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Home > Archive > Flight simulator > August 2006 > Cougar HOTAS
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| Villain 2006-08-03, 3:47 am |
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Sure this will create controversy 
I've found a dusty boxed HOTAS Cougar at a local Comp USA for $239 US.
Is it worth getting? Are the mods for it that many people seem to have
still available? just curious.
Villain
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| Don Burnette 2006-08-03, 3:47 am |
| "Villain" <villain@weasle.net> wrote in message
news:g5it721d9nt8di9kv2rhie7c6m9m130r94@4ax.com
quote:
> Sure this will create controversy
>
> I've found a dusty boxed HOTAS Cougar at a local Comp USA
> for $239 US.
>
> Is it worth getting? Are the mods for it that many people
> seem to have still available? just curious.
>
>
> Villain
I would suggest reading up on the forums at http://cougar.frugalsworld.com/
The Cougar has a pretty loyal following, however, you will find many that
simply do not like it, mainly because of two things:
1: Spring stiffness - pretty stout
2: Slight slopiness of the original gimbals -- some center play, that can
worsen over time, and transition flats.
Both of the above issues, can be resolved, by purchasing a gimball mod with
Hall sensors. However, this can be pricey, costing more than the original
Cougar price.
Having said that, I used my original Cougar for about 3 years, stock, with
no issues, before I invested in the Uber2 Gimball mod with Hall sensors. I
did this, not because I had to , to get a good working stick, but because I
wanted to , to make imho, an already great stick even that much better -
and, it did. It is very smooth, no transition flats, no center play. The
springs are not as stiff, especially around center, they gradually get
stiffer the further you move the stick, giving great feedback on
positioning.
I love my Cougar setup, so much so, that I picked up another one on Amazon
back when they were running a sale for about the same price you mention, and
ordered a second Uber2 NXT gimbal mod w/ Hall sensors for it as well, so I
have a completely equipped backup should I ever need it.
There is a fellow on the Cougar forums, Ian Johston,( IJ) that produces the
U2 NXT gimball mods. He has done several runs of these, and there are many
very satisified customers. I don't recall ever seeing an unsatisfied
customer, that has purchased one of his mods. Everyone that has got one,
states it was well worth the money. You can read more about this mod, at the
mods and tweaks forum at Cougar World. In fact, he is currently into another
run at this time.
I would suggest perusing those forums, read all you can on the Cougar there,
and then decide for yourself, if it is worth the investment to you. You may
love it, as it is stock - or, if you are a fairly hardcore simmer, and have
the money to invest, you may want to go ahead and get the U2 NXT mod with
hall sensors. The Hall sensors, replace the pots, and are very smooth, and
you won't ever have a need to replace pots again.
Hope this helps, and good luck in your decision.
Don Burnette
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| MitchA 2006-08-03, 3:47 am |
| I recall someone mentioned Wal-Mart had em but I don;t recall if they were
less than that amount. Might give your local wallyworld store a call first.
Ive been quite happy with my stock Cougar and look back as money well spent.
The spring was pretty tight at first but over time it's softened. That or
Ive grown accustomed to it. Either way pretty much a non issue now for me.
Mitch
"Villain" <villain@weasle.net> wrote in message
news:g5it721d9nt8di9kv2rhie7c6m9m130r94@4ax.com...
quote:
>
>
> Sure this will create controversy
>
> I've found a dusty boxed HOTAS Cougar at a local Comp USA for $239 US.
>
> Is it worth getting? Are the mods for it that many people seem to have
> still available? just curious.
>
>
> Villain
| |
|
|
quote:
> Sure this will create controversy
>
> I've found a dusty boxed HOTAS Cougar at a local Comp USA for $239 US.
>
> Is it worth getting? Are the mods for it that many people seem to have
> still available? just curious.
>
>
> Villain
I hope the controversy is long over?
I was an early adopter of the TM Cougar, having originally owned practically
all the US TM stuff.
The Cougar seemed like the holy grail of controllers for flight sim usage,
but the reality is, its severely flawed and has a few problems that should
have been sorted before it shipped. It seems the speed brake switch will
always break, but if you go to Frugals section on this, then you can modify
this if you are so inclined. If the unit is still in warranty, then TM whom
are now based in France ... I think? will replace it FOC, but the warranty
for a Cougar is now strictly 2 years? (Unless this has changed) In the early
days of Cougar, someone, somewhere said we were special customers and the TM
warranty would look at each Cougar owner individually, somewhere along the
line the Terms and Conditions have been changed.
The hard facts as I see it are. The Cougar is still a very worthwhile
investment, but don't expect it to be perfect. At a very basic level, the
speed brake switch *will* break, its a design flaw, the centre of the stick
itself will also adopt some sloppy feel, due to poor quality components.
Like many, I've modded my Cougar to my individual requirements. I like the
stiffer springs, I preferred the stiffer springs in my old TM F22 Pro as
well, they tend to help towards very precise flying, it does take some
getting used to though.
Bottom line is, even though the Coug has been a hassle, now that I've modded
it to my taste, its the best HOTAS available.
If only I could say the same for my CH Yoke for MS FS flying, this thing is
so imprecise its unreal, and you don't see anywhere like the user mods the
Coug has to make it better.
Good Luck.
Colin
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| Mitch_ A 2006-08-03, 3:48 am |
| One other note on the Cougar. Foxy programming is truly fantastic software.
Mitch
--
"Don't pee on my leg then tell me it's raining".
"Colin" <zen87666WITHOUTTHISBIT@zen.co.uk> wrote in message
news:2b8c0$448a22bd$52471eba$15927@news.eurofeeds.com...
quote:
>
>
> I hope the controversy is long over?
>
> I was an early adopter of the TM Cougar, having originally owned
> practically all the US TM stuff.
>
> The Cougar seemed like the holy grail of controllers for flight sim usage,
> but the reality is, its severely flawed and has a few problems that should
> have been sorted before it shipped. It seems the speed brake switch will
> always break, but if you go to Frugals section on this, then you can
> modify this if you are so inclined. If the unit is still in warranty, then
> TM whom are now based in France ... I think? will replace it FOC, but the
> warranty for a Cougar is now strictly 2 years? (Unless this has changed)
> In the early days of Cougar, someone, somewhere said we were special
> customers and the TM warranty would look at each Cougar owner
> individually, somewhere along the line the Terms and Conditions have been
> changed.
>
> The hard facts as I see it are. The Cougar is still a very worthwhile
> investment, but don't expect it to be perfect. At a very basic level, the
> speed brake switch *will* break, its a design flaw, the centre of the
> stick itself will also adopt some sloppy feel, due to poor quality
> components.
>
> Like many, I've modded my Cougar to my individual requirements. I like the
> stiffer springs, I preferred the stiffer springs in my old TM F22 Pro as
> well, they tend to help towards very precise flying, it does take some
> getting used to though.
>
> Bottom line is, even though the Coug has been a hassle, now that I've
> modded it to my taste, its the best HOTAS available.
>
> If only I could say the same for my CH Yoke for MS FS flying, this thing
> is so imprecise its unreal, and you don't see anywhere like the user mods
> the Coug has to make it better.
>
> Good Luck.
>
> Colin
>
>
| |
| Don Burnette 2006-08-03, 3:48 am |
| "Colin" <zen87666WITHOUTTHISBIT@zen.co.uk> wrote in message
news:2b8c0$448a22bd$52471eba$15927@news.eurofeeds.com
quote:
>
> I hope the controversy is long over?
>
> I was an early adopter of the TM Cougar, having
> originally owned practically all the US TM stuff.
>
> The Cougar seemed like the holy grail of controllers for
> flight sim usage, but the reality is, its severely flawed
> and has a few problems that should have been sorted
> before it shipped. It seems the speed brake switch will
> always break, but if you go to Frugals section on this,
> then you can modify this if you are so inclined.
<snip>
While the speedbreak appears to be a fairly common issue, mine never broke
during the 3 years I ran it " stock" before upgrading.
The same guy that does the U2 NXT gimball mod, also offers aluminum
speedbreak housings, to replace the factory plastic housings. They are
fairly inexpensive, I went ahead and replaced mine , with the aluminum ones,
when I modded it.
Don Burnette
| |
|
| re: The same guy that does the U2 NXT gimball mod, also offers aluminum
speedbreak housings, to replace the factory plastic housings. They are
fairly inexpensive, I went ahead and replaced mine , with the aluminum ones,
when I modded it.
Dunno about you, but when i put in the speedbrake assembly from IJ in
oz, I ignored the advice about painting them black to match the rest of the
Cougar- I like looking at it and seeing the new improved parts standing out!
| |
| Don Burnette 2006-08-03, 3:48 am |
| "Carl" <me@theworld.universe> wrote in message
news:TLKdnf-Yqr7E9BbZRVny2A@bt.com
quote:
> re: The same guy that does the U2 NXT gimball mod, also
> offers aluminum speedbreak housings, to replace the
> factory plastic housings. They are fairly inexpensive, I
> went ahead and replaced mine , with the aluminum ones,
> when I modded it.
> Dunno about you, but when i put in the speedbrake
> assembly from IJ in oz, I ignored the advice about
> painting them black to match the rest of the Cougar- I
> like looking at it and seeing the new improved parts
> standing out!
Ditto here, I left mine as they came, and like the way it looks!
It's just a shame the gimball mod has to be covered up, that thing is a work
of art.
--
Don Burnette
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|
|
quote:
> One other note on the Cougar. Foxy programming is truly fantastic
> software.
Yes. its excellent.
| |
|
|
quote:
> <snip>
>
> While the speedbreak appears to be a fairly common issue, mine never broke
> during the 3 years I ran it " stock" before upgrading.
> The same guy that does the U2 NXT gimball mod, also offers aluminum
> speedbreak housings, to replace the factory plastic housings. They are
> fairly inexpensive, I went ahead and replaced mine , with the aluminum
> ones, when I modded it.
Yes. I must get around to doing this as well.
The other main issue is the standard TQS pot, the standard one seems to bug
out after a couple of years time, its believed due to slight mis-alignment
causing wear and tear? If you haven't already went Hall sensors, then I
believe Cougar World still offer cheap replacement pots outside of warranty.
I still believe the Cougar can be the best HOTAS available, it all depends
on how dedicated you are and ultimately how much your hobby is worth to you.
Certainly for aftermarket mods, nothing beats the Cougar ... Just look at
the FF feedback mod that has little to nothing like it elsewhere, to see how
far you can take this.
http://tinyurl.com/lyeus
As Always, Frugalsworld Cougar forums are the place to look to keep updated.
Cheers
Colin
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