Thanks for this tutorial, I did the mod and worked really nicely for Starwars Squadrons, where the mid-power point is best for fast turns. So that feedback of the magnet really helps. Thank you.
Thanks for the video on this mod. Just finished mine two days ago and tested it last night. Works like a charm. Thanks again and be safe out there Commander
Thanks for the walkthrough. I did a couple things differently: -Used joy.cpl to confirm throttle center. -Used a sharpie instead of a knife to mark center. A black sharpie shows up clearly against the plastic and can be easily removed with rubbing alcohol. -Two 12x2mm magnets on the base and two on the throttle assembly for a firmer detent. -Used 3M mounting tape (the grey stuff) and Gorilla Glue Super Glue.
A slight improvement for marking the center position on the base: stick a Post-It note onto the base, put the base back on and then you can just mark it with a pen. To be sure you have a good center, you can run the "Game Controllers" control panel (hit Win-R and enter "joy.cpl"), select the throttle, and hit "Properties".
G'day. I will take the opportunity to say that your presentation of a wonderful idea was very clear and concise. I'm about to buy the t16000 HOTAS for the upcoming Star Citizen 3.5 update and this modification seems to be just what the doctor ordered! I could see the magnet that is mounted to the base plate could mounted to an adjustable "carrier" that could be repositioned (and locked) for fine tuning or custom placement, or even carrying several magnets if the need was present. Cheers.
Thanks for the feedback. An adjustable carrier for fine tuning is an interesting idea, the spacing would need to be thoutout though as theres not alot of clearance in there. Ive found that i can fine tune the stop zone by defining a deadzone in the game. Certainly some adjustsbility would be useful if the magnets had more tendency to grab. Thanks again, fly safe.
Great idea. Was thinking about using a magnet with a hole and cutting a small slot in the bottom cover. This way the second magnet can be adjusted (or removed) from the bottom using a screw.
I think the word you were looking for was "detent", not dent. Websters : Definition of detent. : a device (such as a catch, dog, or spring-operated ball) for positioning and holding one mechanical part in relation to another in a manner such that the device can be released by force applied to one of the parts. Great idea! I'm getting one soon, and I was wondering how I was going to make it work. You just saved me some time, and now I know what the guts look like too! Have a great day! And I subbed as well!
Thansk great video, I even installed 2 fixed magnets + 1 movable magnet for my Simulator jetliner throttle corresponding to the IDLE position + the MAN FLX position on Airbus and N1 on Boeing. On the other hand, after several tests I had to use 2 fixed magnets of medium magnetic intensity both 12mm (diameter) by 2mm (height) and 1 movable magnet of very high magnetic intensity 12mm (diameter) by 2mm (height). And it works like a charm.
Nice. I have gone with a simpler approach as I fly different planes in DCS and the burners seem to kick in at different points. I just stick a bit of blue tack in the place where my thumb will feel it as I slide the throttle forward. My thumb hangs down and when I feel the blue tack I stop. Easy enough to align when you pull back as well. I do like this magnet approach though so may give it a go but need to do it in a way I can move the inner magnet.
And on top of that to have a perfect sliding of the throttle apply synthetic oil (for treadmill is very cheap) on both metallic axis. To do this without disassembling the TWCS Throttle use a cotton swab soaked in synthetic oil and apply it through the gap. You will be very satisfied with the result.
Great Idea with that magnet. Simple and efficient. And about a grease best grease for plastic to metal contact is Finish Line Extreme Fluoro Pure PFPAE Grease. Synthetic greases will melt/corrode plastic. Technical vaseline is probably the best way to go. Not as efficient as floro grease, but the cheapest solution.
Thanks Jim, very useful video. Thrustmaster should have this done really on the production line, like the "sticking" action of the throttle, shame on them.
Thanks for the comments, and for reaching the end of the video, Originally I used 2 magnets that were both 15mm (diameter) by 5mm (height) but they collided, so I left one of those on the throttle, and found a 2mm tall one for the base. These dont meet so I'd say theres just over 7mm of space to play with. Also i get what you're saying about using the paddles as an override to reverse. I tried many different things, but what i couldnt get my head around was what my avatars hand was doing compared to my own.. just a bit too wierd.
@@JimVR Understandable, and thanks! I'm gonna do this with my TWCS; I got it a while back, coming off of the T.Flight HOTAS X, and I thought I could get over the lack of a 75% detent, but it's just too much of a QoL thing to not have it lol
Do you think the shape of the magnets is important? Only have two small heart shaped magnets (lol), do you think it would be worth buying circular ones
Nah shouldn't matter, as long as they fit in there without obstructing anything. If it doesn't work you can always just yank em out and try different ones.
Hi, yes 10mm x 3mm should work. Originally I used 2 magnets that were both 15mm (diameter) by 5mm (height) but they collided, so I left one of those on the throttle, and found a much thinner one for the base which is around 2mm. So your 3mm magnets should do the trick.
I'm going to pause you right at that note; it's actually quite easy to have full throttle range and a proper way of knowing when your engines are at idle; Forward only on the throttle axis, and use the paddles at the front as full range forward/reverse. As long as you keep it in the blue zone on the throttle, you can still reverse, speed up, release, and you're right back at the perfect speed. The detent is still needed, though, because it's easy to move the throttle off the blue when you're focused on other things, like the ship shooting at you lol Sorry for the wall of text lol
@@JimVR What magnet did you guy? I want to get the right size. OMG, have you seen this monstrous mod? ua-cam.com/video/iDtFzpajAss/v-deo.html&feature=emb_logo
Both mags came from fridge magnets, just random, that's no hard and fast rules for size, if it fits it sits! That vid is a good approach if you wanna turn off the dedent.
@@JimVR Tried taking the magnets that came out of my headphones which look to be about half the diameter of the ones you used. They felt strong but once attached they barely noticed each other so, after peaking inside I could see they weren't very well aligned. I am having a TERRIBLE time finding the right spot on the base for the other magnet. Plus, they turned out to be too thick so sort of collided. I'm dyslexic as hell and I get turned around a lot. Wish I had the measuring device you used.
@@gamesturbator Probably a little too late for your throttle situation, but Google [6" caliper] to find the measuring tool. The one from Northern Tool (or other retailer) would be my absolute minimum to get. Watch out for more expensive ones with fancier stickers. If you needed a better one you'd have probably known what it was called. :D Good luck with getting that alignment sorted out. If I could offer some advise on how to lay this out in case your still having a hard time... You could try measuring from the center (L/R) to the edge of the magnet on the slide part . Then, go the base plate and find the corresponding center (it would be a line that passes thru the access hole where you adjust the throttle slide tension) Measure out from the center line the first distance and draw a line parallel to the center line this distance. Your second magnet edge will be somewhere on that line. You just have to transfer a similar measurement from a known (fixed) position to the moving magnet edge while the slider is in the 50% position to the base plate.
Evostick strong stuff, i cover that at around 8:00 into the video. I just happened to have this to hand, you can use anything really as long as its capable of filling voids. Double-sided tape does not work. Something like 3M foam double side might do it.
Do you think hot glue might work? It's just I have a hot glue gun, and I don't have any adhesive like yours handy. (Great video, BTW. Thank you for posting it)
@@Insanitypants80 You don't need anything real fancy, super glue would work too. Hot glue might not work so good since it tends to not stick very well and can get a little too goopy in my experience.
By default the throttle is mapped so that forward thrust is dealt with by moving the throttle forwards, and reverse thrust is achieved by moving the throttle backwards, meaning that the engines are idle when throttle position is center, or zero. Some hotas controllers such as the thrustmaster T.Flight have a mechanical stop in the center of the throttles throw, which allows you to accurately zero your thrust in either direction easily. However higher end throttle such as the TWCS and warthog use a linear throw with no mechanical stop, which is more suited to flight sims - however in Elite, and especially in VR, it makes it difficult to know when your engines are idle, you have to feel you way around and keep an eye on the thrust level. The magnets in my mod add this stop to the center travel so you can more accurately kill your thrust. Hopes this explained things.
Yes. Thanks for the explanation. I will try this as soon as I get my throttle working. I am using the default TARGET profile for ED and for some reason the throttle does not do anything when I move it forwards and backwards. Oddly, all of the other buttons seem to work.
I tried TARGET once because I wanted to set up curves for the vertical and lateral thrusters, but found that ED wouldn't recognise the pov switches, so I couldn't map them. If memory serves TARGET creates a virtual joystick which you'll need to point ED at, however I've found ED will recognise the throttle and joystick nativity without TARGET.
I have some very tiny neodymium magnets that I purchased to trigger the wake/sleep switch in a custom made iPad Pro case. I am curious to see if these will work without being too strong.
Mine stops at like 20%, 35%, 50%, 60%, 75% and 95%. It's so god damn jerky. At first I really thought it was a feature that I could somehow disable. Did I get a bad copy or something? Been watching videos for how to fix it for the last couple of days and it seems my experience isn't uncommon.
The original grease lube on the rails is crap as it turns sticky and the throttle is hard to slide. Take the bottom cover off, clean the rails with alcohol and cloth wipes, then apply a new lube. I use 3-in-One PTFE Lubricant, available at probably any hardware store. With the tension screw loosened, the slide moves with the touch of a finger.
Thanks for this tutorial, I did the mod and worked really nicely for Starwars Squadrons, where the mid-power point is best for fast turns. So that feedback of the magnet really helps. Thank you.
Glad you found it helpful. I did this mod to mine around 2 years ago now and it's still going
Thanks for the video on this mod. Just finished mine two days ago and tested it last night. Works like a charm. Thanks again and be safe out there Commander
Thanks for the walkthrough. I did a couple things differently:
-Used joy.cpl to confirm throttle center.
-Used a sharpie instead of a knife to mark center. A black sharpie shows up clearly against the plastic and can be easily removed with rubbing alcohol.
-Two 12x2mm magnets on the base and two on the throttle assembly for a firmer detent.
-Used 3M mounting tape (the grey stuff) and Gorilla Glue Super Glue.
Sounds good, yeah pens are better for a nondestructive approach 😁
where did you put the 12x2mm magnet?
This is exactly what I was looking for. You're an absolute godsend.
Thanks, been looking for a simple way to add afterburner & idle detentes, this looks like it.
A slight improvement for marking the center position on the base: stick a Post-It note onto the base, put the base back on and then you can just mark it with a pen.
To be sure you have a good center, you can run the "Game Controllers" control panel (hit Win-R and enter "joy.cpl"), select the throttle, and hit "Properties".
G'day.
I will take the opportunity to say that your presentation of a wonderful idea was very clear and concise.
I'm about to buy the t16000 HOTAS for the upcoming Star Citizen 3.5 update and this modification seems to be just what the doctor ordered!
I could see the magnet that is mounted to the base plate could mounted to an adjustable "carrier" that could be repositioned (and locked) for fine tuning or custom placement, or even carrying several magnets if the need was present.
Cheers.
Thanks for the feedback. An adjustable carrier for fine tuning is an interesting idea, the spacing would need to be thoutout though as theres not alot of clearance in there. Ive found that i can fine tune the stop zone by defining a deadzone in the game. Certainly some adjustsbility would be useful if the magnets had more tendency to grab. Thanks again, fly safe.
Wish I’d found this months ago ...nicely explained thanks Cmdr
About to attempt this mod today, I hope I don't mess it up. Thanks for the video!
Great idea. Was thinking about using a magnet with a hole and cutting a small slot in the bottom cover. This way the second magnet can be adjusted (or removed) from the bottom using a screw.
I think the word you were looking for was "detent", not dent. Websters : Definition of detent. : a device (such as a catch, dog, or spring-operated ball) for positioning and holding one mechanical part in relation to another in a manner such that the device can be released by force applied to one of the parts.
Great idea! I'm getting one soon, and I was wondering how I was going to make it work. You just saved me some time, and now I know what the guts look like too! Have a great day! And I subbed as well!
Thansk great video,
I even installed 2 fixed magnets + 1 movable magnet for my Simulator jetliner throttle corresponding to the IDLE position + the MAN FLX position on Airbus and N1 on Boeing.
On the other hand, after several tests I had to use 2 fixed magnets of medium magnetic intensity both 12mm (diameter) by 2mm (height) and 1 movable magnet of very high magnetic intensity 12mm (diameter) by 2mm (height). And it works like a charm.
Nice. I have gone with a simpler approach as I fly different planes in DCS and the burners seem to kick in at different points. I just stick a bit of blue tack in the place where my thumb will feel it as I slide the throttle forward. My thumb hangs down and when I feel the blue tack I stop. Easy enough to align when you pull back as well. I do like this magnet approach though so may give it a go but need to do it in a way I can move the inner magnet.
"If it doesn't work, mod it" god I love that slogan
Nice! I'm going to give that a go. Side note: those fridge magnets probably are in fact neodymium. The ferrite ones are usually black in colour.
That is also a good way to get an afterburner detent for games such as dcs
Brilliant! Going to try this out when I get mine! Thanks for the video!
Thanks for a great trip! This is genius! o7
10:50 There is a mold-mark in the plastic, right besides the magnet, that may be used as reference. Thanks for the idea!!
And on top of that to have a perfect sliding of the throttle apply synthetic oil (for treadmill is very cheap) on both metallic axis.
To do this without disassembling the TWCS Throttle use a cotton swab soaked in synthetic oil and apply it through the gap.
You will be very satisfied with the result.
Great Idea with that magnet. Simple and efficient. And about a grease best grease for plastic to metal contact is Finish Line Extreme Fluoro Pure PFPAE Grease. Synthetic greases will melt/corrode plastic. Technical vaseline is probably the best way to go. Not as efficient as floro grease, but the cheapest solution.
Fabulous, Well done. I have to have the base off mine but for a different reason. It needs better grease as it is very draggy.
Smart, will copy this!
Good work and nice instruction for it. I only have some small neodymium magnets laying around, I hope they are not to strong.
As long as you can pull them apart without needing a change of underwear you should be good to go :)
@@JimVR You rock mate, ;) thanks
Thanks Jim, very useful video. Thrustmaster should have this done really on the production line, like the "sticking" action of the throttle, shame on them.
the best throttle so far for ED!
very nice idea
How does this mod do with very slight adjustments off the detent? Do the magnets pull it back to 0?
Yes, in my case it does, I guess how much will depend on the strength of the magnets
Also, having reached the end of the video, I'd like to ask what the dimensions of the magnets you used are?
Thanks for the comments, and for reaching the end of the video, Originally I used 2 magnets that were both 15mm (diameter) by 5mm (height) but they collided, so I left one of those on the throttle, and found a 2mm tall one for the base. These dont meet so I'd say theres just over 7mm of space to play with. Also i get what you're saying about using the paddles as an override to reverse. I tried many different things, but what i couldnt get my head around was what my avatars hand was doing compared to my own.. just a bit too wierd.
@@JimVR Understandable, and thanks! I'm gonna do this with my TWCS; I got it a while back, coming off of the T.Flight HOTAS X, and I thought I could get over the lack of a 75% detent, but it's just too much of a QoL thing to not have it lol
@@JimVR Excellent I was wondering this, was looking at 10x3mm neo magnets that were cheap on ebay so hopefully they're not too strong.
Thanks for the idea:
I want to add a "magnetic" detent to my X56 Throttle. I have some strong neodymium magnets and black Sugru. Thanks again. Cheers.
I think thrustmaster should put you in charge of their design department
Lol! I think they'd get a lot of complaints when they figure out their hardware was made out crap I found in my garage :D
Do you think it may be possible to secure them with velcro buttons so I can remove them later, or won't I be able to reach that?
Do you think the shape of the magnets is important? Only have two small heart shaped magnets (lol), do you think it would be worth buying circular ones
Nah shouldn't matter, as long as they fit in there without obstructing anything. If it doesn't work you can always just yank em out and try different ones.
Wow, Brilliant.
Do you have a Elite Dangerous key map for the joystick that you use. or can share.
An excellent idea which I'm gonna try myself! One question I do have: how large are the magnets you used? Would 10mm x 3mm ones work?
Hi, yes 10mm x 3mm should work. Originally I used 2 magnets that were both 15mm (diameter) by 5mm (height) but they collided, so I left one of those on the throttle, and found a much thinner one for the base which is around 2mm. So your 3mm magnets should do the trick.
Thank you so much, let's see how it works out! :)
@@zayanshakeeb8177 Does it work with the two 10mm x 3mm magnets?
@@therealspesch220 It works perfectly! I have set up mine with multiple detents, and they are pretty solid without colliding.
I'm going to pause you right at that note; it's actually quite easy to have full throttle range and a proper way of knowing when your engines are at idle; Forward only on the throttle axis, and use the paddles at the front as full range forward/reverse. As long as you keep it in the blue zone on the throttle, you can still reverse, speed up, release, and you're right back at the perfect speed. The detent is still needed, though, because it's easy to move the throttle off the blue when you're focused on other things, like the ship shooting at you lol Sorry for the wall of text lol
What about hot glue? It May not taste as good as the glue you were using but will it do the job? 😁
Yeah it'll work fine, just let it cool before eating it 🤣
@@JimVR What magnet did you guy? I want to get the right size. OMG, have you seen this monstrous mod? ua-cam.com/video/iDtFzpajAss/v-deo.html&feature=emb_logo
Both mags came from fridge magnets, just random, that's no hard and fast rules for size, if it fits it sits! That vid is a good approach if you wanna turn off the dedent.
@@JimVR Tried taking the magnets that came out of my headphones which look to be about half the diameter of the ones you used. They felt strong but once attached they barely noticed each other so, after peaking inside I could see they weren't very well aligned. I am having a TERRIBLE time finding the right spot on the base for the other magnet. Plus, they turned out to be too thick so sort of collided. I'm dyslexic as hell and I get turned around a lot. Wish I had the measuring device you used.
@@gamesturbator Probably a little too late for your throttle situation, but Google [6" caliper] to find the measuring tool. The one from Northern Tool (or other retailer) would be my absolute minimum to get. Watch out for more expensive ones with fancier stickers. If you needed a better one you'd have probably known what it was called. :D Good luck with getting that alignment sorted out.
If I could offer some advise on how to lay this out in case your still having a hard time... You could try measuring from the center (L/R) to the edge of the magnet on the slide part . Then, go the base plate and find the corresponding center (it would be a line that passes thru the access hole where you adjust the throttle slide tension) Measure out from the center line the first distance and draw a line parallel to the center line this distance. Your second magnet edge will be somewhere on that line. You just have to transfer a similar measurement from a known (fixed) position to the moving magnet edge while the slider is in the 50% position to the base plate.
What an ingenious idea! What did you use for adhesive?
Evostick strong stuff, i cover that at around 8:00 into the video. I just happened to have this to hand, you can use anything really as long as its capable of filling voids. Double-sided tape does not work. Something like 3M foam double side might do it.
Ah, I see! I must have skipped that part. Thanks for the quick reply.
Glad to help, sorry the video is a bit long, i probably could have been more consise
Do you think hot glue might work? It's just I have a hot glue gun, and I don't have any adhesive like yours handy.
(Great video, BTW. Thank you for posting it)
@@Insanitypants80 You don't need anything real fancy, super glue would work too. Hot glue might not work so good since it tends to not stick very well and can get a little too goopy in my experience.
Can you explain the purpose of this mod? I just purchased Elite Dangerous and a TWCS throttle but I have not played the game yet.
By default the throttle is mapped so that forward thrust is dealt with by moving the throttle forwards, and reverse thrust is achieved by moving the throttle backwards, meaning that the engines are idle when throttle position is center, or zero. Some hotas controllers such as the thrustmaster T.Flight have a mechanical stop in the center of the throttles throw, which allows you to accurately zero your thrust in either direction easily. However higher end throttle such as the TWCS and warthog use a linear throw with no mechanical stop, which is more suited to flight sims - however in Elite, and especially in VR, it makes it difficult to know when your engines are idle, you have to feel you way around and keep an eye on the thrust level. The magnets in my mod add this stop to the center travel so you can more accurately kill your thrust. Hopes this explained things.
Yes. Thanks for the explanation. I will try this as soon as I get my throttle working. I am using the default TARGET profile for ED and for some reason the throttle does not do anything when I move it forwards and backwards. Oddly, all of the other buttons seem to work.
Just curious...do you use the TARGET software or is there a better way to configure the controllers for ED?
I tried TARGET once because I wanted to set up curves for the vertical and lateral thrusters, but found that ED wouldn't recognise the pov switches, so I couldn't map them. If memory serves TARGET creates a virtual joystick which you'll need to point ED at, however I've found ED will recognise the throttle and joystick nativity without TARGET.
I have some very tiny neodymium magnets that I purchased to trigger the wake/sleep switch in a custom made iPad Pro case. I am curious to see if these will work without being too strong.
Mine stops at like 20%, 35%, 50%, 60%, 75% and 95%. It's so god damn jerky. At first I really thought it was a feature that I could somehow disable.
Did I get a bad copy or something? Been watching videos for how to fix it for the last couple of days and it seems my experience isn't uncommon.
The original grease lube on the rails is crap as it turns sticky and the throttle is hard to slide. Take the bottom cover off, clean the rails with alcohol and cloth wipes, then apply a new lube. I use 3-in-One PTFE Lubricant, available at probably any hardware store. With the tension screw loosened, the slide moves with the touch of a finger.
Nyogel 767a (or one of the newer 774 versions that come in different viscosities. support.newgatesimms.com/overview-of-the-damping-grease-range/