Gunfighter mk3 broken z axis + unstable center

[robby]

Let's try other software/firmware combination: download VKBDevCfg 92.06 and the attached firmware. Unzip the firmware, flash it, do the Default and calibration again.
Tre' sa mearga

I've used the cfg 0.92.26 (since I can't see a 92.06 on the link) with the 1.96 bootloader and the firmware you provided. However the results are the same. The axis z jumps after I press end calibration and the X and Y dance and don't rest in the same spot when I move them to min or max, then let them go. Same thing with z rot as in the video, only one direction goes back to the middle.

I had tried taking out the grip and tightening the cylinder more than I did the first time, but that just broke the z rot altogether, so I don't think it's because of the cylinder being too loose. After I put it back together, I pressed it downwards before tightening which I didn't do the first time, but it still didn't change anything.

[fallout9]

I should've been clear - the issue here was the sliders moving when the grip is at rest.
The fact that the grip doesn't recenter properly is a matter of cams, springs, dry clutch and/or deadzone.

[fallout9]

I'll just paste here this older post of mine:

When it comes to joystick returning to center there are 4 factors to be considered:

Cams - there are soft cams and hard cams. For a precise return to center hard cams are recommended;

Springs - there are 5 sets of springs and each cam could load 2 springs; this means a lot of combinations. For a precise return to center harder combinations are recommended;

Dry clutch - these could be adjusted to cut off the stick oscillations. For a precise return to center the dry clutch has to be completely released;

Deadzone - by default it comes set up to 0.5. I could be easily increased to 1.5-2 without losing any input around center.

Best option guaranteed for the most precise return to center is hard cams with hard springs and dampers completely released. But this could still be achieved with soft cams and hard springs and no dampers. Or even with soft cams and softer springs and larger deadzone. As you could see, there are lots of options. VKB products are made to be messed with by the user. Whatever works for a person wouldn't fit in someone else's preferences, so you could adjust your device perfectly to your liking.


This video shows how to make adjustments on springs, cams and dry clutches on a GunFighter base.

[robby]

I understand, thanks. I'll assume there's no way to make this work with the defaults unless I increase the deadzone. I had thought the stick would work as advertised in the official VKB video with the default settings and configurations, without changing anything.

I'll do the changes over the weekend when I'll get some daylight and see if I can get it to work properly with different cam+spring combinations, as well as dry clutch. Thanks for the help.

I'll leave a message here if I manage to find something that works, or if I'm left stumped. If I can't get it to work, I assume I'll hear from you on monday, so have a nice weekend!

[fallout9]

The factory spring setup is more a holder than a viable, working option. Some really like the single 20s though, especially for the space games and they just learn how to live with manually pushing the grip back to center in order to avoid drifting. Some games even offer the option to cut off the pitch and yaw axes, like Star Citizen. For the other games, without this option, something could be set up through the native software.

[robby]

I've played with it over the weekend and I was trying to setup the 30 springs with the space-s cams. However I'm having issues now with some grinding I'm feeling when testing the stick. I switched out the springs for 2 others but the grinding persists. Do you see anything wrong with the assembly? In the picture there's two different types of cams since I had switched out one space s with the original to see if the grinding goes away, but it didn't. If it helps with anything, the grinding feels a lot heavier when the bearing moves towards the exterior of the cam (e.g. in picture 1, heavier grinding happens when moving from right to left)

And in this picture you can see both clutches are loose.

[fallout9]

Probably you've tightened the cams too much on the ball bearings. Check this video, there's a certain amount of proper tightening: too much and the ball bearing is blocked; too loose and cam spins around the screw instead of using the ball bearing to rotate with it.

[robby]

Loosening or tightening doesn't affect the feel. There's grinding regardless if I tighten by hand or do it with the tools until there's resistance. It's very distracting having the stick feel different when going left or down (no grinding) compared to going right or up (grinding feeling). Obviously, left and down movements lead the bearing to the inside of the cams, whereas the other two lead it to the outside of them.

Switching to looser springs lessens the grinding feel, which I suppose is natural, whereas using harder springs makes it feel even more grindy. Moving the springs from inside to outside notches makes no difference, the feel is the same.

Tightening the clutch to max makes the grinding almost completely unnoticeable, but it's not the solution I'm looking for.

[robby]

here's also the position of the bearings. However there's no amount of screwing or unscrewing that will ever get these centered, if they actually ever need to be straight in the middle.

[fallout9]

Are the dampers fully released?

[robby]

As I've already written, playing with the dampers solves nothing. At this point, I guess I have no choice but to RMA and request for either a replacement or a refund.

[fallout9]

The picture where you marked them as 'loose' show they're still active though.

[robby]

loosening the screws to the maximum without having them fall off also does nothing.

[fallout9]

Is the guiding ball bearing still in the middle of the cam at max deflection?

[robby]

the two pictures above show the side view and the two further pictures above show the top view. Their positioning hasn't changed at all from the 4 pictures provided above.