STECS Second Impressions

[Raisuli]

I bought a STECS Mini last year to replace my old Warthog throttle and in December I rebuilt my simpit from the ground up around the new throttle.  Now that I have a few hours, for very large values of 'few' under my belt I thought I'd pass on my impressions.

First, and most important, it was a worthwhile trade.  No, it's not modeled after anything 'real', but neither is the rest of my simpit.  Flying a steam gauge Cessna 172 with a STECS throttle and a stick with an equivalent control density (not VKB, so not talking much about that) means I can even change the 8 track tape with HOTAS controls.  Some of the controls haven't found a use yet, but knowing they're there, and as I get used to the new simpit, I keep adding new commands to the throttle and promptly forget where I mapped them.  Someone (*cough* VKB *cough*) needs to create a control mapping graphic.

Of course...new throttle, old muscle memory goes in the dumpster.  It took a while to get formations (A2AR) working without constantly hunting for the right speeds.  It didn't help that the stick throw and position also changed, so it was a little like re-learning how to fly.  Not that I was much good at that to begin with.  The other nice thing is the throttle handles fit my hand pretty nicely, and I can get to everything without any difficulty.  I do need to shift my hand a bit to get a couple controls, but on the whole the ergonomics are good.  I was pleasantly surprised to find out those aft paddle switches don't get in the way, so as long as I'm not sloppy about my grip they can be safely used for whatever needs done. 

At the risk of breaking rules I use this with other simulators, and it's been very nice to have all those options available.

Now we get to the parts that I struggle with.

1. That thumb mounted TDC makes me crazy. 

This is due in part to the hyper-sensitivity of several DCS modules to TDC movement.  Tossing that cursor around is like playing 'where's Waldo', and it goes from edge to edge with not much more deflection than a heartbeat (1/2 MOA at 100m).  I've changed the curves, but thumb control, particularly when the throttle is forward and directional control changes, is a pain.  To help with this I mapped one of the forward 5-way switches to also be a TDC.  Now I can quick-tap the direction I want to go and it's only the module over-sensitivity causing problems.

Unfortunately it's really hard to press one of those 5 way switches and move the TDC at the same time, so I find myself pushing one button and moving the TDC with the other control.  In general, clunky and hard to work with.  If it wasn't otherwise a worthwhile trade this one thing would put the Warthog back in play, especially since TDC now uses two of the controls rather than the one.  They seriously need to consider a module to replace a forward 5 way with an axis and software to make the axis a switch.  For me the thumb axis was a bad call on VKBs part.

2. Detents

Cool idea.  I use black for aircraft sorely lacking afterburners (the KA-50 really needs one) and blue for real airplanes.  Originally I used a second detent for idle/cutoff, but the travel arc on the throttle is pretty limited, and with both detents the difference between idle and afterburner is tight; fine throttle control is difficult because very small changes in position result in proportionally larger changes in thrust.  I pretty quickly took the idle cutoff off the throttle and use a pair of toggles on a controller to handle that bit.  I don't spend a lot of time using that detent anyway.

Changing the detent frames on the fly is easy, but changing curves is easier since most of the aircraft I fly kick in the AB at about the same place on the throttle, so I have three that haven't found a use yet.  That might change, and having the option is pretty nice.

3. Friction

I like my throttles pretty soft and smooth.  With the STECS if I dial the friction down the throttles will move on their own from the weight of the handles; with power down to land or taxi, for example, the throttle handles will fall to idle on their own.  That means it's a little stiffer than I like, and something about the feel is...off.  Not sure how to describe it, but as the throttles move they don't have that crisp feel I got used to with the Warthog; that might be due to the higher friction level though.

4. Minor Gripes from a pit builder

The base isn't quite flat, so if you mount to a flat plate you'll need washers under the corner screws to keep it flat without putting strain on the case.  The USB cable comes out right over the top of one of those screws; the holes are countersunk, but there's no clearance for a screw head under the USB...make your heads flat!  I ended up using a 90 degree USB-B cable to connect it so the throttle bay isn't much deeper than the throttle.  Saved a lot of space from from the huge Warthog bay.

They don't give you any dimensions for the base; I called support and was told they build these things with no engineering drawings at all; I guess they just whittle a block of plastic until it fits.  I got lucky and nailed the throttle opening on my try, though.  Nice to have the right tools.

Overall?  I really like it.  There was some concern when I bought it because I don't really need a lot of high-priced flight control hardware on shelves and I don't get trial models to review, so it was a pleasant surprise when this lived up to the hype.  Because I have a simpit I don't need a bunch of controls on my throttles, which kept me away from some of the others.  This is a throttle, with plenty of HOTAS controls to do whatever needs done on whichever airfame I happen to be in, and none of the other stuff that might be needed if I played on a desk or was a little less OCD about control panels.