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Release
Dates SimHQ
TV

Feature
January 31,
2006

The CH Products Pro Throttle

with the "Semi-Franken Potato" Mod

by Guest Writer "Bill
Son of Hew" Hewett

Introduction

Anyone who has
spent any time around the SimHQ and CH Hanger forums
well knows the affable and most helpful Ken “531
Ghost” King. A hands on, ‘can do’, type of
former Marine (aren’t we all?), Ken molds
the materials he has at hand into unique and
highly functional forms. Note his ever-evolving
gaming cockpit, commenced with an old daisy wheel printer
stand, as a prime example. Although a left
coaster by current location, he has a lot of
home grown Yankee frugality and ingenuity
about him.

So it was natural given Ken’s
close ties with the fine folks at CH Products that
he push the envelope of their Pro Throttle.
Now, as Ken is quick to point out, no
modification is required of the works first
time, every time, CH Products gear, but in his words “I
had the time and curiosity, so why not?” And so the
“Franken Potato” was born. First, some
insight into the naming convention of his
brainchild, Franken Potato (FP). “Potato”
was the original CH Products marketing code name for the Pro
Throttle, and of course “Franken” is an
abbreviation for the somewhat similarly
talented Dr. Frankenstein. In essence,
breathing new life into an already solid form. Or, if you
prefer, one heck of a monster device. Secondly,
Ken was a primary beta tester, and some
would say evangelist, for CH’s inspired
follow on Throttle Quadrant (TQ). Combining the best
of both into one device was Ken’s goal, and by the end
of this user’s review I feel confident you
will agree that he well accomplished the
mission.

There are actually two variants of
the FP, the full blown device that utilizes
many of the TQ’s capabilities by way of base
switches and rotaries, and the “semi-FP” as
I call mine which adds just the rotaries.
Lack of rotaries has long been one of my few complaints and
wish list items for the Pro Throttle, so
gaining same by way of the semi-FP was a big
plus for me. The FP and semi-FP essentially
add the Printed Circuit Board (PCB) from the TQ into the form
fit of the FP and then additional rotary and
toggle switches are installed and connected
to this card. A discrete USB interface is
connected to the TQ PCB, but thanks to the miracle of CH
Products (Bob Church’s) CM4.0 (controller
management software, both devices are
readily seen and may be easily
programmed.

It's Alive!

So then, without further ado, let’s
get down to the far more interesting pictures
worth 1024 words.

Throttle
Quadrant PCB mounting to the base of the Pro
Throttle.

Ken utilized Velcro as an easy and
efficient means to mount the TQ PCB to the
base of the Pro Throttle. The base real
estate shown was vacant, flat, and is well
out of the way of the throttle’s moving parts.

The Pro Throttle grip
modified to accept rotary switches.

Ken meticulously reams holes for two
rotary switches and a relocated
communication hatswitch. The primary rotary
occupies the former commswitch location, with
that switch moved, unobtrusively, to the backside of the
throttle grip. Although now non
realistically located, in practice the
commswitch is more intuitive, as it directly maps the
vertical positions to the CH Print sheet. Up is truly
up and down is truly down. I find that I’m
able to elicit the comm. functions with the
base of my thumb and therefore just as quick
to operate as in its stock position. The index rotary
is suitably wide and very Cougar-like in location and
function. The pinky rotary is slightly wider
and the finger falls naturally in place. All
in all, a very ergonomic modification.

The
assembled Semi-Franken Potato.

Note in the above figures the
additional USB cable for the TQ PCB. Also
the natural pinky finger location of the
secondary rotary and thumb elicited Commswitch relocation.

Rotary Pot Wire
Orientation.

Ken well employs the Old Corps
K.I.S.S principle. Nothing fancy, but it
gets the job done, and done right.

As for the Franken-Potato III
modification, this includes six two-way
“flipper” switches. These are the same
switches you will find on the CH Products Throttle
Quadrant. If you are familiar with CH Products Control
Manager v4.0 and higher, you’ll find a “List
Mode”. “List Mode” allows for any
button/switch to be pressed/toggled up to
thirty-two times and will (upon release of the same
button/switch) cause up to sixty-four different things
you may program to happen. For instance, as
Ken has indicated to me, in his Falcon 4.0
(pick a flavor) map he has them assigned to
the start sequence of the F16. Coincidentally there are
twenty four steps in starting the F16 in Falcon
4.0. Basically, flip the switches (left to
right) twice in the up direction and twice
in the down direction. And with the movement of
the throttle at the proper moment, engine started!

In order not to damage any other
components of the ProThrottle, it must be
completely disassembled. Once disassembled
the switches are then centered along the centerline
of the two case halves and holes are then bored to
accommodate the switches:

Portions of the upper case halves
ribs are also removed to accommodate the
circuit board the switches are hardwired
to.

Once the necessary cutting and
boring is complete the switches are then fit
into place:

After the switches are placed into
the bottom portion of the case the upper
portion is lowered to check for fit, form,
and, function.

Conclusion

My Semi-FP, pridefully signed by its
creator, although I had hoped for 007
(virtually licensed to kill). By way of
logistics, it was simplicity itself. I
simply packed up my Pro Throttle in its original box, shock
isolated within an outer box, and entrusted
shipment to the USPS’ first class postage
from coast to coast. Accompanying the
hardware was my bank check as very reasonable remuneration
for Ken’s time and materials. By special
arrangement, the TQ PCB comes fresh from CH
Products, just down the road apiece from
Ken’s hooch, and all the other parts are
locally procured "CH like" very high quality.

The writer’s Semi-FP
serial number 004.

Ken’s brainchild takes an already
rock solid and versatile performer and adds
just that much more. The rotary programming
assignments are very straightforward and
work just as you would expect for precise Falcon4: Allied
Force, et al, radar articulation. Of course they
can serve up any other rotary function one
could desire. As already cited, the
relocated commswitch is easily utilized after an
unexpectedly short period of adjustment. One anomaly is
that the left-right functions of the
commswitch are revered due to the
relocation. However, this is easily reversed by
counterlabeling the positions on one’s CH
Print sheet.

It should be noted, as one would
expect, that this modification voids any CH
Products Warranty and CH Products does not
endorse this modification to their controllers.
But again, as fresh CH Products parts are used, and
expertly installed by a widely respected man
who stands behind his work, that should not
be a consideration, nor reservation, for the
vast majority of us looking for just a wee bit more
inspired functionality.

Bravo Zulu Marine!

About the Author

"Bill Son of Hew” Hewett
is a long time flight simulation enthusiast, beta tester
/ consultant, and contributing author.
Underlying his own Marine persona is a
hardware geek trying to get out and therefore
his true appreciation for the ingenuity and craftsmanship
demonstrated in the reviewed modification.

Links

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CH
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