Post MotherBoard Specs Of Bricked TM Warthogs Here Please

[Ganesh]

Just to let you guys know, my throttle #12694, purchased in 2012, died about a week ago. The replacement PCB from TM arrived today for roughly 50 Euros, and the throttle is operational again.

 

Since I have DeltaAlphaLima's highly recommended Slew Cursor upgrade, I had to re-calibrate the throttle as per the Slew Cursor installation instructions, which worked just fine.

 

Good to know that they sell spare parts at all.

 

I started an inquiry today for a PCB and a 5-pin (male) connector for the stick. Let's see what they'll say...

 

I also have my Throttle # 234 since 2010 and now he gets a slew mod as a BIG THANK YOU for his long work!

For me a great piece of hardware :thumbup:

Edited December 15, 2019 by Ganesh

[unltd]

My TH Warthog Trottle# 19823 main board failed and Robert in Canada did a quick repair. Just a shout out for his service. I highly recommend it. His service is listed here:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Repair-Serv...-/233195609114

[XAiracobraX]

My TM warthog throttle# 19519, died sometime Sunday or monday. I plugged it into the computer while the computer was on, computer didn't recognize it, Bootloader didn't fix it, I sent a message to TM support, hoping I can buy a PCB board from them or from Robert in the link above.

[XAiracobraX]

Received the replacement pcb i bought from thrustmaster support for $56.30 USD shipping included, was easy to swap and throttle is fully working again

[bn880]

On the other side of the coin, a number of people have contacted me recently stating TM didn't even reply to them , or said there is nothing they can do with COVID around. So I've obviously had a lot more service orders recently.

 

 

Cheers

[ReflexArc]

Getting ready to likely take advantage of bn's service. Any tips for getting the connectors unplugged? I have the hot glue off but they really don't want to come out. Afraid of breaking something if I yank on the wires themselves.

[GTFreeFlyer]

Mine is dead. Who has a spare PCB they want to sell me? TM is saying they are taking 15 days to respond to emails due to Covid. I don’t understand why I can’t tell my boss the same thing :P

 

Also, in regard to the repair service, it says a new PCB is not included. Does this means what I have is repairable? Or does it simply mean I need to pay for the board separately? If repairable, which component is bad? I’ve got some nice soldering equipment and the skills to go with it. Is there something on the board I can replace, or does the whole board have to be swapped out? I figured the microprocessor is bricked, but if it is a simple resistor or capacitor swap, I’m in for the repair. Any details?

 

Cheers.

[bn880]

Yes what you have is repairable. Hence the repair service. :music_whistling::)

[GTFreeFlyer]

Yes what you have is repairable. Hence the repair service. :music_whistling::)

 

 

Are you willing to share how to? I don’t want deal with shipping back and forth. I’d rather do it myself and be flying tonight.

[zbysiek]

This thread... scares me. Can a thrustmaster warthog throttle still randomly brick itself if i buy it today?

[Yurgon]

This thread... scares me. Can a thrustmaster warthog throttle still randomly brick itself if i buy it today?

 

As far as I've read and heard, yes, it still uses the exact same hardware and is still prone to the same kind of bricking itself.

 

The replacement board I got for mine had the same type description as my faulty one.

[Rhino55]

Hey Everyone, I'm going to try ad post this once again. I'm looking for a profile for the F-16C. I'm disabled and 65 years old and I have trouble searching for things when I'm trying to make a profile my mind just can't grab it. Is there anybody out there that can help me Please. All I need is a profile to get started and I can go from there. I've been in BMS for 5 years and get very confused with this "DCS". So if anyone has the time to send me one it would be so appreciated.

 

Thank You, Titanium55

[LASooner]

#90268 Purchased from Amazon on April 2,2019

 

Date of Death: July 11, 2020

 

Same story as a lot of other people here, was cleaning out my computer, disconnected all the USB devices. When I plugged it back in to the same port on the same USB3 hub, Dead.

 

tried the bulk drivers, but nothing happens, it's not recognized as an input device, the computer sees it as a multimedia device and the device manager shows it needs driver attention.

 

I contacted TM and got the automated 15 day delay warning.

 

I just wish they would offer the boards for sale so I could expedite this myself. Instead I have to wait for them to get back to me, go through troubleshooting with them directly before we come to the conclusion I need a new PCB. Unbelievable that they would not change the design after so many years of the same failure.

[GTFreeFlyer]

I got the same message a few weeks ago and they actually got back to me in 3-4 days.

[LASooner]

I got the same message a few weeks ago and they actually got back to me in 3-4 days.

Encouraging

 

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

[Aurora152]

Just had my TM warthog throttle start playing up with me. Strange really...

 

Every single button works. The only problems I have are that the Right hand throttle does not respond correctly. From CUTOFF to IDLE the output value is 0%. From IDLE to MAX the output value is 100% no matter the throttle position between IDLE and MAX.

 

Recently just found that the X and Y axis are not working either but the button on the nipple axis works perfectly, so couldn't be a faulty wire?

 

I've tried the TM Warthog calibration tool and windows calibration tool, neither worked.

I've tried the BULK reinstall, hasn't worked.

I've tried updating ALL other USB drivers, didn't work.

I've tried updating firmware and drivers on my powered USB 3.0 HUB and directly into the motherboard IO, neither worked.

 

Sent TM an email, and got the 15 days waiting time response.

 

Pretty annoyed, as I'm only 4 months out of warranty... ffs.

 

Anybody have any ideas?

[fylzz]

#28198 just bricked on me. I had the impression the stick was disconnecting for short times or the green light was going out for a few miliseconds. Today i was tweaking my pc with some reboots to bios. Suddenly i saw that the throttle was not detected anymore. I wrote to Thrusmaster -> 15 days to wait. The throttle is out of stock here for months. Could find a new one almost double the price i paid back in 2013. I hope I can fly again very soon.

[Baldawg]

#27732 bricked yesterday. plugged into 3.0 usb powered hub. unplugged my pc and all devices from power outlet in case a rogue thunderstorm popped up when i was out of town. Got in the pit yesterday evening to enjoy the A-10C II and noticed the APU switch wasnt working. Hadnt even noticed until then that the LEDs were off. Browsed the forums, went through the troubleahooting from TM and came to the conclusion it is a bad mobo. Going to send off the PCB to Canada for a repair....possibly purchase a new one from TM for a spare...... if i ever here back from them.

[Osita]

I don't know if anyone has mentioned this, but I think some things that can help avoid damage to the HOTAS and the motherboard are:

 

 

1. Always use a powered USB hub connected to a surge protector.

 

 

2. If you are daisy-chaining USB hubs, always make sure all of the hubs are the same type/brand and are all powered (even though the 2nd hub may "work" without power, it's not the right way). It doesn't matter that much about the same brand thing, but it will eliminate the minor differences.

 

 

3. Use a quality brand of USB hub, not something dirt cheap.

 

 

4. Use high quality USB connectors, extension cables, etc. If you just use the cheapest ones then you are going to get a problem sooner or later.

 

 

5. Keep all your stuff in good condition and check for signs of wear. If something is looking a bit beat up, it might be a good idea to have it checked.

 

 

6. Watch the weight! Heavy loads will put physical stress on the connections, so make sure everything is well supported and not actually pulling the USB header off the motherboard due to gravity.

 

 

7. Only connect things you need. That desktop fan or coffee warmer is not vital to your mission!

 

 

Hope some of that will be helpful in avoiding a disaster. I think the biggest one is the surge protection thing. Hardly anyone does it for their peripherals because they don't think it matters, but protecting the computer is useless if you have a whole group of devices connected to it that are not protected. Gravity, too. People don't realize how weak those onboard connections can be.

[Osita]

As far as I've read and heard, yes, it still uses the exact same hardware and is still prone to the same kind of bricking itself.

 

The replacement board I got for mine had the same type description as my faulty one.

 

 

Wow... is there no warranty for this stuff?

[hybryd]

Thrustmaster knows this is an issue and chooses to not revise their PCB design. I believe, but have yet to confirm, that this is caused by the lack of ESD protection on the D+/D- lines for the USB. In my discussion with TM support, I asked for more details around the root cause, but they were not willing to share. This thread seems to provide ample evidence that this is a serious and recurring issue. These are not cheap input devices and shouldn't be damaged by simply plugging into the wrong USB port at the wrong time.

 

In an effort to properly address this problem, I have designed a board from scratch for the Warthog Throttle that should be a drop-in replacement, but with minor improvements (ESD protection, etc). I'd like to test this with the official TM firmware, but don't have a proper hex with bootloader and app. If anyone out there who has been dealing with this same issue has the full fw image and wants to collaborate to solve this once and for all, message me. I would be happy to share board files and eventually, once properly tested, provide all information to TM to hopefully get the changes into their product(s).

 

[Tripod]

Hi Guys,

 

Well just went through the Bricked Warthog throttle drama's, my stick and throttle have always been connected to a USB Powered HUB, and connected to the same mother board for probably over 5 Years now, I have lost track of when it was purchased but I could look it up.

 

I have been through all the bullshit, "USB Device not recognized" etc. etc.

I fortunately did not give up and screwed around & around until I got it going again, there have not been many people who have recovered from this failure from all the google searching I have done, I am one of the Lucky ones.

But for how much longer I do not know., I do not know if this issue is the same for others, maybe there are chips that just die, maybe they do get hit with ESD or over voltage from system boards & hubs but here is my experience, and something others may want to try to at least get back in the air again.

 

The reason I did not give up is because I noticed a week ago when I switched on my system to have a fly that the throttle was dead with no lights.

This was connected to a new (older refurbished) system that I had just setup a two months or so ago just for flying and have been flying nearly every week without issues, it was all connected through a Powered USB Hub also.

Prior to this the stick & throttle were connected to another system unit for over 5 years also with a powered USB hub and never had a problem

 

So last week when I first noticed the dead throttle I thought, oh that's strange, so I dicked around with the USB connection, plugged it into the motherboard directly and was back up and running again.

This week it happened again, still plugged into the motherboard directly, moved back to the USB Hub, tried every USB port on my system and nothing, bricked.....

 

So I though I would move it back to the original computer where it was always connected for so many years, at first I plugged it directly to the system board but it was dead, just the 5 LED Flash that everyone see's.

Then I plugged it into the powered USB Hub and it sprung into life, so I thought well I think I will do a firmware update anyhow as that is the recommendation from TM when this issue occurs, I thought I better do it whilst it is alive, as I have not done a firmware update since I first purchased it, there has never been a reason to.

 

So off I went, hunted the firmware update from TM Installed & run the procedure...... Oh Oh, Error 0x34100002 at the very last stage upon verification.... Could not get it to work and thought well I have really done it now.

 

So I tried USB 2.0 ports, USB 3.0 Ports, different computers, turned of the xHCI settings in BIOS nothing would work, then I tried it with the USB Hub once again that allowed it to light up and become recognised by the system.

By the way with the 0x34100002 error the throttle would light up like it was working but the drivers would not load correctly and I could not do the button tests in Devices & Printers under windows, there was an icon showing the warthog was connected and alive but it had an exclamation against it and would not work.

 

So this time I thought I would try with the USB Hub "Not Powered" and bingo the firmware update went through, The Controller was fully recognized and functional, all Buttons & Axis tested Good.

So I though well I will try now with the USB Hub Powered and also directly on a Motherboard port both attempts here yielded a USB Device not recognized device failed error.

 

I went back to the unpowered USB Hub and all good again.

 

I thought its time to crack it open and take a look, and in particular measure the USB Line Voltage for all these conditions.

 

The 5V Line on the USB Cable where it connects to the the throttles motherboard measured like this.

 

Direct to USB Port on System Board 4.8V (Would not work)

USB Powered Hub 5.2V (Would not work)

Unpowered USB Hub 4.4V (Working fine)

 

So in fact reducing the 5V Line on the USB Cable will make the throttle work, so I would suggest for people that are facing this situation to try a non powered USB Hub in line to reduce the voltage.

Even run a few devices on the same Hub to pull the voltage down and see if you throttle kicks in and you can possibly get it back up and running again.

If you have already attempted the firmware update you may have to run through that procedure again to get a good firmware upload before it is recognized by your system properly once again.

 

I have a suspicion that there are some regulators on the throttle motherboard and either the regulators themselves are going out of spec or the components around them are.

I have not looked at the board very closely but there is some circuitry there that looks like they could be power regulation related, all surface mounted of coarse so not easy for the average person to desolder.

 

I wonder if the fellow in Canada might be replacing the these components that he has worked out are going bad and bingo the board springs back into life.

I would suggest the next person to send him a board to take very detailed pictures before and after & then we might find out what he has removed and replaced.

If he has not cleaned up after the repair properly somebody might even have a board that he has worked on that will give us the evidence.

 

Anyhow hope this helps somebody out there that has lost faith in their TM Gear, it may not be the same for everyone so mileage may vary but there is nothing to lose to give this a try.

 

Cheers Tri.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Sandy]

I can't find any official information regarding the use of USB3 / USB2 slots. Are there any?

 

 

@Tripod

 

This is crazy. If I understand correct, one should run as many (useless) devices on an unpowered USB hub as possible with the throttle, and deconnect one after another until the voltage is "just" enough to get it working?

[Sideburns]

I believe I have also just had the throttle die on me, I disconnected it after it had spent several months plugged in and now it just flashes it's lights briefly and refuses to be recognised.

 

It was on a USB3.0 hub, TP-link with built in surge and voltage protections, and the whole computer system is also behind a Belkin surge protector.

 

Just how much protection does the TM throttle need?! Awaiting a response from TM support for a new board, hopefully under warranty.

 

Edit:

 

Took the board out, no visible damage

Re-assembled, same behaviour

Tried USB2.0 unpowered hub, this oddly did bring the throttle partially back to life as per @Tripod post. Unfortunately unable to bring it back to life enough to reflash with the USB equipment I have. Will continue to pursue TM for a new board as I am a little too busy to be chasing odd issues like this.

 

Edit 2:

Tm support contacted on 14/11/20 detailing situation, response on 19/11/20 asking for details and proof of purchase, 24/10/20 confirmation a new "unit" will be sent out ETA 01/12/20.... not a terrible response timeline for an in warranty product during the Pandemic. I have no idea what new "unit" means but I did ask for a replacement throttle board.

 

Edit 3:

28/11/20 new board has arrived, not bad support during the pandemic

Edited November 24, 2020 by Sideburns
Update on support timeline.

[bn880]

On 11/7/2020 at 8:23 AM, Tripod said:

I wonder if the fellow in Canada might be replacing the these components that he has worked out are going bad and bingo the board springs back into life.

I would suggest the next person to send him a board to take very detailed pictures before and after & then we might find out what he has removed and replaced.

If he has not cleaned up after the repair properly somebody might even have a board that he has worked on that will give us the evidence.

 

 

I do say in my listing that the processor is replaced most of the time.    I'm not going to say any more.  I'm offering the service at a low enough price that I don't feel I need to share everything, and I don't feel my work should be reverse engineered.  If you want to figure something out, do it yourself on your own PCB, or go after Thrustmaster, and leave me alone.

Edited December 6, 2020 by bn880