Ultrastik 360s are beginning to fail

[MydknyteStyrm]

Ive have four U360s now for over a year. Two of them have the rotary upgrade, and two are regular. Hard springs, all have octagon restrictors. The problem I am beginning to notice for the past month is the stick will not center correctly, or the stick will slightly move in a direction.

The sticks use magnets on the end of the shaft that wave over a sensor. There is a green LED light on each PCB board. When the stick is in motion, the LED begins to blink, and the further the magnet moves from center point, the LED blinks until it goes dark. When its centered, its supposed to be a steady green.
None of my lights are steady green. They have a slight flicker, and one of them blinks sporadically.

I'm posting this to see if anyone has had this issue before. Can the hard springs wear out? The restrictors are plastic, should I replace them? Any information would be welcome. Thanks!

[AndyWarne]

If the problem is a physical one, the handle not returning to center fully, the cup-shaped bearings on the sticks need lubrication with Silicone grease.

They are pre-lubricated but after extended use, dust can get in and they would need servicing.

Andy

[BadMouth]

This is what I use on my Sanwa JLFs.  (after seeing RandyT recommend it on these here boards)
After a stiffer spring and other modifications they felt like something was catching on a ledge part way through moving them.
Lubed the crap out of them a year or two ago and haven't noticed it since.



Sold at Home Depot & Harbor Freight

[MydknyteStyrm]

Awesome! Will definitely try this out and report back.


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[RandyT]

When used in a "ball and socket" style joystick pivoting mechanism, stiff springs will more aggressively displace lubrication, and then, accelerate wear of the socket.

I've been warning about this for years, but it's one of those things which can take a while to surface, depending on how often the stick is used and how well it's maintained.

If you must use stiffer springs than selected by the joystick manufacturer who uses these kinds of pivot mechanisms, definitely increase the frequency of your maintenance regimen.

[MydknyteStyrm]

So what are the basic maintenance requirements? How much lube is enough? How often? Would it benefit to replace the ball joints? I use the cab at least once a week, and heavily on weekends when friends are over. I've had twelve hour Street Fighter marathons


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[RandyT]

So what are the basic maintenance requirements? How much lube is enough? How often? Would it benefit to replace the ball joints? I use the cab at least once a week, and heavily on weekends when friends are over. I've had twelve hour Street Fighter marathons

There are way too many variables to say that "you should do X every Y hours of use".  The more aggressive the spring tension, the more often it should be checked, and lubed as necessary.  You won't know how often, until you monitor the situation regularly, and note the condition of things over the time it has been used.

I'd say that if you planned on having 12 hour marathons, it would be prudent to check and liberally lube the socket before hand.

If the socket is lipped, or otherwise worn out of shape already, replacement of the part is really the only thing you can do at that point.

[Nephasth]

Throw a little plumber's lube in it whenever it feels a little stiff. "The squeaky wheel gets the grease."

[wcndave]

Perhaps slightly off-topic, I have some mag-stiks, and they are noticeably stiff these days, and often miss a "hit", however they same to be switch based, different than the Ultrastik, any best practice for maintaining them?