Ch Eclipse Yoke

[tanker 15]

Has anyone purchased and installed the new CH Products Eclipse yoke? How does it compare to old CH yoke for FSX? I see it has "paddles" that can be used for rudder control - can they also be programmed to do other FSX functions? Is it necessay to use the CH software or can all the features be assigned in FSX and/or FSUIPC?Dale

[Illegitimi non carborundum 4]

DaleYou do not need to run the CH Control Manager software. FSX and/or FSUIPC is fine. CHCM in direct mode vcan help with Reverse thrust but is NOT needed.On the ch-hangar forums all the comments seem to be posistibve with most saying it has a much better build than the old yoke.I'm saving up for one!!PeterH

[tanker 15]

DaleYou do not need to run the CH Control Manager software. FSX and/or FSUIPC is fine. CHCM in direct mode vcan help with Reverse thrust but is NOT needed.On the ch-hangar forums all the comments seem to be posistibve with most saying it has a much better build than the old yoke.I'm saving up for one!!PeterH

Thanks Peter,I ordered the new Eclipse yoke this AM. My old yoke still works, but I think I will retire it to my old computer. It's lasted me through 2 computers over a span of 5 years, so I'm sold on CH Products reliability.Dale

[Illegitimi non carborundum 4]

Thanks Peter,I ordered the new Eclipse yoke this AM. My old yoke still works, but I think I will retire it to my old computer. It's lasted me through 2 computers over a span of 5 years, so I'm sold on CH Products reliability.Dale

Dale Good to hear. Let us know what you think about the yoke!!RegardsPeterH

[Arklight1 140]

Thanks Peter,I ordered the new Eclipse yoke this AM. My old yoke still works, but I think I will retire it to my old computer. It's lasted me through 2 computers over a span of 5 years, so I'm sold on CH Products reliability.Dale

Agreed!I have a CH Fighterstick USB, CH Pro Throttle, and CH Pro Pedals. The CH product is far superior in terms of precision compared to my Cougar and has lasted me a long time. On a side note, I have actually retired my Cougar. In fact, I only used it about 1 month before I had the chance to get the CH setup and have loved CH ever since. I was going to get the Saitek yoke but have never really been a fan of their products. Back in the day, I used to go through a few of their sticks a year. Now the the new Eclipse is out I am very much inclined to makew the purchase.

[Chuck_B 2]

Arrrgggggh! I wish I'd never seen this thread! I was furious with CH as this is the yoke they should have come out with in the first place. It finally fixes the rediculous sticking problem, yes, but they kept those STUPID throttle handles on the top? AND they charge $100 bucks more for it?? But with what's been said here the last day or two, NOW I'm thinking I have to get one!! :( And I KNOW the Eclipse was a rush job by CH because of the pressure Saitek tried to put on them over the past couple of years, so it's not like CH even did it as a service to the flight sim community -- we'd been asking for relief for years.And I actually thought I might get through January without a major Flight Sim purchase. Ugh. Who was I kidding? . . . :( :(

[Arklight1 140]

Arrrgggggh! I wish I'd never seen this thread! I was furious with CH as this is the yoke they should have come out with in the first place. It finally fixes the rediculous sticking problem, yes, but they kept those STUPID throttle handles on the top? AND they charge $100 bucks more for it?? But with what's been said here the last day or two, NOW I'm thinking I have to get one!! :( And I KNOW the Eclipse was a rush job by CH because of the pressure Saitek tried to put on them over the past couple of years, so it's not like CH even did it as a service to the flight sim community -- we'd been asking for relief for years.And I actually thought I might get through January without a major Flight Sim purchase. Ugh. Who was I kidding? . . . :( :o

You can get it at Amazon for $183.00 with free FedEx Super Saver shipping. Nice little $67 discount. :(

[Chuck_B 2]

You can get it at Amazon for $183.00 with free FedEx Super Saver shipping. Nice little $67 discount. :(

Yeah, Arklight . . . I knowww. :( I ordered it last night, about 10 minutes after posting -- I have Amazon Prime so i'll be here by Tuesday, and only $3.99 more for overnight shiping. :(

[Arklight1 140]

Sounds good, Trelane. Let us all know what you think!I was having trouble deciding between the Saitek Pro and CH Eclipse, but I just read that the Saitek has detents in the elevator and aileron axis. OUCH...........Is this for real, does the Saitek really have detents?

[Guest Chairborne]

They do have detents, but they're negligible. My yoke works perfectly, even with detents. And it isn't affecting my feel at all, so I'm completely satisfied. Over one year later, still having fun!Especially with a separate throttle quadrant. Neener neener neener!

[tanker 15]

Dale Good to hear. Let us know what you think about the yoke!!RegardsPeterH

Well, I got it today, had it hooked up and working, but it's going back tomorrow. It's the same old CH Yoke problem - the shaft "sticks" and makes small elevator inputs very jerky. I'm an IFR kind of simmer and this just won't work for me. I know how to fix it (I dissasembled my old yoke and sanded and polished the shaft), but at this price, I expect it to be right. I tried some silicone grease made for plastics, but the shaft action was still terrible. I tried using it for several hours, got all the buttons programmed, and hoped it would get better, but no luck. I'm really disappointed in CH - I have their rudder pedals, the throttle quadrant and the fighterstick, and all have worked flawlessly for years, so I know they can make a good product, but the Eclipse Yoke I received is just not acceptable.Dale

[Arklight1 140]

Well, I got it today, had it hooked up and working, but it's going back tomorrow. It's the same old CH Yoke problem - the shaft "sticks" and makes small elevator inputs very jerky. I'm an IFR kind of simmer and this just won't work for me. I know how to fix it (I dissasembled my old yoke and sanded and polished the shaft), but at this price, I expect it to be right. I tried some silicone grease made for plastics, but the shaft action was still terrible. I tried using it for several hours, got all the buttons programmed, and hoped it would get better, but no luck. I'm really disappointed in CH - I have their rudder pedals, the throttle quadrant and the fighterstick, and all have worked flawlessly for years, so I know they can make a good product, but the Eclipse Yoke I received is just not acceptable.Dale

That doesn't sound too good. I just returned my Saitek Pro Flight Yoke due to anoying issues as well. I keep reading about how great it is, but the when I had mine it was just......bad. I think I am just gonna get the CH Eclipse.I am wondering if maybe I just got a bad unit. Here are a list of things I noticed with the Saitek Yoke. 1. The centering was offset to the right and required me to delete an entry in my registry and recalibrate the yoke...............EVERY TIME I RESTARTED MY COMPUTER.2. The elevator movement was NOT smooth. It actually seemed like it needed to be sanded or something along those lines. It also seemed to be "sticky". 3. Solid feel. The actual weight of the unit is very very light and the whole setup just seemed shoddy for some reason. It is tough for me to really explain it...it just didn't seem "right". Maybe this is a culmination of the experiences I have had with this product. 4. The throttle quadrant, while nice that it is seperate, seemed poorly made. The throttle lever had hardly any catch when it got down to the detent at the bottom (the area before passing into the reverser zone).4b. The buttons located below the levers on the throttle quadrant were a mixed bag. 2 of them had a good, solid, "click" when engaged, the other was actually loosey-goosey in the housing.5. Detents for elevator and aileron. This too is a mixed bag. In one way it was nice to have them, in the other sense it felt unrealistic and passing through the detent could potentially cause a "jump" in the elevator movement.6. The clamping system included 1 clamp and "screw thingy" per unit (one for the yoke and then one for the throttle quadrant). Each plastic screw-clamp had a suctioncup-like attachment the end-user places on the end. Once screwed on and clamped down, when it came time to remove, I had to remove the suctioncup-like thing with a screwdriver. You had issues with the CH, I had issues with the Saitek. Why can't this just be easier? l :lol:ol

[Chuck_B 2]

It's not you. I had 2 Saitek's both of which I returned because of the random button pushing issue, which has never really been addressed by the company. I do like their foot pedals better than CH's though.I just got my Eclipse on Friday and I like it very much. The axis movement is much smoother, but that's what you'd expect from a flight yoke. I don't understand the design process behind the new button layout -- why replace the the two red buttons on the top of the left grip handle with a SECOND hat switch? -- and the paddles are useless for flight sim unless you use them to replace foot pedals. (They are better than hitting the "." button to stop the aircraft, but get a set of foot pedals if that bugs you!)My advice is to buy the Eclipse from a place that will take returns and give it a try. The only thing that bothers me about it was the price, and the fact that I believe CH should have come out with this smooth working axis design to begin with.Let us know what happens!

[Illegitimi non carborundum 4]

DaleSorry to hear that the Eclipse Yoke was poor. I never had a sticking shaft problem on my old yoke but I can imagine that it will be very frustrating. I thought that CH had fixed that issue you should contact CH products and get a replacement!Good luckPeterH

[Guest Chairborne]

The cure for your phantom button press issue of the Saitek yoke: Don't install the moronic 'profiling software'. The worst thing Saitek could do for the yoke was have that CD software that allows 3 assignments per button, contingent on the right finger-wheel's position. I uninstalled the CD software and the problem vanished completely.