Any hope for Elite Berserkers

Freyja

Freyja

Member
Staff member
The old style chip would *probably* fit, but they were all sent flawed (Edit: sent to US flawed and this statement is incorrect as Odin points out later. I miss-understood the situation) . Every chip had to be fixed by hand and had a less than 50% success rate. We don't have any more, don't plan on fixing the stencil and circuitry layout (that would cost us a few g's not including the price of parts to produce the chips) and I'm pretty sure the tech's would go on strike if we brought it back. There were something like 65 different wires/connection points and to test the chip it meant completely assembling the controller; about a 2 hour process. I personally had one order that it took 9 chips to make the thing work. I just about punted that controller and canceled his order.
Also, the old style chip isn't compatible with the blade system, so that would have to be fixed or we would have to figure out how to connect our chip to the Elite paddle system. Even after all that we still wouldn't know if the software we have works with it.
 
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odingalt

odingalt

Well-Known Member
Staff member
I think the new elite has a few widgets and pieces and crap inside that make it so the old original "Revision A" flex Berserker chip won't fit in the new Elite controller. The Ragnarok Rev D chip might barely fit but I think the old Rev A Berserker modchip is too big to fit in the elite.
 
modded matt

modded matt

Active Member
ok so it looks like my elite will be here today!!! (I had to order it) I will know more and be able to report back once I crack it open. I am not planning on anything "fitting" in the traditional since, cut in half, free formed in the spot where a rumble motor may be the "fit" that is required. LOL

I have the original berserker and some of the original Rag chips. and the rev D rag chips. My berserker sticks are shot and need replaced so I am going to attempt to port the old chip over to my elite and may have some technical questions I will send Odingalt in a PM.

I am going to test the Rev D chips and play with the paddle system first and go from there.

We shall see.
 
H

halo4freak

Member
The old style chip would *probably* fit, but they were all sent flawed. Every chip had to be fixed by hand and had a less than 50% success rate. We don't have any more, don't plan on fixing the stencil and circuitry layout (that would cost us a few g's not including the price of parts to produce the chips) and I'm pretty sure the tech's would go on strike if we brought it back.
Click to expand...
Finally the truth. I pre-ordered the Berzerker for Xbox one and it kept breaking down. After the 2nd controller failed I started getting treated like I was the guilty party "breaking the controllers with hard treatment or mishandling." My non working berserk is still sitting in its box gathering dust.
 
Freyja

Freyja

Member
Staff member
We used all of the best chips first so there weren't issues with the first 75 or so, it was when the cream of the crop was used up that we started to have problems. If you were someone that pre-ordered the controller you would have been one of the first people to get it and therefore not in the problem group.
Also, once they worked they worked; it was just a pain to get them working. The problem was with the USB programming port and being recognized by the computer, not any of the mod functions. We've had very few if any of the early style chips come back because the mods stopped working properly where as with the new style chip there's been several that work fine and all of the sudden stop, like the 360 Macro's sometimes do. Even if the warranty has expired we will sometimes replace the Berserker chips that just stop working for free provided that the controller is in good condition and hasn't been roughed up.

All of the pre-order people had a 1 year extended warranty so you probably could have contacted us and we would have re-built your controller with a new chip, but it's too late now as we are no longer currently making controllers.
 
odingalt

odingalt

Well-Known Member
Staff member
Norm. In your specific case, we replaced your whole controller like 3-4 times, then refunded you altogether. Then later you went and bought another one from us and said that one didn't work. You are doing something wrong. I handled your case personally towards the end and I can tell you with 100% certainty that we would just rather not have you as a customer.

Now I also have to correct Freyja when she says "they were all sent flawed". Her statement is wrong. We did not ship any flawed product to customers. There was a *design error* in the PCB's (not a manufacturing flaw). We had to modify the production PCB's to install a jumper from the CPU to the EEPROM to get the modchip to work. Sometimes this jumper would not take. We thoroughly tested every PCB that had this jumper installation and we rejected all PCB's that did not 100% pass our testing procedure after the jumper was installed. The true statement is that the success rate of this jumper installation was very low. Another true statement is that once the jumper is installed and the modchip passes all the tests, these modchips were then used in Berserker installations. Of 100 Berserkers that were shipped using these modified PCB's only 3 or 4 exhibited EEPROM read issues.

Note: IF you had an early Berserker with a jumper-modified modchip, the mod doesn't just suddenly up and quit. IF the jumper that we added were to come loose, the symptom would be that you would receive an EEPROM read/write error when trying to read or load rune packs. The controller would still work with the last pack you load, and would still connect by USB, but you would not be able to load more packs. If I remember correctly Norman that wasn't your problem at all, you had a bevvy of other random problems that we were never able to reproduce at our shop. Likely you didn't take the firmware and software updates that we sent you to help out.

For the few customers that had any EEPROM read/write errors, we IMMEDIATELY replaced those Berserkers no questions asked, and it was only 3 or 4 Berserkers out of the original 100 or so.

So long story short:

-We didn't ship flawed product
-There was a design ommission in early modchip production
-We installed a jumper on the early modchips and re-tested them, any jumpered modchips that didn't 100% pass testing were rejected
-Of the remaining jumpered modchips that were shipped we had 4% that had an EEPROM read/write problem. We replaced these customers Berserkers right away.
-halo4freak does not fit in this category of customers, he had random issues and was shipped several controllers and we could never repeat the problems he described even after shipping several completely brand new builds
 
Freyja

Freyja

Member
Staff member
My apologies for the miss-information folks.
Thanks for the clarification Odin.

I incorrectly understood the issue to be an error in production from build company, not a design flaw on our end.
Everything else stands. The problem was with the USB, not the mods.
 
JIM WALKER

JIM WALKER

Active Member
I can confirm Odins comments (not that its necessary), I had both the original and the later berserker ... issues with the newer model ... ZERO!!! My earlier (one of the first 100), developed a fault with the usb programming slot, this was instantly dealt with.
Any, and I mean, ANY, issues with Viking controllers is dealt with by the company with swift no quibble resolution.
Anyone reading this post should be totally assured that Viking is probably THE best company I have EVER dealt with, both on UK and USA soil.
Thank you Viking, and thank you Einar for your honesty and fairness, both as a company and as an individual.
 
D

don65

New Member
Freyja said:
We used all of the best chips first so there weren't issues with the first 75 or so, it was when the cream of the crop was used up that we started to have problems. If you were someone that pre-ordered the controller you would have been one of the first people to get it and therefore not in the problem group.
Also, once they worked they worked; it was just a pain to get them working. The problem was with the USB programming port and being recognized by the computer, not any of the mod functions. We've had very few if any of the early style chips come back because the mods stopped working properly where as with the new style chip there's been several that work fine and all of the sudden stop, like the 360 Macro's sometimes do. Even if the warranty has expired we will sometimes replace the Berserker chips that just stop working for free provided that the controller is in good condition and hasn't been roughed up.

All of the pre-order people had a 1 year extended warranty so you probably could have contacted us and we would have re-built your controller with a new chip, but it's too late now as we are no longer currently making controllers.
Click to expand...
No longer making controllers? Is this true?
 
modded matt

modded matt

Active Member

Do not get too excited. I made this one and there is one chip left to possibly make another. This can only be done using the original chips discussed above. The new chip design is incomparable.

FYI, this means that any mod chip you have will work. I will do a full write up this weekend posting the contact point for the triggers and the elite paddle switches. (all on the boomerang board)
 
H

halo4freak

Member
odingalt said:
Norm. In your specific case, we replaced your whole controller like 3-4 times, then refunded you altogether. Then later you went and bought another one from us and said that one didn't work. You are doing something wrong. I handled your case personally towards the end and I can tell you with 100% certainty that we would just rather not have you as a customer.

Now I also have to correct Freyja when she says "they were all sent flawed". Her statement is wrong. We did not ship any flawed product to customers. There was a *design error* in the PCB's (not a manufacturing flaw). We had to modify the production PCB's to install a jumper from the CPU to the EEPROM to get the modchip to work. Sometimes this jumper would not take. We thoroughly tested every PCB that had this jumper installation and we rejected all PCB's that did not 100% pass our testing procedure after the jumper was installed. The true statement is that the success rate of this jumper installation was very low. Another true statement is that once the jumper is installed and the modchip passes all the tests, these modchips were then used in Berserker installations. Of 100 Berserkers that were shipped using these modified PCB's only 3 or 4 exhibited EEPROM read issues.

Note: IF you had an early Berserker with a jumper-modified modchip, the mod doesn't just suddenly up and quit. IF the jumper that we added were to come loose, the symptom would be that you would receive an EEPROM read/write error when trying to read or load rune packs. The controller would still work with the last pack you load, and would still connect by USB, but you would not be able to load more packs. If I remember correctly Norman that wasn't your problem at all, you had a bevvy of other random problems that we were never able to reproduce at our shop. Likely you didn't take the firmware and software updates that we sent you to help out.

For the few customers that had any EEPROM read/write errors, we IMMEDIATELY replaced those Berserkers no questions asked, and it was only 3 or 4 Berserkers out of the original 100 or so.

So long story short:

-We didn't ship flawed product
-There was a design ommission in early modchip production
-We installed a jumper on the early modchips and re-tested them, any jumpered modchips that didn't 100% pass testing were rejected
-Of the remaining jumpered modchips that were shipped we had 4% that had an EEPROM read/write problem. We replaced these customers Berserkers right away.
-halo4freak does not fit in this category of customers, he had random issues and was shipped several controllers and we could never repeat the problems he described even after shipping several completely brand new builds
Click to expand...

No, I NEVER received a refund "I never wanted one."
When the first controller failed you sent me a 2nd controller before receiving the initial controller that failed.
I did send back that initial controller.
When the second controller failed and I requested a new controller you would not send a new controller out until you had received the second controller stating you needed to find out what went wrong.
When you received the second controller by mail you offered me a choice of getting my money back or having you try and repair the second controller you sent out.
I choose the ladder and received the controller you had made repairs on. It worked for a few days before it failed.
I didn't send it back and posted in forums of its failure. Of course by this time I was treated like the failure was due to my poor mishandling or mistreatment.
You sent me 2 controllers that by your own techs admissions failed 50% of the time.
This is how you treat a customer who has spent thousands of dollars with you?
"The controller would still work with the last pack you load, and would still connect by USB, but you would not be able to load more packs"
That is exactly what is going on with the controller I have, it won't load more packs and the last pack I had loaded was a beta one I was working on which has never ending macro going on certain buttons making it unusable for anything. Again you sent 2 CONTROLLERS 2 not 3 or 4. I choose to trust that the problem would get fixed and eventually I would be made whole. Now I wish I had opted for a refund.
 
odingalt

odingalt

Well-Known Member
Staff member
-You paid for one controller.
-You ultimately received and kept two controllers.

Is this correct?
 
odingalt

odingalt

Well-Known Member
Staff member
Of the two controllers you have, what is the status of both controllers?

Controller #1 - please describe status (broke/working, if broke, please list all problems). Please tell us what you want us to do with the controller #1.
Controller #2 - please describe status (broke/working, if broke, please list all problems). Please tell us what you want us to do with the controller #2.
 
odingalt

odingalt

Well-Known Member
Staff member
I just want to get the eact status of the controllers as of today, and get a clear understanding of what you'd like us to do with each controller.
 
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