Any Thrustmaster Cougar HOTAS users out there?

[Replicant]

Hiyas

Apart from Revvin, Vladd, Witch, Zeb, Flossy & me, are there any other Cougar users out there?  

Regards

[SOB]

Uh, nope, not yet.  I'm happy you've got yours tho', and I hope you're enjoying it!  


SOB

BTW...any play in the center of either axis?  <---serious

[Replicant]

Ouch!  

Heya SOB, yeah, there is a tiny amount of free play in the axis, approximately 2 - 3mm float (this is most likely due to the fact that you can detach the actual stick from its base).

Both the stick and throttle have a wonderful feel to it though the joystick spring is extremely hard sprung so it does take some serious getting used to (this is where you end up looking like Popeye!).  All the buttons, hat switches etc. work very sweetly and precisely and the programming ability is astounding.  You receive a half-inch very indepth manual on how to set up the switches.  Basically it comes down to how adventurous you want to be because it'll basically let you program almost anything!  (working on it to fetch the beer at the moment!!).  For those that don't know, the Cougar is made entirely of metal so not only feeling good they both weigh a ton!  

Hope you get yours soon SOB!  

Regards

[SOB]

I successfully passed the FDB porn training regiment and I currently own an F22 Pro, so the tension should be good...I heard it was a bit lighter than the F22.  If this is your first stick with that kind of tension tho', just wait until you get a wingtip shot off and you have to hold the stick at full deflection while you nurse your bird back home!  

Thanks for the info...last I heard, mine will be shipping May 6.  


SOB

[Revvin]

Yes the spring is a bit lighter than the F22, correct me if I'm wrong but the F22 had 22lb springs? the Cougar has 18lb ones. Also the weight of the all metal construction takes a little bit away from the force required to move the stick to full deflection. The throttle handle is also quite weighty and if you slacken the tensioning wheel off too much the throttle handle will tip forwards. After being a Thrustmaster user for some years I'm very pleased with mine. The feel across the axis and the very positive way the hat switches feel...well its hard to describe. There is a small amount of play around the centre but nothing that I have not seen on any other stick I have ever owned and certainly not enough to make me want to strip my kitty down. My profile is almost done now as is an accompanying readme, I'm going to play around with the graphical layout editor and then zip it all up.

[SOB]

If I remember right, the F22 had/has 18lb springs, and the FLCS LE had 20lb.  Or maybe I have that backwards?  Does the throttle have 8 screws in the base like the TQS did...if so, can you tighten the 4 center ones to increase tension on the throttle movement?  


SOB

[Replicant]

Originally posted by SOB
If I remember right, the F22 had/has 18lb springs, and the FLCS LE had 20lb.  Or maybe I have that backwards?  Does the throttle have 8 screws in the base like the TQS did...if so, can you tighten the 4 center ones to increase tension on the throttle movement?  


SOB

Yes it does have 8 screws with 4 centre ones.  However there is a dial on the front of the throttle.  I think it's a tension adjuster because if you dial it towards the other end it does tighten the throttle tension slightly.  I think it's a tension adjuster anyway because the amount of travel you have to dial it has very little effect unless you go from one end to the other.  This adjuster is probably more designed for when you wear your throttle in so you can then adjust it to suit your individual taste.

Regards

[SOB]

Yeah, it's a tensioner...if it's anything like the one on the TQS, then it's probably all but worthless.  


SOB

[Revvin]

I used to have an FLCS/TQS and it was a hell of a lot slacker than an F22, I found a thread on Cougar World and someone said the F22 was 20lb so I guess there's not a lot of difference apart from the weight of the handle helping a touch.

There are 8 screws on the base, 4 in each corner and 4 grouped just off centre, I don't know if these actually do anything on the Cougar as the tension wheel for the throttle is on the back, I'm thinking of opening mine up to change the detent positions tosomething that suits me better..another good design of the throttle IMHO and it does'nt invalidate your warranty.

IMHO one of the best new features is the mousestick which replaces the little rubber nubbin that the old TQS used to have. It feels like one of those ministicks on an analogue gamepad and can be depressed as a button. I originally tried to use it in conjunction with mouse control of the F8 pan view mode but I think there might be something amiss in AH as even with the stick unprogramemd to use the mouse, when I switch to the F8 pan mode view and have the mouse mapped to pan the view the view automatically switches to the up-right position. To get around this I've mapped the microstick like a POV hat.

Had a lot of fun programming this stick, my FLCS/TQS died a while ago so I had to get used to all the commands again and button position but the wizards in the FOXY software meant I did not pick up the manual for days, and only then did I need it to read up on axis programming.

If you have not already seen thissite SOB then take a gander at Cougar World which is a fan site hosted by Frugalsworld and maintained by James Hallows who wrote the FOXY software. The forums are quite lively too and if you get any problems there are plenty of people there to help.

[Flossy]

Originally posted by Replicant
Apart from Revvin, Vladd, Witch, Zeb, Flossy & me, are there any other Cougar users out there?

Tapper and Silat have them too...  

[qts]

#1335 is sitting on my desk.

[milnko]

Silat lives in Portland right?

Mebbe ya should ask him if ya can drive over and look at his joystick SOB.

And while your there check out his TM Cougar too.

[SOB]

By revvin:
I used to have an FLCS/TQS and it was a hell of a lot slacker than an F22, I found a thread on Cougar World and someone said the F22 was 20lb so I guess there's not a lot of difference apart from the weight of the handle helping a touch.

The FLCS LE was a different beast than the FLCS...kind of a precursor to the F22 Pro.

There are 8 screws on the base, 4 in each corner and 4 grouped just off centre, I don't know if these actually do anything on the Cougar as the tension wheel for the throttle is on the back, I'm thinking of opening mine up to change the detent positions tosomething that suits me better..another good design of the throttle IMHO and it does'nt invalidate your warranty.

Looking forward to that.  I removed the detent from my TQS, and will probably do the same with the Cougar.  I bet the detent on the Cougar is better (more durable) tho', so I might toy around with setting engine on/wep on at detents.

IMHO one of the best new features is the mousestick which replaces the little rubber nubbin that the old TQS used to have. It feels like one of those ministicks on an analogue gamepad and can be depressed as a button. I originally tried to use it in conjunction with mouse control of the F8 pan view mode but I think there might be something amiss in AH as even with the stick unprogramemd to use the mouse, when I switch to the F8 pan mode view and have the mouse mapped to pan the view the view automatically switches to the up-right position. To get around this I've mapped the microstick like a POV hat.

Looking forward to that too.  I like that cupped cap, as it is on the real F16 throttle.

If you have not already seen thissite SOB then take a gander at Cougar World which is a fan site hosted by Frugalsworld and maintained by James Hallows who wrote the FOXY software. The forums are quite lively too and if you get any problems there are plenty of people there to help.

Yep, been following that site closely too, and looking forward to getting my Cougar.  Post there as Matt Hoffman.


SOB

[SOB]

Lol Millie, ya bastard  

[Revvin]

The FLCS LE was a different beast than the FLCS...kind of a precursor to the F22 Pro

Ah yes thats the bloody thing that came out not long after I bought my FLCS/TQS and made me green with envy Were the detents changeable on the old TQS? I can't remember. I had the throttle set up to run WEP between 97% and 100% of the throttle travel but did'nt like it and mapped it back to the T10 speedbrake button. I recognise the name from the Cougar World forums