Cat 226b thumb wheel switch replacement

[quiksilvr]

257B2
My thumb switch is a little stiff, is there a lubricant that can smooth out the action? If there are any updates on an available replacement switch I’d like to keep updated.

i would just leave it, as long as it works. if you spray any lube in there, you risk dislodging whats left of your magnet

 

[Nige]

If the magnet inside the switch has not yet deteriorated beyond the point of no return would it be worthwhile to open it up now and try to salvage it before it completely disintegrates.?

 

[quiksilvr]

there wouldnt be any way to salvage any of it. id just leave it be until it stops working

 

[quiksilvr]

257B2
My thumb switch is a little stiff, is there a lubricant that can smooth out the action? If there are any updates on an available replacement switch I’d like to keep updated.

ive had sum luck with replacing the magnet on these. if you want to send me the switch, i can repair it for you. if interested, pm me

 

[Ryan Bunce]

Hey all - I started with this thread down a journey to solving the issue without buying a whole joystick. I ended up 3D printing a new roller switch. Here are the 3D models that you can 3D print on your own. I used a small bar magnet out of an iPad cover for the hall effect sensor to 'sense'. You may need to tweak the design to fit whatever magnet you use. Seems to work best with a small bar magnet with N and S at each of the long ends (as opposed to N S being on opposite sides of the flats).

https://www.tinkercad.com/things/2L6WHEd56j5

My springs were as rusted as the magnet was. I replaced the springs with a spring out of a pen - one of the click style. I had to try a few pens before I found one that was just right - I cut the pen spring in half and used each half on each end of the roller. The 3D print has a couple of spikes sticking out to center the springs and then I used heavy duty hot glue to attach the springs to the roller.

Let me know if anyone else is successful with this - I hope it's helpful to someone else who doesn't want to spend $850 bucks on a fricking joystick.

 

[quiksilvr]

sounds awesome. good thinking.

 

[pbd05]

@Ryan Bunce or @quiksilvr do you guys have some pics you could share of your repairs? I got mine apart and found that part of the magnet was melted/rusty on one end. Filed it down since it was contacting the potting on the switch itself. Now it's working intermittently which is kind of annoying and was looking at a whole new replacement switch from Otto. Big thanks to @Nige for pointing me here, it saved me buying a switch that I couldn't use.

 

[quiksilvr]

i will look for the pics i took, i just gotta remember what i did with them lol

 

[Ryan Bunce]

Here's a pic of the roller before with the rotted magnet and a pic of the 3D printed copy that I made and combined with a bar magnet.

 

[pbd05]

Thanks guys. Mine was nowhere near as bad as yours @Ryan Bunce, just the on end of my magnet was rotten. I'm curious about magnet placement, more specifically which way are the north/south poles of the magnet orientated?

 

[quiksilvr]

Thanks guys. Mine was nowhere near as bad as yours @Ryan Bunce, just the on end of my magnet was rotten. I'm curious about magnet placement, more specifically which way are the north/south poles of the magnet orientated?

I don't remember off the top of my head the Pole orientation but if you give me some time I will go out to my machine and take my switch off and get some pictures of it and double check the polarity of the magnets for you

 

[pbd05]

That'd be awesome if it's no big deal. If not, mine is still mostly in-tact so I can figure it out myself.

 

[quiksilvr]

That'd be awesome if it's no big deal. If not, mine is still mostly in-tact so I can figure it out myself.

the first pic shows the way i tested mine without disassembling the switch itself using a small magnet i had as an extra. with switch plugged into the machine, take a magnet and run it in the direction noted in pic. you should get some type of response from the machin. if nothing happens, then ur *** and gotta buy a new joystick

 

[quiksilvr]

That'd be awesome if it's no big deal. If not, mine is still mostly in-tact so I can figure it out myself.

the 2nd pic shows the way i tested mine without disassembling the switch itself using a small magnet i had as an extra. with switch plugged into the machine, take a magnet and run it in the direction noted in pic. you should get some type of response from the machin. if nothing happens, then ur *** and gotta buy a new joystick

 

[quiksilvr]

as for magnet orientation, u want similar poles facing each other.

 

[pbd05]

Thanks! I'll find some new magnets and take mine apart to test the switch. I'll report back with my findings. I've also contacted Otto to see if they have 8v switches available as another repair option.

 

[Ryan Bunce]

For my 'fix' it didn't seem to matter which orientation I put the magnet. As long as either of the +/- ends of the bar magnet would sweep radially through the hall sensor, it worked. I presume that the original round/doughnut magnet has it's poles oriented on its hemispheres rather than its flat sides. These are called 'diametrically magnetized'. There are some places you can get diametric, ring magnets. Might be worth a try. See here:

N42 Neodymium Diametrically Magnetised Ring Magnet - 1/4 in. O.D x 1/8 in. I.D x 1/32 in. thick

6mm outer diameter x 3mm inner diameter x 1mm thick.0.24 in. outer diameter x 0.12 in. inner diameter x 0.04 in. thick.+/-0.1mm (0.004 in.) tolerance.Each magnet's north and south pole are on opposite curved sides.Excellent resistance to demagnetisation.Coated with three layers of nickel, copper...

www.first4magnets.com

 

[quiksilvr]

For my 'fix' it didn't seem to matter which orientation I put the magnet. As long as either of the +/- ends of the bar magnet would sweep radially through the hall sensor, it worked. I presume that the original round/doughnut magnet has it's poles oriented on its hemispheres rather than its flat sides. These are called 'diametrically magnetized'. There are some places you can get diametric, ring magnets. Might be worth a try. See here:

N42 Neodymium Diametrically Magnetised Ring Magnet - 1/4 in. O.D x 1/8 in. I.D x 1/32 in. thick

6mm outer diameter x 3mm inner diameter x 1mm thick.0.24 in. outer diameter x 0.12 in. inner diameter x 0.04 in. thick.+/-0.1mm (0.004 in.) tolerance.Each magnet's north and south pole are on opposite curved sides.Excellent resistance to demagnetisation.Coated with three layers of nickel, copper...

www.first4magnets.com

thanx for that insight, im no expert in magnets so its nice to have someone here who knows more about them than i do.

 

[pbd05]

I finally got a break in the weather and got to diagnose a bit further. The auxiliary control has been intermittent with no real rhyme or reason to it's functionality. I took things apart again today and tested out the switch itself using the diagram posted earlier. There doesn't appear to be any issues with voltage output from the switch and I'm leaning towards a wiring issue in the joystick itself. I'm thinking this because I was able to get intermittent function while moving the harness. I took some of the loom off but didn't see anything obvious. Now I've lost all functionality though and I'm wondering if this is the ECU protecting itself?

I think my next steps are removing the joystick itself from the machine and testing the wiring on the bench. Thoughts?

 

[quiksilvr]

did you check the connector at the end of the joystick harness? its located under the joystick near the floorplate. u have to take the grey plastic cover off that is underneath the joystick