Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => Hardware and Software => Topic started by: Rude on January 09, 2003, 10:08:17 AM
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I know...wrong forum, but please stay with me here.
Of all who are currently using this stick, is it fairly intuitive getting it set up in AH or is a matchbook correspondence course required?
The reason I ask, is that I'm building a new gaming sys and am considering changing from 10 years of CH use to the TM Cougar thingie...it seems most I've spoken with have a hard time configuring the stick and throttle as well as having to take it apart and fiddle with the pots to get around spiking issues.
I seek the truth!
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Rude-
Here's the deal. I've had the cougar 9 months. Alot of the pot problems you hear about are not pot problems at all.
I recently had severe stick spiking, and remembered all the posts about Pots. I was all set to change them out, but after a phone call to TM, I was told to simply Reset the Stick (Unplug it for 1 min and hold the trigger down for 30 seconds) and download the latest drivers.
Problem solved.
As for programming it: No problem. I just "Borrowed" Revvins profile, loaded it, and have not touched it since. (I never read the manual, and Revvin know what he was doing when he set up this profile).
So in short, it's a great stick, and if you can get a profile like Revvins, the programming has already been done for you.
If you should want to program your own, you'll have to ask someone who has done it.
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Heya Rude buddy
I've had my Cougar for about 9 months now too and it's the best stick I've ever had. Okay, it has its problems but so do all the sticks! Again, I borrowed a profile from Revvin, modified it, and have been using it since. I've also had to do the reset as mentioned above, and also grease the x axis pot.
Overall its metal, very solid and is built to last. Any problems can soon be solved by simply asking for help either here or at Frugal World! :)
Go for it! :)
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Go for it The Cougar, Best stick I have ever had, programing it is not as complicated as most make it out to be, but it does take time!
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Rude
You don't need a cougar now, you fly a spit V :D
The Cougar is great, even though there are a few little glitches that you may encounter. I suggest checking Frugal's Cougar World (http://cougar.frugalsworld.com/) for more info.
1. Handle can eventually start to feel loose. There is a guy that does machine work who will install brass and ball bearings to the gimbal. Fixes it mint.
2. Pots can spike. They are easy to clean with foam-tipped swabs and a drop of WD-40. I had to clean mine once a few months ago, but it works perfect now.
3. Rudder input is designed to take a specific rudder that TM has not built. There are some custom mods out there for CH Pro peddals, etc. I built a custom set.
4. There are a LOT of files and configurations out there that you can use. I've got one that I built from scratch that covers just about every function you need to play AH. One feature I like in mine over many of the other files is mine gives all 26 normal views + 4 optional forward views.
If you like, I can send you the files
A. Cougar files
B. Aces High Keymap files to match (almost 100% default AH mapping)
C. P51D HPS (Head Position Save) files to optimize the use of the views.
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Its a piece of cake.
I'm using my own file with a bit of code from another player, SOB I seem to recall.
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very easy. I just received mine yesterday and I'm pretty much setup in AH. (I may change things a bit due to pers. pref)
oh.. and no mods needed for rudder pedals if they're USB.
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I had owned TM gear before the Cougar but had'nt programemd for a long tiem so forgot almost all of it but the 'Foxy' software that comes with the Cougar is an absolute joy to use. I followed the tutorials and had a basic profile for Aces High that included all the commands I needed in less than an hour the fun really starts when you start tweaking and I've revised my own profile more than once with the latest version taking advantage of the new throttle commands to add WEP to the end of the throttle travel. Either use a ready built profile or modify one or build your own from scratch it's really easy.
As for the hardware itself it's all easy to strip down if need be and almost all wiring looms are plugged onto the PCB's so it's easy to disconnect and strip right down if you ever modify it.
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My only complaint and to me its a small one. The transition from X to Y axis on the stick itself is crazy. Its due to the way that TM did the gimbals on the inside. It was mentioned above but there are a few mods out there that range from relatively cheap to simply outrageous in cost. Of course the high dollar one is the one that everyone deep down wants but most of us can not afford it.
Other than that it is a great stick setup and I honestly hope that the Cougar rudders are made in the not to distant future. Good luck and from all the Coguar community here we hope you get one.
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Im sitting home now with my Trust joystick and waiting for my cougar to be deliverd to me tonight . I dont feel like playing atm cuz i wanna test the cougar :)
norwegian "fedex" shoud have been here now but they aint , wel they have a 6 hour limit and 4 is gone so within 2 hours i shoud have it :)
cant wait anymore........
JANN
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lol.. that was me yesterday ;)
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Thanks alot guys:)
CH gear is a no brainer and has been reliable for me personally.
When I change from 98 to XP, I must have USB gear to work with XP...mine is not. So, do I buy all new CH USB gear at $500.00 or do I buy the Cougar....thanks to all of you the decision will be easier...wish someone here in KC used the Cougar gear so I could do the touchy feely thing...nonetheless, thanks again!
Ya know....even though this community is pretty strange at times, it's still a great collection of human beings....well, leaving out Creamo of course:)
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quit being a pansy and just buy it.
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Originally posted by Furious
quit being a pansy and just buy it.
OK:)
Seriously, I'm a big CH fan....when your used to using the same thing for this many years, it's hard to change. If you think I stink in the air now, just wait until I have to get used to a new setup.
But hey, you're right....nobody want's to be a Pansy!!!
:)
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Borrow one first if you can.
I bought one, and bitterly regret it.
Yes, the softwear is cool, but to be honest you don't need it in AH; as the AH mapper is more than good enough (it could shine in other games though).
The quality is only skin deep; the innards are as cheap as any other stick.
The springs are terrible (yes you can buy replacements, but why spend more on the most expensive stick on the market?)
There's slop around centre. Not much, to be fair, but more than my old sidewinder, at (literally) ten times the price any is too much.
I've had mine six months and the throttle pot has gone already.
The stick is made for BIG hands and is finished in gloss paint, perfect grip when the going gets sweaty (not!); especialy in the light of those springs.
The Cougar is a prime example of Emporer's new clothes syndrome. It does nothing a Saitek can't do at a fraction of the price, but, having shelled out for one, you'll work hard to convince yourself and every one else it's fantastic because it's easier than owning up to the fact you fell for the hype.
It's by no means a _bad_ stick, but it's far, far away from being a good buy.
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Uh Oh....now I'm gettin worried.
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The pots appear to be an achilles heel to the Cougar although many reported pot problems are not that at all and a reset of the stick often cures many problems but there has been problems no denying that. As for losing grip when you're sweating..are you playing in a sauna? I played AH for 4 hours straight a few weeks ago online with my squad and never slipped once and I do sweat when flying online and often sit in my boxer shorts and a t-shirt (nice mental image for you when you see me online next :) ) There is a small ammount of play around the centre on my stick but no more than any other stick I have ever used. The sheer size of the stick amplifies the small ammount of play. To see just how much I took the base off mine and could only fit a single piece of OHP film between the shaft and the gimbal system so do you really expect military spec tolerance for $250? It also does a lot more than the Saitek, analogue and digital statements on the same axis, logical programming, being able to change the way the axis work whilst in your sim so you can trim it any way you like at the press of a button not to mention many more buttons over anything Saitek has on the market. To make such a comparison I think you perhaps only scratched the surface of what the Cougar can do.
Perfect? no, best stick on the market at the moment? yes
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Look here Rude
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00006LIO6/qid=1042139849/sr=8-7/ref=sr_8_7/102-2281133-6873730?v=glance&s=electronics&n=507846
$239, free shipping and Il2 thrown in.
Plus your game port rudder pedals will plug right into the cougar and you can program them with the Foxy soft.
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Whew...I'm feelin better now:)
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"The stick is made for BIG hands and is finished in gloss paint, perfect grip when the going gets sweaty (not!); especialy in the light of those springs."
I'm 5'8 150 Lbs, and I wear a size 7 glove. Translation: Small Hands. (But the upside; My D*ck looks bigger when I'm...Oh nevermind...)
Simple $4.00 solution for me. I wear a fingerless biking glove on my right hand. And not being a gorilla, I still have NO TROUBLE smacking that Stick around (The cougar). Plus the thing gets looser the more you use it. (The Cougar, again) If you really want to be out there, get a pair of Nomex flight gloves for $20.00. (Of course, be prepared for the ridcule that will surely follow, as I am for this entire post.)
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I have only had one problem with mine and it was easy to fix. The POV hat was sticking in the down (or 6 view). Took the stick apart, cleaned it, and works perfect now.
Hell, if you would have asked, I would have let you try my Cougar out at the last Con. Oh well.
I don't have mine programmed for AH. This is more me than the stick though, as I am too lazy to sit down and program it.
I would try one out before you get it if you can. You might think it is the greatest thing since sliced bread, or you may think it is a horrbly overpriced piece of poop. Not because there is anything wrong with the stick or you, just some people prefer different things.
Anyways, hope you like it if you get it.
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Originally posted by muckmaw
"The stick is made for BIG hands and is finished in gloss paint, perfect grip when the going gets sweaty (not!); especialy in the light of those springs."
I'm 5'8 150 Lbs, and I wear a size 7 glove. Translation: Small Hands. (But the upside; My D*ck looks bigger when I'm...Oh nevermind...)
Simple $4.00 solution for me. I wear a fingerless biking glove on my right hand. And not being a gorilla, I still have NO TROUBLE smacking that Stick around (The cougar). Plus the thing gets looser the more you use it. (The Cougar, again) If you really want to be out there, get a pair of Nomex flight gloves for $20.00. (Of course, be prepared for the ridcule that will surely follow, as I am for this entire post.)
Tard!! Dweeb!! Loser!!
It had to be done, sorry muck.
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Originally posted by Mathman
I have only had one problem with mine and it was easy to fix. The POV hat was sticking in the down (or 6 view). Took the stick apart, cleaned it, and works perfect now.
Hell, if you would have asked, I would have let you try my Cougar out at the last Con. Oh well.
I don't have mine programmed for AH. This is more me than the stick though, as I am too lazy to sit down and program it.
I would try one out before you get it if you can. You might think it is the greatest thing since sliced bread, or you may think it is a horrbly overpriced piece of poop. Not because there is anything wrong with the stick or you, just some people prefer different things.
Anyways, hope you like it if you get it.
Math-
swing over to that websight in this thread, "Cougar World". They've got 3 AH profiles there for Download. One is Revvins, another from Slapshot, and a 3rd.
Without the programming, your missing out on all the features of that stick.
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Originally posted by Mathman
Tard!! Dweeb!! Loser!!
It had to be done, sorry muck.
That's cake, Math.
I was expecting worse than that.
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Originally posted by muckmaw
That's cake, Math.
I was expecting worse than that.
Well, I just filled out about 50-60 detention slips for this Saturday... That crap just turns the brains to mush. Next time, I will try and be a bit more creative.
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Got mine 3 min ago , opening up now cya online guys
JANN
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I dont own a couger But I have a huge pile of other thrust master crap tho. It has been my experience that thrust master is cheap crap. Rap it up in a metal package and you have a nice pretty piece of crap. Thrust mater sticks have allways gone spikey after a short time their pots are crap. I went to CH 5 years ago and have never regretted it. The only problem I have had is after loading windows XP and finding out the gameport stick programing wont work. So I went to the CH sight and searched their links to online sellers of CH products Found all new usb stuff stick throttle and pedals for $350.00 shipping included. The usb stuff is even better than the gameport smooth as silk.
You have the best most reliable stick now trust me take some time look for deals on the CH stuff and never look back. Besides the new usb pro pedals have toe brakes too kewl.
If anyone out there needs like new condition CH gameport pro throttle and f16 fighterstick let me know THEY WILL NOT WORK WITH WINDOWS XP For sale at a modest price.
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Use a Radio Shack gameport to USB adapter. I think is about $15 cat no is 26-164 part number sticker on back is 06A01
Will make anything gameport work USB.
I went and found it for ya (http://www.radioshack.com/product.asp?catalog%5Fname=CTLG&category%5Fname=&product%5Fid=26%2D164)
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I've had mine since the thing was released, and still love it. Programming isn't hard at all if you use the included Foxy programming software and just keep it simple. You can go more in depth and get into the complicated stuff, but you don't have to.
If you can get your hands on one, that'd be nice. As with anything, taste is subjective and just because I love mine doesn't mean you'll love yours. I could never stand the feel of CH Sticks, tho' I've never had issue with their quality. And by feel I mean the movement of the joystick/throttle. The feel of their plastic is great. As for Saitek, I've always been of the opinion they make junk...including their hoopty rip-off of the TM TQS throttle.
To give you a different perspective on Seeker's rantings....
"The quality is only skin deep; the innards are as cheap as any other stick."
While, I would have loved to have an even more precise stick with higher quality metal (and would have been willing to pay the price), I highly doubt that the metal innards in the cougar are as cheap or as weak as the plastic parts in many joysticks. The hat switches are a dream, imo, done perfectly with great throw. All of the buttons have a positive feel when you activate them and the dual-stage trigger is much improved over the F22.
"There's slop around centre. Not much, to be fair, but more than my old sidewinder, at (literally) ten times the price any is too much."
I think there are a few things that the Cougar has that a MS Sidewinder does not, and that is what you pay for. That said, center slop is and always has been one of my pet peeves. It didn't effect the operation of the stick in any way, and most probably wouldn't notice...but it bugged me. I spent $130US (incl shipping) to send off the guts of my stick to an enthusiast in Australia who has created a mod for the stick. He incorporates brass bushings and a custom ball bearing assembly for each axis. It eliminated the slop and took the stick to another level. I'm guessing the same affect could have been achieved if I had opted to not get the ball bearing assemblies, and the price would have been cut in half as well...but I thought they were cool so I paid for 'em.
"The stick is made for BIG hands and is finished in gloss paint, perfect grip when the going gets sweaty (not!); especialy in the light of those springs."
The handle is the same size as the one in the F-16, and I'm guessing the gov't did some research into the design. However, position can make a huge difference. Your ability to reach every hat and swich on the stick can be affected by whether the stick is in a position high, medium or low in relation to your elbow. Sitting up on your desk, the top hat can be hard to reach. Sitting on a mount lower (I have mine so that the top of the base is roughly at elbow height - when my elbow is at my side) the top hat is easier to reach. I still don't use it for views tho', I use the one immediately below it, because that one is more readily accessible. As for sweaty hands, I guess that must be a personal thing...I've never had that problem, even when I'm hot.
"The Cougar is a prime example of Emporer's new clothes syndrome."
His other points were his own perspective, and that's cool, but he's just babbling here. It's a great stick, and I feel it was worth every penny I paid for it, as was the mod.
SOB
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I have owned 3 F-16's and 2 F-22's, you'd think I would have learned my lesson...
Stick #1
F-16 FLCS Worked great for over a year, finaly sucumbed to pot spiking.
#2
F-16 FLCS Died a terrible spiking death in 2 days.
#3 TM sent me a new F-16 it also died in 2-3 days.
#4 F-22 Basically spiky from the get go.
#5 TM sent me another F-22 still spiky as a mo fo.
I tried the TM game card and a number of other solutions all to no avail.
Switched to CH stuff which has always worked great. I've now owned 2 of the CH F-16 fightersticks, both lasted 2 years plus.
I like the look and feel of the TM stuff but they just can't seem to find good pots for these things. Kinda scary as they supposedly make sticks for the military and space programs.
Anyone wanna buy my old TM stuff?
I work at a CNC machine shop and am considering making my own stick using all metal and ball bearings with RC car shocks for springs/dampening. I'll steal the guts outta some other stick and buy some military rated pots. Any interest in these?
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I've had my Cougar since a week after they became available in the UK..... and I love it. :) Fortunately, I don't have to concern myself with programming apart from giving my husband opinions of what I would like it to do. Mine and Zeb's profile is available somewhere in the Hardware forum..... however, we may be changing this soon after working closely with a guy in Germany who specialises in this kind of programming and has almost completed a profile which we will be testing. He doesn't fly AH himself, though has downloaded it and flys offline for research purposes, so it has been a long process with him asking lots of questions about how things work.... :)
Anyway, as for the Cougar itself.... yes, the joystick is big, and I only have small hands.... but I got used to large joystick's when I used to use CH gear, and physically it is no bigger than the ForceFX I used to use. I don't find the "stiffness" a problem either - if anything it makes the more limited movement more positive..... and before anyone says, "but you never fly fighters" well, while that may be true, I still need to be pretty nippy with the stick in GVs, especially when under heavy attack, so I probably have to move it just as much. ;)
Go for it, get a Cougar..... :D
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I've owned a few TM sticks since buying a PFCS and a WCS II many many years ago, I then bought an F16 FLCS and TQS throttle and never had a spiky pot in either of them.
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I've owned many sticks - Saitek Cyborg, X36, Suncom stick and dual throttle, and the Cougar, as well as several low-grade sticks - I've been playing games on computers ever since I got a ZX81 and then an Apple ][ (remember the paddles?). The Cougar's quality exceeds them all. It's the best stick and throttle I've ever had. Second would be the Suncom kit; third the Saitek.
Programming-wise you don't have to do more than assign DX buttons to functions, but that merely scratches the surface and the programming capabilities are deep.
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He doesn't fly AH himself, though has downloaded it and flys offline for research purposes
Sounds like a chap who's been mailing me too LOL ;)
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recomended.
stiff springs.
Great feel to the metal stick
Great flexibility to program.
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Originally posted by maxtor
Use a Radio Shack gameport to USB adapter. I think is about $15 cat no is 26-164 part number sticker on back is 06A01
Will make anything gameport work USB.
I went and found it for ya (http://www.radioshack.com/product.asp?catalog%5Fname=CTLG&category%5Fname=&product%5Fid=26%2D164)
yes this will make the joystick work sort of with windows XP however none of the buttons or hats will work. This adapter is great when useing on a win 98 2000 or ME system but it will not work correctly with XP
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Originally posted by Rude
...wish someone here in KC used the Cougar gear so I could do the touchy feely thing...
Rude
I have Cougar #03639. I will be out of the country from Wednesday, Jan. 15, until Tuesday, Jan. 21. You are welcome to use my controls sir.
I think I am only about 10 miles away (Peculiar).
(edit- spelling error)
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Originally posted by g00b
I like the look and feel of the TM stuff but they just can't seem to find good pots for these things. Kinda scary as they supposedly make sticks for the military and space programs.
The only controllers ThrustMaster ever made specifically for the military were very expensive replicas of the control used in the space shuttle. They were made to be used by astronauts on a portable simulator. I can assure you that they didn't use the same potentiometers they used in any of their joysticks...as a matter of fact, I don't think they used potentiometers at all.
SOB
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everyone says the 'springs are so heavy' and I have to laugh.
I think they're just right. .maybe even a bit soft.
quality is top notch
programming outside of AH far exceeds IN AH..
why?
macros, macros, macros.. you can do so much more than just simple flight controls.
you can take the thing apart easily, it's solid and well designed.
not perfect but nothing else on the market touches it.
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well said SOB
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My cougar experience:
The springs felt extremely stiff the first few times I ised it, but the softened up quite dramatically over the first 2 weeks of use. I think they are perfect now, and found it hard to go back to a normal joystick, which feels way to soft to me.
The first major problem I had with my stick was that after a couple of weeks of use, I noticed that there was a bit of "slop" around the centre point ... i.e. you could move the stick a few millimetres each way before the springs engaged. Over a few months this slop zone grew (as the metal components stretched I assume) until it became unbearable. In the end I was able to move the stick 1.5 centimeters before the springs engaged.
I eventually solved this problem when I found a guy here in Australia who modifies the mechanism with specially machined metal plates. I have now had about 2 months on the modified stick and it is still nice and tight. Unfortunately, the cost was half what I paid for the stick in the first place :(
Now I have a new problem, spiky pots. Every thrustmaster stick I have ever used has had crappy quality spiky pots, and the cougar is no different. I remember on the message boards before the stick came out thrustmaster representatives assured me over and over that spiking will never occur with the cougar. 2 weeks after I got my stick it was spiking badly. I went to the message boards and there were literally dozens of people complaining about the same thing.
Cleaning the pots manually seemed to help ... for a while. After about the 10th time I cleaned the pots out I gave up. I am now using a crappy old Microsoft sidewinder stick that I have had for 2 years that still works perfectly and never needs recalibrating.
I now have to decide whether to just ditch my $AUD750 stick (ouch) or fork out another $AUD250 to get hall sensor pots (ouch). If I do that I will have a stick that should last 10 years ... but ffs, for the ridiculous price the thing should have worked out of the box!
I have also owned CH gear in the past and it lasted years with no problems. My advice to you, stick to CH. The cougar is an awesome concept but definately not worth the money. If I had my time again I would have gone CH again.
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I have the Couger and use the TM Elite Pedals with it.
It is very stiff at first but will loossen up some after a bit of use. I also have had to clean the pots two times but now after reading this thread i think im going to just try the ol resetaru. I too have small hands but I still manage to reach everything ok. Just make sure you ahve a sturdy platform to lay it since I still have mine on my desk and reaching over to it makes things difficult. I ahve tried it on a temporary shelf on the side of my chair (like it should be and was meant to be) and it was way better but I jsut too lazy to make something tasteful to set by my desk.
I programed my own file but there are many other good ones out their. I think i started with someone elses macro file but I made my own file for the command lines. Foxy makes it very easy.
It is worth it for me, so I guess it is all up to how much you want to spend, and what you expect from it.
Booky
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I have been using the same F22pro TQS combo since 1997. My wife just bought me a Cougar, and I have been unsuccessful in getting it to work. It hooks up fine, but once I have a file downloaded the buttons on the stick don't work. I can't even upgrade the firmware as windows or the CCP doesn't recognize any buttons from the stick. It registers axis input, but thats it. The odd thing is the Throttle buttons deliver the correct output. So I put it in the box and am planning on getting the SOB upgrade. Which with plane ticket, beer, and assorted snacks should make my cougar final price around $3,459. Not bad.
Drex
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My Cougar experience...
I used to use TM F22/WCS-II/RCS combination. For a while I also used the TM Afterburner when the WCS-II broke.
The springs are hard, yes, but I like the feel of it. I haven't changed the springs.
I have had my share of spiking, which was easily resolved by cleaning the pots with WD-40.
Programming isn't difficult.
I have to flash my bios once in a while, when things gets screwy. Then it is fine again.
Generally I am satisfied with it. I think it is worth the buy. But if you start comparing it with the prices of other sticks... well... to be fair and honestly said, there are cheaper sticks out there.
There is one issue which I haven't been able to resolve yet. I have to recalibrate every time I start up AH. I have tried calibrating under Windows-Control Panel but somehow it does not work.
Well that's it...
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My major, and only complaint, was how I could never match my other sticks for precise movements at long range.
I tried hundreds, if not thousands of different curve/ah band settings for pitch, and could never match the precise aiming I could get with my other sticks (every other stick you've heard of) around the center.
I'd move the cougar stick just slightly on a 1.1k range shot, and it would overcorrect all the time. It could have been just my stick, and I did try everything for 4 months, but after switching back to my older x45, my hit % went up by a factor of 10.
If I could have gotten that problem fixed, I would have been in the valhalla of Hotas'ness, such a sweet piece of kit, loved the metal construction, and even more powerfull programmability then my F22 set.
Werd
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I have a Cougar and I think it's the best high-end joystick on the market. I have had no problems with it. I have not modified it.
As for reliability of TM gear, I still have a FLCS/TQS and it works great after 6+ years of hard use. It has the origional pots, it shows no spiking. And it's still in use.
Gunner
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lol Drex!
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Ghost and Drex:
One thing the Foxy manual is very specific on is:
Never, ever calibrate your cougar via the control panel "games controlers" applet as we are used to doing with other sticks. Doing so makes entries in the windows registry which the Foxy software is unable to over ride.
In fact, if you look in the Cougar program folder there´s an exe file called "regclear.exe" designed specificaly to clean these entries out from the registry. On my machine the path is:
C:\Program Files\HOTAS\regclean.exe
OTH once your stick is up and running, you should still calibrate it within AH, *especialy the microstick, especialy if you're using the microstick for views*
Additionaly, I found that every now and again I get a "ramped dead band". That's to say that the stick has zero travel at centre (as it should); but once it's deflected from centre it jumps to five % instead of having a smooth curve. This can lead to erratic "on the edge" behaviour, and if ignored too long can even lead to "do not move your stick too rapidly" system messages when stall fighting with little or no stick input. Deleting the stick.cfg in \\AH\settings and recalibrating in AH fixes this.
As I said, it's by no means a bad stick. The only question that really matters is: "do you think it's woth ten times any other stick"; and only you can answer that.
SOB:
Wanna know what I'm scared of? One of the Old 'Unz having the smarts to program a macro:
"System: You've been killed by a $9.95 joystick".......
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I'd move the cougar stick just slightly on a 1.1k range shot, and it would overcorrect all the time. It could have been just my stick, and I did try everything for 4 months, but after switching back to my older x45, my hit % went up by a factor of 10.
the manual also states that if you leave the default setting of "auto callibrate" then each time you start up your computer you should move all axes a few times in all directions to their extents.. otherwise you have the problem listed above.
I did this the first time I used it.. calibrated it in TM software and AH.. flew fine. rebooted and woah!!! sensitive by a factor of like 40!
got out of AH, moved the stick all around (pedals, throttle, etc) and everything was fine.
since then I've set it to manual callibrate mode (where it reads the file I created) so I don't have to do this.
just FYI if anyone is thinking of getting rid of their kick-a controllers just because of this.
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As for the 'expect better from a stick costing this much' type replies..to buy a CH Pro throttle and CH F16 Fighter Stick would cost me £253, my Cougar cost £250 and has more programmability and made of metal.
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FYI for those that recalibrate the Cougar when entering AH.
If you have the same "problem" that I do, it isn't that big of a deal. Just move the joystick all the way around its axis (i.e. to the extremes). It is no longer as sensitive as it was. If the center is off, then you have a different issue/problem than I do.
Also, just so you know, this is the same thing I have to do with my CH Pro Pedals as well.
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Originally posted by Seeker
SOB:
Wanna know what I'm scared of? One of the Old 'Unz having the smarts to program a macro:
"System: You've been killed by a $9.95 joystick".......
Hehe, that reminds me of the first WarBirds con when I was introduced to real skill...standing behind Pyro as he blew the crap out of everything he saw with a CH Flightstick Pro in one hand and a keyboard in the other, with no rudders in sight. I can't even imagine doing that myself...without rudders I'd be even more of a dweeb than I am now!
SOB
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Just name the time Drex. Remember, I only fly first class (nothing is too good when you're buying!) and be sure to stock up on nachos, corn dogs & Jack Daniels. You know, health food! :)
SOB
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Originally posted by Mathman
FYI for those that recalibrate the Cougar when entering AH.
If you have the same "problem" that I do, it isn't that big of a deal. Just move the joystick all the way around its axis (i.e. to the extremes). It is no longer as sensitive as it was. If the center is off, then you have a different issue/problem than I do.
Also, just so you know, this is the same thing I have to do with my CH Pro Pedals as well.
Or you can just manually calibrate it and save it to your AH files. Not sure which file it saves it in, tmj, or the other one.
Booky
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by gOOb:
I work at a CNC machine shop and am considering making my own stick using all metal and ball bearings with RC car shocks for springs/dampening. I'll steal the guts outta some other stick and buy some military rated pots. Any interest in these?
SURE Goob, I'm interested!
Let me know via e-mail what ya come up with. Have you concidered using "Hall effect sensors" instead of pots?
Anyhoo; My current rig is a Thrustmaster- SW*F22/TQS/RCS HOTAS, (*= Has the 'Stick Works' digital chips installed), which is a "Gameport" system, plugged into my SB Live! X-Gamer's gameport.
IMO, this setup works better than any of the Gameport sticks I've used, (except for the CH-ForceFX), And all of the USB ver.1.0 sticks I've used w/o exception. (Can't speak for USB 2.0, as I haven't used it yet).
Gameport types I've used are:
Logitech- Wingman extreme
MS PPro - 1, 3, and PPro Plus
Saitek - X-36
CH-ForceFX <-- (Only reason I'm not using this now is: no 8 way POV)
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USB sticks:
Logitech- WM Extreme Digital, Digital 3D.
MS- PPro3, FF2
Saitek- X-36 USB/GamPt<-(prone to bad cables), X-45 <--(had 3 of these, bad switches), Cyborg 3D<-(had 2, severe throttle spikes) summary?: Ya get what ya pay for in quality, But MORE than ya pay for in service. (all were replaced free upon return).
Sadly; (As most of you are aware), flight simmers are the smallest consumer group in the game controller market, Yet have the most demanding needs.
You compound the problem when you factor in the "PC" element, since we now have the "Console crowd" competing in "On-Line", and 'Arena' play and threatening to unseat the PC game market.
(I mean, What game developer wouldn't LEAP at the chance to only write code that was compatable with 1 or 2 different types of user, instead of hundreds!?)
I've written to Saitek, Thrustmaster, and CH products, with the suggestion that they change their approach to this ever changing market with a method that would both reduce overall cost for them in R&D, and Production, while allowing for greater quality, and lower overall cost to the consumer.
That being; to offer "Consumer selectable features"
In other words: The buyer selects a basic controller type; (ie: wheel, JS, GamePad, or HOTAS, and/or Rudder/Peds), Then selects additional features/functions, or hardware/software etc. as needed/wanted.
This way, The customer gets EXACTLY the controller THEY want/need, and because the manufaturer isn't paying the cost of "Broad based appeal", The buyer can (should) get a BETTER controller.. CHEAPER.
Needless to say... NONE of the aforementioned companies have replied. AT ALL.
*sigh*
S!