My new "used" cougar
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Anybody that has a cougar:
I was reading Cub’s PDF concerning “new” cougar owners etc and it stated to check the stick base metal on metal contacts for lack of grease.
Well mine is dry as ***.
Have you greased the metal/metal parts inside the stick base? if so, what grease is recommended? Or will any grease do?Thanks,
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When this happens… Don’t waste your time scrubbing the web for replacements. Just go with the FSSB (receive mine this Wednesday), no idea about the FCC…
http://cougar.flyfoxy.com/fssb.php
FSSB: http://www.realsimulator.com/html/fssb.html
FCC R3: http://www.vipercore.nl/index.php?option=com_virtuemart&view=category&virtuemart_category_id=9&Itemid=495 -
FCC3 is great. Mine has worked flawlessly.
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Ditto that, FCC3 is a pretty fantastic mod. Though I have to admit Im comparing it to other sticks as I never used my cougar till Id bough the FCC3 to go with it.
Bit jealous of that used cougar… I paid quite a bit for an “as new” one that got sent to me with no box, the throttle not working, and chipped paint… this after being told it had been used twice!!
That one looks pristine in the pics!
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I got a little used one for 80€, had to clean the throttle pot but other than that no problems. Need to save up to a fcc3 before I really fly with it though, I’m used to the x65 so I need the force sensing
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I’m not knocking FCC in anyway fellas… FSSB was cheaper. A pristine Cougar is a steal in this day and age, enjoy it! Just trying to convey that when the rubber meets the road, be prepared for an upgrade that terminates the fiasco known as the original design (pot metal gimbals)… It is a great HOTAS system that I have enjoyed since 04, but you cannot get the quality parts anymore. Spent days looking for replacement parts… Evers and Nxt mods are dead, now its FCC and FSSB for the drop in replacement for your Cougar Stick. I really appreciate these two entities (FCC & FSSB), cause they keep the cougar viable, but be ready to spend some jack.
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The guy I bought it from works for a ministry, and the cables have this white powder on them. So I’m assuming (and secretly wishing) the HOTAS was used in a mil sim where it was built in and had been taken care of.
There’s no play in the stick and the rotaries and micro stick feel very solid.
Just afraid of that T9 switch. It’s a bit hard to move. Probably going to do that modification they wrote about on cougarworld.
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Not quite exactly… I just talked with Greg the inventor of the Evenstrain as I have one in my aging Cougar. His mod actually exposed a flaw which we all know which is the cheaper metal they used in the production run of the Cougar. It was mentioned earlier but if you’re going to keep your stick in good shape you must keep those gimbals greased at all times. The metal they uses is very soft and will slop over time and ultimately wear out not only the gimbal but the pots. If any of you need some spare gimbal parts PM me as I had my Cougar for about a month before I converted it to a Evenstrain. So I still have all the gimbals and springs for the Cougar.
For those that have an Evenstrain I have an update as of last week. I retired my Cougar about a year ago and picked up a Warthog. The reason why I did this is that the Evenstrain uses a retaining collar which fits over the bottom of the original stick (soft metal) over time my started to spin which caused binding and broke springs prematurely. So I contacted Greg about a month ago and ultimately sent off the Stick. The best solution is to actually glue this Collar in place. He used some sort of CA and tested it for weeks to see if it moves. Long story short I got it back this last weekend. It’s like brand new.
Lastly I have a brand new Cougar in the Box. Never used it once. I may sell it considering I have a Warthog and a Evenstrain which I like for different reasons.
Capt.Stubing
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Thanks for the information. Did Greg fit your Evenstrain mod, or did you fit it yourself with his kit?
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Loved my Cougar until the stick started flopping about 1/2 inch, making it virtually unusable.
Replaced by the more reliable x65.
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Loved my Cougar until the stick started flopping about 1/2 inch, making it virtually unusable.
Replaced by the more reliable x65.
How do you find the x65? And are you using it with the cougar throttle?
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How do you find the x65? And are you using it with the cougar throttle?
Discontinued so you can’t find it AFAIK, and no, don’t think you can.
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Find it used on ebay, and to use it with the cougar throttle, buy a TUSBA.
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Discontinued so you can’t find it AFAIK, and no, don’t think you can.
Thanks. With “find it” I meant what is your experience using it.
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The guy I bought it from works for a ministry, and the cables have this white powder on them. So I’m assuming (and secretly wishing) the HOTAS was used in a mil sim where it was built in and had been taken care of.
There’s no play in the stick and the rotaries and micro stick feel very solid.
Just afraid of that T9 switch. It’s a bit hard to move. Probably going to do that modification they wrote about on cougarworld.
Thoroughly recommend fixing it, it makes it work significantly better.
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Thanks for the information. Did Greg fit your Evenstrain mod, or did you fit it yourself with his kit?
At the time Greg was doing it himself. The reason why he needed the base is that he exactly matched the measurements of the bottom portion of the stick. Once installed it’s only going to work with that stick. If you have never tried an Even Strain or Ian’s mod you’re missing out. Nothing compares. They are built like tanks and they are about the most precise stick even when comparing to the Warthog. The reason why I like the WH as well is that is has a much longer throw which works well with WWII stuff that I fly quite a bit.
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to use it with the cougar throttle, buy a TUSBA.
Hmm, forgot about that. Thing is, the x65 throttle is more versatile anyhow.
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Thanks. With “find it” I meant what is your experience using it.
For a stick with that many cons, I found enough pros to keep using it, and find advantages in it over most other sticks Ive come across.
The X65F was my firsr HOTAS. I bought it specifically to learn Falcon BMS with. Ive since upgraded, and my X65F is presently lent to a friend since his expression of interest in learning Falcon. For some time I used the X65F, then when I purchased a Cougar I spent some time using the X65F stick with the Cougar throttle (no TUSBA), and when I could afford it I upgraded my Coagar with an FCC3 and boxed up my X65F.
Whilst using the various configurations of the Saitek HOTAS, I found a number of strong and weak points. Some things about it infuriated me - case in point, the position of the pickle button. Located squarely below the trim/POV hat, you WILL accidentally pickle at some point. I lost only two sidewinders to this misfortune, fortunately.
Some things are strengths - the stick force sensing comes to mind. Quickly configurable, and as of the time of writing, it is now calibratable also. Getting drivers and so on for the stick, for me personally, was a massive pain. Getting it to work with my hardware likewise. The importer for Saitek in Australia got to know me by name with the amount of time I spent chatting with their warranty department. Upgrading to the Cougar was no less concerning WRT drivers, with the caveat that there was no warranty support for me. Both sticks were of the set and forget variety - once its set, try to forget all the hassles… until the next time you need to remember what works.
When it was working, it was a joy to fly with. Smooth action on the throttles, a ministick that with some work could be made to control the radar cursors, more buttons than you can shake a stick at, and of course the force sensing stick. Ive since that stick refused to try to fly falcon without a force sensing stick - its so much easier being able to feel your amount of deflection by the strain on your hands - sort of an anti trim mechanism almost. That said without the FLCS I could see it get very frustrating very quickly.
Other than one recurring hardware issue, the X65F never had any problems or faults. The one recurring issue was eventually solved by plugging it into a powered USB hub instead of my computer itself. Im thinking my PCs +5V rail might have been a bit intermittent - though I did not check it at the time, it was fine a month ago when I did check it. I dunno what caused it.
I still miss having the switches that used to be in front of the throttle - so much so, its prompted me to start making my own switch panels for Falcon. Mine are not so pretty as the Saitek ones, but they are better matched to the layout of a block 50 cockpit.
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Wow thanks Blu. Makes me want to get the FCC or the FSSB real soon. Hope I can get to make time and make some switches too. Step by step build a cockpit.
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step by step is all -I- can afford at the moment… Id recommend starting with a numpad and some extra switches to make an ICP, and a MISC panel.
I started off with just attaching the switches to cheap circuit board, and wiring the switches to a PC plug in gamepad circuitboard - the gamepad was one of those $20 ones that looks a bit like an xbox controller without ministicks.
Upgraded from that to Pokeys units, which are a lot more configurable (or, well, at ALL configurable) - replaced the mounting with a metal panel at around the same time.
Its much more immersive moving a physical switch to fence in.