p360 mechanics

[hypernova]

i bought two p360s from happs, and they came in yesterday.  now i'm a looooooooong ways off from actually building the cp, (so i'm hoping there's nothing wrong with them!)

anyways, i decided to throw one together just to see what it's like, and i'm a bit confused.  is the throw supposed to be that small?  and how does the actuator work?  either way i put it on, the actuator never reaches the plastic perimeter.  i did what the instructions said:

stick-washer-metal sleeve (long for wood)-pivot bushing on top half.  actuator-e ring on bottom half.

so how's this thing work exactly? 

side question:  what's the easy way to get that e ring on?  the method i used was putting the stick pointed down in my lap (obviously i can't do that on a cp when i do the real thing,) holding the ring in one hand, while using some needlenose pliers in the other to push down the actuator.  i'm concerned this method will bite me in the butt at some point, and the pliers will slip, damaging a joystick component or something else on the cp.

[SUB ZERO]

That e-clip is a pain in the butt to put on by yourself ... helps if you have someone pushing down on the actuator while you press the e-clip on with the your needlenose pliers.

Anyway ... I done the exact samething you did when I received my P360's.

[rdagger]

I had to cut the steel bushing (sleeve) that came on my P360's down to about 1/2" to get the shaft to align correctly with the e-ring (e-clip).  I like to loosen the e-rings a little with vice-grips to make them easier to install and remove.  You just need to be carefull not to break them.

[hypernova]

then how in the world is it supposed to work in 4way mode?  that's baffling me right now.  the inverted actuator seems to change nothing.  i won't use it in 4way mode, this is just one of those things i HAVE to know because not knowing how/why drives me nuts.

[rdagger]

then how in the world is it supposed to work in 4way mode?