[SOLVED] Mystery with Flight Controls

[smatthews]

I have a couple flight station as shown. It uses two Optiplex 790's, two 32" tv's, two complete sets of Ch Products flight controls using CH Control Manager. I also have Logitech 5.1 surround sound hooked up too. When I have the flight controls set up and the flight sim running the controls will no longer work when I stand up from the Dodge Caravan cloth seats that I use. Multiple "dudunks" are heard as the controls dump. The control head for the surround sound is attached to the base with the seat. I have totally separated all cables and wires from the flight station so that the seat's base is completely separated and it still happens. I moved the seat base away from the flight station and use a regular chair and the controls work as advertised. I removed the Dodge Caravan car seat from the base, and hook up all the cables and wires again and the flight controls work as they should as I sit on the base alone. I put the Dodge Caravan seat back on the base and the controls dump again, so it's the seats causing the problem, but how?? I do sense static electricity when I stand up and the hairs on my forearm stand up as they brush close by the flight control just before the "dedunk" is again heard. Both flight stations (side-by-side) dump the controls just from one seat. I have another flight station (two flight seats) that is the same, and the only thing that is different is the PC's. Everything works just fine. Same Dodge Caravan seats. So I believe static electricity from the seats creates the problem, but how does it relate to the PC? Just a note on the CH Manager. The buttons and axis still respond on the manager interface after I quit the simulation to desktop, just not in the simulation.

 

[Ralston18]

I think that it is indeed a static discharge.

Likely the discharge is somehow finding its way through to ground via the audio wires.

Jumping from your body to the controls and then (easiest path) to the audio wires/speakers.

First try some anti-static spray on the seats to determine if doing ends or reduces the problem. (Be careful to not spray controls or components.)

Try (for testing) some anti-static wrist straps. See if that helps.

End objective being verify that static is indeed the culprit - then an appropriate more permanent fix can be sought.

 

[smatthews]

Thanks. Anti-static spray is a new one on me. I'll try it, and the static strap too.