Postby Pickafivestring » Sun May 02, 2021 15:41
I'm just going to chime in here as well. I ordered my Gunfighter Mk3 MCG Pro in February 2021, and received it March 3, 2021. Specifically, I ordered the table top base. I mounted it on a Foxx Mount, desk mount. I just started setting it up last week, along with other equipment I recently bought. Yes, I have the stamina, and fortitude of an oak, for not even opening the packages until a week ago.
I've had the grip come loose from the base. The funny thing is I wasn't even really using the stick for flying. After doing a basic setup and calibration, I was mapping my first aircraft in X-Plane to learn the hardware and such. Being a civilian flight sim, there wasn't much pot stirring with the stick, and all flight inputs were smooth, you know, to give a nice ride to the paying meat bags in the back of the plane.
Anyhow, after about 2 hours of mapping, testing, re-mapping, testing, and final re-mapping, the stick cut out, and the connection was lost. Upon examining the stick, it was clear the grip had separated enough from the base, to break the connection. This happened yesterday.
What I found: The locking collar bolt was not as tight as when I initially tightened it down.
What I did about it: I confirmed that the locking collar was in the correct rotational position. I confirmed that I had a pin witness mark on all three pads of the grip base. I opened up the locking collar completely to ensure the grip would slide all the way down the mounting shaft on the base. I ensured the locking collar was rotationally in the proper mechanical position for its intended function. I took my time mounting the grip to the base, making sure it was on the base as far as the design would go. I hand tightened the collar bolt with a hex key, until I could no longer hand tighten it. I then used another tool to gain some additional mechanical leverage, and tightened further, as far as I dared, knowing it's a plastic grip, being tightened by a steel bolt, around a metal shaft.
What I will do going forward: For now, I am going to use the stick, and monitor it. I'm hoping this will be the fix. If it loosens again, I'm going to repeat the seating process, but include the use of blue thread locking compound during the grip/base mating. If that fails, then I'll go the support ticket route.
I'm not saying there's a broader problem with the design, but it seems the attachment design isn't as robust as it could be. I'm surprised that a plug system independent of the mechanical attachment isn't used. Combining the two, while pleasing from an engineering standpoint, is asking a lot from a plastic grip, on a metal base, being used by a bunch of grown men playing fighter pilot. Friction gripping fasteners are rarely the answer when connecting two longitudinal parts in series, especially when you are going to apply perpendicular forces from every angle in the force plane to that fastener. What's really needed is a screw down locking collar, or if the friction fastener is insisted upon, a design that slides over a retention ring, and then tightens around the shaft, combining mechanical friction AND longitudinal retention support.
In any event, I wanted to let VKB know that it seems the winter batch that shipped in January and February, is demonstrating this grip and base separation, by posting my experience here as well.
Regards,
Tim
) and that those of us with that kind of brain are the odd ones and the rest of you chaps are the normal ones and so your 'getting it wrong' is a factor of a less than intuitive design but the design does seem to make sense to me!