CH Products Eclipse Yoke with 144 Programmable Functions with Control Manager Software

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Price: $181.27 $169.99   

Product Feature

• Flight simulator yoke features 6 analog 10-bit axes of movement and control
• 144 programmable functions with included software. Software compatible with PC only.
• Plug-and-play installation with 7' USB cord
• Compatible with PC and Mac (Software is not Mac compatible)
• Backed by a 2-year limited warranty

Product Description

Eclipse yoke w/ fingertip

CH Products Eclipse Yoke with 144 Programmable Functions with Control Manager Software Review

I bought and used an earlier version of the CH Yoke (the CH Yoke LE as it was called) a few years ago. The old yoke had only a throttle axis and lacked the new "thumb" rudder axis and front handle buttons. Advertising for the CH Eclipse Yoke claims a better shaft. I don't notice much difference in shaft friction or smoothness, but I never had problems with the original version, either. My original Yoke LE failed when the in/out elevator axis failed, so hopefully this version, which is more expensive, will last another 6 years or longer. The yoke shaft still seems to be a hard molded plastic so perhaps only the shaft bearing material is upgraded. Desktop mounting remains unchanged from the LE version with adequate spacers to accommodate most any surface.

I use the yoke for Microsoft Flight Simulator and X-Plane, not for driving games. I also own the CH Pro Throttle and Pro Pedals, so some of the controls on the Eclipse yoke are not being used in my setup. The yoke could be set up with a throttle axis and rudder axis, but these are being disabled on the yoke on my setup to avoid potential "crosstalk" between the yoke and the other controllers. I have also not found logical uses for some of the remaining buttons, which have not yet been assigned a function.

There are six available axis: elevator, ailerons and rudder (yoke handle), and the throttle, mixture and prop (levers on the top right). In addition, on top of the ends of the handles there are two hat switches, two rocker switches (both now are horizontal position) and two buttons. There are two "flip" switches on the body below the three lever axis. On the front of the yoke are three buttons (two with lighted LEDs), two thumbwheel-type switches, and a 3-position knob with green/yellow/red LEDs to indicate position. In other words, there are far more buttons available than I can find uses for. The LEDs on the yoke front remain brightly lit at all times unless the power supply switch on your computer is turned off or the yoke is unplugged from the port.

If you install the Control Manager software, CH claims 240 programmable functions. Apparently the 3-way switch is used to switch sets of functions (80 to a set). For flight simulator, I can't find sufficient uses for one available set, so I can't imagine what anyone would need the other two sets for unless it would be to program each set for a different type of aircraft (moving from single engine prop to commercial jet for example).

I use two of the axis levers for mixture/fuel and prop control, with one disabled in favor of my separate Pro Throttle. I have disabled the thumb rudder on the yoke in favor of my Pro Pedals. Both hat switches are used, one for glance and one for slow pan. The yoke handle buttons are set for braking. The two thumbwheel switches are elevator and rudder trim. The two flip switches are for flaps and gear. I have programmed the front buttons for overhead view (seeing position on runways and taxiways) and GPS. The remaining available buttons remain unprogrammed until I find a suitable reason to include them, so basically the yoke has far more buttons than most flight sim pilots will ever use.

Installation was made with Win7 64-bit and was nothing more than plugging the yoke into the USB port. Win7 found the drivers automatically and identified the device correctly. I did not install the Control Manager software from CH (download available from their web site). The yoke works well with both FSX and X-Plane. The yoke shaft still seems to be a hard plastic.

In summary, time will determine the durability and bearing wear of the shaft which seems to be the point of contention among most simmers for the older versions of the yoke. I did consider the Saitek yoke but was unable to find one to examine and went back to CH Products to maintain compatibility with my other controllers. So far so good. There are far more functions on this yoke than anyone can reasonably be expected to use and remember.

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