is connected it just looks like this:

It is very likely that you have a short circuit somewhere when you install a handle or extension cord. And only for this, the controller goes into protection and does not start. Therefore, it is absent in the configurator.
We need to find out exactly where this is happening. Connect only BB and GF base (no MCG grip or extension cord) - show screenshot from configurator.

Here is what the configurator looks like with only the BB and the GF base connected:



And as requested by fallout9, here is what the bottom of the MCG grip (with twist adapter) and extension look like.

MCG with twist adapter:



Extension:

Now, without disconnecting the BB, install the extension cord. The configurator must be running, and if the device disappears from the configurator when installing the extension cord, the problem is in the extension cord. Repeat this with the MCG grip.

It only happens when installing the MCG grip, should I try swapping out the twist adapter for the stock one?

Edit: I haven't really used the Gunfighter since a good while before I installed the twist adapter a few months ago.

Disassemble the grip and show a photo like that.

I managed to strip one of the 6 screws on the left side of the grip, so I have a bit of swearing to do I'll have to get back to you later with the photo.

Edit: Got the screw out, here's the photo:

Now, now everything seems to fall into place and the reason is established.
Pay attention to the connection cable in my photo and compare with yours.
You should rearrange the red with the black wire in the connector with the help of a needle and everything will be fixed.
I hope that the assembly will be more attentive to this issue. I apologize and hope for mutual understanding.

Funny (or not!), this sounded a lot like the problem I had when I updated my MkI with the MKIII kit. Same thing. Grip on, it went dark, grip off it was back. A pair of wires had to be switched at a connector to the new PCB to make it work. When I just got an extension for it, the same thing happened! Had to switch a pair inside the extension. Found with a meter the pins were miswired from top to bottom. But once I got them straight I had to swap another pair because of the wiring from the MKIII debacle. You can switch the wires on those connectors but it can be a pain. They're tiny!

Only thing I don't get here is I see you said you hadn't used it in a while. Did it work before? That's what's different. If it worked prior I'd think the wire thing wouldn't be an issue. They wouldn't jump around on their own, of course! Unless... Do you have another grip? Did this problem crop up after swapping grips? Or some other change? Like adding an extension recently ?

Ron61 wrote:Now, now everything seems to fall into place and the reason is established.
Pay attention to the connection cable in my photo and compare with yours.
You should rearrange the red with the black wire in the connector with the help of a needle and everything will be fixed.
I hope that the assembly will be more attentive to this issue. I apologize and hope for mutual understanding.

Pin.jpg

Interesting, glad I was not the culprit then. I assume you're a staff member since you apologized on behalf of VKB? (sorry, I don't frequent this forum too often) If that's the case, don't worry...mistakes happen

Edit: Ok...I have good news and bad news. I managed to rearrange the two wires, but upon reconnecting the connector to the 3 pins on the circuit board, the pin for the black wire broke off. I guess it's partly my fault and partly because there is no housing around the pins, which allows the connector to move much more freely from side to side when applying downward pressure when connecting it to the circuit board.

What do you VKB guys advise I do about this?

Drano wrote:Funny (or not!), this sounded a lot like the problem I had when I updated my MkI with the MKIII kit. Same thing. Grip on, it went dark, grip off it was back. A pair of wires had to be switched at a connector to the new PCB to make it work. When I just got an extension for it, the same thing happened! Had to switch a pair inside the extension. Found with a meter the pins were miswired from top to bottom. But once I got them straight I had to swap another pair because of the wiring from the MKIII debacle. You can switch the wires on those connectors but it can be a pain. They're tiny!

Only thing I don't get here is I see you said you hadn't used it in a while. Did it work before? That's what's different. If it worked prior I'd think the wire thing wouldn't be an issue. They wouldn't jump around on their own, of course! Unless... Do you have another grip? Did this problem crop up after swapping grips? Or some other change? Like adding an extension recently ?

That doesn't sound funny at all!

Perhaps my wording was a little confusing, but I meant that I had received and installed the twist adapter a few months ago without actually having used the joystick since long before and after that, until now - so it makes complete sense that the issue would arise now

I would like to clarify - before removing the ribbon cable connector, did the mating part of the connector on the board look exactly the same as in the picture?
Was the plastic available in a color other than white?


Also take a photo full of a controller in a MCG like that.


Then you need to open a ticket from the seller of the MCG grip (if it was purchased separately from the GF base) or from the GF seller (if the MCG was sold with it).

To answer your first question, yes, everything has looked exactly the same except for the one pin that broke off yesterday. The detail about there not being a housing around the mating part of the connector was something I noticed when I disassembled the grip for the first time when installing the twist adapter several months ago, because I noticed that there was one present in the official VKB video tutorial for installing the twist adapter. I didn't really think much of it at the time, other than that it could have been a revised version or something of the like.

I'm not sure if I understand your second question, but if you're referring to the white lines around the pins on the circuit board, they have always been there.