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Review Summary Review Date: December 10, 2001 Author: Ron "Cage" Griffith Pedals work as advertised with Microsoft Sidewinder Force Feedback Pro joystick in all games. Lightweight construction. Documentation is lacking, but performance is very good. Rating: 4/5		Description Cost (US$)   Simped-Vario/Pro Rudder Pedals: $140.00   Sim-FFB digital interface : $35.00   S&H from Germany: $24.00   Total: $199.00     Available from: simMarket     Links Simped Home Page simMarket Combat Sim Review simFlight Review Microsoft Sidewinder CH Products Thrustmaster

    
    

Update: At this time (May 9, 2002) it appears that the Simped Vario Rudder pedals are no longer available from SimFlight. The direct link to Simped's ordering page is:http://shop3.webmailer.de/cgi-bin/ePages.filereader?3cda8f1a06f566742719ac172c2506a1+DE/catalogs/373012. Prices are listed in Euros on the new ordering page, and the text is German.

Introduction

For the last several years I have been looking around for a way to use rudder pedals with my Microsoft Sidewinder Pro Force Feedback Joystick. My old Thrustmaster HOTAS setup was great in it's time, but it just didn't have the same precision and feel as the MS FF stick. The force feedback effects give me a much better idea of when I'm approaching stall speed while flying. It also gives a very steady gentle resistance through the entire movement range of the stick. Since the MS controller is digital, it is much more precise and accurate then an analog joystick.

The problem with the Microsoft joysticks is that they do not work in most games with most rudder pedals. Unless the game that you are playing supports multiple controller ID's via Windows you won't be able to use even USB rudder pedals.

CH no longer sells a force feedback joystick, and Thrustmaster's newest HOTAS setup still will not have force feedback. While some may be willing to do without a force feedback joystick, I simply could not go back to a non-force feedback controller after experiencing the Microsoft Force Feedback joystick.

As any flight sim junky will tell you, flying without rudder pedals usually creates a drastic drop in controllability of an aircraft. Older planes such as World War I and World War II propellor a/c rely heavily on rudder input to do everything from counter engine torque on takeoff, line up the guns on a target, and fine tune a landing approach.

Even Sci-fi sims like Mechwarrior benefit from the use of rudder pedals to control another axis of movement. I like using the rudder pedals to control torso twist in Mechwarrior.

Microsoft's solution is to include rudder control on the joystick. The Microsoft Sidewinder joysticks popularized the use of a twisting motion to input rudder control. The problem with using that approach is that it is almost unavoidable to not input movement in another undesirable joystick axis at the same time that you are inputing rudder adjustments. After trying unsucessfully to get used to the Microsoft twist rudder I gave up, and started to lose interest in flight sims without having a satisfactory controller set up.

The Simped Solution

Dieter Hofmann also thought that there was a big void when it came to rudder pedals. He developed and started to market a set of rudder pedals that would work with the Microsoft Sidewinder joysticks. The Simped rudder pedals connect in-line with almost any joystick.

The Simped solution for the Microsoft Sidewinder joysticks is to disable the twist function of the joystick, and to fool Windows into thinking that there was still only one controller connected to the computer. This allows the Simped pedals to work with the vast number of old(er) games that only work with one joystick input.

There are several versions of the Simped rudder pedals. The set that I purchased is the Simped-Vario/Pro rudder pedals. Like the regular Simped Vario pedals they have the following features (from the Simped rudder pedals home page). I've paraphrased the feature list a bit to make it more understandable to native English readers:

• Digital high precision electronics with non contacting HALL-Sensor for analog gameports.
• No additonal software is needed in order to make the pedals work out of the box.
• Automatic centering of the rudder sensor.
• A Y-cable connector for easy connection to your existing joystick.
• A knob that allows you to trim the rudder mid position for adaption to different gameport standards.
• Doubly exponential control characteristic for high precision.
• With the addition of the Simped-FFB gameport adapter interface you can use the Simped rudder pedals with a Microsoft Sidewinder gameport joysticks.
• The seperate Simped V-Stick Adapter will let you use the rudder pedals with a USB port joystick.
• There is also an indicator light which shows the status of the pedals.

The Simped-Vario/Pro rudder pedals also feature:

• A programming unit within the gameport connector which lets you use the rudders in either analog or digital mode. It also features 3 different types of rudder response curves.
• A sunken recessed micro key allows you to select which rudder response curve you would like to use.

Setup

The documentation that comes with the Simped-Vario/Pro rudder pedals is a bit difficult to read if you are a native english speaker. Hoffman Spezialelectronik Simulationstechnik, the makers of the Simped rudder pedals, is a German company. While instructions are provided in English, they are a bit difficult to read. For example, on page 6 of the manual here is this description verbatim of the status indicator and settings:

"With SIMPED-vario is one LED, with SIMPED-vario/pro are two LEDs and a micro-key inserted to in the front part behind the calibration button." - Simped-Vario User's Manual.

Errr....what?

I was a bit disappointed to note that there was not a diagram showing how to connect the pedals to your existing joystick. I've been a bit spoiled by the extensive diagrams that Thrustmaster used to ship with it's HOTAS controllers. I wasn't really expecting a nice full colored pull-out diagram, but it would have been nice to at least see diagrams of a few possible joystick/rudder configurations in the manual.

After all that is said, it really is quite simple to connect the rudder pedals to your existing joystick and computer gameport. The ends of the Y-Cable are clearly labeled. You connect the end labeled joystick to your joystick, and the other end of the Y-Cable labeled "Gameport" to the gameport on your PC.

If you are connecting up your rudder pedals to a Microsoft Sidewinder Pro Force Feedback joystick like I was, then you will need to add in the Sim-FFB connector between the end of the Y-cable and your computer's gameport.

The only glitch came to configuring the Sim-FFB connector in order to make it work with my joystick. There are a couple of old fashioned dip switches on the back of the Sim-FFB adapter. You need to select the correct operating mode in order to disable the Sidewinder's twisting rudder function, and enable proper functioning of the Simped-Vario/Pro rudder pedals. The 4 dip switches are very nicely labeled "on" and "off", so it's not hard to figure out which way they should be toggled. The Sim-FFB user manual correctly shows that they should be in the following positions:

• S1 = Off.
• S2 = Off.
• S3 = Off.
• S4 = On.

Once everything was set I simply re-plugged the cable with the adapter into the gameport on my Creative Soundblaster Live! sound card, and I was ready to go.

Windows Me worked perfectly with the Simped-Vario/Pro rudder pedals. I went to the Windows/Settings/Control Panel "Gaming Options" control applet and selected the "Properties" tab for my MS Sidewinder Force Feedback Pro joystick. Voila! The twist function on the joystick was properly disabled, and the rudder pedals responded precislely and smoothly to my input. Nirvana at last!

Using the Simped-Vario/Pro Rudder Pedals

I tried the Simped-Vario/Pro rudder pedals with a number of games. The following is a partial list:

• IL-2 Sturmovik.
• Fighter Aces 2.
• Aces High.
• Warbirds 3.
• Crimson Skies.
• Mechwarrior 4.

All of the games worked flawlessly. As far as the games were concerned I was using the rudder function on my joystick. Surprisingly enough I didn't try out the Simped's with Red Baron 3D. I don't fly RB3D much any more, and when I do I use my other computer system which has my old Voodoo 3 3000 video card. RB3D only works in a much less pleasing software mode if you don't have a Glide based Voodoo card.

Response to rudder input was very precise. The action of the pedals is quite smooth - much more so then my old Thrustmaster rudder pedals.

I was a bit disappointed at how small and light the Simped pedals are compared to my Thrustmaster rudder pedals. I'd suggest that you use a rubber mat under them if you are using them on carpet. It's easy for them to slide around if they are not secured or on some kind of sticky surface. For that very reason I've long used a rubber mat that I picked up from Office Depot. It was a cheap and well worth the investment.

That's not to say that the Simped-Vario/Pro rudder pedals are cheap. They seem to be quite sturdy, and of high quality construction.

I often find myself resting my toes inside the pedals. I use the upper part of my foot to steer the pedals, and rest my heels off the bottom end of the pedals. It's quite comfortable actually, and has not caused any problems. There is still room enough to fit my size 11 feet inside the pedals if I chose to do so.

Conclusions and Review Score

There really is no other option besides the Simped-Vario rudder pedals if you want to use rudder pedals with a Microsoft Force Feedback joystick. Given that, the Simped pedals were certainly worth the price and wait for me.

I should note that I did have some problems ordering from the simMarket web site. The first time my order did not go through. I really had to dig around to find an email address for contact information when I had a problem. Once I did, simMarket's Miguel Blaufuks was very prompt and helpful in responding to me. The second time I had the misfortune of order just a few days before the events of September 11, 2001. Even in the best of circumstances, you should expect a 3-4 week delivery time in the United States since the rudder pedals come from Germany.

The documentation that came with the Simped rudder pedals did suffer from translation to English. Still, most folks will not even need to use the manual in order to hook the pedals up to their computer. Of some concern is the incorrect default settings of the dip switches, but that is a problem easily corrected by consulting the Simped manual.

Using rudder pedals again has been a real joy. While it may not cause me to buy every new flight sim that comes out, it certainly does make that type of game much more appealing to me.

The Simped-Vario/Pro rudder pedals deliver everything that they promised, and then some. I have no hesitation in recommending them as the very best solution for those who use a force feedback joystick. If you are not using rudder pedals with your joystick then you owe it to yourself to put the Simped rudder pedals at the top of your computer upgrade list.

Every other joystick company out there should take note of what can be done. It's a shame that Microsoft has not approached Mr. Hoffman, and made some kind of agreement with his company. The one thing that really hurts the Simped rudder pedals is their limited availability and their lack of marketing in North America. Not only are the Simped-Vario rudder pedals a quality product, they are also the only solution for the vast majority of sim fanatics.

Final Rating: 4 out of 5, and a Cage's World "Must Buy" recommendation for simulation fans.