Suncom SFS Combo Crate

SFS Combo Crate

Manufactured By: Suncom

**Retail Price:

Combo $99.99

SFS Flight Controller $34.99

SFS Throttle $79.99**

Review Date: 8-30-99

The Combo Crate from Suncom comes in a rustic, old fashion wooden crate. However, the contents are anything but old fashion. The Combo Crate consists of 2 controllers from the Strike Force Series of Suncom controllers- the SFS Flight Controller and the SFS Throttle. Both can be purchased separately but the price on the combo is better than the two individually.

Suncom offers the only split throttle available on the market. Many dual engine aircraft have split throttle controls similar to the SFS throttle. The disadvantage of the setup is the second throttle lever takes over the channel used for rudder pedals and there is currently only one sim (Fly!) that supports the dual throttle setup. However, there is no way to configure external rudder pedals with this setup.

Both controllers are huge. Each mounts to the desktop via 4 heavy duty suction cups. The suction cups are removable if you desire and I had little problem keeping the controllers in place without them. Both controllers ship with the suction cups mounted through the packaging material. You will need to unscrew them to remove the cardboard (do not pull the cups off! A unpacking note on the cardboard base would have been beneficial for this enthusiastic flyer.).

Although each controller's size is domineering the buttons and switches are carefully placed. The one thing that I noticed is how different each of the buttons were- assuring you have the proper button without too much fuss. What an embarrassing mistake it would be to release your entire payload over base instead of deploying the flaps.

Features 100%-

SFS Flight Controller-

• 4 buttons (programmable with Throttle)
• 4 way hat switch

SFS Throttle-

• Touch and go programming- no utility required
• Dual throttle levers
• 2 4-way hat switches
• 3 2-way buttons
• Single 2 position wheel
• Pinkie switch
• trigger button
• tension adjustment
• Multiple LED's
• Multiple programming buttons
• 4 programming banks

Appropriate For-

• Flight Sims (Microsoft FlightSim 98, CombatSim, Fly, etc.)
• Space Sims (Mechwarrior III, Descent Freespace, Forsaken, etc.)

System Requirements-

15 pin gameport, AT or ATX keyboard port (for throttle pass-through).

Price -

The MSRP of just under $100 gives you plenty of bang for the buck.

Warranty-

1 year limited.

Performance 90%-

The SFS Flight Control Combo is quite cool both in looks and function. The combo was used primarily for flight sims but is also appropriate for space sims.

I spent a huge amount of time using the combo with Microsoft FlightSim 98 and Falcon 4. The only trouble I had was remembering what I had assigned each button and switch to. Eventually I did remember and was able to keep my hands off the keyboard totally for a true HOTAS experience. Neither sim takes advantage of the split throttle so I kept the dual throttle locked together as one.

In MS FlightSim 98 I used coordinated rudder so I did not need to use any of the functions of the throttle for rudder control. In Falcon 4 I assigned the rudder control to the 2 position wheel. Although not as accurate as full size pedals it did function sufficiently. The variety of buttons allowed me to program every command I have learned to use to either the throttle or stick. I even had a couple of kills before I was shot down (something I rarely do!).

I also spent a bit of time using the combo with Mechwarrior III. Again, the huge selection of buttons and switches was very helpful and made play more effective. The 2 position wheel was used to control the torso twist most of the time although I did try using the second throttle for this purpose (it didn't work out too well). Instead I kept the throttles locked together for the majority of my playing.

In the test panel for the game controller setup the joystick showed a bit of a jitter when it was setup. The jitter had no negative effect in games, however. Through long hours of use the combo was found very comfortable and fairly easy to use (once acclimated to).

Setup 80% -

The first step in setting up the combo is to unpack the items. The Throttle connects directly to your sound/game card and through a keyboard pass-through plug. Once the Throttle is connected you can plug the SFS Flight Controller into the 15 pin port on the throttle base. Fire up the system and install the software for the joystick from the enclosed CD or floppy disk. Run the calibration and test utility and you can begin to program and use the setup.

** Software 93%-

**Software setup is a bit different than most typical joysticks. After the setup is complete use the add new hardware feature in the control panel. Allow it to go through the auto-detect sequence, select add other, choose the other category, select have disk and direct it to the CD or floppy disk. Three setups will be added to the game controller setup list- "Suncom SFS Flight Controller", "Suncom SFS Flight Controller with SFS Throttle with left grip on" and "Suncom SFS Flight Controller with SFS Throttle with left grip off".

Although there is no programming software needed to program the throttle and joystick buttons the process will be covered here. Since there is no software required to program the throttle buttons you could perform the programming under any operating system including DOS and the different versions of Windows. Programming is almost easy but you should acquaint yourself with the methods by thoroughly reading the guide contained on the CD. The guide is in Adobe Acrobat reader format (pdf) and is very comprehensive.

To program throttle buttons you need to select the program button on the base of the throttle. Then press the button or switch you would like to program and while holding it down press the keyboard button(s) you wish to assign to the throttle button. This can be done in or out of the sim/game. You may enter up to 5 keystrokes per button, creating macros.

To program the buttons of the connected joystick the process is similar. There is a button to select whether the programming is internal (the throttle) or external (the connected joystick). Make that selection and program the joystick buttons in the same way you would the throttle.

The Throttle has 4 banks to store different configurations in so you can have different setups for different sims. Erasing a bank is a fairly simple process also (you don't want it too easy!).

Documentation 82% -

Documentation for the combo consists of individual manuals for each controller and an on-line guide for the throttle. The printed manuals will get you properly connected and setup. However, you will need to install Adobe Acrobat reader on you system and view the Throttle user guide in order to fully understand the programming functions of the setup. It would have been nice to have this guide in printed format so you can read it at your leisure so printing it is recommended.

The Suncom website recently went through a major re-design. Each controller has its own page and the page has product information and links to product manual downloads, troubleshooting, driver downloads and purchasing details.

Overall Rating 90.5% -

The SFS Combo Crate from Suncom holds some great products. Its programming method, realistic look and feel and performance make it a great controller setup for serious simmers.

Although the split throttle has little support right now this should change with time. The inability to use external rudder pedals can be a hindrance for some sims where the controls on the throttle don't offer the accuracy needed. However, for most sims the throttle controls for rudder are sufficient. The Control Center recommends the combo to all serious simmers.

Pros-

• Huge array of buttons and switches
• Easily programmed without the need of special software
• Realistic look and feel

Cons-

• Inability to attach external rudder pedals