Virpil Controls - My review and Experience - Long Post

User Support Hub Hardware & Peripherals
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This is not an advertisement or endorsement of this company, this is a report mostly on my experience with them, customer support, and the difficulties experienced with my order, shipping, etc. I like their stuff, customer service on the other hand was medium to poor. I will explain below.

Virpil Controls – Information for all

Website: VIRPIL Controls - Home (virpil-controls.eu) – This is the worldwide site to order from.

Create account, this allows you to track orders etc., and gets you support quicker. Although, they are 7 hours behind me, so we play time zone tag when trying to resolve issues. Be aware of that if you are unsure of which products to order.

Products: Joysticks (grips), Bases, rudder pedals, etc.

My experience: I live in the USA Southeastern Part of country. Virpil is located in Lithuania, so a far piece to order from why would I do so.

The quality of the equipment is 1st Class, all metal, or rigid glass reinforced plastic molding for grips, you can hit them with a hammer and they most likely will not break. The internals are also heavy metal, good springs, and double soldered connections it appears. You do NOT get Allen wrenches to assemble/remove covers for spring/cam replacement. Take note, and most likely all metric, if you don’t have good metric Allen set, get the ball end type, at Lowe’s or Home Depot.

Some cautions, make sure you order the correct desk mount, as the “MINI” mount will not work for either base. You want as a minimum this one: VIRPIL Controls - VPC Desk Mount V3 - S (virpil-controls.eu)

I ordered the Mongoose base, the VFC grip, and mistakenly ordered the mini mount instead of the one above. The mini mount is about 40 dollars US, to return it you have 14 days, you must tell them you are returning anything. FedEx shipping BACK to them with about a 4-6lb box 9.5x9.5x6” was between 140-315 us dollars as calculated on FedEx’s website or my local shipping store. I kept the mini mount and ordered the correct one. The Mini mount is for the keyboard or the MFC backplate items. Be aware of this.

Virpil was advised of the problem as soon as I realized the base would not mount to the bracket, their response was, “oh you ordered the wrong one”, be advised the website did NOT inform me of that one not working on the base I ordered. Neither base would mount to it. I have to spend 100.00 more (including shipping) to get the correct mount. In our e-mail chain, I asked is their any discounts, or special accommodation because you guys don’t tell me what is needed, NO, NO DISCOUNTS. Also have not heard if they are going to expediate order so I can use the stuff I purchased, so not real keen on their customer service. If present order, manufacturer, shipping timeline is maintained, I will be able to use the stuff I ordered back in October by March or April. So not happy with them over this. Customer service is not their strong suit for the average person, their “reviewers on YouTube” get special treatment I think, plus bet they get better pricing than you and I do.

As noted, ad nauseum the supply channel/peripherals, PC Parts, i.e., Video Cards, Processors, Motherboards, all of it, is back logged for months. MSFS did not in and of itself do this, COVID-19 did this and the arcane restrictions governments are and have placed on the citizenry to “so call protect them”. As my financial advisors say, politicians need to it seems be doing something even if that something is killing people’s livelihood, destroying economies, and the subsequent lives of said population they control. We did not do this for smallpox, Seasonal Flu (death rates are almost the same as Covid), venereal disease, measles, or other contagious diseases. They did for the 1918-1923 Spanish flu to some degree, but most of the populations lived in rural areas, not packed into cities like now.

But I digress, I will order the Rudder Pedals from them later this year, even though they are way more expensive possibly than honeycomb, why, they are all metal construction, and will last me for the rest of my life, or the life of Simulator flying anyway. But going in, I will know exactly which model of them I am ordering, because to return anything, is problematic at best.

You can see videos of how-to setup and configure the software, assembly the various base and grips, brackets, here, I have included several links. Hope this helps anyone thinking about this company, know they are built stronger than Logitech, Honeycomb, and maybe even Virtual Fly. Good Products, ■■■■■■ customer service. But, would rather keep Europeans working than china.

(102) VIRPIL QUICK START GUIDE AND HOW TO (SOFTWARE TO GAME INSTRUCTIONS) - YouTube

(102) Virpil WarBRD Base with V.F.X. F14 Grip quick review and set up - YouTube

(102) Install Virpil software Tutorial - YouTube – Watch this one first – NOTE BRICK UNIT if you don’t do it correctly

(102) Set-up and configure Virpil joystick/base tutorial - YouTube

(102) Virpil attaching grip and extensions tutorial - VPC - YouTube

One final thing, no manuals are included, nor the software, both need to be downloaded from their website. Another step needed to jump through. The videos above will show you how to install, and configure the software and the devices.

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I am using their CM2 throttle and the Alpha stick (grip + base) since September 2020 and I am still really impressed. Very solid hardware and software … even when the software takes some getting used to.

I tried to document some of my ideas related to key/button bindings here:

and here …

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I also use Virpil equiment: CM3 Throttle, Constellation Alpha stick with extension, mounting racks.

I can only repeat what others said before: very solid built quality. It appears to me that the company was or is also a player in real world aviation equipment. Both throttle and stick feel like very serious, real world parts!

It the TM Warthog stick is the Mercedes among joysticks, Virpil is the Maybach…

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How is the CM3? It’s back ordered for a while, but I bought a VKB side stick, and the Virpil CM3 looks like it fixed the CM2s shortcomings.

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I like it! The mechanical detents are sturdy and very much customizable. I still have to figure out how I can map the TBM 930 reverse thrust to them. Will report once I succeed.

The biggest change besides the detents is the levers themselves: they are almost an inch longer, giving the levers more travel, for even more precise input.

Else, they did a number of minor improvements: the flaps lever now has a more tactile surface, the slider on the front (ring finger operated) has more resistance and a more tactile center detent, the rotaries changed in form, the pin to connect left and right lever has an improved mechanism and the unit now comes with two pages of translucent decals for the 6 square buttons.

But the best is indeed the detent system. Makes the whole unit look more technical and more serious. But then: all their products look serious, like they come strait out of a MIG or something - they certainly don’t look like toys!

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The physical detents are just sexy and look amazing. Also the longer throw of the throttle.

Tossed between ordering and waiting or scooping up someone’s used cm2 that is ■■■■■■ the cm3 came out four seconds later :joy:

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Check this: Throttle in MSFS 2020: How can I adjust the reverse throttle? - Tech Support - VIRPIL Controls

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Thanks for the link! Those recommendations worked. Quite some fiddling with calibration software and physical detent positions, but I got it working!

What is still a mystery to me: why are there two boxes for each controller command in FS2020? So far, I am only using the left box for my assignments, but the second input box must be there for a reason.

Any thoughts?

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Alternative input for same command.
Though it is less relevant when each controller has its own binding set.
In other games where all controllers bindings are in one big list, it is useful to have two fields for same command, where you can bind a button on a controller and a key on keyboard (or other button on other controller).

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Makes sense now.
Thanks!

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2 cell columns.

These appear to be functionally different when binding a throttle type axis.
Bind to the left column and you get full range.
Bind to the right column and it splits the axis range +50%/-50% if I remember correctly.

There is a visual cue to this. When you bind to the right it then also duplicates the input to the left column.

There are also multiple axis TYPES which are functionally different.
(Example) “Throttle 1 Axis” and “Throttle 1 Axis 0-100%”

I guess the idea is that combinations of these would make reverse thrust on axis (without button) possible.

I played with it for a bit but there isn’t any documentation and zendesk support haven’t been very helpful (“ask the community”)

A 50/50 split on the CM2 or CM3 throttle is not all that helpful. I found that the throw length of the physical throttle just isn’t enough for fine adjustment in the positive (+50%) range and that the -50% negative range was way more than needed to activate thrust reverser functionality.

Couldn’t find any way to adjust this through game settings but a +85%/-15% would probably work nicely for reverse thrust>shutdown.

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In MSFS2020 they appear to have made the two cells functionally different with regards axes.

A throttle axis bind to right cell duplicates into left cell and appears to inhibit range or create a +50/-50 axis split.

For key/button/trigger the functionality is as expected from other games and as you have described.

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I asume you use Virpil CM2 or CM3? If so, you can define point of axis travel that is supposed to be the center (value 0). Asuming that 0 - minus 16.000 is for the reverser, this range can be set to be just the first inch of thorttle travel. The rest (0 - 16.000) would be normal thrust, with much more travel.

On the CM3 you only have to play around with the physical position of the revers detent, so that it all fits.

I set up my CM3 like this for the TBM and it works just as it should. At the detent I‘m in idle, when I pull the detent levers I can go into reverse (or, when the TMB lever is on the right side of the H I can cut off the engine)

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I purchased their rudders pedal in June of last Year and was finally able to get them connected to my X-Plane 11 System the first of April this Year. Virpil provided me with a user that walked me through the procedure. However, I have also purchased MSFS 2020 and again cannot get the connected and configured.
I had a $500 paper weight until April. Once connected and configured that are great and should be considering the cost. Virpil has assured me that many of the clients that fly msfs 2020 are using this product. Have you purchased/ received/installed your rudder pedals from them and DO THEY WORK?
If so can you assist me in the configuration process?

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I have not purchased the rudder pedals yet, so no help here. Would be interested in any information related to them, so will watch this thread again.

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As Stated, I ordered and received the TM-3 Throttle unit. First, it’s top quality, very solid, I have been using since December 2021. I might tighten the nuts for the throttle handles a smidge. Configuring is also easy. One Suggestion, if multiple simulators, try to make a written list of which button does what, and then program it the same way in all of them. That is what I did for XP and MSFS (MSFS off PC now). So mostly in XP and FSX. One caveat, FSX and possibly DCS and also maybe P3DVX, all might or do have a physical 32 button limit. That can be gotten around with a checkbox in the profile section of the Virpil Software, but I have yet to get it to work like I think it should. The documentation for that checkbox is not explained clearly, nor are/is there any videos on YT showing how to do it. In an older version of the SW, there was another way to do that, which assigned a keystroke to that button/switch, that worked way better in my opinion. I am not going to retrograde my SW package for that reason, so in those sims, I use the equivalent keyboard key to make something work, i.e., G for landing gear extend/retract. I sent them an e-mail asking for an explanation, but the answer was less than forthcoming.

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Update Sorta, still MSFS off PC, moved homes, current internet is 3MBPS, so way to slow to DL MSFS again.
But did order and received Monster Tech Flight Chair. I also ordered the Mouse extension Table, and the necessary hardware per side for my TM-3 Throttle and my VFX Mongoose base/grip. I have tested them after reinstalling software and they both work with FSX. I have not tried in XP-11 yet. But one thing I did do is order the necessary swivel adapter so I can easily swing out of the way all those devices when doing office type work. I will report on how that works down the line. One additional thing, I ordered the extra wiring kit, and it comes with a multiport hub from anker. I have not gotten it installed again, awaiting the swivel adapters so I get the wiring spacing set correctly one time. The chair is very supportive, and bigger in real life than the specifications say. It takes some getting used to, as you can lock up most move options, set them your way first.