I'm using the

1. CH F-16 Jane's Combat Stick
2. CH Pro Throttle
3. CH Pro Pedals

- all gameport versions.

To put it simply, all three are daisy chained - Connect the Jostick to the Throttle, From the Throttle goes to the Pedal and the output from this intercepts the keyboard commands before being plugged to the keyboard port. (The keyboard is connected to the pedal port/throttle/wire connector.)

For DOS, there is the utility to program the keys - substitute the keys by pressing the button and moving the stick/throttle , etc during the setup. It works just like any keyboard/mouse remapping in new games. Or like mapping the joypad button in an emulator's joypad configuration.

Next, the configuration can be saved for different games. A simple command line can be entered along with the the saved profile name to load the configuration for a particular game.

The keyboard will function as usual. Just that in addition to this, pressing a joystick/throttle button or moving the throttle will now diplay the assigned character on the screen. For example, assigining the landing gear keyboard character 'G' to the throttle button 8, and when pressing the button 8 will now display the letter 'G' on the screen. In game, this translates to lowering or raising the landing gear, if the game is originally mapped for this function with the letter.

Likewise, assigning the left hat switch to F2 key - usually the 'look left key', - will do the same.

Personally, I prefer CH Products. They "feel" better.

I also prefer to have keyboard in the center, throttle on it's left and the joystick on it's right. (rather than doing away with the keyboard completely.) Using the keyboard enhances the experience - like pressing comm. button, selecting weapons, inputting auto-pilot waypoints, etc. Maybe it's a personal thing, but feels more realistic - the cockpit does have many buttons after all. 😀

Malik wrote:

I'm using the […]
Show full quote

I'm using the

1. CH F-16 Jane's Combat Stick
2. CH Pro Throttle
3. CH Pro Pedals

- all gameport versions.

To put it simply, all three are daisy chained - Connect the Jostick to the Throttle, From the Throttle goes to the Pedal and the output from this intercepts the keyboard commands before being plugged to the keyboard port. (The keyboard is connected to the pedal port/throttle/wire connector.)

For DOS, there is the utility to program the keys - substitute the keys by pressing the button and moving the stick/throttle , etc during the setup. It works just like any keyboard/mouse remapping in new games. Or like mapping the joypad button in an emulator's joypad configuration.

Next, the configuration can be saved for different games. A simple command line can be entered along with the the saved profile name to load the configuration for a particular game.

The keyboard will function as usual. Just that in addition to this, pressing a joystick/throttle button or moving the throttle will now diplay the assigned character on the screen. For example, assigining the landing gear keyboard character 'G' to the throttle button 8, and when pressing the button 8 will now display the letter 'G' on the screen. In game, this translates to lowering or raising the landing gear, if the game is originally mapped for this function with the letter.

Likewise, assigning the left hat switch to F2 key - usually the 'look left key', - will do the same.

Personally, I prefer CH Products. They "feel" better.

I also prefer to have keyboard in the center, throttle on it's left and the joystick on it's right. (rather than doing away with the keyboard completely.) Using the keyboard enhances the experience - like pressing comm. button, selecting weapons, inputting auto-pilot waypoints, etc. Maybe it's a personal thing, but feels more realistic - the cockpit does have many buttons after all. 😀

I have some questions :

1. I assume the combat stick is compatible with the CH Flightstick Pro in games that support the earlier stick directly. By that I mean the encoding the Flightstick uses for buttons and hat, recognizing one button press at a time, and the throttle axis.

2. What happens with the throttle wheel on the Combat Stick when the Pro Thottle is being used? Is it disabled, programmable, etc.?

3. Does the DOS software act like a TSR, translating throttle keycodes to keyboard keycodes, or does it communicate directly with the throttle and tell it to send the right scancode upon a button press like the Thrustmaster?

I'll begin from Q. no. 2 :

2. The main component here is the Throttle. It scans the keyboard as well as the joystick's buttons. Everything is completely programmable. Also in addition to that, some joysticks like the Jane's CombatStick has a small switch to select "normal" operation and "Pro-Throttle" mode. Selecting pro-throttle mode will automaticaly disable the throttle wheel on the joystick. I ususally leave it at normal mode.

Another fact from this is that you can use and program ANY ordinary, non-programmable joysticks' buttons, like the multititude of 2-button Quickshot joysticks to program the buttons, since the throttle will "capture" the joystick's button-press.

3. The CH Dos utility software communicates directly with the throttle. The keymaps are stored in the throttle's memory.

1. Most games that support the specific throttle/complex joysticks will come with "map" files to use them with the software to load them into the throttle's memory. In case the user does not have a throttle, then the software can make use of the complex joysticks directly since the buttons have default scan codes that these games can make use of.

I only use the HOTAS in flight sims. For games like MechWarrior2 and Descent, I prefer to use mouse and keyboard.

As far as rudder pedals go, I definitely prefer the TM RCS to the CH Pro Pedals. Nice and spread-out, so it's more comfortable that way, but do take note that the pots probably aren't holding up that well by now. (Fortunately, I received mine with a Hall sensor kit, but that's only for HOTAS Cougar usage, not for use in an actual analog gameport environment.) Unfortunately, they lack the Pro Pedals' toe brakes, but if you're not averse to modification, there's plenty of room for that.

For that matter, while I've found CH Products stuff to be generally reliable, precise, and sturdy, I just never got over how they felt in my hands. The Fighterstick dug into my palm in a way the F-22 Pro and HOTAS Cougar stick never did, so did their Flight Sim Yoke, and the Pro Pedals are too closely spaced. In other words, they need to work on their ergonomics. (You are going to be using these controls for hours on end, right?)

Actually, I'd like to throw in some questions of my own, while we're at it: we all know about the gameport versions of classic TM and CH equipment, but what about the ADB versions that pre-InputSprocket Mac flight sims seem to be looking for specifically? How do those work on the software end?

Malik wrote:

I'll begin from Q. no. 2 : […]
Show full quote

I'll begin from Q. no. 2 :

2. The main component here is the Throttle. It scans the keyboard as well as the joystick's buttons. Everything is completely programmable. Also in addition to that, some joysticks like the Jane's CombatStick has a small switch to select "normal" operation and "Pro-Throttle" mode. Selecting pro-throttle mode will automaticaly disable the throttle wheel on the joystick. I ususally leave it at normal mode.

Another fact from this is that you can use and program ANY ordinary, non-programmable joysticks' buttons, like the multititude of 2-button Quickshot joysticks to program the buttons, since the throttle will "capture" the joystick's button-press.

3. The CH Dos utility software communicates directly with the throttle. The keymaps are stored in the throttle's memory.

1. Most games that support the specific throttle/complex joysticks will come with "map" files to use them with the software to load them into the throttle's memory. In case the user does not have a throttle, then the software can make use of the complex joysticks directly since the buttons have default scan codes that these games can make use of.

I only use the HOTAS in flight sims. For games like MechWarrior2 and Descent, I prefer to use mouse and keyboard.

Thanks for the awesome info! That pretty much answers all my questions, but if you leave the stick at "normal" mode, don't the throttle wheel on the stick and the standalone throttle conflict with each other?

The programming will take care of that. While making the input for the throttle I use the throttle. The throttle will "remember" it in it's memory.

It's easier to think it like this: The Throttle is the one which controls the final output.

When used in conjunction with the programming software, the game will get the input from the throttle's memory first. Putting the switch to normal is just like plugging in a generic joystick with a rudimentary throttle wheel with the actual throttle.

Since we're programming the throttle to mimic the +/- keys, moving the throttle will produce the result. And at the same time, the actual +/- keyboard keys will function too, if pressed.

If I'm not mistaken the last event will take precedence or in other words, the latest event will replace the former.

The programming also has 2 types of throttle measurement inputs - cumulative gradient or increment in steps.

Cumulative gradient is a constant increment (increase or decrease) value. The stepwise input is giving a percentage of increment like steps of 5% or 10%, depending on games.

For e.g.-

Game starts, plane ready for take off. I pull back the throttle and the thrust increases. I then can also press the minus key (-) to reduce the thrust. When I release the minus key, the thrust does not increase back to the current unmoved position of the throttle. But when I now move the throttle, the thrust will also increase or decrease from the last position of thrust established by the minus key previously. Likewise with josytick's throttle dial combination. But when using the programming software, it negates the joystick's dial when the throttle is programmed.