How To: Remove centre detend from Saitek Pro Flight/Combat Rudder Paddles

[Peter_P]

Imagine this situation:
You controlling the Black Shark and you just looked a target and want to shoot a Vikhr...
You trimmed and you a re almost there to shoot...
The only thing you still have to do is to move your nose a tiny little notch to the right to get launch permission from the targeting computer and finally fire the missile...
- but there is a little thing that prevents you to do this accurately ! ... :
the annoying centre detent on your Rudder Pedals !!! :mad:



Above is just a little example what can happen in many situations using the Saitek Rudders.

Please don't get me wrong -
The Saitek Rudders are very reliable and sturdy and I would recommend them any-time again to others - they offer the most for your money on the market - I use mine since three years ( two years without the detent) and have no problem in accuracy and stability .

... BUT :
I don't know any Aircraft that has a center detent at the pedals...,
why Saitek decided to do this ?! -
Not only that this is very unrealistic - it makes also small adjustments nearly impossible !
:doh:

How To:
Remove the (annoying) centre detent from Saitek Pro Flight-
and Combat- Rudder Pedals
http://i1132.photobucket.com/albums/m561/peterpank1/ED%20forum/proflight.jpghttp://i1132.photobucket.com/albums/m561/peterpank1/ED%20forum/combat1.jpg

One notice about your warranty :
Doing it in the way I described it here - without braking/further modifying something inside them should not remove your warranty -at least here in Germany!

But:

The optional Step 9. and 10. can conflict with the warranty.


So let's get started...

You will need this tools:

Needle nose pliers
http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSVvV1mD2EADEZAQU-mgpvQI4aCiRPOUsvFiviIYpI2qHYDNxrG1Tk0oMg
Small Cross-head screwdriver
http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQjiSkQCZQW7Q2fqgfAMeadwp6IhpvXn KvjGA1DEUcmIcUaBWBnY5OpFp4
and about 30min of time and the same amount of concentration...
(a calm and clean working-place will also help significant to stay in between the 30min time-frame ;) )


1.Remove all screws from the backside and don't forget the Four screws that are hidden under the rubber pads.

http://forums.eagle.ru/picture.php?albumid=517&pictureid=3528



2.Disconnect one side of the spring so that the mechanic of the pedals will not stay under pressure while you working your way through to the detent of the the rudder pedals.

http://forums.eagle.ru/picture.php?albumid=517&pictureid=3529



3.Remove the small Metal rod by pushing it gently to one side with the pliers.

http://forums.eagle.ru/picture.php?albumid=517&pictureid=3536



4.Pull off the centre-ring that holds the axis together.

http://forums.eagle.ru/picture.php?albumid=517&pictureid=3537



5.Gently bend the side of the pedal up (about 1cm) and move the turning middle section down to disconnect it from the pedal.
Do the same with the other side.

http://forums.eagle.ru/picture.php?albumid=517&pictureid=3532



6.Move both (now freely moving) pedals in opposite direction...

http://forums.eagle.ru/picture.php?albumid=517&pictureid=3538



7. ... to be able to pull off the middle plate from the axis. Be careful with the wires !

http://forums.eagle.ru/picture.php?albumid=517&pictureid=3534



8. In the next pictures you can see the part that is causing the centre detent and the problems when making small adjustments.

Pull out the little Plastic inside the tube and also the spring under it.

http://forums.eagle.ru/picture.php?albumid=517&pictureid=3884
(Thanks to Eponsky_bot (http://forums.eagle.ru/member.php?u=65731) for posting the pictures for this step)


9. Optional (can remove your warranty):
You can widen the big spring just a little 2-3mm with the help of a second pilers to get a even smoother transition to the centre.
You can also remove the heavy spring completely and use rubber-bands similar like described in this thread http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=63870
This is recommend for Helicopter simulations - you have no centring force at all in a helicopter - only damping is applied from the hydraulics/mechanic !
http://img829.imageshack.us/img829/1072/p1030666.jpg

10.Optional (can remove your warranty):
You can also remove the two covers between the housing and the left and right pedals to get rid of the annoying scratching noise with a scissor/knife. But be aware that you have to be careful that no small parts/dirt from your shoes will fall in.( I maintain my pedals once every 6 month -I clean them up inside and grease them afterwards with silicone-grease (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silicone_grease). )
[B]
11. Now put everything in the exact reserve order together . Be careful with the wires! Make sure they move freely when you put the backplate on.

[ramstein]

be careful, the #8 - plastic plug/pin with spring, slides in the little hole,, and the plastic has a thin wall, and can break the wall in half, so the spring, and plastic divit with the round end, can actually slip out into the mechanism, causing more problems, then it just not centering... as usual, the people that designed it decided to save 1/10000000 % by scrimping on plastic molding, therefore having a weak plastic hole for the spring and platic to sit in that centers the pedals by the spring pushing the round head of the pin into an indent.. cheap plastic junk because some company and engineer thought it would save 1/000000000 of a penny on each unit, instead causing the user to suffer with junk breaking...

I took a rubber hose for fuel lines on cars, but a small piece and glue it in the place over the broken section, and put the spring back into the hole with the plastic pin that centers the pedals.. I put more grease after cleaning out excess dust... and so far I have not had to take them apart again to fix the plastic junk...

until I got the measurements of the fix jsut right I had to take the pedals aparts about 15x when the tracks came off (even with the fixit kit Saitek sent me to fix the problem of the tracks coming off in the pedals mechanism..

I wish the engineers read the forums and would finally let them know they can't scrimp on a good product turning into cheap carp... for big dollar prices.. use anothe rpenny in plastic and or better quality... stop being cheap dirtbags... and make it a decent product..

when you have take the cheap junk apart a bunch of times, even using an electric drill with screw driver bits, it still sucks and is not fun ,, and the flight sim consumer should not have to go through this ordeal.. even as a person such as myself who is gentle and of normal weight and even on the weak side because of illness...

[StiC]

Sorry if this is off topic but you seem to be the people to ask.

I have an opportunity to buy a set of these pedals but the tension knob has broken off and I was wondering just how critical is it for these pedals to operate. I am skilled with electronics and mechanics, so I can make some repairs to it but I don't want to have to replace parts if I can help it.

Great work on the mod btw. I will certainly be making this change if I get the pedals.

Thanks in advance
StiC

[Osprey]

Hi StiC, They operate fine without the tension nob, mine is pretty much slackened off all the way. They are sprung so default to the centre anyway and if that centre nob is tight they don't do it very well. And legs, being the most powerful limbs in your body, tend to overpower any tension they may have. Can you give them a try? Make sure the toe brakes function too.

I wouldn't make the mod change unless you feel the need to tbh. The OP is referring to DCS Blackshark, which is a Heli sim, so smooth yaw is important. With fixed wing you will often want that centre to settle otherwise you'll slip all over the place, I find the sprung notch useful.