The Death of a Joystick: MS FF2 is melting

schlechter pfennig · 05-02-10, 09:47 PM

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 · 05-02-10, 09:57 PM

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 · 05-02-10, 10:00 PM

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 · 05-02-10, 10:10 PM

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 · 05-03-10, 07:20 AM

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 · 05-03-10, 09:33 AM

Have you tried putting some armor all on it?

http://www.armorall.com/

Buddahaid · 05-03-10, 10:00 AM

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.

05-02-10, 09:47 PM	#1
schlechter pfennig Commander Join Date: Mar 2010 Posts: 462 Downloads: 53 Uploads: 7	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. Last edited by schlechter pfennig; 05-02-10 at 09:58 PM.

05-02-10, 09:57 PM	#2
JSLTIGER The Old Man Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Parkland, FL, USA Posts: 1,437 Downloads: 5 Uploads: 0	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. __________________ Thor: Intel Core i7 4770K\|ASUS Z87Pro\|32GB DDR3 RAM\|11GB EVGA GeForce RTX 2080Ti Black\|256GB Crucial M4 SSD+2TB WD HDD\|4X LG BD-RE\|32" Acer Predator Z321QU 165Hz G-Sync (2540x1440)\|Logitech Z-323 2.1 Sound\|Win 10 Pro Explorer (MSI GL63 8RE-629 Laptop): Intel Core i7 8750H\|16GB DDR4 RAM\|6GB GeForce GTX 1060\|128GB SSD+1TB HDD\|15.6" Widescreen (1920x1080)\|Logitech R-20 2.1 Sound\|Win 10 Home

05-02-10, 10:00 PM	#3
GoldenRivet Subsim Aviator Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Texas Posts: 8,727 Downloads: 146 Uploads: 0	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. __________________

05-02-10, 10:10 PM	#4
Weiss Pinguin Ocean Warrior Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Auburn, Alabama Posts: 3,333 Downloads: 101 Uploads: 0	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? __________________

05-03-10, 09:33 AM	#6
SteamWake Rear Admiral Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 13,224 Downloads: 5 Uploads: 0	Have you tried putting some armor all on it? http://www.armorall.com/ __________________ Follow the progress of Mr. Mulligan : http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=147648

05-03-10, 07:20 AM	#5
Oberon Lucky Jack Join Date: Jul 2002 Posts: 25,976 Downloads: 61 Uploads: 20	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.

05-03-10, 10:00 AM	#7
Buddahaid Shark above Space Chicken Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 9,333 Downloads: 162 Uploads: 0	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. __________________ "However vast the darkness, we must provide our own light." Stanley Kubrick "Tomorrow belongs to those who can hear it coming." David Bowie