• There seems to be an uptick in Political comments in recent months. Those of us who are long time members of the site know that Political and Religious content has been banned for years. Nothing has changed. Please leave all political and religious comments out of the forums.

    If you recently joined the forums you were not presented with this restriction in the terms of service. This was due to a conversion error when we went from vBulletin to Xenforo. We have updated our terms of service to reflect these corrections.

    Please note any post refering to a politician will be considered political even if it is intended to be humor. Our experience is these topics have a way of dividing the forums and causing deep resentment among members. It is a poison to the community. We appreciate compliance with the rules.

    The Staff of SOH

  • Server side Maintenance is done. We still have an update to the forum software to run but that one will have to wait for a better time.

Controller Recommendations Needed

H

HarleyDude

SOH-CM-2023
Greetings and Happy New Year,

I need the Forums help in recommendations for a new controller and throttle set up. Currently using a Logitech Extreme 3D Pro but looking for a separate throttle control. Currently flying single and twin engine aircraft and looking to add tacpack capabilities. All Recommendations would be appreciated. Currently replacing the controller about once a year. Time to upgrade. Thanks
 
Currently using a year old Logitech Extreme 3D Pro twist grip (I don't do rudder pedals. . .previous one lasted about 10 years before it wouldn't calibrate any more) and CH Pro Throttle (single control also about 10yrs old). I don't fly Commercial/Heavies as a general rule, most of my flying is GA related, however I have flown the Tom Ruth AN-225 and everything syncs up nicely. I realize those who are interested (seriously interested) in Commercial flying would want individual throttle control, but CH also fits that bill as well I believe.
 
Well if you're sick of upgrading every year...you coukd always invest in something a little more robust? I'm using TM HOTAS Warthog + Saitek Pro flight rudder pedals. Have had them going on 5 years now. This would give you more reliable inputs (if your stick is going out every year) and a more realistic experience using pedals rather than stick twist (which I used for years in my x52). The only draw back is that it is an investment upfront. Prob in the ballpark of ~$600 USD.
 
I think he is looking for throttle, prop mixture controls so he can adjust those more quickly than Control+Shift+Fn
Most things you buy for FSX (Yoke, Rudder pedals, Gauges) Are going to be expensive.
My CH products yoke has a nice throttle quaderent, works fine. Not very realistic, but gets the job done.

You could look here
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004ING99Q

Ryan
 
As far i know, there are only a few options to buy only a throttle:


  • CH Products Pro Throttle
  • Thrustmaster Warthog throttle
  • Thrustmaster TWCS (released Q4 2016).

The first one, CH is Quality. Industrial plastic, High quality pots and the best ergonomy you can buy in the market. It has the better durability of all Throttles. In the other hand...some people said that its design is boring and vintage. It has the smaller travel. The best option if you live in USA in my opinion. I use it and I love it. Also the software, CH manager is very easy to configure.

Warthog throttle has a great design, it's metallic then it's heavy, it has dual throtttle and some switches in the base. But, it's expensive (more expensive than if you buy the whole HOTAS) and the quality is outside, inside is plastic. It's the only throttle in this list which describes an arc

TWCS Throttle is new. It is the cheapest Throttle. Still a mistery. Looks great but...I only heard that is very light so, it need some velcro or other sytem to fix it to the desk. I have the TFRP pedals (with the same rail track system) for example and the plastic feels very cheap. It has some sticks behind the throttle that can be used as rudder.

For sticks...Depends also of the budget...T16000M is a great option, Hall sensors, for the money is a very good option. It has Twist.

. I prefer a CH Fighterstick or a Combatstick, again, if you live in USA...ratio Price vs cost is incredible. It uses high quality pots...Then they can have some peaks if the current provided by the motherboard is not constant but also they can be filtered by software (CH Manager is amazing). CH sticks are softer than Logitech Extreme 3D Pro , some peope like me, love it, others hate it. CH sticks haven't Twist....So a set of pedals are required.

If you want something more heavy and more expensive, get a full Warthog combo. It uses Hall sensors...Great precision, great feeling in your hands. Very Solid. Great design. You should need pedals 'cause Warthog stick hasn't twist.

I replaced my old Logitech Extreme 3D Pro a few months ago with a Fighterstick and...Oh man, it's delightful...Why I didn't replace it before?
Any option should be a great improvement, sure. All sticks have great precision.

Best combinations IMHO:
Cheapest HOTAS: TM T16000M + CH Pro Throttle. (best combo at lower cost). A lot of people use this combo in Space Simulators (Elite Dangerous and Star Citizen).
Best Quality Combo: CH Fighterstick + CH Pro Throttle (its hard to find it outside USA).
Best combo: TM Warthog (No budgetary constraints).
 
HarleyDude said:
Greetings and Happy New Year,

I need the Forums help in recommendations for a new controller and throttle set up. Currently using a Logitech Extreme 3D Pro but looking for a separate throttle control. Currently flying single and twin engine aircraft and looking to add tacpack capabilities. All Recommendations would be appreciated. Currently replacing the controller about once a year. Time to upgrade. Thanks
Click to expand...

From me the choice is one: Thrustmaster Warthog + MFG Crosswind rudder.
 
The TWCS retails for 70€, the Saitek throttle for 60€.

I really like my T16000M (the old two-handed version), but the throttle needs to be adjusted by the fraction of a millimeter for fine control.
 
X65F ....you ain't lived until you've used a stick with no moving parts to wear out...;)
 
I fly at least 1 - 2 hours every day. Been using Thrustmaster for 5 years with no sign of apparent wear. IMO Saitek went down in quality a few years ago. (I might have just gotten duds though)

JPMouse
 
For planes with a Joystick I use the Thrustmaster T-Flight Hotas X Flight Stick. Has been working fine for the past 3 years, and is still going strong.

For planes using a yoke I use the CH Yoke. Has been very reliable for over 10 years, and am still not having any issues with it.

I am using the CH Rudder pedals for the footwork on both configurations. I also have the CH Throttle Quadrant that provides 6 levers.

Guess I am spoiled, lol.


 
I've been using the same Microsoft Sidewinder Precision Pro for about 16 years now. No muss, no fuss and it just keeps going. It's old enough that I have to use a game port to usb adapter with it.
 
I will warn you of what not to get, a Saitek X55/56. I first owned the X55 and I loved the price, concept, and feel but it made it through 2 years before I had issues (many users will very unlucky with theirs). They gave me a brand new X56 for free for my troubles but IMO, it's a step backward, not forward. My main reason for urging users to not buy from the brand are the Quality Control Issues. I hope that since Logitech now owns the brand that they will get the QC issues under control, If they do, I may gravitate back to the Saitek brand at some point. I'm going to use my X56 until it craps out and will probably replace it with a Warthog or a mix of CH and other products. CH products are an excellent product for the money as are the low range Thrustmaster products. My only hangup with absorbing the expense of a Warthog is that I know of few guys who have had both circuit or even mechanical parts failures with theirs. Then again, all so called durable goods have wear & tear and will eventually fail regardless of the price. I may end up building my own controllers using FAA/Industry grade parts.
 
StormILM said:
Then again, all so called durable goods have wear & tear and will eventually fail regardless of the price. I may end up building my own controllers using FAA/Industry grade parts.
Click to expand...
Just to reiterate...the X65F is a pressure-sensitive stick which has no moving parts...no springs...no pivots...no wear what-so-ever.

Takes a bit of getting used-to...as it doesn't move at all...but once you're used to it you won't go back....just as modern A/C are leaving 'moving sticks' ...;)
 
What is your budget?

That is going to determine what you can get.

I spent ages fighting off hardware at the upper end of the scale, but now I run with a Thrustmaster Warthog HOTAS with a set of MFG Crosswinds and a VirtualFly TQ6 6-lever throttle quadrant.

The setup revolutionized my warbird-style aircraft simulation. But I daren't think about what the setup cost me!

A
 
Be careful with the TM Warthog, I've had mine for three months and haven't been able to get it to work. Every time I run the TARGET software it crashes. Just saying, YMMV.
 
Sundog said:
Be careful with the TM Warthog, I've had mine for three months and haven't been able to get it to work. Every time I run the TARGET software it crashes. Just saying, YMMV.
Click to expand...

I've never used TARGET and never had an issue...good thing too! Try not using it?
 
Jafo said:
Just to reiterate...the X65F is a pressure-sensitive stick which has no moving parts...no springs...no pivots...no wear what-so-ever.

Takes a bit of getting used-to...as it doesn't move at all...but once you're used to it you won't go back....just as modern A/C are leaving 'moving sticks' ...;)
Click to expand...

I agree with the concept but the first problem is that they don't make them anymore and the used X65's I've seen have in some cases been going for astronomical prices. Also, another risk of buying one now is if any part of the unit failed you're essentially out of luck getting it repaired from what I've heard. If they (Logitech) ever brought it back into the line then I'd entertain the idea of buying one but I think the former mentioned is a long shot at best.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top