Possible upgrade to PFC Cirrus Saab Yoke

[Ray Proudfoot 8,932]

1 hour ago, macwino said:

So with your GoFlight gear you're already half way there! Regarding the lack of a hat switch, a cheap joystick can provide one if you really need it, or even an Xbox or Playstation controller will do.

No videos, but perhaps these links will help:

https://#####.wordpress.com/pfc-saab-yoke-review/

https://#####.wordpress.com/pfc-throttle-quadrant-review/

Robert

Thanks Robert. I have already read his two reviews. I'll see how I get on without a hat. K osta uses a Logitech G13 but I may end up using the keyboard if that's possible.

[MarkDH 234]

3 minutes ago, Ray Proudfoot said:

I think you'll find those throttles are USB only. Not the one that ships with the Yoke which needs a PS/2 connector. That's where they have you.

Yes, they are USB but so what? Plug it into a USB port instead of the yoke and you're back flying.

[MarkDH 234]

9 minutes ago, Ray Proudfoot said:

the clamp seems slightly ineffective. Word Not Allowed in his review uses sticky pads to secure the yoke to the desk. Same for the throttle console.

There are two 'official' ways to mount the Yoko, neither of which involves sticky pads! Yes, the original clamp is poor but they have redesigned it. I don't know if the yokes now ship with the redesigned clamp or if you have to buy it as a retrofit. The other way is to screw it to the desk. It has threaded holes on the bottom of the case for this purpose.

[Ray Proudfoot 8,932]

7 minutes ago, MarkDH said:

Yes, they are USB but so what? Plug it into a USB port instead of the yoke and you're back flying.

The problem is they have exactly the same ident so Windows cannot differentiate them. That means neither can FSX/P3D or FSUIPC. That's why one quadrant has a PS/2 connector and not USB.

[Ray Proudfoot 8,932]

2 minutes ago, MarkDH said:

There are two 'official' ways to mount the Yoko, neither of which involves sticky pads! Yes, the original clamp is poor but they have redesigned it. I don't know if the yokes now ship with the redesigned clamp or if you have to buy it as a retrofit. The other way is to screw it to the desk. It has threaded holes on the bottom of the case for this purpose.

Velcro / sticky pads is a cheap simple solution. I don't fancy the idea of drilling holes through a desk. Yuck. But it's the lack of buttons on the Yoko that makes the PFC the more attractive choice for me

[MarkDH 234]

42 minutes ago, Ray Proudfoot said:

The problem is they have exactly the same ident so Windows cannot differentiate them. That means neither can FSX/P3D or FSUIPC. That's why one quadrant has a PS/2 connector and not USB.

Then explain this piece

[Ray Proudfoot 8,932]

14 minutes ago, MarkDH said:

Then explain this piece

That's for controlling all four throttles of course. One quadrant has a PS/2 connector and the other is USB. What's your point? Do you have 2 quadrants both USB?

[MarkDH 234]

10 minutes ago, Ray Proudfoot said:

Do you have 2 quadrants both USB?

Yes, indeed.

[Ray Proudfoot 8,932]

1 minute ago, MarkDH said:

Yes, indeed.

So they must have changed something. No further discussion necessary on this PFC topic, thanks.

[FLNG 6]

 

Ray,

I added a hat switch to my PFC Saab yoke.  If you think you may be interested, I'll write up how to do it maybe this weekend

Cheers

Jeff

[Ray Proudfoot 8,932]

6 hours ago, FLNG said:

 

Ray,

I added a hat switch to my PFC Saab yoke.  If you think you may be interested, I'll write up how to do it maybe this weekend

Cheers

Jeff

Hi Jeff,

You're obviously a very clever chap to be able to do that. Thanks but after doing some research I think I'll be able to workaround the lack of a hat. I'm considering ChasePlane for camera views of the aircraft and this allows the user to create custom views. So instead of using the hat to get to my preferred outside view I can just press a button.

I understand you can also hold down the middle mouse button and move the mouse to scroll around. That's another workaround.

[FLNG 6]

Ray,

Understood, and best of luck.

Maybe I'll put the mod up as a new independent posting in case others are curious.

Cheers,

Jeff

[oemlegoem 29]

Here is an excellent video by Michael Brown with the internals of the PFC, Yoko and Saitek yoke.

From a mechanical point of view, Yoko seems to be the best. It seems to have ball bearings for the linear and rotation motion. Also the bungee spring force is independent for the linear and the rotation movement.

The PFC yoke has linear ball bearings for the pitch axis, but this is "abused" for the rotary roll motion. Might work reasonably but engineering wise not a beauty. The bungee is combined for both motions.

Presently I am planning to make a yoke myself along the same principle as the Yoko yoke. Main difficulty is to get a yoke handle and for that purpose, I bought a Saitek second hand that will be butchered in due time.

Makes me realize that these high end yokes are horrendously overpriced. E.g. I will buy a linear ball bearing track for 25$, rotary ball bearings for 5$. 

 

 

[Ray Proudfoot 8,932]

Thanks for the link. Very interesting comparison. Why is the PFC housing so much larger than it needs to be? The Yoko is appealing especially given the lower price. The downside is the lack of buttons. But having said that £500 is a lot to pay for 6 extra buttons.

I'll definitely investigate the Yoko further. One thing he didn't touch on is whether the Yoko has Hall-effect sensors instead of potentiometers. I know the PFC has these now which has probably pushed the price up but they'll effectively last forever.

Good luck with your build. You'll save a fortune!

[Ray Proudfoot 8,932]

I've just watched another of Michael Brown's videos and that is very interesting.

He's comparing the Yoko and PFC Beech. I was looking at the Cirrus Saab as it has more buttons - 12 vs 6 - but having watched this video the Yoko wins on three fronts...

1) Cheaper by several hundred pounds

2) The elevator axis travel is twice as long on the Yoko than the PFC.

3) The Yoko has a simple clamp to stop it moving. The PFC doesn't so you have to either bolt it to a table (yuck!) or stick Velcrose pads on the base to stop it sliding.

4) The Yoko case is quite a bit smaller and when desk space is tight that's important.

I have to say at this point I am drawn towards the Yoko.