Don’t know what to tell you. I’ve heard all sorts of theories. People saying the cord shouldn’t be crammed in the compartment, people saying the problem could be dual modding as well, perhaps the pcb can’t handle the mod… etc.
I’ve been through too many te pcbs at this point to know that you either deal with it or you get a different pcb. For me the issues occurred in a manner I could not reproduce. Sometimes the stick would go for days/weeks without problems and some days it will flare up after 10 minutes.
There are still people out there with TEs that are not modded and have the same issue. I can say that before I dual modded mine I didn’t have a single issue though. Take it for what you want. If you’re an victim of the issue just replace the pcb with something better or deal with it.
I really don’t think something about static electricity is really plausible
Yeah I submitted an RMA and they asked me to send the whole stick in. I replied and said I would be able to resolder the USB cable, and they’re now going to email me another PCB which will probably have the same problem
Hope you guy’s can help - Or if I’m posting in the wrong place let me know.
Anyway my TE stick finally arrived today and one of the buttons was pushed too far in - it still works slightly but then it gets slightly stuck and then can’t be pushed in any further. Basically I just wanted to ask If I should contact the online retailer I bought it from and ask for a new or if it’s only a quick fix problem because my Allen key’s are arriving soon so I’ll be able to open it up and have a look.
I might have the same problem but I’m still not sure, when I get my Allen to key to open things up i’m worried that if that isn’t the problem I might not be able to get a replacement.
Update: Hosted a little friendly gaming session last night at the house – had the madcatz being beatup for about 5 hours straight and HK (EDIT: RT) continued to work strong.
Seems as if I got lucky or its just a matter of time before it acts up again. Will keep everyone posted – will try to call Madcatz about it this weekend (although like others who’ve posted here, it will either be “send it back or we send u new PCB” type deal)
I went and bought the Round 2 TE Stick, swapped the PCB with my old one, thinking that it might a newer revision = problem fixed, but no. Actually, the problem arises even faster. And just the RT trigger. Every time I play, after about 15-30 min or so, it will almost always cut off. Every other button works fine.
Alright, so a month after grounding my top an bottom plates I have not seen the issue again. Static electricity issues are not unprecedented with PCBs and large metal plates. See the thread below with the HRAP EX
My solution is to add a very small wire between a CMN connection on the JLF to a mounting screw on the JLF, and a small wire from the CMN connection on the button wire array to a screw on the bottom plate. I’ve verified via the screws that both plates are grounded directly to the PCB/USB. The solution in the thread above was to use electrical tape to shield the PCB from the exposed metal, which may also work.
I’m trying it out to fix a friend’s TE, and if it works I’ll post pictures of the mod.
Assuming this issue is an Xbox PCB issue…
If I bought the XBOX360 TE fightstick and modded it for using it on the PS3,
Would this problem still happen while playing it on the PS3?
(and the modding would be with the CHIMP stuff)
hmmmm, ive had a T.E stick (xbox) since launch (UK) and i can honestly say its been fine, i dont use the two grey buttons, but i just ordered a 2nd original T.E stick for my vewlix cab as i wasnt keen on the newer designs, now im worried my new stick may have this issue when it arrives! fingers crossed, keep you posted.
The problem with what you’re saying here is that it does NOT rule out static issues. It’s completely plausible for one PCB to generate this malicious static over others.
I have read this entire thread and I am with JMro, I believe we have a strong lead as to what the problem is. That being said, I also have a round 2 TE for XBox 360 that I do play on carpet or my lap (I don’t recall if this ever happened while playing on my lap). I have only had it for about 1.5 weeks. I also have had this issue with RT which is temporarily corrected by replugging (discharging static?). It is pretty rare so far, but does happen to me. I will try to reproduce the issue in training mode using JMro’s method later, and check turbo functionality and such. If I run into the same things, I plan to use grounds, like my HRAP EX does…
Nope, while I was having the issue it only happened on the 360. The 360 PCB is inactive while using the chimp.
Alright I have a second stick here with the issue. Unfortunately it is quite hard to reproduce on this stick. My old one I could repro it in a few minutes in training mode, this one took much longer, but I did get the issue once while pluggin in the headset, and got a shock. Again static. I’m going to see if I can repro it consistently, then apply the mod.
Either way, grounding the top plate is dead simple with a soldering iron. Here is a photo of my method. The green wire goes from common on the JLF to a screw. You can then use a circuit tester to verify any point on the top plate is grounded.
I don’t have a photo of the bottom plate, but I will add it later. A wire from one of the common lines on the button array to a screw in the bottom plate will ground it out.
I had my Xbox TE for about 4-5 months before it started displaying the roundhouse drop out symptoms you guys have described. As usual reconnecting it helped temporarily but the problem got worse over time.
I returned it to Madcatz just over a month ago and they sent me a Round 2 stick which so far seems to be working OK.
I also bought “Round 1” PS3 TE stick at about the same time and that also seems to be working OK. If I the problems resurface I’ll try some of the tips in this thread and post my findings.
