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ThrustMaster HOTAS 2000
By Len "Viking1" HjalmarsonProduct Name: HOTAS 2000
Category: Controllers - HOTAS
Developer: ThrustMaster
Release Date: No Release Date Specified
Minimum Spec: USB
Article Date: March 29th, 2001
ThrustMaster is something of a legend in the flight simulation community. Those "in the know" know that the F22 Pro and TQS were the hottest flight controllers ever unleashed on the world.
I first entered the ThrustMaster universe around 1993 with the F16 FLCS. Not long afterward the TQS was released, and then the F22 Pro. The FLCS was almost identical in appearance to the F22 Pro, but it used much softer springs.
The introduction of the TQS, replacing the aging WCS, was a marvelous leap ahead in HOTAS technology. For the first time, a pilot could not only access virtually any keystroke without taking his hands off his controllers, he could even use the trackball to scroll around the screen or move a cursor over a target to get a radar lock. It was fantastic technology, and became even more important as cockpits became mouseable.
Onward and Upward
The challenge: to take the best flight sticks in the world and make them better. That was the proposition facing the ThrustMaster team as they considered how to bring the F22 Pro and TQS into the new millennium.
Prototypes of the new HOTAS
While the F22/TQS combination has long been the HOTAS of choice among serious sim pilots, advanced programming can be daunting and the spring resistance of the F22 makes it tiring to use for extended periods of time. This was especially true with WWII combat aircraft where the fighting requires constant maneuvering.
Since converting my old F22 Pro and TQS to the digital standard using Bob Church’s upgrade system, I’ve had more use than ever from my old gear. But while the digital upgrade improves the old HOTAS considerably, it won’t come near the functional and programming improvements of HOTAS 2000.
Digital Stability
Although I love the F22/TQS combination, stability has been a serious issue. The digital upgrade solved that problem neatly.
But I'm still running through the old game port, and that is about as inefficient as one can get. HOTAS 2000 will be fully USB, finally saying goodbye to the game port. There are other advantages to USB, and those will become apparent further in this article. Contrary to online uncertainty, the HOTAS 2000 will be USB ONLY. This means that the new gear won’t mix with the old.
Close up of the business end.
Other improvements include a major move to metal. The old design had a plastic axis that would wear away on the metal gimbal mount; the central axis is now made of metal.
ThrustMaster users are familiar with the excellent Fox Two Pro software package designed by Dr. James Hallows. Dr. Hallows is hard at work on conversion and the addition of new features for the new gear. He comments,
ThrustMaster stated very clearly to me that we're going back to what ThrustMaster is all about. Everything about the new gear is to be superior to current HOTAS systems—whether it be from design, structural, or microelectronics and programmability/features points of view. Our brief was to come up with the most programmable and hardcore design ever. We discussed what file structure to use for programmed commands at great length: the advantages and disadvantages of staying with text files, trying to introduce more structure to them, going with database style files, compiled files, etc., to benefit GUI interfaces.
People had requested that we try to maintain the style of syntax and file layout used with current TM controllers, but now supported from a Windows interface. Obviously Fox Two Professional fulfils the requirement and has proven itself to be a popular and very complete interface, serving beginners and hardcore users alike. Therefore the application that will ship with the controllers is based upon Fox Two Professional, with new interface features.
More Flexible, More Powerful
HOTAS 2000 will be even more powerful than the old gear. A microstick unit is being used to replace the old eraser-head track ball. The unit is a miniature programmable joystick built into the programmable joystick.
The old eraser-head was basically an 8-way hat. The microstick is like two pots on different axes, and has no restrictions as to angle of movement. More precision and more speed: values appreciated by virtual pilots as well as those in actual combat.
Old and New
Several changes have been made to the stick layout. First, the head on the stick has been enlarged to properly replicate the F-16 Block 50 control stick. The pinky trigger is longer and the hats, switches, and buttons have been repositioned. The most noticeable change is the position of the thumb hats. The face of the stick is larger, allowing spacing of the hat switches to be increased.
The Six Million Dollar HOTAS?
Better, faster, stronger . . . The onboard processor at 24 MHz is three times faster than the third party digital upgrade, and the unit has five times the storage capacity. When combined with the new software, this equates to greater programming flexibility and no delays when sending control signals.
The precision of the new set-up is more than four times that of the original. In fact, while USB devices will auto-calibrate, the new gear will include a powerful calibration program. The precision of the new hardware is so advanced that the smallest calibration error will be easily noticed. Calibration will include upper, lower, and center deadzone adjustment, centering, trim, and even adjustable performance curves.
The new TQS, this time in metal and with a microstick.
There has been some misinformation with regard to the potentiometers. A digital pot is a normal pot, but the information output is worked over by a processor prior to its use, in a manner similar to the re-recording of analog records. The “scratches” are removed from the signal and the signal is digitally enhanced.
The new HOTAS will ship with three spring sets, so moving between jet and prop combat will no longer mean physiotherapy afterwards. The default spring tension will be similar to the old F22 Pro, but from there the user can adjust downwards by using a different spring set.
Pedals and Sticks: Maximum Flexibility
New rudder pedals will also appear, this time with individual digital toe brakes. Output will be selectable for analog or digital on the rudder axis. Attention to quality is paramount, and virtual civil pilots as well as combat simulation fans will finally have the most flexible rudders for their favorite aircraft! ThrustMaster comments,
“We’ve got a working prototype which is useful to test with the new HOTAS set, but the mechanical aspect isn’t satisfying, so we have to redesign elements of it. The new rudder is a real 3 analogue axis controller: rudder axis, left toe brake and right toe brake. To make the older TM rudders (RCS, Elite) compatible with the new HOTAS (which is obviously USB), we have chosen to give the customer the ability to plug the 15 pin connection of their older rudder into the base of the HOTAS. The HOTAS will digitize the signal and send it via its USB port. If you want to use the new rudders with any other controllers, you will have to use an adapter which will be provided with the rudder.”
The big news for many is the new mounting system, designed to offer interchangeable handles so that the virtual pilot can swap sticks to match aircraft. Pilots will finally have maximum realism and maximum control all at the same time. Possible selections include the F/A-18, F22, Eurofighter, MiG 29 and Su27 Flanker.
James Hallows comments on programming features in use . . .
To finalize the feature set I've drawn upon the capabilities of the current TM setups, my flying experiences, my own wish list, the requests I've had from Fox Two Professional users, ideas we've generated and more. I’ve tried to come up with the definitive feature for any HOTAS you could imagine.
Let's say that I'm flying along in my trusty Spitfire, and I'm levelled off at 10,000 feet. Unfortunately, she still wants to climb when I take my hands off the controls, and worse, I don't have any trim controls. Hmm . . . getting a bit tiring just pushing the stick forward all the time to keep her level. No worries though . . . I've programmed the hat so I can adjust the joystick trim . . . great, now I can hold altitude with my hands off the controls, even though the sim thinks I'm actually pushing the stick forward!
Digital Foxy
Fox Two Pro Composer
Suddenly, I spot an Me-109 coming out of the clouds right behind me! Dang! I immediately press a button, canceling the trim, and changing the response curves of my joystick, so that I only need to move it slightly for the sim to see full deflection . . . a quick flick of the wrist and I'm inverted and pulling into a favourite manoeuvre . . . combat flaps out from another button. To order my wingman to engage requires me to press something like four different keys in a certain order. I've programmed that wingman instruction so that it can't be interfered with by other buttons/characters that I might press in between.
50 years on and I'm now in my Harrier, autopilot on, looking down at my MFD, and assigning my target. Using the microstick on my throttle, I get the cursor quickly onto my target, but damn it . . . it won't lock onto the target . . . I'm battling to move the cursor constantly whilst trying to maintain my target selection. I need a more sensitive control. A flick of a switch, and I can now control the mouse with the joystick . . . that's better . . . if I wanted I could fly my bird off autopilot with my thumb on the microstick . . . but for now I'll leave the autopilot on.
Okay, target acquired. I'll lase the target and let my wingman do the business. While I'm here I could use the mouse to look around and admire the scenery. For fun, I've also programmed one of the hats to control the mouse, but in a different way, so I can push the hat to the right and let go, and the mouse will be seen as constantly moving to the right . . . a nice panning view.
Close up of TQS
Does all this mean that the gear will be too complicated? James Hallows comments:
Connectivity issues just aren't there. And the DOS software has finally died. The controllers will ship with files for most simulations that are out there. Obviously, if you're using someone else's files then no matter how complex they are, they'll be easy to use as there's barely anything involved in getting them into your controllers. If you can install a flight sim, you can certainly download a file into your stick :) If you want to use your sticks so that the flight sim assigns all of the controls, then hey, you just plug them into a USB socket and that's it—you're up and running.
For the people who really do want to make their controllers sing and dance, then either they will already have some TM programming knowledge so the new aspects will be very easy to pick up, or they'll be new to TM programming, and just like many many people before them, Foxy, along with its wizards, GUI features, help file and supporting documentation, will get them up and running very quickly.
Digital Foxy Editor
You see there really isn't anything very difficult about programming using text files. If I want a particular button (BTN) called S2 on my joystick to turn the autopilot on, which I'd normally have to press the "a" key for, then the following statement will do this for me:
BTN S2 a
With a text file it's great because you see the whole programming structure all at once. If you wanted to swap the statements say between one hat and another, between Hat 2 and Hat 3 for example, you don't need to reprogram all the statements for each hat, because it's text you just swap the "2" and "3"s around. A statement like
BTN S2 SWAP(Y,TRTL)
would allow you to swap the Y axis with the throttle during flight, if for some reason you wanted to control the Y axis with the throttle.
It’s very simple and quick. Foxy will throw these into graphical layouts for you if you prefer to see them like that. It'll walk you through anything complicated. All any user will need to do with the new controllers is put in a little bit of time reading the manual, and play around with the files they will ship with.
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