🚀 go-pugleaf

I just wanted to post this for posterity, hoping others will benefit.

I bought a Saitek Cyborg 3D Digital joystick approximately a year ago.  For
many reasons this stick is awesome, very programmable, very adjustable, good
feel, lots of buttons and I like it.

Now for the bad news, the quality and reliability of this product is
terrible.  I had the first one go out as the electronics in the stick were
causing it to spike it's values.  I got a replacement from Saitek.  The next
one played for a few more months and the twist axis broke (clockwise twist).
Being an engineer I took it apart to investigate.

Here's the culprit, between the two endes of the spring flared out for the
twist axis is a plastic tab.  This pushes in either direction when twisted.
The side at the bottom of the spring coil (clockwise twist) broke off.

Saitek again replaced the stick.  A few months later . . . the plastic tab
started to wear and the spring fell off.  I was able to maneuver the spring
back in position and got a few more weeks of play out of it.  Now the tab is
too rounded off to resist the force of the spring and again I have no
resistance for the clockwise twist.

So excellent features lousy quality.  It's a real shame.  I will say that
the customer service guy at Saitek sent some nice emails about my problem
but this last time he didn't follow through on the repair he promised and
then ignored my followups.  I thought everyone that takes the time to do a
news search deserves to know, my suggestion:

If you're going to buy a Cyborg 3D ( and I think the same would be true of
the Cyborg 2000), buy two so you have one you can use while you make your
warranty claims.

Best regards.