A few more questions before a potential purchase

[Hardy Heinlin]

You can reverse USB axes in PSX on the USB calibration pages. Just set the minus sign in the opposite edit field:

https://aerowinx.com/board/index.php/topic,4805.0.html

[Will]

I'll chime in that the Thrustmaster pendular rudders are excellent, one of the few controllers that I genuinely can't find any faults with. It works perfectly, feels great, has a properly weighty throw with a smooth transition through the center zone.  It leaves nothing to be desired--a terrific controller.

I use the Throttletek B747-400 throttle quadrant... a few compromises here, unfortunately. Everything looks fantastic and everything works, including the 4 separate reverser axes. But some of the parts are noticeably less robust than in the real cockpit. No big deal, I suppose, because most sim controllers make this kind of compromise; it's something we're used to. It's just that the Throttletek looks so realistic that it's a shame that it doesn't feel as realistic as it could. But that said, everything does work, and the base is pretty hefty and sturdy, so overall I'm sticking with it.

I have yet to find a flight controller that I truly love. I've been using the Warthog joystick for the last 10 years or so, and I haven't found anything that suits my needs better, but it's not perfect. What I don't like about it is that the springs bring the stick back to center pretty enthusiastically. You have to apply some real force before it gets out of it's center zone. But once you're moving it around, it feels appropriately heavy for the aircraft, and of course it's constructed well, and all the buttons are convenient--if not realistic to the 747-400. I think the ideal flight controller would be the Warthog joystick with no springs, and instead "force feedback" that mimics the feel of the yoke in flight. (One can dream, I suppose.)

I've tried other joysticks and haven't liked them, and I tried the Boeing Thrustmaster TCA yoke. The TCA yoke does feel pretty good to use, but it takes up more space than I want, and it won't clamp onto my desk because my desktop is a thick slab of wood. (I love my big desktop and I'm not giving it up.) I have to say, another reason I've stuck with the Warthog joystick is that I can use the center of my desk as a work space. I'd lose that if I transitioned to a yoke.

I use the 3DConnexion SpaceMouse as a controller for the views in MSFS. It's handy to have a separate controller for that, and the SpaceMouse is designed for 3D viewing so it works intuitively and very well. It's also small and unobtrusive.

I have one external hardware MCDU, from FDS.

Lastly, I use the Airbus tiller from Cat3Design. Works great, but feels like 3D printed plastic, which it is.

I don't use anything for the overhead or MCP, other than joystick buttons and the mouse. I tried a hardware MCP once but it actually didn't look as good as Hardy's on-screen art(!), so I'm very satisfied with the PSX native rendition of the MCP--and the rest of the cockpit, for that matter. I've mapped most of the controls to buttons anyway, so there's not that much mouse clicking in flight.

(Maybe this belongs as part of a new thread in the Accessories section?)

[QuadFan]

You can reverse USB axes in PSX on the USB calibration pages. Just set the minus sign in the opposite edit field:

https://aerowinx.com/board/index.php/topic,4805.0.html

Thanks Hardy, I'll look into this.

[QuadFan]

Will, thanks for sharing your experiences with the different accessories. The pedals are definitely making the list as is the Thrustmaster Boeing Yoke - I moved to a bigger house late last year and have a bigger office now, allowing for a dedicated simming desk

Do you know whether the Throttletek devices use potentiometers or hall effect sensors? I couldn't find anything on their site. They're a bit expensive too, so I guess I'll have to make a roadmap what allows for gradually upgrading all the stuff step by step. Saitek -> Thrusmaster seems to be a good first round of upgrades.

The 3DConnexion SpaceMouse controller looks nice, I never heard of it. I'll read up on that too.

[Will]

Hi QuadFan,

The ThrottleTek 747 quadrant uses Hall effect sensors for everything except the reversers, which are potentiometers. The original version didn't have any Hall sensors at all, so you might find old outdated online literature about that. But in the current version, all levers have Hall sensors except the reversers--I'm guessing it was too tricky to mount Hall effect sensors in the tiny spaces there.

Roberto makes every ThrottleTek quadrant to order, so if you want one, he can talk you through what the current features are. He's very good with email, answers questions promptly, etc.

[QuadFan]

Thanks Will!