Install Honeycomb Bravo drivers, create aircraft profiles, map reversers and autopilot controls, and fix annunciator lights in major flight sims.
To set up the Honeycomb Bravo for general PC flight simulation, connect it as a standard USB controller, bind and calibrate its axes in the simulator, then install Honeycomb’s simulator-specific integration package for profiles and annunciator lights. Keep separate aircraft profiles, because throttle detents, reversers and autopilot events differ between aircraft.
Do I need a Honeycomb Bravo driver?
The Bravo’s basic axes, switches and buttons do not require a special Windows driver. It is a standard USB Human Interface Device, so Windows and most desktop simulators can recognise it directly.
- Basic flight controls: Assigned inside the simulator without Honeycomb software.
- Annunciator lights: Usually require the appropriate Honeycomb integration package, bridge or simulator plugin.
- Advanced profiles: May use both the simulator’s control presets and Honeycomb Configurator.
These instructions apply to desktop simulators. Xbox and PlayStation cannot run Windows installers or desktop plugins, so PC profiles and light integration do not transfer automatically to consoles. On macOS or Linux, the raw controls may work while the configuration and lighting utilities remain dependent on operating-system support.
Which type of Honeycomb Bravo profile do I need?
The Bravo can use two different kinds of profile, and confusing them is a common cause of controls or lights not working.
| Profile type | What it controls | Where it is selected |
|---|---|---|
| Simulator control preset | Axes, gear, flaps, trim, reversers and autopilot buttons | Inside MSFS, X-Plane, Prepar3D, FSX or another simulator |
| Honeycomb integration profile | Simulator events, add-on-specific commands and annunciator outputs | Honeycomb Configurator or the installed bridge/plugin |
An imported integration profile does not necessarily create the matching simulator bindings. Give both profiles a clear aircraft name and confirm that each one is active before troubleshooting.
How to install and configure the Honeycomb Bravo
- Remove obsolete integrations. Back up exported profiles, then remove duplicate or superseded Honeycomb bridge/plugin installations. Two copies can send commands twice or stop the lights from initialising.
- Connect the Bravo directly. Use a reliable USB port on the computer while testing. Press
Windows+R, runjoy.cpl, select the Bravo and verify that its axes and buttons respond. - Install the correct integration package. Close the simulator and install only the package intended for that simulator and operating system. A package for MSFS will not configure X-Plane, FSX or Prepar3D.
- Create a clean simulator preset. Duplicate a working default preset or start with an empty one. Clear unwanted Bravo assignments before adding controls; automatic presets often bind the same lever to several functions.
- Fit the intended lever handles. The interchangeable handles do not tell the software whether they represent throttles, propellers, mixture, speed brake or flaps. Assign each physical axis manually. Our guide to yoke and throttle-quadrant hardware explains the Bravo’s lever and control layout.
- Bind axes and switches. Move one control at a time and confirm that only the intended on-screen control responds. Use explicit gear-up and gear-down commands rather than relying on a generic toggle.
- Calibrate in the simulator. Confirm full travel, correct direction and stable idle positions. Add only enough dead zone to stop jitter. If the range is already correct, avoid unnecessary Windows calibration because it can distort the endpoints seen by the simulator.
- Activate the aircraft profile. Load the matching Honeycomb Configurator profile if one is required, then restart the simulator when the integration package calls for it.
- Test in a powered aircraft. Check axes first, switches second and lights last. Annunciators reflect simulator data; many remain dark in a cold-and-dark cockpit.
How should the Bravo levers and buttons be assigned?
The correct bindings depend on the aircraft rather than the handle labels alone.
| Bravo control | Recommended assignment | Common mistake |
|---|---|---|
| Main lever axes | Throttle, propeller, mixture, speed brake or flap axis as appropriate | Leaving automatic duplicate throttle assignments active |
| Reverse levers | Reverse-toggle, hold-reverse or decrease-thrust commands supported by the aircraft | Treating a button-operated reverse lever as a separate analogue axis |
| Flap lever | Either a flap axis or discrete increase/decrease commands | Binding both methods at once |
| Gear lever | Separate gear-up and gear-down commands | Using conflicting toggle assignments |
| Autopilot selector and rotary | Heading, altitude, vertical-speed, course or airspeed events | Assuming a complex add-on uses the simulator’s standard autopilot events |
Commercial reverse handles usually operate buttons near the idle detent; they do not become analogue reverse axes merely because the handles have been changed. Test each reverse lever in the simulator’s input screen before choosing its command.
How does Bravo setup differ between simulators?
Every major simulator can read the basic controls, but profiles and annunciator outputs are handled differently.
| Simulator | Control setup | Lights and profiles |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 and 2024 | Create and select a Bravo preset in the control settings | Install the compatible bridge/integration package; verify that any supplied module exists once in the active Community folder |
| X-Plane 11 and 12 | Calibrate axes and assign buttons in X-Plane | Use the compatible plugin/configurator for annunciators and advanced events; follow our detailed Bravo setup for X-Plane 12 for calibration and aircraft-specific assignments |
| FSX and Prepar3D | Bind controls natively or through an integration tool, but not through both for the same command | Use the simulator-specific Honeycomb integration and activate the intended profile |
| DCS and other simulators | Assign supported axes and buttons manually | Annunciator support may be limited because the simulator or aircraft may not expose compatible output data |
Why are the Honeycomb Bravo lights not working?
Dark Bravo annunciators usually mean that the simulator bridge is missing, duplicated or unable to read the aircraft’s status variables; they do not normally indicate a failed USB controller.
- Confirm ordinary inputs work. If axes and buttons are also missing, solve the USB detection problem before checking the lighting software.
- Check the integration is loaded. In MSFS, verify any required bridge package is in the active Community folder without an extra nested folder. In X-Plane, confirm the plugin appears once under
Resources/pluginsand loads without an error. - Remove duplicate versions. An old bridge left beside a replacement can prevent output data from reaching the Bravo.
- Select or activate the correct profile. A profile made for a default airliner may not understand a third-party aircraft’s custom variables.
- Supply aircraft electrical power. Test with the battery, avionics and relevant systems operating. Gear, master-warning and autopilot lamps illuminate from aircraft state, not simply because a button was pressed.
- Try a standard aircraft. If lights work there but not in a complex add-on, the add-on probably uses custom events or variables and needs a dedicated profile.
- Check USB stability. Move the Bravo to a direct port or a properly powered hub if it disconnects, resets or appears intermittently. Also inspect the operating system’s device power-management settings.
- Use the lamp test if provided. A successful utility lamp test confirms the LEDs and USB connection; the remaining fault lies in the simulator integration or aircraft profile.
Can one Bravo profile work with every aircraft?
No. A single generic profile is useful for basic switches, but lever assignments, detents, reversers and autopilot commands should be saved by aircraft type.
- Single-engine piston: Throttle, propeller and mixture, with unused axes left unassigned.
- Twin piston: Two throttles, two propeller controls and two mixture controls.
- Twin-engine jet: Speed brake, two throttles and flaps, with reverse buttons configured for that aircraft.
- Four-engine jet: Speed brake, four throttles and flaps; custom autopilot events may still need a separate integration profile.
Name profiles with both the aircraft and simulator, export backups where the software permits it, and recheck bindings after replacing an integration package. Never assume an imported profile matches a different aircraft variant simply because the cockpit looks similar.