STECS and STEM Feedback - Gear and Flaps Handles

[Kreutzberg]

When the STECS released, I bought a Max kit almost instantly. For the most part, it's an outstanding addition to my cockpit and a really good complement to my MCG Ultimate.

Aside from wishing the analog stick were on the front of the throttle or could be moved there, my other major feedback is about levers and switches for landing gear and flaps. I have not been able to come up with a really good way to map those functions with the current hardware. Note that I mostly fly in VR, which might affect these thoughts to some degree.

I get the impression that the two left switches on the STEM module are meant for gear and flaps, but they are not ideal for them. The top one (the metal switch) operates as a self-centering switch and is quite usable for one function or the other. The lower one (the wide plastic flapper style switch) is not self-centering, so stays up or down. A switch that retains up or down position makes sense for landing gear, but doesn't work well for flaps. That switch could of course be used for landing gear, but almost every modern plane has a flapper style flap switch and a knob style landing gear handle. It just doesn't work to use a flapper style switch for landing gear, as that's working against how the switch should actually feel (this is probably a bigger issue in VR). I've thought about making a knob to go over the top of the flapper (which I might do), but even with a solution like that, it still has that awkward center spot that I worry may not be obvious when using the switch.

Trying to use the flapper switch for flaps is also problematic because it only has two or three positions, and a lot of aircraft have more than two or three flap positions (I'm assuming there is a way to make the center position register as an input in software for the third position). Moreover, most games don't really have control mappings for lots of flap positions.

I think the most straightforward solution would be to make the flapper switch self centering like the metal switch. That would let users use those two switches as desired and they would have very clear feel differences.

An even better solution would be an ATEM-sized module that has those two switches (self centering flaps and either self centering or movable gear). One reason I went with the Max is to keep the footprint small and move the STEM elsewhere. With an ATEM-sized module with those controls, I wouldn't really even need the STEM. In a perfect world, this module would also have a rotary encoder (I quite like the one on the ATEM for rudder trim) and perhaps one of those covered buttons (great for ejection).

Any other creative solutions for landing gear and flaps?

[st923]

I discovered yesterday, that the flaps switch is in fact an axis with a removable plastic detent inside, so it can have as many position as you wish IF you have another detent with amount of positions required. I really hope VKB will provide alternative detents for that. Meanwhile I'll try to just 3d print them

[st923]

And looks like the model is already there:
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:6219473

[Kreutzberg]

I discovered yesterday, that the flaps switch is in fact an axis with a removable plastic detent inside, so it can have as many position as you wish IF you have another detent with amount of positions required. I really hope VKB will provide alternative detents for that. Meanwhile I'll try to just 3d print them

That's interesting indeed. Is it possible to remove the return to center function with one of the detents?

[st923]

I think, that detents and axis features are only about the flaps control, which is not autocentering by default.

[Kreutzberg]

I actually misstated my thought--I'd prefer to make it self centering, which would probably require something a little more exotic. Interesting stuff!