Saitek Yoke Mod

Saitek Yoke Mod
by Ken Weir
How it took me 10 minutes to turn…
into...
into...
with a…
1-1: Tools
Unfortunately, there is a rather extensive list of tools required for
such a high-precision modification. You must be prepared to spend
at least one US dollar on equipment alone.
Please refer to the following photographs for required tools.
1-2: Prep
WARNING: Continuing beyond this sentence will void the warranty.
To open the case you will need to remove;
12 identically sized screws from the body
2 slightly smaller screws at the yoke collar
Internal Overview
Pitch
Spring
(1 of 2)
Roll
Spring
3-1: Slow your roll!!
Removing/replacing the roll spring is the most tedious/pseudo-difficult
part of the mod, so let's tackle that first. It's actually pretty easy, but
requires removing the yoke shaft which can sometimes be a pain to get
back in with everything lined up correctly.
From here on out you're just going to have to trust my extensive
experience & expertise. I've modded exactly one Saitek yoke. It still
works 3 months later though, so I guess we're safe?
Up till now the guide has been almost all pictures and little talk. I
mean come on, how hard is it to take out 14 screws all with the same
screwdriver? We all know 'righty tighty, lefty loosy' so there really
wasn't a whole lot more to say about it.
From now on I'll be giving a somewhat detailed narrative of what you
need to do, followed by a few strategically placed photos for clarity.
Step 1 is to remove the screw at the top of the roll spring. Just forget
we've got the yoke sitting upside-down, I don't want to confuse
myself...
That guy right there!
Be careful too, that spring
is under tension & will try
to jump when you remove
the screw. It won't go
anywhere because it's still
got another screw, but it
might make you have to
go change your shorts...
Technically you could stop there, but I don't like the idea of leaving
loose springs that could get in a bind & ruin that perfect 35kt crosswind
approach when you're just about to flare. Especially if it's day 29 since
your last VA PIREP and the boss has you working overtime this
weekend... Or you lied about your age & have to get ready for a social
studies exam...
Anyway, let's just assume you want to play it safe & completely remove
the spring.
3-2: Journey to the center of the… er… yoke…
Incidentally, you may have noticed that I went straight from section 1
to section 3. That's because section 2 includes some highly
proprietary, top-secret classified "I'd have to kill you if I told you"
steps. They may be critical to the success of this mod, but like I said
it's a secret.
Actually that was just a typo & I thought it'd be more fun to come up
with a lame excuse than go back & fix 2 lousy numbers...
Step 2 is to remove 6 screws on what I will now label the 'yoke shaft
retainers'
No matter how hard you turn the yoke, that bottom screw just won't
get quite high enough to get the screwdriver on it, so now we've got to
pull the yoke shaft.
IMPORTANT NOTE: If you have the yoke upside down with the handle
hanging off the end like in my photos, STOP AND SUPPORT IT!! It'll try
to fall out of you don't & that's not a good thing. Don't ask me how I
know that...
Now that you've got the retainers off & hopefully didn't let the falling
yoke rip any wires loose, we can remove the second roll spring screw.
Where the screw used to
be...
This is a later photo that I
took after the mod for this
guide.
Rubber band = man
behind the curtain.
IGNORE HIM!!
OK, now that the bottom screw is out & the spring is safely in the
garbage/recycle bin, put the two screws in there with it. We won't be
reusing them unless in some distant future you suddenly feel the urge
to reject smooth yokes and revert back to a stiff, toy-like era.
3-3: There and Back Again, a Flight Simmer's Tale.
Now that the roll spring is completely removed, it's time to reinstall the
yoke shaft retainers before we sneeze & render all the switches/buttons
inoperable. There are a couple of sliders you need to keep properly
aligned during reinstallation. Pay particular attention to the pitch link &
the small plastic sleeve right behind the yoke, just where the shaft
enters the base. Aside from that it's only reinstalling the retainers with
the aforementioned 6 screws and if you can't do that sending me a PM
on the AVSIM forum will be exactly as helpful as having a chimp do
your calculus homework.
I'm not putting a photo here. It's pretty pointless...
3-4: Rubbernecking, not just a hobby for tourists
Allright, here's where all that high-dollar equipment you had to buy
comes into use. We're going to use a rubber band to replace the roll
spring. The best part is it's completely tunable! Adjust the number of
wraps or size/thickness of the rubber band to your taste. I prefer 3
turns with Wal-Mart's finest, ie... cheapest bag I could find...
OK, you can stop ignoring
the rubber band now.
There are 2 arms that
stick up & they have small
hooks near the end.
Almost as if the designing
engineer sat there
thinking "Man, these
springs we use really are
crap! I'm gonna fix this
so people can make it feel
right with just a cheap
little rubber band!!"
Another photo, in case the
first one wasn't clear
enough...
Mr. Rubber Band & Mrs. Roll, I now pronounce thee smooth enough.
Adjust the rubber band tension for the desired effect. Remember to
put the cover back on (no need to screw it) and place the yoke rightside-up when checking the feel as the CG isn't aligned with the shaft
axis. Once you're happy with it we can move on the section 4, where
we tackle the yaw.
4-1: Pitching the curve-ball
OK, the hard part is over. We're also about 75% done too!! The pitch
axis has 2 tension springs, one above the link arms and one below.
Personally, I think the hassle of removing the bottom spring & then
tuning another rubber band just isn't worth it. Just remove the two
screws holding the top spring & you should be happy.
Numero uno es aqui
Numero dos es aqui
Removo el botho por
favor
Sorry, my Spanish is a little rusty. Remove both those screws to get
rid of the top pitch spring. If you choose to remove both springs, you
can put those two screws back & use them as posts for another rubber
band.
5-1: Reassembly is reverse of removal.
Pretty self-explanatory, really. Put the cover back on, screw the two
tiny screws into the yoke shaft collar & put the other 12 screws on the
only holes left.
Functionally, nothing has changed in the yoke. We haven't adjusted
pot positions or removed travel stops, so your old calibration should
still be valid. All we did was make it more comfortable to use.