VKB T-Rudder Mk.IV review

[J5_HellCat_]

Thanks to Sokol1 for the use of his Vid and Pic :thumbup:

 

After setting up and flying for a few days and getting my brakes sorted I thought I would submit my review...hope it helps anyone considering these.....

 

 

 

So I've been searching the last year or so for a precision rudder setup to compliment my Warthog ..In the past I've used CH pedals , Saitek Pro flights, Thrustmaster T-Flight's ...and my homemade set There are really only 3 choices for high resolution/last forever types out there .... Slaw device ,  MFG Crosswinds, VKB Mk.IV   these are all high quality sets that use Mars sensor technology for the rudder axis .... 

 

 

In the end after thinking long and hard about it...what fit my needs and budget  I went with the VKB's and when I got them I wasn't disappointed. These are all metal and use the latest tech.... A no contact Mars sensor that can detect up to 0.01 ° I could tell a huge difference in DCS right away, very smooth and accurate.  I was maneuvering the gazelle much more precisely and could hover and land much easier right off the bat. I'm a Helicopter rookie so the difference was night and day compared to my pro flights or TM's. These are perfect for Heli's

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

They are very compact and solid and quiet. They look like they may feel like a gas pedal would but they don't, you still have that rudder pedal feel. You push down on one pedal and the other comes up and I find that the motion of using my ankle joint rather than my knee and leg much more comfortable flying from an office chair like I do. i also didn't want my feet in a cradle foot pad like the other set's, for me I like my heel on the floor.

 

 

The one drawback is no toe brakes...this is why I originally ruled them out right away without even looking into them...But I started thinking how often do I use toe brakes? 5% of my sim time maybe.... I fly sim aircraft not race them on the tarmac   Then I noticed that VKB had software that you run in the back ground while playing that make virtual toe brakes and it works well ....I ran around the tarmac in the P-51 at break neck speed testing it and it does all I need. It works like the "differential brakes" used by English/Russian WWII era planes or later in the Mig-15, Mig-21... that "bicycle brake lever" in their control column.

 

 

 

In VKB T-Link software this "brake lever" is emulated by a joy/throttle button of your choice, that pressed will brake both wheels, by moving the rudder pedal for right or left ,only the brake for the respective wheel. Here's it is in action.

 

https://youtu.be/ua8bGmKdeQE

 

 

 

https://youtu.be/p-Ra1-70U7U

 

 

In the two main sims I fly I only use it at he moment for the WW2 birds in DCS ...for the jets I use nose wheel steering and you don't need to run it at all in Battle of Stalingrad as that system is already set up in game . 

 

 

 

 

All in all I'm very happy with the setup and I honestly think these are the last rudder pedals I'll ever own.......

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 1, 2020 by J5_HellCat_

[Ribbon]

I'm thinking to purchase them, first i aimed at crosswind pedals since guy who manifacture them lives 1hour from me but since i'm limited with room space i'll go with vkb pedals. Also having office chair (wheels and rotate) i think vkb pedals are better choice for me.

About brakes there is solution, pressing button on stick/throttle and pedals provide brakes. Sokol1 helped me there but later i decided to setup brakes purely on twcs throttle.

[Piekarz]

Regarding fixed wing flying... How VKB T-Rudder Mk.IV performs "around center"? I've read on Rddit that with T-rudder it's hard to determine center, but the review was by helicopter Gentelmen.

"(...)even with it on hard spring force, just resting your feet on them can press down on them lightly, inducing a slight yaw. This doesn't matter so much for helicopter flight where you can just correct the yaw with a bit of cyclic, but it's a really big deal for fixed wing flight where you need the aircraft to fly straight."

How's Yours experiences using T-Rudder
in Il-2 BOS? Thank You.
 

[Matt]

With the hard center cam and hard spring setting, I don’t see any way that you can accidentally give rudder input. I’m using the soft center cam and hard spring center and even then the center position is easily enough to determine the center position.

[Sokol1]

Regarding fixed wing flying... How VKB T-Rudder Mk.IV performs "around center"? 

 

 

My T-Rudder is Mk.II and came with "hard" center CAM installed and as I remember no option for change spring force.

 

CAM could be flipped for use the "soft" center.

 

The "hard" center has tactile feel of center position when moving rudder fast across the center, but almost imperceptible feel in slow movements - this piloting barefoot.

 

Besides normal fly, I use this rudder for drive - with foot, vehicles in ARMA3, what is easy due their up/down operation.

 

In resume, their precision around center is very good, what help a lot in small aim corrections aim in CFS/G.

 

Since you don't keep your feet's over pedals like in most of conventional "back and fort" movement pedals (CH, Saitek PRO, MFG...) but just the toes on pedal bar and heels on floor, unintentional rudder input difficult happens. 

 

I don't try T-Rudder with the "soft" center side of CAM - probable is what the helicopter pilot in Reddit are using.

[Guest deleted@134347]

they are awesome rudder pedals. Metal, compact, and precise. Set and forget type of a device but works flawlessly every time. With Soft center cam and Hard springs it's smooth like butter without any center wobble (and no deadzones set in games).