CH Eclipse Yoke / Cessna Yoke+Throttle

[Ray_CYYZ]

CH Eclipse Yoke http://www.chproducts.com/Eclipse-Yoke-v13-d-717.html

Pro Flight Cessna Yoke / Throttle http://www.saitek.com/uk/prod/cessnayoke.html

No one anywhere near me actually carries these toys. My Microsoft stick which has been working since PS1 days is not happy anymore with the axis's wandering.

Since the only places I can order have return policies akin to highway robbery, I need to make sure I get one that has been "confirmed" to work fully in PSX by someone who actually has PSX.

I have read all sorts of online reviews that swing from greatest thing since sliced bread to pile of junk. To my eyes, the Eclipse seem to be more PSX friendly with the various trims and hats available to absorb more controls but I am just guessing. I am unlikely to get rudder pedals as they just don't fit my available space much as I might like to.

[Phil Bunch]

How about amazon.com?  I've been finding most joysticks available there, typically from one of their resellers.

At least Amazon has a quick, liberal return policy (in my experience, including everything from a paperback book to a $1500 LCD TV).

[Will]

Hello Ray__CYYZ,

I've tested PSX with 10 USB devices including the CH Eclipse yoke and everything has always worked well.

Two caveats though.

One caveat is that some equipment seems to be built better than others in terms of "dancing" around a set value. PSX comes with the Neutral setting defaulted to 300, which will almost always be far more coarse than what you need, but will extinguish all noise in the controller. As you move the Neutral setting closer to zero, you might find that the axis eventually wavers a bit around the set value. I needed to set a Neutral value of 20 to quiet down throttles from CH Products, but Saitek throttles are rock solid with a Neutral setting of zero.

The other caveat is that USB devices are dependent on their drivers and the hardware with which they're used. That means that nobody can guarantee you a certain experience unless they have exactly the same setup as you with the same hardware and the same software (drivers).

Therefore: order products with a workable return policy. Amazon is great, as Phil says.

(I'm using a Mac, if that helps. And for what it's worth, I'm using the Warthog joystick, Saitek throttles, and CH Products rudder pedals and toe brakes.)

[Ray_CYYZ]

Amazon.ca  is $53 more expensive for the same item. For $53 extra, I'd take returns too  :lol:

I just want to know from folks here who I can trust that it works as opposed to random comments on the big bad internet.

Will, thanks for the comments, that is exactly what I was looking for. I just wanted to validate the basic item itself has no inherent issues with PSX.

[falconeye]

Hello Will,

may I ask, why you use the Saitek throttles? As far as I know the Warthog comes with his own thrust levers which looks very well build. Or do you use two Saitek throttles to have four independent levers? I think about buying the Warthog but planned to use the Warthog thrust lever.

Cheers

[Will]

The Warthog thrust levers reproduce many of the controls and switches that you see in the A-10 cockpit. For me, that means two clear disadvantages.

1. The Warthog throttle quadrant has two throttles, not four, making for a difficult translation to the 747.

2. It also has lots of irrelevant labels on the switches. (The joystick doesn't have labels, except for trim.)

So I went with Saitek throttles, which are well-built and precise. Unlike the Warthog, which is all metal, the Saitek throttles are plastic, but they still feel pretty sturdy, more so than the CH Products throttle quadrant for what that's worth. So I use two Saitek Pro 3-throttle quadrants, which give six axes to play with and 12 buttons [Edit: it's really 16 buttons]. Like CH Products, they ship with enough caps so that you can change the colors of the knobs on the handles. I have the axes set up like this:

1 - Speed brake (red)
2 - Throttle 1 (black)
3 - Throttle 2 (black)
4 - Throttle 3 (black)
5 - Throttle 4 (black)
6 - Tiller (blue)

Having the tiller on the 6th axis takes some getting used to, but it works. ;-)

[Phil Bunch]

Amazon.ca  is $53 more expensive for the same item. For $53 extra, I'd take returns too  :lol:

I just want to know from folks here who I can trust that it works as opposed to random comments on the big bad internet.

Will, thanks for the comments, that is exactly what I was looking for. I just wanted to validate the basic item itself has no inherent issues with PSX.

I have the same interests re new PSX-related components, and hope to obtain some good PSX users' recommendations before I order a new yoke, throttle.  As much as the Warthog units seem suitably heavy and high quality, they also seem to have a high percentage with short lifespans and slow replacement by the vendor.  This is discouraging for such an expensive product!

[luxair_ca]

i tried out the Cessna pro flight yoke from saitek in the aviationmegastore in AMS last Weekend.

I think the yoke might be the perfect yoke for flightsim, due to the fact that you can rotate it 90 degres to the left and to the right...unfortunately, the Folks at saitek might not have seen a real yoke yet, otherwise they would have put the Elevator trim Switch on the left side of the yoke...if you use the yoke with a throttle quad positioned right of the yoke, you cannot control throttle, and trim the aircraft at the same time...

i emailed them, and appearantly it is not possible to Change the Switches of the yoke


marc

[falconeye]

Ah, that's a good idea to use one axes for the tiller. I have one Saitek throttle( because I use at the moment the Saitek Pro Yoke) and I think I will give it a try and buy a second throttle.
Let's see how the tiller works! Thank you.

[Will]

Phil, the Warthog joystick is a dream to use. It has a solid heft that matches the inertia of the aircraft in PSX. I really love it. I'll let you know if it breaks...

[Will]

Also, I have to wonder if people who report the Warthog breaking are using it for combat sims where they fling it about while maneuvering the airplane violently. With PSX and the 747, the joystick should get a gentler treatment(*). Just a thought.

*) CAT scenarios notwithstanding...

[Phil Bunch]

Also, I have to wonder if people who report the Warthog breaking are using it for combat sims where they fling it about while maneuvering the airplane violently. With PSX and the 747, the joystick should get a gentler treatment(*). Just a thought.

*) CAT scenarios notwithstanding...

Will,

Your endorsement makes this unit even more tempting!  

Fortunately, I have a birthday coming up soon, and my partner is already asking for ideas.  Hmmm...should I ask her for this unit or a couple of additional monitors for PSX?!?!