VKB Fat Black Mamba Stick (Non-EU)

[Berndt Mangler]

I'm looking for Virtual Pilots that have this to see what they think of this in replacement to the TM WartHog. I understand this is in fact available, more info shortly.

 

I'd like to try find out how its programmed if it is. My Affair with TM is the TARGET Script editor. Saitek has an "editor" I tried it once, just before the Hog came out. Yes, I can say it sucked. I quickly snatched up the TM HOG and the Scripte editor and have been hooked since.

 

Now the Hog and TM have parts issues. I'll continue to fuss with the Parts if the mamba is not programmable. If it is I see no evidence of it on the website, its worse than the company I work for, hahahah.

 

Basically, in short.

Is this available some where? <this implies to past a link please(funny I have to add this)>

What can you tell us on this In your opinion against what you've used in the past?

Does this have a sort of editor to program the button like the TM has for the HOG, or does it use only DX codes?

 

http://flightsimcontrols.com/store/joysticks/vkb-fat-black-mamba-for-non-eu/

[cichlidfan]

From where do you understand that it is available?

[Berndt Mangler]

From where do you understand that it is available?

 

Wow, quick reply, you must be a work also....hahahaha..

 

 

Who told you that? I got mine a couple of weeks ago.

 

http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=135851

 

I'm trying not to hyjack that thread, I made a comment there that I was liking the looks of the Mamba and couldn't find info on it.

 

As of this post, they are not available, not programmable like the HOG, and no parts for it as well, if one needed some. It would seem I'm perpetuating a rumor with no facts. I'm expecting him to reply with a link to where he got it from and post it on this thread. If this is available from some where, send a link to it on this thread. If this rumor is not a rumor, I hope its not Ebay or Graigslist.

Edited December 17, 2014 by spokejocky
readablitity

[PureEvil]

Available for pre-order. http://www.vkb-flightsimcontrols.com/zakaz/index_z.php

[Sokol1_br]

Fact: VKB joysticks are made in batch based on collect pre orders, so low availability.

 

 

(From Russian page)

Products WKB

 

Warning!

 

The products are sold as manufacturing and income, so the system is only pre-order .

 

You leave a request and we will include you in the waiting list.

 

More information at the bottom of the page

 

For questions on the order of products, please e-mail vkb.mov@gmail.com

 

 

 

The reseller - Flightsimcontrols - inform that a new batch is expected for Q1 2015...

Since pre-orders will be filled first, you depends on whether there will be availability...

 

The grip used in Mamba (plastic, borrowed from Defender Cobra M5 joystick) has 7 physical buttons, 8 way HAT and two triggers (the first can press the second).

 

Each of 7 buttons has 3 modes - selectable with 3 way position rocker switch - what mean more 14 virtual buttons.

 

Is possible use Warthog grip on Mamba base via optional (+cost) adapter.

 

Mamba software have some keyboard emulation ability and macros are stored in joystick EPROM.

 

Look at page 14 of this manual (in Russian) has a picture of config utility interface, and show how install Warthog grip/extension. *

 

http://ftp.vkb-sim.pro/Documentations/Mamba.pdf

or in this (older version).

http://ftp.vkb-sim.pro/Documentations/advice.pdf

 

* If you plane use extension don't get the Mamba with switch/rotary on base (FAT versions).

 

Sokol1

Edited December 17, 2014 by Sokol1_br

[Harle]

Frankly, I didn't really know about this pre-order make & sell affair. Looks like I just got lucky to have an itch for a Mamba at the right time when a few unsold units still remained in stock.

My apologies for confusing you with my previous message.

 

All the switches and buttons are fully configurable in whatever way you want them to be (in FAT version). Although the controller configurator app is still buggy, it gets the job done. This program seems to be considerably more sophisticated that TM target, so it took me a while to figure out how use it. Fumbling around with it screwed the firmware (some bug permits it to try and apply some incompatible configuration), so I had to download a new one and reflash the joystick.

 

And to compare it to TM Warthod I'll just copypaste my message from another thread:

"So far I've had just a couple of hours to play around with it after work. So it's basically my superfluous impressions.

The first thing I noticed was that ditinctive feel of pitch & roll axes along with the centre of their crossing. The handle movement feels smooth and I can almost sense the solid metal mechanism beneath it. It makes a quiet thud if you move the stick quickly across an axis. All the switches are metal and make a nice clicking sound when flipped. 2 reels on the left side are recognized as axes. The 3 remaining reels work as a repeated press of two buttons depending on the direction of rotation.

Now here's a moot point. Unlike TM Warthog (and many other joysticks) the tension doesn't change depending on how how far you pull the stick from the centre. I'm totally fine with it. But I heard some people dislike it.

I haven't come around to test its precision with some software just yet. Just made sure in "windows devices" that all of its buttons and axis are up and running.

Played a little of DCS Mig-21 with it. Since TM Warthog's tension (that I've grown accustomed to) is considerably harder than Mamba's, I found myself overpulling the stick several times bringing the plane on the verge of stall. The precision is impressive. Even minute moves are translated into the game. I don't mean to say that it's much better than in TM Warthog. Perhaps they are equal in that respect. But wathog's sticktion sometimes makes aiming a bit more difficult that it should have been. So I found delivering cannon fire a bit easier with Mamba."

Edited December 17, 2014 by Harle

[Berndt Mangler]

@Harle

Great review, well done dude, I look forward to future extended reviews...Hint,hint..

Programming bugs are to be assumed, sounds like you got around them much like I around T.A.R.G.E.T. it's not so much buggy, actually its allowed me to get around everyone else's bugs. How'd you get the software and can I download it in an English form.

 

@Sokol1_br

This is more info than I got from the web site I was using. I need to try and score an English version of the Software tool. Looks like my language barrier is the only issue now.

 

@PureEvil

That you are, Send me a link to a Russian website..hahahah, I barely read English...hahahah

Soo it can be had, Any one got Rosetta Stone I can borrow so I can buy a Mammba...hahahah...

 

I fear this may be trouble for us Yanks, the site I was on suggested I may have issues getting one to the U.S. This may just be the reason to start my Russian classes, Then I could fly that awesome SU-27.

 

This makes for a good question now...any one in the U.S. have one..???

How'd ya get it?, and do you read Russian?

[Sokol1_br]

I don't read Russian, but Google Translate do (reasonable). :)

 

The best you can do is contact VKB Russia by this mail -vkb.mov@gmail.com - write in English - to know details about pre-order, payment (by Western Union I think - PayPal seems not used in Russia)... I know that for simplify things the products are sent direct from China for buyer address.

 

After the demise(?) of sukoi.ru forum you get some info about VKB products in this forum:

 

http://forum.il2sturmovik.ru/forum/41-kontrollery-nastrojka-i-obsuzhdenie/

 

UIV is one of VKB founders, but the guy is not very communicative...

 

Sokol1

Edited December 18, 2014 by Sokol1_br

[Flagrum]

I find it very strange and a bit disturbing that one has to run after them and beg them to be allowed to purchase their products.

 

I am waiting now about a year that the Mamba is available again. Emails are not answered and announcements they made ("available 1./2. Q 2014") are worthless.

 

I really like the stick - from what I could gather so far. And I really want one. But if they don't want to sell them, well, *shrugs*... With this business practice I am not feeling confident to wire my money to who-knows-where via ancient methods based only on a promise that somewhere in China there might be one stick still be hidden on someones attic ...

[cichlidfan]

I find it very strange and a bit disturbing that one has to run after them and beg them to be allowed to purchase their products.

 

Agreed. Email does not take long to respond to, if someone is so inclined.

 

I can also just imagine the questions I will get asked at Western Union.

[Flagrum]

Hrm ... ok, fairness where fairness is due. After not bothering to check their slooooow website for a few weeks anymore, I now found this in their news section (as of 15dec2014):

 

...

There are many requests in email box mainly about our products availability which we could not reply to them all in time. I will try to shed some lights to VKB plans and answer here most common questions:

Q: When Black Mamba joystick will be available ? You promised that in August…

 

A: Sorry for promises we couldn’t keep up. Now it is certain that Black Mamba will be finally made for EU market in good numbers. Currently the next production batch is planned for Q1 2015.

...

(http://flightsimcontrols.com/2014/12/defender-cobra-m5-revb-is-in-stock/)

[Harle]

Yesterday mounted warthog stick on mamba's base. Had to add a second additional spring on each axis.

I played just a little of DCS FW-190. And my initiall impression is that this mechanism might not be very well suited for use with such heavy sticks. It feels perfect to me with its default plastic stick and a single spring on each axis. But with TM stick it feels a bit sluggish in offset positions because the stick's weight counters most of the spring tension. It's sure enough for recentering on its own, but I'd like to feel some more pressure when I pull on it.

I don't wanna add a third pair of springs because the more of them the less comfortable it becomes to cross axes lines. I mean that soft thud marking the transition over an axis line in default configuration, becomes more like a bump when you add more springs. It's the effect of those "pincer" halves coming to rest against that metal stop with black square section in the pic. I guess it's the only shortcoming of that so called pincer mechanism. It can be eliminated by the use of an extention tube (they sell them too), but I'm not so deep into it as to modify my chair just for that.

That said, I think I might wanna return Mamba to default configuration to use as my primary joystick and use TM exclusively for DCS A-10.

Edited January 16, 2015 by Harle

[Harle]

Sometime soon they plan to produce something like this. Although they want it to be metal I hope it'll be lighter than TM's therefore better for use with Mamba.

Edited January 16, 2015 by Harle

[PureEvil]

I find it very strange and a bit disturbing that one has to run after them and beg them to be allowed to purchase their products.

 

I am waiting now about a year that the Mamba is available again. Emails are not answered and announcements they made ("available 1./2. Q 2014") are worthless.

 

I really like the stick - from what I could gather so far. And I really want one. But if they don't want to sell them, well, *shrugs*... With this business practice I am not feeling confident to wire my money to who-knows-where via ancient methods based only on a promise that somewhere in China there might be one stick still be hidden on someones attic ...

 

You pay only when your order is ready to be shipped and you confirm that you still want it, so it's not all that bad )))

Agreed. Email does not take long to respond to, if someone is so inclined.

 

I can also just imagine the questions I will get asked at Western Union.

 

Last time (2 years ago) i used western union, there was online service for that, so no questions asked.

[Flagrum]

You pay only when your order is ready to be shipped and you confirm that you still want it, so it's not all that bad )))

Yes, I know. I was just referring to the idea of ordering directly in russia or china or wherever it was by using Western Union, just to avoid having to wait for a year or two - as opposed to simply using the online shop of their european webstore (based in the Netherlands, iirc?).