TH8 RS Shifter stuck on Sequential. Anyone knows how to fix?

conticreative · 8 March 13, 03:48

I have had a Thrustmaster TH8 Shifter for a bit over 2 months, mostly used as a gated shifter and only sporadically used as a Sequential shifter.

About a couple of weeks ago, while I was using it as a gated shifter, stopped working. After a few tests I realized that it had switched to Sequential and it would not longer let me use it as a gated shifter.

In the control panel you can actually see the gated shifter grayed out. When assembling and disassembling the unit, the gated picture gets selected sporadically, but no matter what it always defaults to sequential.

I contacted Thurstmaster support and after sending them a video and all sort of paperwork, they asked me to send them the unit to Quebec.

In my last email to them, I asked them to let me know if they thought the problem was something I might be able to fix myself, but they ignored my question.

I am a bit upset because a) I don;t want to drive without a shifter for whatever long it takes to fix it and b) I am supposed to send it in at my expenses., Considering I paid $125 for it, the shipping costs are probably going to be a sizable chunk of the cost of a new shifter. So I was thinking of just buy a Fanatec shifter instead and keep this one as a sequential/handbrake.

The other option would also be to fix it myself as I have the feeling that the internal switch is defective. It's a tiny switch and in my opinion there is no reason for it not to be an external switch one can activate manually.

Does anyone have any experience repairing these shifters? Is it hard?

By the way, I love this shifter as a gated shifter. It is also a passable sequential shift but it shines as a gated one. I'd much rather try to fix it myself rather than have Thurstmaster string me along for the best part of 2013.

Any ideas?

Sphinx666 · 8 March 13, 11:24

Pff, and I tought this shifter would not brake easily. Sure made me think if I should still buy it. Keep us updated.

Hitman_M3 · 8 March 13, 11:28

I have always used the shifter as gated and without installing the drivers, having never had problems like described by you. Since the change to sequential mode apparently comes from software (In the way it reads the signals from the hall effect sensor on the bottom), my suggestions would be following:

1) First of all, try deinstalling all the TM software from your PC and plugging it as simple USB controller in your computer. Reinstalling latest DirectX would also be worth doing.

2) Second, if the above fails, try it on another computer to check that it's not a corruputed drivers problem related to your personal hardware/software combination.

3) If all else fails, and only last, I would check the hardware then. Meaning, I would try to ensure that when making the position change for the sequential to work, the sensor wasn't inadvertedly moved too far away from the original position so that it ends up failing to detect the signal unless when moved to the extremes (As in sequential use)

In any case, I think that sending it to TM for checking will not be worth it. Note that they could even say it is your fault and you would then lose the shifter and the shipping costs.

mrbasher · 8 March 13, 19:25

It could be the driver but it is unlikely based upon this statement:

Quote:

When assembling and disassembling the unit, the gated picture gets selected sporadically, but no matter what it always defaults to sequential.

It sounds like it is the switch itself or a loose wire. What happens if you press the switch manually while watching the properties page? The switch is right there on top where the plate attaches. (sounds like you know this already)

If it is a loose wire it should be simple enough to fix if you can solder. Take the thing apart far enough that you can see the underside of where that switch is. If the wire is loose it should be obvious.

As a side note... I know about, let's say a few hundred, people using these and I have heard about very few issues with them. The most notable was a customer that had issues with the USB connection on the bottom of the shifter.

If it's not a loose wire that you can easily just solder back on, or you don't have the means to do so, just have Thrustmaster replace it.

Best of luck.

conticreative · 9 March 13, 04:55

Indeed the Shifter behaves as if there is a false contact somewhere. When the problem first manifested it was very clear that there was a bad contact somewhere. I would have the shifter without the top plate and while mounting the Gated plate on top I could see the representation of the shifter in the CP getting activated and deactivated as I was operating on the shifter. Pushing the switch manually used to have an effect, of course, but since this issue it no longer has one. Pushing, pocking and twisting the entrails of the shifter do turn the gated mode on and off and at times I am even able to keep the gated mode selected for quite some time while I am mounting the gated plate on it. Unfortunately, as I start tightening the screws to secure the plate, invariably the sequential mode is selected. More recently, even this "false contact" has been appearing more sporadically and it is almost always on sequential.

I opened the shifter until I could inspect some of the internal wiring, as someone told me that in his case he was able to fix his by putting tape over a pinched wire, but in my case everything looks pristine.

I stopped pocking further and that's why I came here to see if anyone has had occasion to disassemble the shifter. I'd like to know what I am getting into before I take it completely apart.

Indeed I am very hesitant of shipping it to Thrustmaster, but I assure you that if they pull a "you broke it" I will unleash a campaign of terror without equal, since I honestly switched from gated to sequential and back no more than a few times in the 2 months I owned it and I have been very, very careful.

If I ship it to them and they try to weasel out of fixing it, I'll make it my job to make sure no one else buys one of these shifters ever again. I'll create multiple identities and buy "Thrustmastersucks.com" if I have to.

As it is, I am pretty upset that I have to do without a shifter for who knows how long. If I had some pictures of the internals, I would feel more confident in opening it up and fixing it.

By the way, I cannot understand why they built this thing like it was going to be used on the ISS and then they gave it that puny little switch. I think they should have used a larger, more conventional switch and they certainly could have devised a sequential overplate that could be used with less effort and less risk of damaging the interior.

The build quality and materials are excellent. But the engineering is very poor in my opinions. Give me one day in a machine shop and I'll build you a much better dual shifter on the same platform.

Thank you everyone for your input. Hopefully someone with experience in taking this thing apart will come along.

Hitman_M3 · 10 March 13, 10:06

Hey conti I just found this thread, where you can see lots of pictures of the internals and some people share their problems with the TH8: http://www.gtplanet.net/forum/showthread.php?p=7742222

Hope it helps ...

8 March 13, 03:48	#1
conticreative Donated Join Date: Jul 2008	TH8 RS Shifter stuck on Sequential. Anyone knows how to fix? I have had a Thrustmaster TH8 Shifter for a bit over 2 months, mostly used as a gated shifter and only sporadically used as a Sequential shifter. About a couple of weeks ago, while I was using it as a gated shifter, stopped working. After a few tests I realized that it had switched to Sequential and it would not longer let me use it as a gated shifter. In the control panel you can actually see the gated shifter grayed out. When assembling and disassembling the unit, the gated picture gets selected sporadically, but no matter what it always defaults to sequential. I contacted Thurstmaster support and after sending them a video and all sort of paperwork, they asked me to send them the unit to Quebec. In my last email to them, I asked them to let me know if they thought the problem was something I might be able to fix myself, but they ignored my question. I am a bit upset because a) I don;t want to drive without a shifter for whatever long it takes to fix it and b) I am supposed to send it in at my expenses., Considering I paid $125 for it, the shipping costs are probably going to be a sizable chunk of the cost of a new shifter. So I was thinking of just buy a Fanatec shifter instead and keep this one as a sequential/handbrake. The other option would also be to fix it myself as I have the feeling that the internal switch is defective. It's a tiny switch and in my opinion there is no reason for it not to be an external switch one can activate manually. Does anyone have any experience repairing these shifters? Is it hard? By the way, I love this shifter as a gated shifter. It is also a passable sequential shift but it shines as a gated one. I'd much rather try to fix it myself rather than have Thurstmaster string me along for the best part of 2013. Any ideas?

8 March 13, 11:24	#2
Sphinx666 Join Date: May 2008 Location: In the kitty litter Age: 28	Pff, and I tought this shifter would not brake easily. Sure made me think if I should still buy it. Keep us updated.

8 March 13, 11:28	#3
Hitman_M3 Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Valencia, Spain	I have always used the shifter as gated and without installing the drivers, having never had problems like described by you. Since the change to sequential mode apparently comes from software (In the way it reads the signals from the hall effect sensor on the bottom), my suggestions would be following: 1) First of all, try deinstalling all the TM software from your PC and plugging it as simple USB controller in your computer. Reinstalling latest DirectX would also be worth doing. 2) Second, if the above fails, try it on another computer to check that it's not a corruputed drivers problem related to your personal hardware/software combination. 3) If all else fails, and only last, I would check the hardware then. Meaning, I would try to ensure that when making the position change for the sequential to work, the sensor wasn't inadvertedly moved too far away from the original position so that it ends up failing to detect the signal unless when moved to the extremes (As in sequential use) In any case, I think that sending it to TM for checking will not be worth it. Note that they could even say it is your fault and you would then lose the shifter and the shipping costs.

9 March 13, 04:55	#5
conticreative Donated Join Date: Jul 2008	Indeed the Shifter behaves as if there is a false contact somewhere. When the problem first manifested it was very clear that there was a bad contact somewhere. I would have the shifter without the top plate and while mounting the Gated plate on top I could see the representation of the shifter in the CP getting activated and deactivated as I was operating on the shifter. Pushing the switch manually used to have an effect, of course, but since this issue it no longer has one. Pushing, pocking and twisting the entrails of the shifter do turn the gated mode on and off and at times I am even able to keep the gated mode selected for quite some time while I am mounting the gated plate on it. Unfortunately, as I start tightening the screws to secure the plate, invariably the sequential mode is selected. More recently, even this "false contact" has been appearing more sporadically and it is almost always on sequential. I opened the shifter until I could inspect some of the internal wiring, as someone told me that in his case he was able to fix his by putting tape over a pinched wire, but in my case everything looks pristine. I stopped pocking further and that's why I came here to see if anyone has had occasion to disassemble the shifter. I'd like to know what I am getting into before I take it completely apart. Indeed I am very hesitant of shipping it to Thrustmaster, but I assure you that if they pull a "you broke it" I will unleash a campaign of terror without equal, since I honestly switched from gated to sequential and back no more than a few times in the 2 months I owned it and I have been very, very careful. If I ship it to them and they try to weasel out of fixing it, I'll make it my job to make sure no one else buys one of these shifters ever again. I'll create multiple identities and buy "Thrustmastersucks.com" if I have to. As it is, I am pretty upset that I have to do without a shifter for who knows how long. If I had some pictures of the internals, I would feel more confident in opening it up and fixing it. By the way, I cannot understand why they built this thing like it was going to be used on the ISS and then they gave it that puny little switch. I think they should have used a larger, more conventional switch and they certainly could have devised a sequential overplate that could be used with less effort and less risk of damaging the interior. The build quality and materials are excellent. But the engineering is very poor in my opinions. Give me one day in a machine shop and I'll build you a much better dual shifter on the same platform. Thank you everyone for your input. Hopefully someone with experience in taking this thing apart will come along.

10 March 13, 10:06	#6
Hitman_M3 Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Valencia, Spain	Hey conti I just found this thread, where you can see lots of pictures of the internals and some people share their problems with the TH8: http://www.gtplanet.net/forum/showthread.php?p=7742222 Hope it helps ...