Warthog 10 cm Joystick Extender Issue!

[BritishDragon]

I just setup my Warthog joystick 10 cm extender and when I press the trigger, all of my joystick buttons light up in the control panel because they all get activated with just the trigger.
I'm thinking it's something to do with the extender cable that runs inside. I've tried everything I can think of and have spent almost all day on the internet searching. I can't find anyone else with the same problem. Except that it has happened to a couple of people, years ago without any extender and it was because the wires were broke inside the joystick base from wear and tear.

My joystick buttons work fine when I take off the extender and plug it in normally. It must be the extender wire that's causing the issue. It looks like the correct connector, 5 pin mini DIN, and not a modified PS2 plug and socket. The Ebay seller also has 99% positive feedback. With no comments relating to my problem. I sent him an Email explaining this issue and asked for a replacement wire connector.

I'm so disappointed as the stick feels so much better, lighter and more precise with the extender. Especially with my RSI from the strong spring, that stops me playing it as often as I like.
Gutted!

[shirazjohn]

Hi I'm sure this is just a bad cable, do you have a multimeter at hand you could check continuity on the pins from one end of the cable to the other , there is probably a strand of wire shorting between two pins somewhere.  Keep us posted as i am looking to purchase one from the ebay shop myself.

[J2_Steve]

Make sure you have the cable plugged in correctly.

 

You aren't the first to have done this

I had the same issue a long time ago with an extension. I had put the plug in incorrectly and pushed a pin through back into the body of the plug. The symptons were exactly as you described. I managed to get the pin back out and it fixed the issue. howevver it was not easy. you maybe better off getting a new cable

 

[BritishDragon]

The E-bay seller E-mailed back and told me it's a common problem with the cable's as well. He said that he will send another one in the post.

I highly recommend you get the extender. Mine is only 10cm long but I had so much more confidence in flying my aircraft because of the lightness of the spring from having more leverage. I just couldn't press any buttons on the joystick. It transformed the feeling from being a joystick to an actual flight stick! And if you want a 30cm or longer one, you can even order a stronger red spring (from another seller), because you will need it for that length.

I may go crazy and see if I can just put the joystick base on the floor and get a 40+cm extender with a stronger spring fitted. Some time in the future maybe.

 

I would also definitely recommend that you get at least one spare extender cable as they are very fragile. If you twist it too much it will break. The shorter the cable the more fragile it is. They can't withstand twisting much more than 180 degrees apparently.

 

I will update again after I plug in the new cable in a couple of day's, when it arrives in the post. I just hope this one works. 

 

I'm still gutted. I almost don't want to fly without it now because it felt so much better with the extender. An extender for the Warthog joystick is essential in my eyes now. Especially with the strong default Thrustmaster spring.

[shirazjohn]

6 hours ago, XIV_British_Dragon said:

The E-bay seller E-mailed back and told me it's a common problem with the cable's as well. He said that he will send another one in the post.

I highly recommend you get the extender. Mine is only 10cm long but I had so much more confidence in flying my aircraft because of the lightness of the spring from having more leverage. I just couldn't press any buttons on the joystick. It transformed the feeling from being a joystick to an actual flight stick! And if you want a 30cm or longer one, you can even order a stronger red spring (from another seller), because you will need it for that length.

I may go crazy and see if I can just put the joystick base on the floor and get a 40+cm extender with a stronger spring fitted. Some time in the future maybe.

 

I would also definitely recommend that you get at least one spare extender cable as they are very fragile. If you twist it too much it will break. The shorter the cable the more fragile it is. They can't withstand twisting much more than 180 degrees apparently.

 

I will update again after I plug in the new cable in a couple of day's, when it arrives in the post. I just hope this one works. 

 

I'm still gutted. I almost don't want to fly without it now because it felt so much better with the extender. An extender for the Warthog joystick is essential in my eyes now. Especially with the strong default Thrustmaster spring.

Hi thats good news. I ordered the 10cm extension yesterday . I currently have my warthog on my desktop which is not that comfortable to use so have decided to build a sim seat with the stick in the middle hence the need for the extension. Hopefully this may improve my skills.?

[J2_Steve]

Sahaj does a weaker spring for the standard Warthog 

Warthog Green Springs – Warthog Extensions by Sahaj (warthog-extensions-by-sahaj.com)

 

You can also get better extension cables. I have bought from Sahaj and I have bought from that UK Ebay seller.

His extension cables are not to the same standard as those produced by Sahaj. His extensions are OK, you cant really go wrong there but are of slightly thinner material to the one Sahaj produces. I was using a 20cm Sahaj extension, but a recent rethink of my pit means I only needed a 10cm. So took a shortcut and bought the cheaper option from Ebay.

 

 

 

[BritishDragon]

Yes, I believe Sahaj was the guy I was referring to with the springs. He has some nice dust covers as well. I may buy from Sahaj if this doesn't work out.

 

The cable didn't arrive in the post today. But I got so impatient last night that I attached the broken cable and extender and just deleted then re-mapped the most essential joystick button's I needed to the Warthog throttle box and played some single player in the ME-262.

I want to see how it handles taking off in a FW-190 now, with the whole tail wheel release and take off part. I always found it tricky, especially with bombs attached. 

 

I have the joystick right in front of me now in the middle of my small desk table in the way of my keyboard, practically in my face. I need to sit a little higher because of the extender, but I guess that's best for posture? I also have two circular 2.5 kilo iron barbell weight's. One on the left and right side to keep it stable. I will be getting a desk clamp at some point hopefully. But I would probably need two. One for the throttle as well.

A clamp would solve a few problems I have with my view, Trackir, knee rubbing on table legs whilst using the rudders and overall comfort. I'm on a budget so almost anything will do.

I just took a look at the Thrustmaster clamp and it cost's over £70!

On 2/21/2021 at 10:06 AM, shirazjohn said:

Hi thats good news. I ordered the 10cm extension yesterday . I currently have my warthog on my desktop which is not that comfortable to use so have decided to build a sim seat with the stick in the middle hence the need for the extension. Hopefully this may improve my skills.?

You will have more freedom of movement and you could even set your sensitivity to 0. I've added a little dead zone. 28% to roll and 8% to pitch (and rudder).

I feel as if I have more control. I would be very surprised if it didn't improve your skills to some degree. Aircraft control and gunnery. Especially in fighter aircraft. It may not help as much in a bomber but it will definitely feel better even in a heavy aircraft.

 

I'm trying to find out what joystick noise does. I think it effects all axis. Maybe it's sensitivity related? I thought I would try my luck and ask my wife as she was near me and she literally said "But your joystick doesn't make that much noise." lol It does if I have a Spitfire or LA-5 on my 6 lol.

[J2_Steve]

On 2/21/2021 at 10:06 AM, shirazjohn said:

Hi thats good news. I ordered the 10cm extension yesterday . I currently have my warthog on my desktop which is not that comfortable to use so have decided to build a sim seat with the stick in the middle hence the need for the extension. Hopefully this may improve my skills.?

John, you might like this for inspiration. 

[shirazjohn]

44 minutes ago, J2_SteveF said:

John, you might like this for inspiration. 

Very nice setup, this is the kind of thing i am looking to build . I have a car bucket seat on order and will fabricate a metal frame to mount it on. I don't know whether to mount the stick on the frame or have it freestanding as you have.

My extension arrives on Thursday so will cobble up something to mount on floor and try like that for a while. Happy flights.

 

[BritishDragon]

What a nightmare!

TLDR;

It came in the post and I plugged it in, then in the Windows 10 device settings it said my joystick was bootlegged! So I was worse off than before! Not even the base gimbal worked now! I installed the driver and firmware and needed to superglue the connection cable as a pin snapped inside. it's working in the control panel at the moment but I'm yet to try it in a sim. I don't think I could recommend doing this now. You will need to be very careful with the 5 pins! They are very likely to bend or even break off completely.

 

IF YOU ARE AWARE OF THE RISKS AND WHAT CAN GO WRONG, AND YOU CAN REPLACE YOUR JOYSTICK IF YOU BREAK IT, THEN SURE, GO AHEAD.

 

This took me 2 hours to fix or to fix it in the control panel at least, I am yet to try it in a sim;

 

After saying it was bootlegged, it also said I had no driver when I used the troubleshooting scanner and it was also listed as an unspecified device. I reinstalled the driver from the official Thrustmaster site and it then recognised it again. I then needed to update the firmware and when I tried that, it was malfunctioning, with an error code.

I don't know how I did it but I eventually managed to update the firmware without the error code. After looking all over the internet and I was even in the Registry Editor at one point.

 

After the control panel finally recognised my joystick and axis after getting the firmware to download I noticed as I was testing the buttons they were flashing on and off sporadically. I unplugged everything and re-attached the cable and extender multiple times to get the connection right. So many times (It was actually 3 times) that the male plastic connecter in the middle of the joystick snapped off! This is me trying to be careful knowing how fragile the connector is. The pins are the main problem as they bend but eventually you do need to apply a little force after you think it's aligned. Which will likely break something.

 

Anyway. Because the middle plastic connector pin (the pin that holds the connection wire in place) snapped in the bottom of my joystick, the cable would fall out down the extender, so I just dabbed a tiny amount of superglue to the outside of the cable (the plastic part) where it makes contact and attached it again and screwed the joystick in place on top. I then saw that the buttons wouldn't work at all! Nightmare! So I twisted the joystick screw off, pulled out the joystick a little and had to twist the connector to the right a bit as the buttons seemed to activate then as I was also holding a button down on the joystick to see if it was connecting. I held the cable in place applying a bit of twisting pressure for a good 10 mins for the glue to work and screwed it in again. The buttons then worked so I left it. And here I am 14 hours later. The buttons still work in the control panel but I'm yet to try it in a sim.

 

It was very touch and go. I just hope the glue has locked it solid in place. I've given it about 14 hours to dry now. I just have a feeling it's going to go wrong again. it's way too fragile!

Most people would just be better off getting the weaker green spring from Sahaj. You could break your joystick pins doing this! Be warned and do it at your own risk. I can't recommend this to everyone now. So I will say this again;

 

IF YOU ARE AWARE OF THE RISKS AND WHAT CAN GO WRONG, AND YOU CAN REPLACE YOUR JOYSTICK IF YOU BREAK IT, THEN SURE, GO AHEAD.

 

I will update if it breaks. But this was my problem. A software and then a hardware issue. Or you could say it was always a hardware issue that then turned into a physical issue. Your problem may be slightly different to what I experienced.

Good luck if you decide to get the extender. You will also need to be very careful with the 5 pins! They are very likely to bend or even break off completely.

[J2_Steve]

To be fair you have been unlucky, for most people fitting an extension does go smoothly. I have used 3 different extensions over the last 7 years and for the most part it has gone smoothly. The exception being the last one I bought from Ebay, and that was down to a poor quality din. The other Extensions available online (Sahaj and Milan of crosswinds fame) are a lot better quality than what you can get cheap on Ebay.

[Varibraun]

On 2/26/2021 at 7:28 AM, J2_SteveF said:

The other Extensions available online (Sahaj and Milan of crosswinds fame) are a lot better quality than what you can get cheap on Ebay.

 

Yes, +1 for this...I have used a Milan Warthog extension for 6+ years without any setup problem or other issues.  That said, I completely understand OP's frustration and cautionary advice here.  Been there, done that on plenty of other hardware & software glitches through the years.  I hope it all comes together for you, the extension made me a much better sim pilot.

[shirazjohn]

On 2/25/2021 at 3:08 AM, XIV_British_Dragon said:

What a nightmare!

TLDR;

It came in the post and I plugged it in, then in the Windows 10 device settings it said my joystick was bootlegged! So I was worse off than before! Not even the base gimbal worked now! I installed the driver and firmware and needed to superglue the connection cable as a pin snapped inside. it's working in the control panel at the moment but I'm yet to try it in a sim. I don't think I could recommend doing this now. You will need to be very careful with the 5 pins! They are very likely to bend or even break off completely.

 

IF YOU ARE AWARE OF THE RISKS AND WHAT CAN GO WRONG, AND YOU CAN REPLACE YOUR JOYSTICK IF YOU BREAK IT, THEN SURE, GO AHEAD.

 

This took me 2 hours to fix or to fix it in the control panel at least, I am yet to try it in a sim;

 

After saying it was bootlegged, it also said I had no driver when I used the troubleshooting scanner and it was also listed as an unspecified device. I reinstalled the driver from the official Thrustmaster site and it then recognised it again. I then needed to update the firmware and when I tried that, it was malfunctioning, with an error code.

I don't know how I did it but I eventually managed to update the firmware without the error code. After looking all over the internet and I was even in the Registry Editor at one point.

 

After the control panel finally recognised my joystick and axis after getting the firmware to download I noticed as I was testing the buttons they were flashing on and off sporadically. I unplugged everything and re-attached the cable and extender multiple times to get the connection right. So many times (It was actually 3 times) that the male plastic connecter in the middle of the joystick snapped off! This is me trying to be careful knowing how fragile the connector is. The pins are the main problem as they bend but eventually you do need to apply a little force after you think it's aligned. Which will likely break something.

 

Anyway. Because the middle plastic connector pin (the pin that holds the connection wire in place) snapped in the bottom of my joystick, the cable would fall out down the extender, so I just dabbed a tiny amount of superglue to the outside of the cable (the plastic part) where it makes contact and attached it again and screwed the joystick in place on top. I then saw that the buttons wouldn't work at all! Nightmare! So I twisted the joystick screw off, pulled out the joystick a little and had to twist the connector to the right a bit as the buttons seemed to activate then as I was also holding a button down on the joystick to see if it was connecting. I held the cable in place applying a bit of twisting pressure for a good 10 mins for the glue to work and screwed it in again. The buttons then worked so I left it. And here I am 14 hours later. The buttons still work in the control panel but I'm yet to try it in a sim.

 

It was very touch and go. I just hope the glue has locked it solid in place. I've given it about 14 hours to dry now. I just have a feeling it's going to go wrong again. it's way too fragile!

Most people would just be better off getting the weaker green spring from Sahaj. You could break your joystick pins doing this! Be warned and do it at your own risk. I can't recommend this to everyone now. So I will say this again;

 

IF YOU ARE AWARE OF THE RISKS AND WHAT CAN GO WRONG, AND YOU CAN REPLACE YOUR JOYSTICK IF YOU BREAK IT, THEN SURE, GO AHEAD.

 

I will update if it breaks. But this was my problem. A software and then a hardware issue. Or you could say it was always a hardware issue that then turned into a physical issue. Your problem may be slightly different to what I experienced.

Good luck if you decide to get the extender. You will also need to be very careful with the 5 pins! They are very likely to bend or even break off completely.

Sorry you've had the issues with your extension,  i received mine today and after what you've said i gave mine a good look at before  assembling and i have found the problem. 

 

The centre location pin on the warthog grip is in the center of the connector but the mating hole in the extension cable is offset slightly,  i used a scalpel to elongate the hole slightly which has solved the problem. 

 

I'm sure if you hadn't brought this issue up i would be in the same situation as you, I'm not even sure the guy who sells these would be aware. 

     

I have included some photos which hopefully explain. 

Edited February 27, 2021 by shirazjohn