Ch Eclipse Yoke

[Chuck_B 2]

I uninstalled the CD software and the problem vanished completely.

I'm glad that worked for you -- but it didn's work for me. Seems there are a plethora of excuses and solutions to this issue, none of which are either consistent or proven -- as I said, I've had two and nothing worked for me. There are a lot of hidden problems with both the yoke and now their new switch panel that Saitek never seems to deal with or even acknowledge. I especially like the "serial number after XXX" one -- that was rich! :(

[tanker 15]

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

I thought about returning it to CH, but I purchased it from Amazon.com and their return process is very easy, so I just sent it back and got a refund. I was somewhat taken in by the advertising which said it was made of improved materials, but when I compared it to my old yoke, I couldn't see any difference. On the old yoke, the plastic shaft slides inside 3 plastic bushings, the center bushing is attached to springs. Even a very slight misalignment will cause binding. I did not take the Eclipse yoke apart, but it appears to be the same design.I wasn't entirely satisfied with the switch arrangement on the Eclipse yoke. The second hat switch only functioned as such if you use the CH software. I missed the rocker switch on top of the left handle, as this was a natural electric trim switch. I got the trim wheel in the center section of the yoke to work as a sort of manual trim, but it felt awkward in use. I should say that I prefer to fly with my right hand on the yoke, left on throttles. This makes it easier to use the mouse with my right hand. (in real world flight, I flew the tanker from either the left or the right seat as an instructor)Given enough time I'm sure I would have found a combination of switch assignments that would have worked well enough, but the real test of a good yoke is with autopilot off and making a difficult weather approach (200 ft ceiling w/crosswind) - it's got to be smooth.Dale

[Illegitimi non carborundum 4]

DaleI'm glad that you obtained a refund, I'll let you know my experiences when the Eclipse arrives in the next 2-3 weeks. I'm sure that CH products would be interested in your experience with the yoke as it could be due to poor design or it was a "Friday" joystick.RegardsPeterH

[Chuck_B 2]

DaleI'm glad that you obtained a refund, I'll let you know my experiences when the Eclipse arrives in the next 2-3 weeks. I'm sure that CH products would be interested in your experience with the yoke as it could be due to poor design or it was a "Friday" joystick.RegardsPeterH

The action on my new Eclipse IS much smoother than my original CH yoke, no doubt about it. But I surely do miss the button configuration.

[Bob Church 0]

Hi,WRT to the trim, the right hat isn't seen as a POV but just 4 buttons. You can put both X and Y trim on the hat, and it frees up both rockers for other functions in the process. It's worth a try if you prefer trimming with the buttons.Best regards,- BobThe StickWorkshttp://www.stickworks.com

[Ray Proudfoot 8,930]

Gents,As someone who has had CH yokes since 1995 I decided to try the Saitek Pro Yoke and extra throttle quadrant as I felt the Eclipse was very overpriced for what it offered. I've not been disappointed.The issue of phantom button presses was resolved by Saitek some time ago. The steel shaft makes all yokes movements very smooth - much better than my old CH USB Yoke. I have used FSUIPC to calibrate all axes and control is great. No complaints from me at all. :( I suppose the only unknown is how it will stand up in the long term compared to the CH which has always been 100% reliable.

[Chuck_B 2]

Hi,WRT to the trim, the right hat isn't seen as a POV but just 4 buttons. You can put both X and Y trim on the hat, and it frees up both rockers for other functions in the process. It's worth a try if you prefer trimming with the buttons.Best regards,- Bob

That's exactly what I've done, Bob. But the box clearly calls them bot "Hat Switches" which certainly means POV to me -- a little false advertising there on CHs part, maybe? lol :(

[Chuck_B 2]

Gents,The issue of phantom button presses was resolved by Saitek some time ago.

Oh, NO, Opa! If ANYONE other than you had posted that I would have thought nothing of it. But NOW I have to reconsider -- I've heard that it was resolved before, but was so angry the way Saitek (mis)handled the issue, I swore I would never, ever give them another red cent (schilling?)

[Ray Proudfoot 8,930]

Opa? I'm not Opa, I'm Proudfoot - Ray Proudfoot. :( If you're registered on the Saitek forum this explains the fix. http://www.saitekforum.com/showthread.php?t=13329I've had my yoke and quadrant since late November and haven't seen this problem at all. Hope that helps you make up your mind.

[Chuck_B 2]

Opa? I'm not Opa, I'm Proudfoot - Ray Proudfoot. :( If you're registered on the Saitek forum this explains the fix. http://www.saitekforum.com/showthread.php?t=13329I've had my yoke and quadrant since late November and haven't seen this problem at all. Hope that helps you make up your mind.

I knew 'dat!! Sorry, Ray, totally spaced on that one . . . I mistyped -- I'm reading other posts here, and trying to work at the same time -- plus I'm a child of the '70s, which is probably self explanatory and should fully explain my occasional lapses into "brain freeze"! In any event I just ordered my THIRD Saitek yoke from Amazon and it should be here Friday just in time for some weekend flying. One of these yokes WILL be returned by this time next week.I meant to type 'Ray'. I respect your opinion, too, Ray. Very much.Wait. That doesn't sound too good, now does it? :( PS. Are the FSUIPC set ups for the Hat Switch for the Saitek the same as with the CH?

[Ray Proudfoot 8,930]

Hi Chuck,Not to worry. T'was an easy mistake for someone so young! :( I'm a child of the 50s myself. Not sure if that make me a Baby Boomer or not. :(

PS. Are the FSUIPC set ups for the Hat Switch for the Saitek the same as with the CH?

I've disabled the yoke, throttle etc. in FS and have configured everything via FSUIPC. I programmed the hat switch in line with recommendations in a document on Pete Dowson's FSUIPC forum. It was written for the CH stuff but applies to the Saitek as well. Things are slightly different for FS9 compared to FSX but essentially there's nothing you can't do with FSUIPC that was possible via FS assignments. It's an eight-way hat just like the CH.

[Arklight1 140]

I recieved my Eclipse and I like it a LOT more than the Saitek Pro Yoke I had. THe Eclipse seems quite a bit smoother and I have not had any issues with it thus far (knock on wood). The movement feels a lot more realistic than the Saitek and it also has a more solid feel to it. The elevator and aileron movements are also quite a bit smoother. I am not to fond of the thottle/prop/mixture sticks located on the top but those are rather trivial since there are other options out there. So far, I am much more pleased with this purchase than I was the Saitek offering. I wanted to like the Saitek, but the combination of the issues I had along with the detents (though not bad) was just too much. I am sure it is a decent product, but it is just not for me.

[Ray Proudfoot 8,930]

Ark,Out of interest what are you using for throttle control? The single lever on the yoke or do you have a Pro Throttle or perhaps a separate quadrant?Apart from the smoother elevator control with the Saitek the other major bonus has been the ability to separately control up to four engines with the throttle quadrants. That allows for much finer control of ground speed than was possible with the Pro Throttle.Ultimately it was the price of the Eclipse I felt was excessive. Dollars get a straight conversion to pounds over here and paying over 200GBP for the yoke was a non-starter for me and many others I suspect. Saitek yokes were flying off the shelves when I bought mine at a FS show in the UK and CH was hardly to be seen on setups.

[Chuck_B 2]

Apart from the smoother elevator control with the Saitek the other major bonus has been the ability to separately control up to four engines with the throttle quadrants. That allows for much finer control of ground speed than was possible with the Pro Throttle.

My 3rd Saitek arrives today and I'm interested to find out if the yoke will work seamlessly with my CH Pro Throttle. If not, it will go back. I much prefer the separate CH unit to the Saitek that comes with the yoke.

Ultimately it was the price of the Eclipse I felt was excessive.

Completely agree -- it IS overpriced and appears to be only a "panic" rework of their original design in response to unexpected competition from Saitek.

[Ray Proudfoot 8,930]

My 3rd Saitek arrives today and I'm interested to find out if the yoke will work seamlessly with my CH Pro Throttle. If not, it will go back. I much prefer the separate CH unit to the Saitek that comes with the yoke.

It should as my CH pedals work fine. I'm surprised you prefer a single throttle control to individual ones. Of course if you only fly single-engine aircraft there would be no gain with a throttle quadrant. Otherwise I find multiple throttle controls a big improvement. Heck, one day I might even be able to turn a corner using differential thrust alone! :(