Set up and calibrate a CH Products throttle quadrant, map all six axes and rocker switches, and fix reversed, jittery or duplicate controls.
For PC flight simulators, set up a CH Products throttle quadrant by first checking all six lever axes and its rocker-switch buttons in Windows, calibrating only if the displayed endpoints are wrong, then creating a clean simulator profile. Assign each lever once, use axis commands rather than increase/decrease commands, and remove every automatic duplicate binding.
CH throttle quadrant setup and calibration
- Connect the quadrant directly. Plug it into a stable USB port on the PC rather than an unpowered hub. Let Windows recognise it as a standard game controller before opening the simulator.
- Test every input in Windows. Press Windows key and R, enter
joy.cpl, select the CH quadrant and open its properties. Move one lever at a time through its complete mechanical travel and operate both directions of every rocker switch. Axis labels such as X, Y, Z or rotation axes are normal; identify them by movement rather than by name. - Calibrate only if the range is incomplete. If the properties panel offers a calibration wizard, move all six levers slowly through their full travel. Put non-centring levers near mid-travel if the wizard requests a centre point. Finish the wizard and confirm that each axis now reaches both endpoints without jumping.
- Create a clean simulator profile. Automatic profiles often assign several levers to the same throttle or map an axis to the camera. Clear those defaults and move each control to identify it before assigning anything.
- Bind axis commands. Choose commands containing
Axis, such as an individual engine throttle axis, rather than throttle increase or decrease. Begin with a linear response, no dead zone and the full available range. Add a small dead zone only when an axis visibly jitters. - Check the aircraft. Load a simple default aircraft, move each lever slowly and confirm that its cockpit control follows from endpoint to endpoint. Save separate profiles when piston, turboprop and jet layouts require different assignments.
If Windows does not detect the device, reports duplicate controllers or shows incorrect movement, follow our CH-specific Windows 11 detection and calibration checks before changing simulator settings. On macOS or Linux, when the simulator recognises the USB device, perform the equivalent input test and calibration inside the simulator.
Should I install CH Control Manager?
CH Control Manager is optional for ordinary axis assignments because modern PC simulators can usually read the quadrant as a standard USB controller. Native operation is the simpler choice when all six axes and the rocker-switch buttons already appear correctly.
Control Manager is mainly useful for custom mapped modes, combined virtual devices or advanced button programming. If both a native CH quadrant and a mapped virtual controller appear in the simulator, use one and disable or clear the other; binding both creates duplicated and unpredictable inputs.
How should I assign the six levers?
The correct six-lever layout depends on the aircraft, so separate aircraft profiles are better than one universal mapping.
| Aircraft type | Practical lever assignment | Common mistake |
|---|---|---|
| Single-engine piston | Throttle, propeller and mixture; leave the other three available for suitable secondary axes | Assigning both a combined throttle and throttle 1 |
| Single-engine turboprop | Power, propeller and condition lever | Treating the condition lever as an ordinary mixture axis when the aircraft uses custom commands |
| Twin piston | Throttle 1–2, propeller 1–2 and mixture 1–2 | Using combined axes as well as individual engine axes |
| Twin-engine jet | Throttle 1–2; use other levers for speed brake or flaps only if the aircraft supports appropriate axes | Forcing a continuous axis onto a control that expects discrete positions |
| Four-engine jet | Throttle 1–4, with two levers left for supported secondary controls | Leaving an automatically assigned master throttle active |
Our guide to matching throttle-quadrant levers to different aircraft covers response curves, multi-engine layouts and the choice between combined and individual engine controls.
How do I configure reverse thrust, beta and cut-off?
Calibration does not create reverse thrust or beta range; those functions require suitable simulator or aircraft commands. The quadrant's lever detents provide a physical reference, while the two-way rocker switches are digital button inputs rather than additional analogue axes.
- Reverse range on an axis: If movement below the detent continues to change the axis in
joy.cpl, a simulator or aircraft that supports axis ranges may let that section represent reverse or beta. - Reverse hold or toggle: When reverse cannot occupy part of the axis, bind a rocker-switch direction to reverse hold or reverse toggle. Engage it at idle, advance the appropriate throttle lever to increase reverse thrust, then return to idle before disengaging it.
- Mixture or condition cut-off: Use the bottom of the analogue axis when the aircraft recognises the full range. If cut-off is a separate command, assign a rocker switch or button instead.
Test these functions per aircraft. Complex add-ons may use custom controls rather than the simulator's generic reverse, beta or condition-lever commands.
Simulator-specific binding differences
- Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 and 2024: Search by input after moving a lever, choose an axis command and check the reversal option if movement is backwards. Aircraft-specific profiles prevent piston and jet assignments from colliding. For the newer simulator, use our MSFS 2024 joystick and throttle calibration steps.
- X-Plane 12: Run X-Plane's controller calibration even after testing the hardware in the operating system, then assign each coloured axis bar and use the reverse checkbox where required. Our X-Plane 12 controller calibration workflow covers the complete process.
- FSX and Prepar3D: Assign the axes in the controller settings, start with high or full sensitivity and a minimal null zone, then confirm the Windows calibration if an endpoint is missing.
- DCS: Configure the quadrant separately for each aircraft under axis commands. Clear unwanted assignments from every connected controller column, because DCS commonly maps the same throttle or view axis to several devices.
Why is my CH throttle quadrant reversed or jittery?
Most CH quadrant problems can be isolated by comparing the Windows input display with the simulator's cockpit controls.
- All engines move together: A combined throttle axis and individual engine axes are active at the same time. Keep one control scheme and delete the other assignments.
- The lever moves backwards: Enable the simulator's reverse-axis option. Do not recalibrate the hardware backwards, because that can confuse its endpoints in other profiles.
- Idle or full power cannot be reached: Check the endpoints in
joy.cpl. If Windows reaches them, adjust the simulator's extremity, saturation or range settings; if Windows does not, recalibrate there first. - The axis jitters: Test it outside the simulator. Mild movement can be masked with a small dead zone, but persistent jumping in Windows across different USB ports indicates a hardware-side problem that a response curve cannot repair.
- The device appears twice: A native controller and a Control Manager virtual device may both be active. Remove bindings from one of them.
- The controls page works but the cockpit does not: Disconnect the autopilot or autothrottle, disable control assistance temporarily and test a default aircraft. If that works, the original aircraft probably requires its own profile or custom commands.