Throttle Tension MOD or workaround?
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Greetings,
I was wondering if anybody did any mod to the throttle to increase the tension. I did find a MOD on the old Cougar site, but it’s really too involved for me.
Has anybody been able to increase the tensions somehow?
thx
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@Puckertoe
a couple of layers of electrical tape cut to size and applied to that black plastic that applies friction to the cylinder should do the trick -
@Atlas Ah…didn’t think of that. Thanks for the suggestion.
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Hi @Puckertoe,
I did a “Jerry rig” on my old Cougar throttle by doing the following:First find a piece of cardboard that will juuust fit in the space between the handle and the base, on the inside. I experimented a bit before I found that the tightest fit was produced by a paper fiber drink coaster, that you can find in most any restaurant or bar. As an alternate, you can tape together several 3 x 5 cards (index cards) using scotch tape, but this doesn’t seem to work nearly as well as a coaster, and can get unwanted tape residue in the gap due to wear/use. The paper fiber of the drink coasters allows for smooth movement without “sticking”. The thickness of my coaster was exactly 2mm. The coaster is 4 inches (10.2 mm) in diameter.
Next, make yourself a template out of paper of the shape of the gap, leaving material above the gap to attach to the arm itself. You can see from this (actually used worn piece I use for a template), the lower round part is what fits in the gap. The shorter upper part fits against the handle and allows you to attach the coaster-tensioner firmly to the handle and also allows for removal should it need to be replaced.
you
Trace the shape onto a drink coaster and cut the drink coaster using sharp scissors or an exacto knife.
Carefully work the coaster down into the gap. Secure to the handle using black duct tape.
Work the throttle back and forth to ensure the tension feels right and the cardboard doesn’t slip out. Voila!!! External tensioner installed without needing to go inside the throttle case or the handle.
Using this arrangement meant no opening of the throttle body to muck with the tension band…my tension band broke a long time ago. I detest having to open the Cougar throttle, stick or joystick base as so many things can get screwed up! So I found a solution that avoids getting into the case.
I found I had greater control of the throttle setting better than even with the original tensioner from Thrustmaster), and as good a precision as the potentiometer would allow, even when refueling.
If it ever gets loose over time, simply remove the old coaster-tensioner, cut out a new coaster-tensioner and reinstall. Mine lasted over a year before needing to be replaced.
Hope this helps.
Regards, -
Awesome! I’m delighted how non-technical this is. I don’t have coasters atm, but I did take some cardboard off one of those 40 count AA battery packs you get in the store. Although not as thick as a coaster, it was great for a first initial test.
It worked great. I can keep the throttle at 100% now without having to hold it with my hand or having it fall forward.
Nicely done @Tomcattwo . You should write this up and add it to that Cougar site if you can. The one that was referenced for me was far too complicated;
https://cougar.flyfoxy.com/mods.php#smooth
Thanks again d00d.
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@Puckertoe All I did was do the washer and axel pad things and it worked great. https://cougar.flyfoxy.com/mods.php#smooth
I did not do the rest on that list. I also put friction tape on the barrel not electrical tape. The friction tape makes smoother movement when making small corrections.