Author Topic: Got My Cougar (Read 998 times)

SOB · « **on:** May 09, 2002, 05:39:40 AM »

Got it today via UPS from Flight Sim Central; a hefty sucker weighing in at 18lbs between the stick and throttle. So far I'm enjoying 'em, here's the goods and bads (mostly F22 vs. Cougar, really)...

Metal, metal & more metal. Nearly everything on it is made of metal, including the switch caps and hats. Makes it feel solid.
Switches have a nice positive feeling...no mushiness that could sometimes be found on the F22/FLCS. Trigger has an improved feel over F22/FLCS too.
Hat switches have a longer throw to 'em than the F22/FLCS, and feel incredible. They really did a nice job with these.
Throttle has adjustible detents, and I adjusted mine off :) I don't like 'em for WWII sims, and AH is pretty much it.
Mouse stick on throttle is much more ergonomic than mouse stick on TQS.
Programming is a breeze, with Fox Two software (GUI) included with the stick, or for anyone experienced programming old TM gear (me), they've kept the syntax mostly the same, with only a few minor changes.
Finish is a nice matte black with white lettering on it like the real deal in the F16. F22 looks just as nice to me tho'.
Handle screws off of stick, making it possible to switch with future handles. Not that I'd buy another handle (and they're just vapor-ware at this point anyway), but it's just pretty cool to pull the thing off.

Movement doesn't feel as smooth as the F22. The F22 was shorter from the pivot points to the top of the handle, had a much lighter handle made of glass injected nylon and may have had stiffer springs (definitely felt stiffer, but may have been because of first two factors). It was very stiff, from beginning of movement to end. The Cougar stick is noticeably less stiff, but more importantly, seems to give a good amount of resistance at the start of movement, and then quickly seems to get looser once it's off from center. This can really easily lead to overcontrol of your aireoplane. Probably a result of the tension of the springs and the weight of the handle. I'll have to come back to this one in a couple of weeks tho', as it may just be me...some people are actually complaining that the springs in the Cougar are too stiff!

Update: I'm getting used to the lighter feel of it, although I'd still like some stiffer springs :)

Small amount of play in the Y-axis and tiny amount in the X-axis. Others have reported more, some have reported none. As mine is (3mm in Y, 1 in X), it's not really noticeable when you're flying, just when you're sitting there staring at it and being all critical like.
Throttle detents had a very "tingy", almost scraping sound. Could probably be fixed with a couple of neoprene washers (setup is metal spring between metal base and metal detent piece), but since I was removing mine, I didn't really care.
Although Mouse stick is much better than TQS, the directional movement is very counter-intuitive. In the TQS, up was up, down was down, etc. On the Cougar, down is just a little bit down and mostly forward...I'll have to consult the manual, as maybe there's a software adjustment for this. **edit** Just noticed...the directional setup of the mouse stick on the Cougar throttle is true when the throttle is in it's full forward position (moves in an arch), versus the TQS, which was true when at it's full back position.

All in all, it was well worth the $279 I spent on it, and I'll be keeping it. I flew with it a few hours tonight and am getting used to the movement, tho' I'm stalling all over the place. I'm looking forward to doing a lot more flying with it. Definitely a top notch piece of equipment.

I'll attach my file if anyone wants to take a look at it.

SOB

Revvin · « **Reply #1 on:** May 09, 2002, 07:09:11 AM »

The axis on the stick gets smoother with use I've found. The small play on my stick is the opposite to what you have, about 3mm on the X axis and 1mm on the Y axis, either way nothing as bad as the Saitek, MS or CH sticks I've had. Downloaded your profile, will take a look when I get home from work, I have created one as well which you can find here

LoneStarBuckeye · « **Reply #2 on:** May 09, 2002, 09:19:58 AM »

SOB:

Interesting profile. One question, though. For the view keys, why did you use two logic variables to represent S3 and NOT S3, rather than just using /I and /O? Is there a "sticking" (or some other) problem using /I and /O that is alleviated by your approach? I get my Cougar tomorrow, and I'm just trying to learn as much as I can before I sit down to write my profile! Thanks!

- JNOV

Reschke · « **Reply #3 on:** May 09, 2002, 12:25:52 PM »

Thanks for the profiles SOB and Revvin. I just got shipping notice from the Chips & Bits website that my order left today. So in opting for the UPS Ground (3 day from Vermont to me) I should have it no later than Wednesday of next week.

SOB · « **Reply #4 on:** May 09, 2002, 01:47:10 PM »

The way I have it programmed, you can hold the view switch in whatever direction you want to view, and press/release the S3 switch as needed to modify the view. With the /I,/O codes, you need to have the S3 key pressed before pressing the button/hat that it's modifying.

Hope that made sense

SOB

LoneStarBuckeye · « **Reply #5 on:** May 09, 2002, 04:04:44 PM »

It does make sense - thanks!

milnko · « **Reply #6 on:** May 10, 2002, 09:57:40 AM »

Got mine yesterday.

It's a very real and huge step up from my Saitek X36, it's so much quicker to respond to inputs, and I'm not sure why but, it has seriously reduced my plane's nose bounce, in just the couple offline sorties I flew setting up the stick last night my flight path seemed smoother.

I don't notice any slop at center in mine, but then again I've been using a MS FF joystick the last couple a weeks, with the Saitek throttle. And we all know how much slop around center them MS sticks have.

Smooth Flight Test last night involved a steep climb out from the base, a flat turn back towards home plate, then a zoom dive past the airfield, into a stalling climb with throttle chopped, allowed one wing to drop, reversed back down into a shallow dive gaining enough airspeed to sustain level flight at approx. 10ft off the deck and procceeding to buzz the ground crew, by flying thru the fighter hangers.

Today I'm gonna attempt the same flight plan, but inverted as I rocket thru the hangers. If I survive, the new Cougar shall be certified for flight operations!

Your right about taking time to get use to, this puppy is as heavy as a Tiger II and has more buttons than a prom dates petticoat.

It does play well with the CH Pro USB rudder pedals I am using,(fully compatible) and I'm half tempted to go buy a USB to Gameport adapter so I can hook the peds right into the Cougar, that way I can use 'em with Falcon 4 and Jane's F-15.

See ya's UP!

JimBear · « **Reply #7 on:** May 10, 2002, 10:20:08 AM »

NOOOO Milnko, say it isnt that much of step up from the X36. I have been trying to convince myself that I "really" don't need a Cougar and your not helping

Question for you if you don't mind. I have always used the lower hat on the stick for views and the upper hat for moving myself about in the cockpit. Is that functionality transferred over well to the Cougars?

milnko · « **Reply #8 on:** May 10, 2002, 12:24:31 PM »

Sure it is, just a matter of mapping it thae way ya want.

Reschke · « **Reply #9 on:** May 10, 2002, 01:13:26 PM »

Chips and Bits shipped my Cougar yesterday and UPS is saying I should have it no later than the 14th of May.

Mathman · « **Reply #10 on:** May 10, 2002, 02:55:59 PM »

Mine was shipped yesterday and is on its way!

YES!!!!

Karnak · « **Reply #11 on:** May 11, 2002, 12:37:56 AM »

I have mine and have been working on a AH config file for it.

I'm using the indents on the throttle (I set them to the same place, about 95% of the way to full) as a marker for WEP. I push the throttle to the indent and I'm at MIL. If I push it past the indent I go to WEP. This works nicely for pushing the throttle through the wire like the RAF did in WWII.

The line looks like this (I changed it slightly LSB):

THR 5 1 (97 98) CycleWEP

Karnak · « **Reply #12 on:** May 12, 2002, 06:39:57 PM »

SOB,

I am interested in trying the view system you're using, but I can't seem to get it to work.

It looks like setting the "Front Up" view to button 9 in AH should work, as it looks like you've set BTN X3 to act as a held DX9 button. H3U should just work once I have that setup in AH, but it doesn't.

Am I missing something?

Thanks

bongo · « **Reply #13 on:** May 12, 2002, 08:10:25 PM »

here i am

SOB · « **Reply #14 on:** May 12, 2002, 08:37:04 PM »

Karnak,

After you d/l the file to the joystick, does H3U show up as DX9 if you test it in Joystick properties in Windows? If it does work as DX9 in Windows, but doesn't seem to be working in AH, then go to Stick Mapping in AH Setup. Set your FrontUp view again, only this time, instead of selecting Button 9 with your mouse, just hit up on Hat 3, then set.

SOB