Saitek Cyborg FLY 9 Wireless Flightstick - REVIEW

[hurricane]

Originally Posted by Drvn1

Yeah, i am actually very dissapointed as this stick only lasted me 3 days.. I will most likely stick with the controller and trade this thing in on some turtle beach headsets

never heard of a turtle beach headset until now ,i'll have to google that.

[bobbysocks]

i have one but get a lot of echo. i bought a new wire to see if that is the problem but havent had the chance to try it yet. all in all its a pretty decent head set...comfortable and such.

[hurricane]

Originally Posted by SEE

Very dissappointing to hear that all of these sticks have failed but even more concerned that all had identical problems. Mine recently became very unstable in flight, first with intermittent throttle and shortly after with the other flight controls. I like the stick itself but at the moment the only model worth geting in terms of reliability is the ACE EDGE. I have had to revert back to my PC SAITEK Cyborg 3D Gold (modified for Xbox) while I either find the cause of the problem with the FLY or modify it using the AV8R PCB (kindly donated by MadMaxfury) and revert back to the USB which was more reliable.

modified how?

[bobbysocks]

and is anyone using this ace edge on xbox?? how is it working for you. i found a couple at a fair price...would like to know the scoop before i shell out for another stick.

[SEE]

Modified by transplanting the PCB, Analogue POV and flight potentiometers from my broken AV8R into the PC stick. Every one who I have spoken to rates the Ace EDge very highly. I saw SgtMadmax's and have to say its well engineered piece of kit. Unfortunately it would not suit me as it is in two parts with a lever type rudder throttle on the left module. I tend to have the stick on my lap as there is no room to have a desktop mounted flight system but if one came along cheap enough I would buy it!

[hurricane]

Originally Posted by SEE

Modified by transplanting the PCB, Analogue POV and flight potentiometers from my broken AV8R into the PC stick. Every one who I have spoken to rates the Ace EDge very highly. I saw SgtMadmax's and have to say its well engineered piece of kit. Unfortunately it would not suit me as it is in two parts with a lever type rudder throttle on the left module. I tend to have the stick on my lap as there is no room to have a desktop mounted flight system but if one came along cheap enough I would buy it!

the ace edge is 2 peices side by side so you cant put it on your lap but you don't have to mount it.i set mine on a cheap tv tray.having been through 2 aviators and now using an ace edge i can tell you the ace edge is much stronger but i would fly an av8r now if i had an endless supply.

[bobbysocks]

how far apart can you place the 2 pieces?? do they have to be right next to each other or can you have them say..18 inches apart?

[SEE]

You can have them either side of you, I think there was a pic (some time ago!) with an Ace edge set up on a armchair with one module on the right arm and the other on the left arm.

[SEE]

In the process of converting my FLY 9 to USB operation by installing the PCB from a defunct AV8R I was able to investigate the problem with the failure of the wiring to the rudder potentiometer. It’s no coincidence that this failure has happened in a short space of time to three members who purchased this flightstick. The rudder potentiometer is mounted on the base of the yoke assembly and thus moves in a three dimensional arc. The wires attached to it also have to follow this movement and after a short period of time the wires will suffer fatigue and one or more will eventually part company at the soldered joint. In production hot melt glue is used to prevent this happening but unfortunately it can only be applied directly over the soldered joint which isn’t going to work as the wires need to be anchored at least 10mm away from their soldered joint. In its present production version this cannot be done as the potentiometer is the same size as the diameter of the yoke base. In addition, the wires to the potentiometer have their movement restricted by their proximity to the battery compartment and the base cover. It’s a recipe for continual failure. I have resolved the problem but only because mine is now USB wired rather than wireless and the battery compartment has been removed allowing me to modify the base of the yoke so that an anchor point for the wiring could be included. Fitting the AV8R PCB is a complicated process but it solved all the problems I had been experiencing (and I will be able to use it on my PC!). As I said, I like the design of this stick and have stuck with it but, unfortunately for most, these reliability issues will be a major drawback.

The situation for Xbox owners wanting a decent flightstick is grim to say the least!

1. The Ace Edge is well engineered but not readily available.

2. The FLY 9 is ergonomically well designed with good quality materials but reliability is an issue.

3. This leaves us with the AV8R which is cheap and cheerful and IMO best suited for occasional use. Anything more than that and many of us have found the yoke assembly to be a weak point with failure of the rudder shaft and yoke buttons. For the DIY enthusiast modifying the AV8R with an improved yoke assembly is possible. The one below has the Yoke assembly from a Cyborg 3D gold which is substantially better and works extremely well.

In a nutshell, for Xbox flyers - learn to fly with a controller or hunt for an Ace Edge. I have left the review intact but inserted a cautionary note at the beginning for anyone reading this thread for the first time.

[bobbysocks]

lately ebay (us) has had some decent deals on ace edge from $40 up... might be worth snagging one.