Fulcrum have released a preview of their upcoming Throttle Quadrant.
It looks to be in the same vein as the Fulcrum Yoke which features metal construction, industrial quality switchgear and emphasises sticking to the basics you really need, without any nonsensical unnecessary fancy extra doodads.
It looks particularly suitable for use in simpits.
Looks solid, but might be better suited if they added a flap lever on far right and speed breaks on far left rather than 6 throttle knobs.
âIndustrial quality switchgearâ, yeah, rightâŠ. One of the switches on my Fulcrum yoke failed within 3 months of purchasing. To their credit, the yoke handle was replaced. However, this replacement also suffers from an intermittently failing hat switch from since the day I first used it.
Iâve been following this for a while now. This video is very similar to a previous one they released but it has a big of extra detail and probably closer to the final product. I was hoping that the handle variations would be tool less but it seems they still have the screws holding them on. This thing will rock. All metal mechanism, Hall effect sensors and a nice realistic size for easy mounting. I was previously told a mid year release so things have delayed a little to Q4.
Iâd be surprised if it werenât true. Even the much cheaper Gladiator with much greater number of buttons is marketed as having Alps Alpine switches, which would qualify under âindustrial quality switchgearâ. And in that case visual inspection of the switches seems to check out too (they seem to be these ones: SKHH Series - Basic information (alpsalpine.com)).
Fulcrum is more expensive hardware from another boutique brand, I doubt they would skimp on the switches. But that doesnât mean they canât botch them buttons with installation⊠A teardown review of these would be interesting though.
The switches on the Fulcrum yoke are nice other than the hat switch implementation which uses 4 little board mounted push buttons and a plastic cap. I guess the issue hear is the cost of a decent quality self contained hat switch. They are not that common in aircraft and therefore pricey. The great thing about the Fulcrum is itâs quite modular so the cover on that side could be replaced for something that mounts another switch if you wanted to spend extra on it.
You mean thereâs a plastic cap connected to a rod that goes through a slot in the PCB surrounded by 4 perpendicularly mounted switches? Thatâs pretty normal (near-universal?) arrangement for game controller hat. VKB does that too.
Just to add, both VirtualFly TQ6+ and Fulcrum One Throttle requires screws for handle variation
Seams two very nice products
Quick search for current prices (public prices) :
VirtualFly TQ6+ : 558⏠/ $597
Fulcrum One Throttle : 410⏠/ $439
VirtualFly TQ6+ :
Fulcrum One Throttle (no real picture of the final product) :
Yes it may be normal for a game controller but not for a higher quality aviation switch was my point. The manufacturer has to decide what to use but as I said the Fulcrum would be an easier upgrade than most because the plate where this is mounted is removable. I had a small issue with mine but I re-adjusted the hat position and itâs been fine since.
Although there are screws on the VF TQ3 & TQ6 I havenât seen VF offer any additional handles. I canât say Iâm super excited about the handles shown in the latest Fulcrum renders but I will reserve judgement until I see the actual ones nearer the release. They have been talking about a different interchangeable yoke design for a while so I suppose there is scope to produce different handle sets after the TQ is released.
This is now in Kickstarter with a few more details. Looking like it will end up a high quality product, just like their yoke!
Fulcrum One Throttle by FULCRUM SIMULATOR CONTROLS LTD â Kickstarter
Major update to Fulcrum One Kickstarter! - Fulcrum Simulator Controls - The AVSIM Community
They have just announced a jet handle pack with TOGA, reversers etc and I know from communications that other handle packs are also touted. Iâm just not sure about the method chosen for swapping the handles. Is it just me or do others not want to have to get a tool out and risk loosing a screw just to swap handles.
Looks good enough for me. I have chipped in to the kickstarter.
All I need now is for them to make some pedals with a toe brake.
At least they have the option to swap out lever tops as not all do. I had the Bravo for a short time but wasnât too fussed about the feel of it - too much plastic and didnât feel robust enough. I currently have a Virpril control panel (CP3) with exchangeable lever tops which are also fastened in place with screws and it feels much more solid for it.
They have thrown another add on Youtube:
I have commited to this needs more support , really hope it gets the backing , have the yoke fantastic pice of kit , lets get behind this and support one of our own . Just look at video in the link .
Didnt make kickstart requirement of 50k only made shy of 18k in pledges , however they still intend to go ahead , maybe at a reduced pace good luck and i await there product .
Itâs a shame but I think folks need to see a closer look at what they will be getting. Not sure Kickstarter was right. I still have a firm belief that it will be a quality product when finally released. I sure hope they can get close to the original schedule.
I think the idea of the Kickstarter was to avoid customers having to pre-order and then have a long wait till there particular product reached the top of the list at which point they paid for it and it was shipped. I think I had a 6 month wait for my yoke (I believe now the wait is more like 4 or 5 weeks ? not sure) . The kickstarter would have provided funding to allow the first batch of orders to roll out immediately the design was right to go ahead.
They will still make it, it will probably just be the same process as the current yoke, put in a pre-order and go on the waiting list and when one is avaialble you pay for it and it ships.
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