Pedals...

[Jayhawk Jake]

I was wondering, would it be feasible to replace the pots on my CH pedals this summer?  They've sort of gone to poo...the rudder action works for the most part, except I had to...calibrate...it by taping a quarter to keep from pushing it beyond a certain distance.  The brakes are shot, they just don't work right, and calibrating does not work.

I was thinking of just building my own this summer, but the CH ones are really nice, so I thought maybe I could just take em apart, buy new sensors, take out the old and put in the new.  I've taken the pedals apart before to clean them, mind you it's a pain to put back together but I think it'd be easier than just building them.

Any thoughts?  If I do build, I want to have brakes too because I hate braking with the keyboard

[beaky]

I doubt the pots and switches themselves are worn out- it's more likely the plastic(?) linkages to the pots and switches.

But I could be wrong; i don't know those pedals. I do know, however, that  switches and pots are hard to break or wear out, but the parts that move them have a shorter service life, especially if they're made of plastic.

AND- before you do anything rash, get some electronic-part-cleaning spray and try cleaning the electronic parts in question.
Pots often get quite dirty inside, even sealed ones....and switch contacts can get dirty, too.

Just be sparing with the spray and wipe off any excess if you can- some plastics can be damaged by the solvents in the spray.
If possible, remove the pots and switches to clean them.

[Augr]

I've used CH gear for more than a decade, and yes, the pots go bad.  It usually shows up as spiking, but sometimes it's dead zones.  Cleaning with tuner cleaner will help if there is dirt in the pot, but they will go bad with heavy usage.

You can order spare parts from the CH web site here:
http://www.chproducts.com/shop/parts.html

Pot replacement is pretty easy if you're comfortable with a screwdriver and wire terminals.  No soldering required.  It can be tricky getting the pedals back together, so have a couple of equal height cardboard boxes handy.  Just set the assembly upside down with the foot pedals between the boxes.  Much easier than trying to rest them on your lap.