Throttletek Throttle Quadrant

[Alex268]

Hi Hardy,

Hope you are well. Since my type rating was completed, I have been loving flying the 747, I have about 250 hours so far and she keeps getting better with each flight.

Quick question. I inquired with throttletek about their 747 throttle quadrant replica, and he told me that it cannot be used with PSX due to "developers not wanting to help with hardware implementation". I was thinking to buy this quadrant, but I would really only get it if it can work with your program. Is there any chance of this being supported? If not, would you recommend something else? For example the honeycomb bravo with the prodesksim 747 addon? Or simply adding an additional thrustmaster quadrant to the one I have to make it 4 engines? Your advice, as well as everyone else's, would be greatly appreciated.

Regards,

Alex

[SwissMark]

Hi Alex,

Bit envy of you and your career on the QOTS.
Wish you always happy landings.

I have the Honeycomb Throttles and really like them a lot (accurate, tactical feel and ease of native connectivity with PSX); if you want to explore deeper, you can use FrankenHUB and there are community profiles to expand usability.

Also have the Prodesksim747 but at the moment it does not get recognised with PSX and or any bridge. So, I am currently thinking of using ChatGPT to help me to write a program to connect ProdeskSIM (which shows up as an HID device) with PSX.

Never knew the Throtteltek 747 are not native with PSX; they connect with USB?
What would ,,bug" me about Throttletek is that their throttles have no electrical throttle command settings, yet they are so expensive. Just my 5 cents.

Cheers

Mark

[Alex268]

Hey Mark,

Thanks for the reply. I use PSX and PMDG on P3D as well, so im guessing the prodesksim747 would work nicely for the PMDG. But I ultimately want something that works very well with PSX as she is really the best out there when I compare it to the real thing.

I have no idea what FrankenHUB is but im going to check now out of interest. Im flying in a few hours so I have a bit of time to research. Im not overly great at writing programs and all that but yes, chatgpt certainly works wonders with alot of things like this. Let me know if you manage to figure something out.

The throttletek seems very pricey for not having auto throttle and possibly not working with PSX according to the owner, so ill hold off for now. But I have been eying that honeycomb. Is it still worth getting it with the basic thrustlevers that it comes with? Or would it still be worth it to get an addon that has the gates for the flaps and bigger throttle handles (I heard the original ones are small). I would love to get the prodesksim, but dont want the autothrottle and TOGA switches there for decoration.

Warm regards,

Alex

[Will]

I have the ThrottleTek quadrant and it connects to PSX just fine, with one possible exception.

All the switches work, including the fuel control switches. And all the axes work, including reversers. (The reversers have potentiometers; all other axes have Hall sensors.) There is no servo, though; you have to move them yourself.

What is more problematic is hooking up the lights. You need some extra hardware (an "external I/O card", according to their website) to do that. The quadrant comes with some wires that would attach to this hypothetical I/O card, but I have not connected them to anything.

The only functionality missing for me is the lights. Everything else works fine.

I don't know what they were referring to when they said it was incompatible. Perhaps something has changed since I bought mine in 2022. At the time, the owner of ThrottleTek was very friendly and responsive via email. Maybe he can clear up any uncertainties about what works with PSX and what doesn't.




 

[Alex268]

Hi Will,

Thanks alot for taking the time to explain this to me. I have now written back to them to ask if they could kindly explain exactly what works and what does not work.

Is it worth the buy? Is the quality and longevity good? I want to make sure im getting something that feels quite real and lasts long (I really take good care of these things). The honeycomb seems like a great option but if the prodesksim addon is lacking all the features for PSX, I dont know if its worth it either.

Thanks again Will,

Alex

[Will]

Mine has lasted from 2022 until now, without anything breaking, and it gets used almost daily.

What's good:

* The size is authentic.

* The switches feel robust and give good tactile and aural feedback.

* The throttle levers are heavy, and they have adjustable tension. Their travel feels convincing.

* The base unit is metal, and solidly built; I don't have any visible dents or dings after all this time.

* The reverser levers have a detent at reverse idle.

* After calibration in PSX, you get excellent response from all the levers and switches, with the speedbrake going to ARM when the lever is in the ARM detent, to the aforementioned reversers going from stow, to idle, and then full travel to maximum reverse thrust.


What could use some improvement:

* The reverser levers are less robust than other parts. Unlike the throttles, they have no adjustable tension and they feel unrealistically light on the pull. And you wouldn't want to drop a book on them when the levers are extended.

* I don't know the word for these, but the "curtains" adjacent to the levers that keep dust and dirt from falling into the unit--these look like strips of canvas, and they don't do as good a job of protecting the insides of the quadrant as you'd hope. I would expect that the real aircraft has some kind of molded liners (rubber?) that grip the levers more assertively and make a better seal.

* The unit is assembled out of multiple materials. Visually, the until looks convincingly like the real thing, but upon veeeerry close inspection, it seems some parts are made of wood (the handles), and some parts are 3D printed plastic. So it seems. Not really a problem, but it's also a different aesthetic than something like the Thrustmaster Boeing yoke, which is made uniformly of the same kind of heavy-duty plastic. Thrustmaster looks like it came from a factory; ThrottleTek looks like the work of a skilled craftsman.

* Without an external I/O card, you have no lights on the fire handles, and no dimmable quadrant lighting. Without the external card, the lights on the quadrant itself are controlled by a switch and are either fully on, or fully off.

* Without a servo, the throttles and speed brakes can get out of alignment with the physical lever position. (This would be true on any quadrant, not just ThrottleTek.) I've addressed this with the PSX-native triple-press on A/T disengage button, and with a StreamDeck button for stowing the speed brakes. Of course, the flaps and reversers don't need any tricks because they never get out of alignment with the physical levers.


On the whole, I like the ThrottleTek, not because it's perfectly built, but because all the functionality is there, especially with the reversers. And the main throttle levers are big and they feel reassuringly solid. For these reasons, I'd probably purchase the ThrottleTek again if mine broke--even if there are some areas that could be improved upon.

[Alex268]

Wow Will,

That is an amazing breakdown! Thank you kindly! I will take all of this into consideration. They responded again and said they had no support from the developer so they havnt tested it since so can't guarantee anything (strange). But from what you're saying, it seems to work just fine. Decisions, decisions! Thanks alot Will!!

Regards,

Alex

[SwissMark]

Hiya Alex,

Got the Prodesksim Flap Gates and Speedbrake Gates - personally I prefer the ,,out of the box" Thrust levers from Honeycomb.

Once I figured out a software solution for the Prodesksim Fuel Cut Off / Autobrake unit , will let you know (mind you: the Autobrake is not conforming to the IRL 747 in terms of the setup).

frankenUSB - it is a software development by macroflight on this forum.

Have a great flight.

Cheers,

Mark

[Alex268]

Hey Mark,

Thanks again. Just a quick one just to be clear. Do the Prodesksim Autothrottle Diconnect and TOGA switches work? Or is it just the fuel control switchs and autobrake switches (which I can see is missing the "4" position) that do not work with PSX?

If the Autothrottle Disconnect, TOGA, and Reverse thrust work, I might consider it. Its a tough choice between this and the Throttletek.

Yes im getting ready now to go. But I have wifi on board so will be still researching (14 hour flight  )

Warm regards,

Alex

Regards

[Will]

They responded again and said they had no support from the developer so they havnt tested it since so can't guarantee anything (strange).

Just for what it's worth, their website has a video demonstrating use of the reversers with PSX. The narrator on the video clearly says he's demonstrating ThrottleTek with PSX:

https://throttletek.com/747-400-boeing-throttle/

They are sending mixed messages!

[Alex268]

Hey Will,

Well this is the first thing I saw when I was looking at the product, but when I inquired about the unit, he said they no longer support it. So I guess it works just fine, but maybe he just doesn't test with it anymore? Very strange but I dont see why it wouldn't work. Well im currently stuck between this and the prodesksim. I will have to make a call soon. You guys have been amazing with the information, truly.

Regards,

Alex

[Alex268]

Hey Mark,

Thanks again. Just a quick one just to be clear. Do the Prodesksim Autothrottle Diconnect and TOGA switches work? Or is it just the fuel control switchs and autobrake switches (which I can see is missing the "4" position) that do not work with PSX?

If the Autothrottle Disconnect, TOGA, and Reverse thrust work, I might consider it. Its a tough choice between this and the Throttletek.

Yes im getting ready now to go. But I have wifi on board so will be still researching (14 hour flight  )

Warm regards,

Alex

Regards

Hey Mark, incase you didn't see this as there were a few more posts.

[SwissMark]

Hiya Alex,

I only have the standard Honeycomb TOGA switch assigned; the AT switch is assigned to my Yoke .... as alternative you could use also any of the Honeycomb Throttle switches available (simulating a MCP).
Please see the pictures:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1BxSXZNcxJV-zbBZSMbZjm9fa3kje6htu?usp=sharing

I got the reversers working as well; next project is to find out how to get the LEDs working with PSX once SpadNext comes up with their PSX integration (see below), or ChatGPT is faster .... although my son says, ChatGPT is can be really bad at writing Phython code.

What I like about the Honeycomb Throttle is, that you have a few more switches and buttons to assign if you know how to ... and SpadNext has "PSX integration" on a "to-do-list". Praying there ...

Cheers & enjoy the catering & bunk bed on your 14-hour flight

Mark

[Alex268]

Thanks alot Mark, really appreciate all the info.

Regards,

Alex

[JG]

Alex, these are worth a look too. https://aerowinx.com/board/index.php?msg=84706
If it were economically sound thinking I would go Throttle Tek, but as an Australian, the initial purchase price, freight, local taxes and then the extra bits to integrate it runs out to $6000. I've managed reasonable  results with HC Bravo, just working through getting reverse thrust implementation less clumsy. I use a touch screen in portrait for the Isle Stand and it shows the bottom half of the TQ at the top of the screen, this takes care of all my TQ switches and shows the trim indicators as well.
J.G.

[Alex268]

Thanks J.G,

I had a look. It seems that Throttletek might be the best option for all Sims (PSX,P3D & MSFS). The only things required for integration is the card for the Fuel Control Switch fire detection lighting to work, if I understand it correctly. Im not exactly sure what that card even is but I will do my research. Yes it is pricey, but I believe as i'll be flying the real thing for the next few years, it may be a good investment.

Regards,

Alex

[JG]

Alex, If I was still active and not reliving old times, I'd be buying Throttle Tek (or OEM) without a second thought and claiming the purchase on tax! I would recommend you look at Leo Bodner or Simulator Solutions for the required interface to lamps and any extra input/outputs needed to and from PSX. Leo Bodner will give a USB solution with software fiddling, Sim Solutions will give a network interface solution with much more flexibility and programming assistance. There is also some really good Streamdeck solutions and interfaces that will talk to PSX at a network level and therefore; give a fully flexible control possibility. The Streamdeck is covered in some detail in posts on the forum. There is a link to Sim Solutions on the Aerowinx site and Leo Bodner will flash up with a Google search.
Cheers J.G.

[Alex268]

J.G, you are the man, thanks alot for all of this. I will have a browse. All of these things are a bit new for me so it seems overwhelming at times (with all the networking and setting up). Im use to plug and play, but I will make it work. Thanks alot!

Alex

[Alex268]

By the way, with my simple setup, 2 screens, Boeing thrustmaster yoke, saitek rudder pedals and (hopefully) throttletek, is the throttletek plug and play? Or do I need to be adding all sorts of things to make it work?

[Hardy Heinlin]

he told me that it cannot be used with PSX due to "developers not wanting to help with hardware implementation".

Hi Alex, I just browsed the forum to refresh my memory. I guess that statement is from Roberto Soriano, the CEO of Throttletek, and I had a short conversation with him 11 years ago, here:

https://aerowinx.com/board/index.php/topic,2628.msg26077.html#msg26077

This was in February 2015. Since then there have been hundreds of PSX updates; in one of them I also implemented those USB fuel cutoff switches that Roberto had asked for.


Regards,

|-|ardy