Honeycomb Yoke and Throttle news

[polosim 837]

Honeycomb alpha in action at Sun n Fun Airshow , Lakeland, FL

Beta throttle in display only.

 

[Jackaroo05 13]

If honeycomb made the red LEDs RGB, then that would be epic!

[oemlegoem 29]

I just came back from the Aero 2019 exhibition in Friedrichshafen, Germany. Honeycomb Aeronautical had two working Alpha yokes on display, at the Aerosoft stand. Nicki Repenning, CEO and founder of Honeycomb Aeronautical, was also attending the exhibition.

I had a chance to test the yoke for a while. Nicki said that the yokes were very close to what they would be like in series production. Following are my impressions.

The yoke had significant less friction and stiffness compared to the preproduction sample that I tested during a flightsim exhibition in November 2018 in Switzerland, which was the same as a unit on display in Cosford. To me, the yoke felt right in terms of stiffness and friction. The yoke travel however was approx. 8.5cm, but the website form FlyHoneycomb states that the yoke shaft has 6inches = 15cm of travel. Nicki confirmed that the 6inches on the website were a mistake, due to a misunderstanding from the web designers, and that meant was 6 inche extension (or something like that). Still, the 6 inches of travel has been on the website for a long time, and still is on the website.

I tested the friction following way:  I moved the yoke to pitch up and released slowly until the yoke shaft did not move anymore. Measured the position of the yoke handle relative to the main box. Repeated the same with pitch down and releasing the yoke handle slowly, and measuring position at rest position. The difference was approximately 5mm, and is a measure for the friction in the bearing system. I think this result is good, although better can be done.
I also had a chance to test a Yoko yoke on the Aerosoft stand. The friction range was approximately 8mm for 144mm of travel, that is 5 - 6% for the Yoko yoke. For the alpha yoke, friction range 5mm for a shaft travel of 85mm is also 5 - 6%.
So regarding friction, I would expect that the Alpha and the Yoko yoke would have a similar effect in the sim. Qualitatively, the difference in feel was not very big. And the Yoko yoke is much more expensive.

The yoke was attached with a clamp to a desk. So I could not test the suction pads without the clamp. Everything else is as advertised.

My conclusion from the exhibition display unit: for a marginally higher price compared to entry level yokes on the market, you get a smooth acting yoke handle with the benefit of plenty of switches which come in handy if you have no other control units available. The yoke feel would satisfy more demanding users. Decide however if the approximately 85mm of shaft travel is OK for your needs.

Quite a few people have expressed their frustration about the delay in the introduction, but I think that the wait is worth it.

 

Note: I concentrated on the effect of the mechanics of the yoke, first of all because I feel this is the most important, but also because of my personal interest and experience. 

Edited April 11, 2019 by oemlegoem

[ark 1,288]

2 hours ago, oemlegoem said:

I just came back from the Aero 2019 exhibition in Friedrichshafen, Germany. Honeycomb Aeronautical had two working Alpha yokes on display, at the Aerosoft stand. Nicki Repenning, CEO and founder of Honeycomb Aeronautical, was also attending the exhibition.

Thanks very much for the report.  Two questions:

How is the 8.5CM of yoke travel measured -- from full forward to full back, or from the yoke's center position to either full forward or to full back?

What was your impression on the accessibility of the switches? From the pictures it seems it might be awkward to reach some of them since they are 'behind' the yoke handle.

Thx,

Al

[oemlegoem 29]

Hi Al,

The 8.5cm travel (approximately) is from full forward to full back.

I did not pay much attention to the accessibility of the switches since it is a compromise anyway, but great to have it for this entry-level money if you don't have other controls.
On the other hand, I had a more details discussion on switch functions. I asked and was told that the trim switches are two separate switches, on each side of the yoke handle.
Hope this helps.

[ark 1,288]

4 hours ago, oemlegoem said:

The 8.5cm travel (approximately) is from full forward to full back.

 I think that yoke travel is about the same as with the Saitek yoke. Not great, but I can live with that if all else is good.

Now I'm very interested to see what the final version of the throttle quadrant actually turns out to be, how you switch between the different configurations, etc.

Thanks,

Al

Edited April 12, 2019 by ark

[Ray Proudfoot 8,921]

No announcement from Honeycomb but according to the Aerosoft shop the yoke is not available until the autumn now. https://www.aerosoft.com/en/hardware/flight-simulation/yokes/2567/honeycomb-alpha-flight-controls

[polosim 837]

34 minutes ago, Ray Proudfoot said:

No announcement from Honeycom

Please, not again!

And now that it could have gone wrong?

I'm definitely not getting any younger, you know? 🙂

[Ray Proudfoot 8,921]

What I find odd is there is no official announcement from Honeycomb. Just that message on the Aerosoft site. I suppose you could post a question to Aerosoft and see what they say.

[TechguyMaxC 516]

I've been wanting to upgrade from my Saitek Cessna gear for awhile now, the Alpha yoke is no longer on my list due to the compromises that have been made in terms of construction, but the bravo throttle looks like it might be just the ticket.  If it ever comes out I think I'll pick one up.  Back to the yoke: can anyone recommend a yoke that comes closest to fulfilling the vision Honeycomb originally pitched for the Alpha yoke?  i.e. high build quality at a more affordable price.  Something like the yoko is more money than I want to spend, is there anything in between?

[LesOReilly 176]

1 hour ago, TechguyMaxC said:

I've been wanting to upgrade from my Saitek Cessna gear for awhile now, the Alpha yoke is no longer on my list due to the compromises that have been made in terms of construction, but the bravo throttle looks like it might be just the ticket.  If it ever comes out I think I'll pick one up.  Back to the yoke: can anyone recommend a yoke that comes closest to fulfilling the vision Honeycomb originally pitched for the Alpha yoke?  i.e. high build quality at a more affordable price.  Something like the yoko is more money than I want to spend, is there anything in between?

There is some posts there about the Diagma Yoke -- It seems to be really good.....Wish this had come along before I wasted money on the ACE 737.

[Ray Proudfoot 8,921]

7 hours ago, TechguyMaxC said:

can anyone recommend a yoke that comes closest to fulfilling the vision Honeycomb originally pitched for the Alpha yoke?  i.e. high build quality at a more affordable price.  Something like the yoko is more money than I want to spend, is there anything in between?

Your profile doesn't say where in the world you are but here in the UK I'm keeping a close eye on Fulcrum based in Lancashire, England. Chris demonstrated a 3D version at the Cosford Flight Sim show last October and I was very impressed with it. See here for more info.

Pricing has to be determined but looks to be in the £400-500 bracket which is a lot less than the Yoko. Hall-effect sensors throughout. He has brought his pre-production version to a monthly flight sim meeting and it's looking good. He visits these forums under the name of @tutmeister if you want to contact him.

[TechguyMaxC 516]

11 hours ago, LesOReilly said:

There is some posts there about the Diagma Yoke -- It seems to be really good.....Wish this had come along before I wasted money on the ACE 737.

Thanks, I'll put the Diagma on my list. Early reports from the thread here were a bit concerning, but it sounds like they've gotten things straightened out.

[TechguyMaxC 516]

5 hours ago, Ray Proudfoot said:

Your profile doesn't say where in the world you are but here in the UK I'm keeping a close eye on Fulcrum based in Lancashire, England. Chris demonstrated a 3D version at the Cosford Flight Sim show last October and I was very impressed with it. See here for more info.

Pricing has to be determined but looks to be in the £400-500 bracket which is a lot less than the Yoko. Hall-effect sensors throughout. He has brought his pre-production version to a monthly flight sim meeting and it's looking good. He visits these forums under the name of @tutmeister if you want to contact him.

An English-built yoke you say?

 

In all seriousness, I am keeping an eye on that one, if it's out in the next few months and doesn't suffer teething issues as the Diagma has, I may buy.

Edited May 23, 2019 by TechguyMaxC

[Ray Proudfoot 8,921]

@TechguyMaxC, ha ha! I'll assume you're an American unless you tell me to the contrary.

I've had a play with it and it's looking good. Still in beta though.