The Death of a Joystick: MS FF2 is melting

[TteFAboB]

Today I discovered that my old Microsoft ForceFeedback 2 joystick is "melting" (at least the rubber of the stick proper). As any of you who have ever kept rubber for many long years will know some old rubber tends to disintegrate and turn to goo, given enough time.

And so my joystick is now sticky to the touch, as if it had been covered with a thin layer of bubblegum.

The worst part is that this is all my fault, I am sure, for a mere couple of months ago all was fine as ever, but then I disconnected the stick from the USB and power for the first time in many years because I actually wanted to preserve it from unecessary wear since I wasn't using it very much anymore. The Joystick obviously felt retired in the best case and rejected in the worst, and decided to let go. And now it's dying in my hands.

This stick has been with me for a long, long time. It's my fourth joystick ever, though I only bought it a few months before Microsoft discontinued them. It has been a great stick. It never lost precision or became loose on the center or lost force, and all the buttons and the little throttle work as good as new. This proven veteran has taken me far and wide, to all the corners of this planet and beyond into outer space and galaxies far, far away. It has taken me deep down as well, and served in the place of a wheel for race and tank. Above all, it has not even once let me down. What a great piece of hardware this was, and I will not pull the plug on it again without one last fight.

I've heard Windex may help, and I shall try that, and many other things (suggestions welcome), until I find something that works or ruins the joystick once and for all as a too invasive procedure.

For what is a simmer, without his old joy companion, like a rifle to a soldier, or a dog to a hunter? What good are those gimmicky toys from logitech and saitek, colorful and gay - most likely inspired by lollipops and designed for the defense of Teletubbies? Oh, how I will miss you, my real piece of military hardware...

[GoldenRivet]

heard the story about "Daddy's old ax"?

the handle on Daddy's old ax was replaced three times due to wear, the blade was replaced only twice.

but its still Daddy's old Ax.

You could try to repair it.

I recently dug my dust covered Saitek stick and throttle out, they were dusty as they can be.

so i got myself some of those little square pre-packaged alcohol prep pads like you get at the drug store, and i cleaned them up top to bottm.

The rubber is in good shape though, what little there is.

My advice would be two fold.

First, you may attempt to remove all of the rubber if this is possible, and go to the hobby shop and see if they carry any sheets of leather.

use some sort of template on paper to draw out what the rubber grips looked like, then cut the leather out with a skill knife in the shape that the rubber parts used to be.

test fit the leather to the joystick.

if it meets your standards, use some sort of strong glue "Gorilla glue" works well and glue the leather in the places where the rubber used to be.

Before you do any of that, make sure you use those alcohol pads to clean off any little trace of goopy sticky stuff / dust / dirt / skin dust etc (eww i know)

when you get done you will have one sweet ass looking joystick

second advice, if the above project does not interest you

get yourself a new joystick.

EDIT:

there is another product called "Goo Gone" that will eat off that sticky icky like Chirstie Alley on a jelly filled bear claw

[TLAM Strike]

I feel your pain.

The sensors in my two Wingman Attack joysticks are totally shot from the countless sorties we have been on. I've used them since 2002 and now they have been retired to a place behind under bed next to my Star Trek: CCD cards.

These two sticks have flown everything from X-Wings and TIE fighters, to F-15 Eagles and AH-64D Longbows.

But the paint from the buttons and their labels that is long worn off was probably partially absorbed by my skin so they are now a part of me forever...

[Turbografx]

If you want a good in-expensive joystick, I'm happy with the Saitek AV8R.

If you want a really good one and can spend some cash, get the Saitek X-series.

[razark]

Originally Posted by Turbografx

If you want a good in-expensive joystick, I'm happy with the Saitek AV8R.

I've got one of those, and it's not too bad. Except lately, it's been drifting to the right.

[schlechter pfennig]

Depending upon how serious it is you might try this:

Use 90% isopropanol (stores either sell 70/30 or 90/10, you want one with more alcohol and less water). Carefully blot, not scrub, and try lifting off any deposits.

If that doesn't completely work, moisten a gauze pad with straight Simple Green, and again blot and carefully sponge rather than scrub.

Finally, lightly dust the surfaces, once dry, with talcum powder.

I've also heard there is a product called "Back to Black" that should work. I've never used it, however, so I can't give a personal evaluation. Likewise, I've heard "Armour All" works, too.

[JSLTIGER]

I too have a Sidewinder FF2 joystick...apparently one of the rarer ones too with the red plastic trigger. I'm sorry to hear that you're haveing trouble with yours. I love mine to death and would not trade it for anything in the world. It's an awesome joystick, and it's a shame that MS pulled the plug on it. You can find them online, but they're very expensive now. I think that I saw some for $250, a heck of a lot more than the $50 I paid back in the day.

[GoldenRivet]

Interesting side note.

when My Microsoft precision pro died. i took it apart.

When i removed the bottom panel of the joystick, there were about a dozen or more individual signatures that appeared to be inscribed by hand with a drimmel tool on the inside of the bottom panel.

dont know what thats all about.

[Weiss Pinguin]

My old FFB2's rudder started drifting (well, more like twitching) to the left, so it's been sitting next to my desk out of action for quite a while now. I'll say this, for all the problems their software may have, M$ made some good hardware; it'll be hard to find another joystick as reliable and sturdy as the old Force Feedback 2.

Any suggestions?

[Oberon]

Although they are cheap, you'd probably want to steer clear of the Logitech Extreme 3D Pro. It's not a bad stick, mind, but after a short time it starts to lose its calibration and now, in my case, the twist rudder won't calibrate right. So, that's fun.

[SteamWake]

Have you tried putting some armor all on it?

http://www.armorall.com/

[Buddahaid]

On the subject of MS FF2's, does anyone know a workaround for the Sidewinder software? The software and Windows 7 64bit are not compatible in that joystick properties no longer allows keyboard mapping the buttons. Some older games don't have built in mapping and then the FF2 is almost useless.

[Catfish]

Hello,
just a tip, if too late for this joystick:
Rubber ages because it is a) destroyed by UV light, and by losing (evaporating) its softeners (plasticizers?).

You cannot do much about a), but then a joystick can be kept out of the sun.

Regarding b) if the rubber is still halfway ok, you can put it in a net and then wash it with your usual washing powder/detergent, since this contains a lot of softeners, that will diffuse into the rubber, and make it nice and soft again.
Do not rgenerate your dirty old oldtimer door rubber sealings with your washings, since this might ruin it due to dirt and soot particles, but rather do this in a separate washing action.

Works for almost all rubbers, and soft plastics.

Greetings,
Catfish

[ajrimmer42]

I can vouch for the AV8R, a good, cheap stick all round. Though if you have the moneys, I'd go for something a little more expensive.

[Weiss Pinguin]

Originally Posted by ajrimmer42

I can vouch for the AV8R, a good, cheap stick all round. Though if you have the moneys, I'd go for something a little more expensive.

How do they feel? I have a Saitek X52, and the stick just feels like something you'd find at the Dollar store. (The throttle was excellent, though, which made it even worse)