Good point.
I don't like to do "5 things" with the same joy button, this cause a mess in my brain.

In IL-2 I prefer assign functions to buttons in game GUI, cause I can chance any button assignment "in game".

Sokol1

Or, while in the buying mood you can buy one or more CH MFP's and set up a whole mess of systems to your liking.

I'm going to buy a second setup when SOW comes out, but if the innards look anything like the cougar when pics start coming out - forget it. I'll just get a second CH fighterstick setup.

If this is a hint that the new software isn't going to be as flexible as Foxy then I'm worried.

just do what i did...

get a ch combatstick, and mod a Suncom SFS throttle (with a the CH Products joystick circuit board)...

I used to have a Suncom SFS Throttle myself, with full intent to mod it to USB.

...I never did. The main confusing part were those weird linear pots with only two pins rather than the usual three, not to mention figuring out how I'd ever manage to wire up the rest of the thing.

Hot damn Nutty that is great news!

I hope you make Foxy support the Cougar and the Split throttle simultaneously so those of us with modded NXT's will be able to use it. I'll buy the new stick just for the throttle.

We HAVE winner!!!

Nice job.

Now, how could I find myself one of those dual throttles???

It's a Suncom SFS Throttle. Suncom went out of business years ago, so you are going to have to look for a used one (if somebody has one new in the box, it will probably be priced just slightly lower than a Van Gogh painting).

The Suncom SFS throttle is an old analog game port and keyboard device. To make it into a USB device will not be trivial. There is an excellent (but old) thread on converting Suncom sticks and throttle to USB over in the X-Plane forums:
http://forums.x-plane.org/index.php?showtopic=27496

It is a 15 page thread, but if you want to undertake converting Suncom controllers to USB, there are ome real gems in there.

Of course, Hannibal's specific approach (using a board from a USB joystick) is proven to work, but you would probably still benefit from reading that thread. One item that was a bit surprising is that NONE of the buttons (switches) in the SFS throttle are seen by your computer as joystick buttons. They are all feeding into a keyboard emulator.

I'm still thinking about converting mine, but I'd probably use a Leo Bodnar board. With at least 3 major game controller manufacturers offering split throttle controllers now ( Logitech ), or in the near future (Saitek and Thrustmaster), it's getting a little less tempting to take that task on. Time will tell.

If only I saw that thread several years ago...

There would have been a key difference, however-since I had the SFS Throttle paired with a TM F-22 Pro at the time, I wanted to take the analog gameport passthrough on the SFS Throttle and pass it to the USB controller's X/Y axes and first four buttons so as to keep the whole setup under one DirectInput ID.

Also, there's no way I would've left keyboard emulation on the SFS itself-especially with those bottom two side switches limited to program switching. Everything on there would have been a DirectInput button, and I might have even considered changing the outer rocker to a proper rotary and adding another axis that way.

During the time I did have it, though, I do have to say that the SFS Throttle did feel pretty good in my hands and had a nice, smooth throw. Same could be said of Suncom's sticks-I found an F-15 Hawk at a thrift store a while back, and while it was an extremely basic stick, it felt like they got the stick movement feel just right. It was also very ergonomic overall. Too bad that even the top shelf Eagle/Talon sticks are missing a few switches from the real F-15 stick (paddle switch, second trigger detent, the "button" on the left side of the shaft should be three-way).

Oh, I know what they are and they are hard to come by, hence the question.

There was a time - before Leo's interface - where people didn't know what to do with them, and they actually sold for quite cheap.
Now, you're lucky if you can get your hands on them for a reasonable price.
I am familiar with that link, but thanks for posting it. I have missed some updates.
Granbichus did quite a nice job on that Suncom Eagle.

+ 1.
Despite the needs for the mods to improve the working of the Cougar ( also i'm a nxt user with Cub pilot hall sensors), the Cougar with foxy its still for me unreplaceble.
My question is with the rudder control. Will it comes with a rudder device, i very much doubt that, in that case will they release a new rudder control not usb that can be plugged to the Hoyas Cougar or HOTAS Warthog?
I would like that in order to avoid using a usb port for an external rudder device, like i have to do now.

Are there any drawbacks to that?

I certainly hope they are using the heart technology - I have their cheap-o T-16000 and that 40 dollar stick is a more accurate (gunnery in IL2) stick when paired with my simpeds than my cougar ever was.

It almost rivals my CH fighterstick as far as getting bullets on the enemy - but the CH edges it out because of distinct X & Y axis gimbals reduce unintended control input.

This warthog needs better gimbals too. If anything, base it off gimbals you see in high end full ball bearing rc plane transmitters - much like CH but larger and stronger so we can extend the shaft if desired.

If bearings make end product over price point then toss bushing the user can upgrade with common bearing sizes. If anything, the mod community has shown people want higher quality components. The cougar looked high-end on the outside and was anything but that on the inside.

Four bearings in a 300/400 U$ stick don't have significant impact in cost.
Don't make sense today, after many issues with Cougar gimbal don't move to bearings use.
Logitech G940 have four in stick gimbal.

We need josyticks with excellent internal quality, not only with beautiful appearance.

Sokol1

Yea, now that I think about it, I agree. Bearings are so cheap these days it seems silly not to include them.

Looking at rc airplane radios for example, many people go through the trouble of voiding their warranty on a DX-7 ($220 radio) to replace gimbal bushings with a couple bucks worth of bearings.

Yes, using more usb ports than needed, and with so many usb thing today, sometime you start to get short on them. I dont have a usb hub, and will not get one neither .
Also, when i dont use the HOTAS i unplug it, with the rudder i dont have a choice that plug them in the back on the pc, and i can't unplug them easily.

I'm certainly expecting they have learned their lesson. They must have had thousands of warranty returns because of the poor quality pots and poor quality metal, that eventually caused major center play. Those two things were the biggest issues with Cougar.

I agree with everything here including the last part as most important. When you deal with cheap, low quality, Chinese metal forge operations then you get cheap, low quality Chinese goods. When you deal with good price point, good quality Chinese metal forge operations you still get cheap, low quality Chinese goods but you paid more for them.

The problem isn't that the Cougar was bad. For me it was a super piece of flight simulation gear that lasted quite a while for the money I paid when it was released. However it was a shot in the dark as to which type of metal the insides were going to be made from. For me mine must have been made on a great day where they paid more money to Joe Chinese metal chemist than the other days because it has worked great up until now. Now waiting on funds to make a U2Nxt purchase for my second Cougar or should I wait on the Warthog to see what they put inside the sucker. Funds are limited to one or the other and not both.

This is what I'm interested in, more specifically how far along in the development process are they, it seems a lot of people are offering their $.02 about gimbals/quality but this may be all moot points if the Warthog innards are already a done deal. Advertising has already begun, albeit in the early stages, not even a concept pic released yet. Remember the bare aluminum Cougar?