It ain't no yoke.

[Dreamsofwings]

Terrible pun. Embarrassingly bad pun. My apologies.

So I'm looking for some feedback, if I may, on your yoke experiences? I have only ever flown with a joystick. I recently purchased the Logitech/Saitek throttle quadrant and now I am getting more into multi's (oh that beautiful Connie) I am considering either a: purchasing another quadrant and keeping with the stick, or b: purchasing the logitech/Saitek Yoke that comes with a quadrant. To be honest I am a little concerned about the number of comments/youtube videos talking about how it has a an issue with elevator input when there is some bank on, causing a but of a deadzone. Does anyone have one of these and are you very happy with it? I modded my Warthog Thrustmaster because of the 'stiction' issue but don't really want to mess about with modding another new piece of kit.
Just wondering if, in the grand scheme of things, the yoke performs perfectly well unless you micro analyse it?


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[Mustang]

I'm happy to give a few comments, but everyone's opinion will be different of course. No worries about the pun!

I own a MS Sidewinder FFB2 joystick, which as you may know has no deadzone and has fantastic precision (optical). I used it for many years, and still do for sims like DCS and Rise of Flight. Although the force-feedback in FSX is terrible (can be mitigated with FS Force I believe), it is very accurate and reliable. That's the only point of comparison I have to my other hardware, so thought I'd mention it.

Some years ago I bought a Saitek Pro Flight yoke + quadrant which I've been quite happy with. Yes, there is a very small deadzone but I never really noticed it. In fact, I only realised recently after I watched a long-bookmarked video about modifying the springs in the yoke for elastic bands, to remove the 'bump' you feel when crossing the centre point. This 'bump' is more of an issue than the tiny deadzone in my opinion. I don't find it causes me too much trouble, though the Comanche is difficult to land well (sensitive to pitch) as it is; the yoke exacerbates that a little bit. In the near future I may swap the springs for elastic bands as in the video. Otherwise the yoke & quadrant are pretty good. I picked up a second quadrant a while back, so I can happy fly a complex twin, or a four-engine airliner with ease. The 6 levers are perfect for the B377 (1 prop, 4 throttles, 1 turbo lever) for instance.

So, I would recommend the Saitek kit (for the lower price point). It's not perfect but it's certainly not poor. If you are likely to over-analyse then there is surely better kit out there - for a price. If you're used to the TM Warthog then you may find the light plastic Saitek yoke feels of low quality, so might be worth bearing in mind.

Hope that helps. I'm happy to answer any questions

Martyn

[Ian Warren]

I have had the Saitek yoke, throttle and rudder peddles for years, tried and trusted, the initial feeling when you first try this combination on the comfy PC seat .. first thought is "Where have you been all my life", well worth getting.

[Caldemeyn]

I had a saitek yoke and now i use the CH one. The difference in feel is considerable. The CH doesn't stick or bind, has no detent, can be used precisely with one hand and is very smooth overally. I would never go back to the saitek one, too much pain ( i tried all published mods too)

Still, a pfc one or yoko would be even better

[CrownCityMisfit]

Just got my CH Eclipse a few weeks ago. It was immediately more comfortable to fly with the yoke instead of a joystick. I purchase this particular model after months of research, and the fact that I already own the CH pedals, Pro Throttle, and Combatstick. Made sense, as I am completely familiar with the CH software and binding techniques.

Of course, I will keep using the Combatstick for the warbirds and Cub, which still get plenty of airtime in my sim.

Good luck making a decision.

[MaxZ]

Hi robkr1208, hi everybody!

I can only give you this advice: If you want a warthog grade yoke, then you'll likely have to spend big $$$. And please do yourself a favor: DO NOT BUY THE FLIGHTMASTER YOKE II.
And here's why:
I have purchased it May '16 and tested it thoroughly since then. It has got many switches and feels rock solid but the internals (potentiometers, centering mechanism) are utter crap.
Especially the centering mechanism which is for both roll and pitch axis combined into one, what makes for a bad flight experience as explained in this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OucO84TMsRM

I think this is caused by the yoke's shaft and handle which are quite heavy and create a lot of friction on the three plastic bearings, as well as the metal springs and their binding to the shaft: i.e. precise flying and soft touchdowns are hard. I am currently working with our Sim's technician on a modification to improve the mentioned mankos.

Here are more pics of the internals:
http://www.avsim.com/topic/326524-vr-in ... ster-yoke/

This link leads you to a review of this yoke. The customer is very happy with it, though I have to disagree because I am not.
For me, the precision of the axis is way more important than the switches or the feel of the yoke.
http://forums.x-plane.org/index.php?/fo ... r-yoke-ii/

The price VRinsight asks is just too much for the performance they deliver.

Greetings,
Maximilian

[Dreamsofwings]

Thanks all for your replies. It is very much appreciated!


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[BPL]

I had a saitek yoke and now i use the CH one. The difference in feel is considerable. The CH doesn't stick or bind, has no detent, can be used precisely with one hand and is very smooth overally. I would never go back to the saitek one, too much pain[....]

+1

Scott also has said before that he prefers CH instead of Saitek when it comes to yokes.

[Tutmeister]

Max, thanks for the heads up on the vrinsight. It is reasonably affordable compared to the other higher end ones and has a nice selection of switches. It is good to know about its problems though. I very nearly bought one. I could probably mod it by fitting real bearings instead of the plastic and tweak the springs to make it good but should you have to at that price?

Since this thread started I've been off looking for a replacement for my saitek. I suspect it might be an expensive month!

The the way, I tried the elastic band mods. The only reason they soften the central break out notch is because they basically weaken the cantering force. It does feel smoother but it doesn't really fix the issue. The only way to fix it properly is to replace the spring system with bungies or something.
It does stick a bit when you apply uneven force for example one handed pitch changes when landing. Two handed it less noticeable. This could be fixed by replacing the plastic bushing with a bearing.

In the end I decided not to bother with the mods and put it back to factory so I can sell it and upgrade.
Over all they are pretty good and the throttle quads are the best entry level ones out there. Ultimately you start to see the limitations in any of the budget yokes though and only you can decide if upgrading beyond that is worth it. For the money they are a great starting point though.

Chris

[Lewis - A2A]

Yokes overall are amazing and you'll be in for a treat coming from a joystick to fly yoke aircraft, it adds immensely to the immersion similar to how rudder pedals do over other ways to control the rudder. I really recommend getting one for sure.

As for what you get well thats up in the air hehe. My experience is that, budget wise end, simmers overall prefer the Saitek yoke and pilot simmers prefer the CH Yoke. I find the Saitek to be great but wish it had the CH tension etc. (you can modify the Saitek to be a little more like the CH version I believe, a google for a guide will point you in the right direction).

High end wise I don't have any real experience apart from trade show tries with a few but not enough to inform any real opinion other than they exist and have similar pros and cons to the entry level Saitek and CH models.

thanks,
Lewis

[MaxZ]

Max, thanks for the heads up on the vrinsight.
...

Chris

Most welcome, Tutmeister, just trying to beware others of wasting 500€!

Maximilian

[Dreamsofwings]

Well I went out and purchased the Saitek yoke and haven't been able to fly yet lol. I got the yoke to install though when I plugged in my second throttle the second throttle kept doing the usb disconnect and connect chimes on constant cycle. Now I cant get my pc to recognise the yoke, and the installation software wont recognise it, and when i tried to go back to just using my original quadrant now that is just continuing to cycle connect and disconnect and the driver installation software wont recognise the throttle either. The joys of setting up new hardware. Now giving up having posted in Logitech Saitek support and hoping for a response.


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[spork]

Well I went out and purchased the Saitek yoke and haven't been able to fly yet lol. I got the yoke to install though when I plugged in my second throttle the second throttle kept doing the usb disconnect and connect chimes on constant cycle. Now I cant get my pc to recognise the yoke, and the installation software wont recognise it, and when i tried to go back to just using my original quadrant now that is just continuing to cycle connect and disconnect and the driver installation software wont recognise the throttle either. The joys of setting up new hardware. Now giving up having posted in Logitech Saitek support and hoping for a response.


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Are you trying to use the disk? I'd get the drivers from their website if I were you, disc drivers are old and outdated as a rule.

[Dreamsofwings]

Well I went out and purchased the Saitek yoke and haven't been able to fly yet lol. I got the yoke to install though when I plugged in my second throttle the second throttle kept doing the usb disconnect and connect chimes on constant cycle. Now I cant get my pc to recognise the yoke, and the installation software wont recognise it, and when i tried to go back to just using my original quadrant now that is just continuing to cycle connect and disconnect and the driver installation software wont recognise the throttle either. The joys of setting up new hardware. Now giving up having posted in Logitech Saitek support and hoping for a response.


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Are you trying to use the disk? I'd get the drivers from their website if I were you, disc drivers are old and outdated as a rule.

No, didn't get a disk with it so using the latest Win 10 64bit drivers from their website. Seemed to work when i first plugged it in but then when i added the second throttle and tried to reinstall drivers its when it started playing up. Now no matter what usb port i use, PC or powered hub, it doesn't light up or get recognised by the driver installation software. Will only light up if I reboot with it plugged in amd then I get all zeros on display and it is dead apart from lights. When i try reinstall drivers through device manager i get an error saying there is part of the driver missing lol


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[crazac]

I had the same thing happen to me! The connect chimes and not being usable unless I have it plugged in at time of boot. Unfortunately, I'm not going to be much help either. I thought it was because I use an iMac and bootcamp. Since I'm always flipping it over to windows to fly, I just made the set up and plug-in part of the flip. Once everything is started, I have been able to use it just fine. Like you, I seem to remember researching and fiddling with it a bit, but, I can't remember a solution and think I gave up since it worked with the boot. ...Damnit Jim! I'm an artist, not a programmer!

I have the Cessna yoke, Cessna pedals and the norm throttle quad. I plug every thing into the yoke and then the yoke directly into the computer. Nothing unusual lol.

The only other thing I can think is the unit might be a little faulty. The construction isn't the best in my opinion and I have had one of my USB ports break. The spring tang thing inside the port broke on a plug in attempt because it was bent out something. This happened just after I got it and now that port is unusable. I think it happened the first time I plugged into that one to. I also feel like I was plugging into different ones because it was chiming. Anyway, after, I thought this might have been causing a short or messing with the system somehow.

As you say, these joys seem to be part of the sim world.

I wish you the best and would love to know what you find out.