Adjusting the twist resistance of the 

X-55 

The Saitek X-55 is a popular HOTAS controller, and comes supplied with three different
sized springs to adjust the tension of the joystick. A reddit user adjusted an X-55, and
documented their process
With the springs that come provided with this joystick, it is easy to adjust
the resistance of its roll and pitch axes, but the resistance of the twist
axis (often used to control yaw) is governed by an internal spring. For an
easier twist, and with a bit of knowledge on your behalf, this spring can
be adjusted.

You will need: 

A Saitek X-55 joystick
A cross head screwdriver with approximately 30mm reach
Two pairs of pliers, or a vice and pliers
Eye protection. There’s a springy bit.
Lubricant suitable for plastic parts. Silicone, or graphite, for example,
although graphite will require care to avoid contacting any electrical
connectors.

Before you start, power down your computer, and disconnect the X-55
joystick controller.

Of course, it goes without saying that following this guide likely

invalidates any warranty on the joystick.

Let’s get to it!

Step 1 
Remove the stick from the base using the collar.

Step 2 
Remove the 5 screws which hold the two halves of the stick assembly
together (Fig. 1).

Fig. 1: Remove these five screws

Step 3 
To separate the two halves:
● Carefully pry the two halves apart. The right hand side becomes
the ‘lid’, the left hand side becomes the ‘base’.
● There is one connector near the top of the stick which connects the
two halves of the stick with 3 small wires (Fig. 2). Gently pry the
connector from the circuit board.
● Put the ‘lid’, or right side of the stick casing to one side.

Fig 2: Gently remove the connector

Step 4 
Looking at the innards, you will see a pair of screws (Fig. 3). Carefully
remove these screws. They are the same kind of screw as the ones you
removed from the joystick casing so you don’t need to worry about
mixing them up.

Fig 3: Remove these two screws

Step 5 
Remove the twist mechanism from the joystick case (Fig 4).
Unfortunately, the wires connecting the twist assembly to the stick are
soldered and cannot easily be removed. They shouldn’t present too
much of a problem, though.

Fig 4: The twist mechanism

Step 6 
This mechanism splits into two parts: The base, which is connected to
the grey plastic collar, and the twist sensor. The two parts simply slot
together in the middle.

Hold the twist sensor at or near the screw holes, and the base at the
plastic collar, and gently pull them apart.

This operation is easy to reverse later as the two parts can’t be

reassembled incorrectly.

Taking care not to damage or stress the cables, put the base to one
side. We will focus on the twist sensor itself.

   
Step 7 
The sensor separates into two halves, the top half which contains a
variable resistor, and the bottom half, which contains the spring. The two
halves are held together with clips, which must be pressed to release
them (Fig. 5).

Fig. 5: The spring assembly and the Sensor assembly are separated by
pressing the two clips, one each side.
As these two halves are separated, try to ensure that the spring remains
in the bottom half. It is under considerable tension, and could ping away
at considerable speed (Fig 6). ​This is where eye protection might be a
good idea.

Fig 6: Spring assembly. Note the hole in the centre. The shape matches
that of the variable resistor shaft.
 

Step 8 
While covering as much of the mechanism as possible to prevent losing
the spring, carefully remove it.

Step 9 
This is the tricky part. If you have a vice, this would be an excellent
moment to employ it. I had to settle for two pliers.

You are going to try to enlarge the gap between the two protruding parts
of the spring (Fig. 7). To do this, the two ends of the spring need to be
“tightened” past one another so that when they are allowed to spring
back to resting, the gap is larger than it is.
 Fig. 7: The protruding ends are to be moved towards and past each other,
in the direction of the arrows.

I put a screwdriver through the centre of the spring to prevent it

escaping, and simply forced the two ends past one another further and
further until I noticed a difference in the size of the gap (Fig. 8)
 Fig. 8: Compare to Fig. 7.
.

Step 10 
Reinstall the spring in the bottom half of the sensor assembly. At this
point, you might want to top up the lubricant on the bearing edges of this
half. I simply redistributed some of the surplus lubricant.
Step 11 
Join the bottom and top half of the sensor assembly back together.
There is a slight chance you may have moved the variable resistor out of
place, but observing the shape of the shaft of the resistor, and the hole
into which it locates, you will see the assembly will snap back together
easily.

Step 12 
The base of the twist mechanism, with the grey collar, can now be
reconnected to the twist sensor by aligning the semicircular notch on the
bottom of the sensor assembly with the semicircular ridge on the base.

Step 13 
The whole twist mechanism can now be relocated into the joystick. Take
care to ensure cables are not kinked or trapped by the mechanism. The
assembly should slot easily into place and the lugs which the screws go
through should butt up without resistance against the threaded posts.

I did have a problem here. The rotating grey plastic collar, which is used
to screw the completed joystick assembly to the joystick base, had
moved and allowed the spring detent (the thing which causes the clicks
when the collar is turned) to come loose. This jammed the collar,
preventing the re-installation of the twist assembly into the joystick. If this
didn’t happen to you, continue to Step 14.
Taking care not to damage any wires, I had to gently pry the small ball
bearing up and off the shaft to allow access inside the grey collar where I
simply removed the detent. I then relocated the ball bearing by pressing
it firmly back until it butted up against the protrusions near the bottom of
the shaft. My collar no longer clicks. This may be important to you, so
this bit you can figure out for yourself.

Step 14 
Ensuring no wires are trapped, screw the twist assembly back into place.

Step 15 
Carefully reinsert the connector near the top of the joystick.

Step 16 
Align the two halves, and checking for trapped wires, gently press the
two halves together. The halves are an unusual shape, and care should
be taken to ensure a consistent fit.

Step 17 
Secure the two halves with the five screws you removed at the start.

Step 18 
The joystick should now be ready to reconnect with the base.
That’s it!

You are attempting this at your own risk, as there is a really, ​really
remote chance of injury to either your joystick or yourself.

Happy gaming.

/u/motophiliac