I recently purchased a Thrustmaster Boeing Yoke and looks like I will be returning it as it cannot fit my existing desk (my table top is too thick — see attached pics), and I do not want to buy a new desk just on account of this yoke.
I am now thinking of the Honeycomb Alpha yoke, but am thinking I may run into the exact same issue, given that my quick search in this forum threw up some threads on this. However, these posts do not seem to specify the table dimensions required in order for the yoke to be suitable.
Attached are pics of my table top and its relevant measurements.
Can someone who is familiar with the Honeycomb Alpha yoke please help to tell me whether it can fit this table? By fit, I mean, clamped onto it securely.
I am on the Xbox platform and researching this point in anticipation of the Honeycomb Alpha yoke being released for Xbox soon. I am assuming that the Alpha yoke currently being used for PC will have similar dimensions, so for those of you on PC who are already using the Alpha, I hope you can throw some light on this issue to help me evaluate its suitability for my table. Cheers!
PS: I’ve in tandem also sent an email to Honeycomb on this too and as of time of writing, am still waiting for a reply. Will update once I receive a reply (if at all they reply).
I have both the honeycomb alpha and the honeycomb bravo attached to my desk. Through a series of events I actually replaced my desktop with a second desktop, and ultimately did away with the clamps, by screwing the pads directly to the desktop and then attaching the alpha and bravo units. I did this primarily to get additional clearance underneath for a sliding keyboard and mouse pad drawer.
If you don’t want to go so far as to permanently attach the pads to the desk, each of the units also have a sticky round adhesive pad, that I believe is considered temporary. Since my desk is committed to flight simulation, I had no concerns, once I determined the exact position I wanted them, in attaching them directly to the desktop with some screws.
You dont need the clamps. The suction cup on the bottom of Honeycomb is sufficient as long as the surface you initially mount it on is clean. I’m in the same situation only in that using the clamps would prohibit me from being able to slide my keyboard in and out.
Thanks for your reply. Just curious, what prompted you to do away with the clamps? If it’s a table thickness issue, would you know what is the permissible range for the clamps to be able to be used?
PS: You’ve got a nice set up! I’m just starting and only just getting my first peripheral!
I can’t really answer the depth of clamp question, since I’ve removed mine long ago. I’m sure there are stuffed in a cabinet somewhere. I also seem to remember seeing someone on the internet made a larger clamp, because of your very concern. You might try a deep Google search and come up with those.
The reason I did away with them, was not because they wouldn’t open enough for my desktop, but instead because I didn’t want anything hanging down underneath so I could install my sliding keyboard and mouse tray without any conflict.
I used the factory clamps initially, until I decided where I wanted everything mounted, as I knew that I would not mount them tight together but instead with a gap between, but I wasn’t sure initially how big that gap should be. Once I decided where I wanted them, I committed them down with screws.
My desk was designed as a corner unit, but the curvature filled up quickly, so I actually put a different desktop over the top of the original desk, and I suppose technically the whole thing could be removed as one if I wanted to. You can see between the stream deck, the alpha, the bravo, and my heavy equipment panel (which I use exclusively to control the cameras in MSFS2020), I quickly ran out of space.
Funny thing about the XL clamps, their range does not begin from where the regular clamps end. The regular clamps were too small for my desk while the XL were too big! But it wasnt a big issue to find a suitable spacer.
Thank you so much for pulling this up! That certainly helps for my case. It says shopping to US & Canada only, so I just it’s available in retail in my neck of the woods, Singapore. Will look it up. Thanks again for that pointer! Cheers!
I notice Honeycomb does not give detailed measurements of all the relevant dimensions. Although thickness of table top would seem to be addressed by this XL clamp, I can’t tell how far deep laterally from the table edge the clamp contact point rests, and given that my table has a support bar (shown in a the 2nd pic of my OP), the lateral depth clearance inwards from table edge needs to be a total of at least 4.5cm (~2 inches).
Have had both my Alfa and Bravo secured to my desktop for a year now with the suction cup, or its rather some sort of special sticky plastic that clings to the table.
Have had to remove it once and it is really stuck there but managed in the end without damaging the surface of the table.
But you’ll not get the clamps over the bar under the desk I’m afraid. Sorry for the “mouse writing”
EDIT - I think you would be able to “get away with” clamping in front of the bar - the discs on the clamps are 30mm diameter and you’ve got 25mm according to your picture - I think that will work, although it will mean the yoke will stick forward a little bit out from the edge of the desk
And when you remove it once, and later wish to re-attach it again, would that adversely affect its stickiness in future? —that is, does it lose its stickiness after that removal?
Oh, this is most helpful! Thanks! It somewhat answered my questions.
You’re right, I won’t be able to clear the bar to attach the clamp further inside.
Your suggestion may work, since the center of the clamp column may rest within the 2.5cm I have on the edge.
Alternatively, I’m not sure if I could also consider clamping onto the bar itself, although that would just have 2.0cm.
Sigh, this is so difficult to evaluate. I don’t know why these products are not created with more flexibility in mind. The XL clamp measurements are too large for my table since the clamp range is from 8-13cm.
On my desk which is a cheep IKEA desk with the thick (like yours) tabletop white with a smooth but Matt finish I had no problems reatatching it again.
Honeycomb I think are the ones that have stated that it is not permanent but I think it is more because they are worried about how the sticky surface might impact the desk surface over time and thus risk liability.
You could place a block of wood under the desk and clamp it to the desk with the XL clamps if they extend far enough back beyond the bar? Maybe like this:
EDIT - I think your best option would be to clamp in front of the bar - I’m sure that will give you sufficient grip, and remember that the flat base of the yoke will be on the table, and if you leave the plastic cover on the sticky pad, that plastic cover actually gives reasonable purchase itself anyway.
At the back of the yoke, there are thumbscrews that you use to tighten the yoke against the base - these push the base of yoke down onto the desk surface as well, creating a sort of clamping action at the back of the yoke. It makes it all very sturdy.
Many thanks for the suggestions. I agree with you that the best option would be to just use the default clamps in front of the bar by the table edge - there should be enough grip allowance. Or else, just use the sticky pad with the thumbscrews at the back of the yoke as you mentioned (thanks for pointing these out too). I feel more assured giving this yoke another look. Meantime I shall just wait for the Xbox version to be released.
You have been most helpful, mate, and I do appreciate you taking time to provide the info, suggestions, and sketch
I had a piece of wood under the brackets in my office since desk was not thick enough. However, the unit itself is very big, and I needed my desk space back. Some people reporting issues with HC units, believe that is the newer units being delivered, but HC is not responding to the help being asked for, according to some posts. Suggest you buy on amazon or other place with very good return policy. They most likely are being inundated by users asking stuff easily found on Internet. Although some actual physical defects have been pictured here, and well, quality is not what is was in the beginning. I only see the problems in the Other new yoke/throttle unit you tried. Other options are way more expensive. Logitech is cheap junk, but buy the best quality stuff you can afford, you will use it for years. Metal lasts, plastic well not so much.
I would watch Simhanger’s video on the unboxing and setup to see how it’s done and get ideas from it.
If you got the money, Virpil TM-3 Throttle unit is a smaller, better built device, and I wrote and posted an Indepth setup article on how to do it. So, I did the trial and error, and all get to benefit from that. It’s easy in MSFS, and X-Plane. In Virpil unit, YOU get to configure each and every button push, and can customize it to exactly how you fly. Excellent quality. Honeycomb provides some profiles, but it takes over some mouse actions away and binds them into the Bravo device, without telling you, drove me nuts trying to figure out.
FSX well, it will not work well in there, because of the Windows Calibration limit of 32 physical buttons, V-Joy and that other program muddy the water more. VIrpil has checkbox in software to allow more than 32 physical buttons by making them keystrokes. That works fine until you bump your throttle and actuate a button configured in game, windows thinks a keystroke happened, and your e-mail closes or something. I am thinking FSX may have outlived its usefulness, but not going to be quick about it, and can setup on old laptop with old JS and it works fine.
Just measured my desk and it is slightly thinner than your desk and it only just fits round the wood and the metal bar if I go in at an angle with the clamps on mine, so using the clamps it wouldn’t fit your desk unfortunately.
I’m sure I saw they had released some wider clamps for it now to get round this issue.
I don’t used the desk clamps on my desk. I only use the microsuction pad. I can’t use the clamps, because I have a pullout keyboard (midi keyboard controller) that I refuse to constantly move when I want to fly – or later make music. Granted, my desktop surface is a bamboo lift desk that is VERY VERY smooth and accepts the microsuction quite nicely. I never have to pull or push on the yoke so much that it comes loose. Your desk laminate looks pretty smooth.
