Thank goodness I found this thread, I thought I had lost my eye-hand coordination.  My M$ Sidewinder Percision 2 has the most hideous yaw characteristics.  I can not make fine changes in yaw without  large swings from side to side.  When I flew CFS and used a (now deceased) force feedback stick things were fine.  Nice to know it might not be me, but a  controler problem.   I guess a new stick is in the offing.
                                  Fido

I'm using a Saitek Cyborg 3D Gold stick... It's my second one... my fist one had the same problem with the rudder and throttle, but since it was under gaurantee they had no alternative but to replace it.

My present stick has also had a problem...

The axis ball was grinding against the side (no lubricant), so I used some non-conducting Silicone Spray and WHAM... No more problems.

I don't think you'll ever find a stick out there that isn't susceptable to the odd problem.

Regards,
Stratobat

Wow so there maybe hope for that joisticknof mine thrown in that corner    ......

I must recommend the Wingman Force3D no such problems.  The rudder is controlled by twisting the stick either left or right.

Saitek's got some pretty good stuff

I know some guys swear by Microsofts Sidewinders, others prefer Saitek, it just depends on what suits you

Regards,
Stratobat

Operator error on my part as it turns out.I just got XP Pro with partioned hard drives.After much experimenting with the sequence of dl's and then getting the latest driver,all is back to normal.I'm still going to look at new sticks,something a little higher tech.Thanks for your input guys.

This is a pretty common occurance with joysticks.

The potentiometers are dirty.

On my old Thrustmaster joysticks, one cleaning has worked indefinitely.  The Logitech joysticks also seem to suffer the same problem, especially the rudder axis which is inside the handle.

I had the same problem with my Wigman Extreme Digital 3D.  I had to take the screws off of the handle, get to the rudder pot and clean it with contact cleaner.

Hint:  Use scotch tape to tape the buttons down so they won't fall out and spill all over your floor when you take the stick apart.  On the Logitech Wingman Digital Extreme 3D, there are four phillips screws you must remove on the handle.  There are two just under the lip of the rubber boot near the base.  The little pot sits on a white nylon post with three wires attached to it.  It is an enclosed plastic device, so you can't simply open it up and clean the element like with some metal pots.

     Use a spray contact cleaner with an applicator tip (long thin attachment that plugs into the spray nozzle) and squirt some into the pot.  It will work its way into the pot and clean the element.   Work it back and forth.  If you have the joystick still plugged into your computer, you will immediately see the jitters go away.

   Be sure to reassemble the stick correctly, that the little round knob on the side of the pot goes into the slot of the joystick handle or else the twist action will not work.  Also make sure the twist lock mechanism goes in properly.

Potentiometers have always been a problem in any postition sensing device, be it radio volume controls, joysticks, or subsea robotic arms.  The best solution would be to use optical encoders, but that would make your $19 joystick cost about $200.  If they were sold in volume like a computer mouse (the non-optical mice use optical encoders), it would be cheap, but the gearing mechanism would still make it too expensive to be worth the trouble for joystick makers.

Good luck,
Roy