🚀 go-pugleaf

Just bought the Thrustmaster FCS mark II and WCS mark II joysticks the other day.
I started to play Descent with it.  The first problem I had was when I strafed with
the hat and pressed the fire button, the strafing stops! I finally fixed the problem
by setting the fire button to a regular joystick button. 
Now I have a problem that every so often all the other buttons plus the hat stop working,
and is only fixed when button number 1 is pressed on the WCS.
In the Thrustmaster manual it has a referance to this, where it states:
 ' You should press button 1 each time you use your Mark II WCS to ensure that
the processor has been triggered to operate.'
What's this bullshit, is it saying I have to press button 1 every time I use another
button? Don't tell me this is true? Has anyone else had this problem?  Is it the
fault in Descent or is it a fault in the Thrustmaster?
Any help would be appreciated.
         Thanks in advance, Wayne.