Hi guys, need a help urgently before my warranty expires on this sidestick. I’ve noticed when i move the joystick for rudder and release it, then it abruptly move up and down on control setting for sidestick for 4-5 seconds. Also, it can be seen when i do it in the plane and release the joystick, then my pedals are going down and up some seconds.
I don’t remember if it was before like this. Is it ok or something incorrect with my sidestick and i need to get back to the store on warranty?
Thanks
Common problem. Try this. I had to back it out, but it may work for you.
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It’s a.common problem related to poor design and component choices.
The TCA sidestick and T16000 are basically the same stick. This design issue goes back years with the T16000 also.
While they used contactless sensors for pitch and roll axes they used the cheapest potentiometer they could get for the yaw (rudder) axis.
It eventually wears out.
In addition to poor component choice the method that the potentiometer is clamped inside the body of the stick can cause excessive wear on the moving parts of the potentiometer.
And in addition to that poor manufacturing and QA can result in the wires to the potentiometer also causing strain on the part.
There are plenty of tear down videos online for the T16000 and probably a few thousand discussions on the topic of how to clean that potentiometer, route the wires better and modify the mount so it doesn’t break the potentiometer more…and you can use these to keep the thing working for a bit longer but ultimately that potentiometer will fail and when it does you can’t buy a replacement. You have to buy a whole new stick.
When that day eventually comes just buy a VKB Gkadiator NXT or anything else that is actually well designed and uses contactless sensors throughout.
I got through a few T16000’s before I realised that with all the money spent fixing them or replacing them I could have just bought a VKB or Virpil…so that’s what I did.
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Virpil not having an Airbus style grip available is surely a missed opportunity.
Squirting some de-oxit potentiometer cleaner/lube in my 16000 yaw pot has helped it work for a couple months without issue now. I’m sure it will eventually stick again but so far, this is as long as I’ve used it without having to take it apart.
To be fair I have the Constellation Alpha and I’ve never used a more comfortable grip.
It replaced an MT-50 which I thought I would still reach for when flying combat Sims, but after using the Alpha everything else just feels “less right”
I’m not a huge fan of its sci-fi styling though, but hey, I don’t fly by looking at the grip. 
I think I read a rumour that Virpil or VKB might do a yoke. Then again,.I may have dreamed that bit…
Not really since you are severely limited to flying Airbus style aircraft if you are using the hat switch for view control.
In this case on the Airbus stick there are no buttons left for manual trimming.
The ‘classic’ T16000M is the much better choice IMO.
Re-routing the wires for the twist axis takes only a few minutes.
Although I never experienced this problem on both of my T16000Ms.
That said the move from my T16000M to the Gladitior NXT did increase realism like going from a gamepad to the T16000M.
I will try your solution. Thanks for the link.
For those of us interested in the Airbus, having an Airbus gip on something that’s not a toy would be ideal. I don’t care for the extra buttons because I literally never use any of them ever.
What you suggest is really good and also very pricey , may be the next i will think to spend more money on this. Also, it proves the fact that TCA sidestick costs about 100 $ where don’t forget there is a profit and costs for company should be included.
And why we choose sometimes the product that Quality is reduced? The answer is a style. Yes, style of Airbus cockpit design influences on our decision. That’s why people buy it even knowing that quality may be low.
I agree with yoy but extra buttons are added here only for those guys who don’t by TCA Quadrant ADdition and want to implement the main functionality on the sidestick.
Personal Comments:
One of the nuances that makes the TCA attractive is the immediate “out-of-the-box” mapping, especially if one purchased it specifically to fly the A32x.
Granted, at some point most users will have to custom map. To that end, I’m not too interested in having to map outside of the sim unless there’s a clear advantage to do so. If I can achieve it as a “once-and-done” and still have some flexibility with numerous “profiles” - which I can inside the sim, then that’s good enough for me. Other controller offerings on the market are very nice compared to TM, but if it’s more work than what I just described above, it’s not for me.
Your Mileage May Vary.
Anyway - back to topic. The Topic Author has leads on how to resolve the rudder “twitchiness” - hope it’s helpful!
I think I actually saw somebody selling exactly this - can’t remember exactly where though.
If you have a 3d printer there are probably some models out there that can be printed and mounted to Virpil or VKB bases.
i’m experiencing the same problems and my TM TCA side stick worn out way too quickly and that’s for occasional use to fly airliners on msfs, this unacceptable and i will never ever buy again anything from Thrustmaster.