Set up a CH Products Flight Sim Yoke and Pro Pedals in Windows, map each axis, fix reversed brakes and configure MSFS 2024, FSX or X-Plane.
To set up a CH Products USB yoke and Pro Pedals on a Windows PC, connect them as separate devices, verify and calibrate each in joy.cpl, then bind roll and pitch to the yoke, rudder to the pedal axis, and each toe brake separately. Remove duplicate assignments before adjusting sensitivity.
Simulator: General. This procedure applies to Windows PC simulators including Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 and 2020, X-Plane, Prepar3D and FSX. CH USB controllers should not be assumed to work on Xbox or PlayStation merely because they have USB plugs; console editions require hardware specifically supported by the platform and simulator.
Which CH Products yoke and pedals are you configuring?
The USB Flight Sim Yoke, Eclipse Yoke and Pro Pedals all appear as Windows game controllers, but each device exposes its own axes and buttons. Check the product label and confirm what Windows detects rather than selecting a simulator preset based only on the CH name.
| CH hardware | How it should appear | Set-up implication |
|---|---|---|
| Flight Sim Yoke USB | One yoke device | Assign pitch, roll and any fitted control levers you intend to use |
| Eclipse Yoke | One yoke device with additional integrated controls | Map the yoke and quadrant controls deliberately; do not accept duplicate defaults |
| Pro Pedals USB | A separate pedal device | Assign one rudder axis and two independent toe-brake axes |
| Older 15-pin gameport hardware | Not a native USB controller | Requires a suitable conversion method and may not expose every axis |
How do I set up a CH yoke and pedals in Windows?
- Connect both devices before launching the simulator: plug the yoke and pedals into separate USB ports. Use direct computer ports during initial configuration because an unpowered hub can cause detection failures or intermittent disconnections.
- Open the Windows controller panel: press Windows key and R, enter
joy.cpl, then select OK. Both CH devices should appear in the Game Controllers list. - Test every control: open the properties for each device and move one control at a time. The yoke should show separate pitch and roll movement; the pedals should show rudder movement plus an independent axis for each toe brake.
- Calibrate where necessary: use the Windows calibration routine if an axis does not reach its full range or centre correctly. Move the yoke and rudder smoothly through their complete travel. Toe brakes rest at one end of their range rather than in the centre, so verify both released and fully pressed positions.
- Launch the simulator and create profiles: make a separate control profile for the yoke and another for the pedals. A default profile may contain camera controls, digital steering commands or unwanted throttle assignments.
- Assign the analogue axes: map each physical control to the corresponding axis command shown below. When using automatic input detection, move only the intended control.
- Remove duplicate inputs: inspect every connected joystick, throttle and controller for second assignments to pitch, roll, yaw, brakes and engine controls. Disable auto-rudder or similar assistance when using physical pedals.
- Check direction and neutral positions: watch the simulator's control indicators or cockpit controls. Pulling the yoke should move the virtual yoke back, pressing the left rudder pedal should command left rudder, and released toe brakes should show no braking.
- Conduct a slow taxi test: check rudder steering and press each toe brake separately. Confirm the left pedal brakes the left wheel and the right pedal brakes the right wheel before attempting a take-off.
If a controller is missing or behaves unpredictably under Windows 11, follow our more detailed Windows 11 detection and configuration checks for CH controls. For incomplete travel, poor centring or calibration that will not hold, use our step-by-step CH USB yoke calibration procedure.
Which axes should I assign to a CH yoke and pedals?
Assign every analogue control to an axis command, not to paired on/off commands such as Aileron Left and Aileron Right.
| Physical control | Simulator command | Direction check |
|---|---|---|
| Yoke left and right | Roll or aileron axis | Turn left and confirm the cockpit yoke turns left |
| Yoke forward and back | Pitch or elevator axis | Pull back and confirm the cockpit yoke moves back |
| Main pedal movement | Yaw or rudder axis | Press the left pedal forward and confirm left rudder |
| Left toe brake | Left brake axis | Released must show no left braking |
| Right toe brake | Right brake axis | Released must show no right braking |
| Yoke throttle lever, where fitted | Throttle axis | Forward should increase throttle |
| Other fitted levers | Propeller or mixture axis as required | Forward should increase the selected control |
Toe-brake axes commonly appear reversed because their electrical rest position is at one end of the range. Reverse the left and right brake axes individually only if the simulator shows braking while the pedals are released. Do not reverse an axis merely because its Windows indicator moves in an unexpected numerical direction.
Does a CH Products yoke work with Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024?
A CH Products USB yoke and Pro Pedals can be configured as standard game controllers in the Windows PC edition of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, although a complete ready-made preset may not be supplied.
Connect the controllers before starting the simulator, create a profile for each device and expose all available commands while assigning them. A filter that shows assigned controls only can make an unassigned axis appear to be missing. Our CH yoke profile and axis instructions for Microsoft Flight Simulator cover the simulator-specific workflow.
The same basic approach applies to Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020. MSFS 2024 also runs on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5 and PS5 Pro, but this Windows procedure does not establish console compatibility. Only use a controller on those systems when the exact hardware is explicitly supported.
| Simulator | Main set-up detail | Frequent problem |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 and 2020 | Create a profile for each detected device and bind the axes manually | Control filters hide commands, or assistance adds auto-rudder |
| X-Plane | Calibrate each device in the simulator and assign rudder plus left and right toe brakes | An axis is assigned to the wrong function or reversed unnecessarily |
| Prepar3D | Check the assignments generated for every connected controller | Two devices control the same flight axis |
| FSX | Enable controllers and assign axes under the controls settings | Automatic defaults create duplicate axes or reversed toe brakes |
Is the CH Eclipse Yoke set up differently?
The CH Eclipse Yoke uses the same Windows detection and axis principles, but its integrated controls give the simulator more possible assignments to populate automatically. Create a clean device profile and bind only the levers, buttons and axes you intend to use; our CH Eclipse Yoke and quadrant set-up for MSFS covers that model in detail.
How should sensitivity and dead zones be adjusted?
Begin with a linear response and no dead zone, then add the smallest centre dead zone or null zone needed to stop an untouched control from flickering.
- Pitch and roll: change the response curve only after confirming that the yoke reaches both ends of the input meter. A curve can soften small corrections, but it should not be used to conceal failed calibration.
- Rudder: the centred pedals should produce a stable neutral input. Add a small dead zone if minor movement remains after calibration.
- Toe brakes: these axes do not centre. They must show fully released with no pressure and increase progressively as each toe pedal is pressed.
- Engine levers: check for full idle and full-forward travel before adding response curves or dead zones.
Make final sensitivity changes while flying a familiar aircraft. Ground steering, crosswinds, propeller effects and aircraft-specific control authority can make a correctly configured pedal axis feel different from one aeroplane to another.
Why are the brakes stuck or the aircraft veering?
Stuck brakes usually indicate reversed toe-brake axes, while unexplained veering is most often caused by an off-centre rudder input, a second yaw assignment or pressure resting on one toe brake.
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Brakes are applied while pedals are released | One or both toe-brake axes are reversed | Reverse each brake axis separately and recheck its input bar |
| Both wheels brake together | Toe pedals are bound to the generic Brakes command | Use separate left- and right-brake axis commands |
| Pedals act like switches | Digital Rudder Left and Rudder Right commands were used | Remove those bindings and assign the continuous rudder axis |
| Aircraft yaws while controls are untouched | Rudder centring, auto-rudder or a duplicate yaw input | Check neutral position, disable assistance and search every device profile |
Controls work in joy.cpl but not in the simulator | Wrong profile, hidden command filter or disabled controller input | Activate the correct device profile, show all commands and confirm controllers are enabled |
| One movement operates several controls | Automatic assignments or a combined virtual device | Clear the unwanted bindings and retain one assignment per function |
| Axes spike or disconnect | USB connection, cable or worn internal control component | Test a direct USB port; spikes also visible in joy.cpl are not caused by the simulator |
Do I need CH Control Manager?
CH Control Manager is not required for normal yoke and pedal use in PC flight simulators. Direct USB operation is the simplest baseline because Windows presents the yoke and pedals as separate game controllers that the simulator can bind directly.
The legacy utility may still be useful for specialised mappings or older software, but mapped or combined modes can create virtual CH devices. If the simulator lists both physical and virtual versions, assigning the same axes to both causes doubled or conflicting inputs. Choose either direct physical devices or the intended virtual mapping, not both.
What if the CH controls use 15-pin gameport plugs?
Older gameport CH yokes and pedals cannot be configured as native USB controllers without suitable conversion hardware. A basic gameport-to-USB adapter may expose too few analogue axes for pitch, roll, rudder and two independent toe brakes.
Some older arrangements route the pedals through the yoke before reaching the gameport. The USB procedure only applies once Windows displays the converted controls in joy.cpl and every required axis responds independently; if an axis is absent there, no simulator assignment can restore it.