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B58 BaronPublisher: CarenadoReview Author: Stuart McGregorSuggested Price: $29.95/images/fsc/wbicons/store-buy-now-button.png /images/reviews/b58baron/t/car_b58_baron_-_2019-05-09_21.46.38.jpg /images/reviews/b58baron/t/car_b58_baron_-_2019-05-09_21.55.54.jpgThe AircraftThe Beechcraft Baron has been aroundsince the early 1960s, and in my opinion, is one of those iconic lightaircraft that everyone should try out at some point in theirsimulation careers. Now the great thing is, Laminar Research provide apretty good rendition as part of their fleet of default aircraft, soif you are not sure if you want to splash out and dive straight intopayware, you can try out their B58 to get a feel for whether thistype of aircraft is for you or not. The real-life Baron is still inproduction today which is a testament to its appeal as a twin-enginelight aircraft, and the B58 variant was in production from the late1960s right up until 2004, where production then continued as theG58. If you are unfamiliar with the Baron B58, it is the long-bodiedversion of the aircraft (short body being the other option), and comeswith twin Continental engines, typically seating 4 - 5 passengers andcrew. If you are thinking on purchasing a real one, it will set youback somewhere around US$1.5 million, so read on, as the version beingreviewed here may be more in line with most people's budget. Theaircraft being discussed in this review is the recently releasedX-Plane 11 version of Carenado's B58. /images/reviews/b58baron/t/car_b58_baron_-_2019-05-09_21.47.32.jpg /images/reviews/b58baron/t/car_b58_baron_-_2019-05-09_21.50.11.jpgGetting StartedThe Baron retails at $29.95, which I believe is a fairly reasonableprice for what is on offer, and hopefully this review will give yousome insight into the features of the aircraft and whether the askingprice is a fair one or not. I purchased my copy at Carenado's shop, and as with most developersites there is a good description of the aircraft's features, what isincluded in the package and also the minimum system requirements youneed to have to get the best out of it. It is a reasonably largedownload at 365 MB, and based on the description provided, to make themost of the features on offer from your prospective purchase, you willneed a system with a quality CPU and GPU with at least 4 GB VRAM. Onething to note is that to get the rain effects, you also need todownload and install the Librain plugin, and a link to the file isalso provided on the download page. I must admit that I didn't noticethis at first, so it's well worth reading all the info provided on theproduct page before you jump in. /images/reviews/b58baron/t/car_b58_baron_-_2019-05-09_15.13.30.jpg /images/reviews/b58baron/t/car_b58_baron_-_2019-05-09_15.13.48.jpgInstallation is straight forward enough, usual story, simply unzipthe downloaded file and drag and drop into your Aircraft folder.First time you start the B58, you will be required to enter a LicenseKey, however this is provided with the download and only takes acouple of minutes to enter and activate. I had no issues. Various documents are provided in the DOCUMENTATION folder, andthese include a variety of procedures, reference documents andrecommended graphics settings for X-Plane 11. Fairly standard forCarenado. For this review, I did follow the designer's advice withrespect to Visual Effects, Texture Quality and Antialiasing, so Ibelieve my observations and experience are a fair reflection of whatothers might experience, although different hardware setups will getdifferent results. One thing I didn't do, was crank up the ReflectionDetail as suggested, as I found this totally killed my frame rates.Throughout my test it was left at Minimal. For reference, my ownsystem consists of an Intel i9 9900K 3.60 GHz CPU, a RTX2080Ti GPU and64 GB RAM. I also have a number of Saitek panels and 3 x 27" screens,and my test flights were all carried out in and around WBKK in Borneoduring the day and early evening. /images/reviews/b58baron/t/car_b58_baron_-_2019-05-09_15.15.03.jpg /images/reviews/b58baron/t/car_b58_baron_-_2019-05-09_15.16.26.jpg Initial Thoughts And ObservationsLooking from the outside, the B58 is well proportioned and inkeeping with the real aircraft, although this is pretty much what youwould expect from a seasoned and experienced design team such as thefolks over at Carenado. Even with the Reflection Detail set tominimal, the aircraft external surfaces have a nice look to them, andthe graphics quality is extremely realistic. Design details such asdirt and grime around the engine covers and the fuselage, the highlypolished prop spinners, the extremely lifelike landing gear, trim tabsand tires as well as the static wicks on the trailing edges of theelevators, all add to the realism. This B58 really does its real-lifename sake justice, and I was pretty impressed with what I saw straightfrom the word go. I really enjoyed the animated head movements of boththe aircrew, a nice little touch when looking from the outside of theaircraft, which in combination with all the other visual eye candy,set me off in a good mood. /images/reviews/b58baron/t/car_b58_baron_-_2019-05-09_15.19.16.jpg /images/reviews/b58baron/t/car_b58_baron_-_2019-05-09_15.22.21.jpgAs far as the external sounds go, I have never been around a realB58, so it is difficult to know what it really sounds. However theengines do have a nice tone to them and I really enjoyed the 3D effectas you move around the aircraft. The heat haze coming from the engineexhausts just adds a further nice degree of realism, and the varioustaxi, beacon and landing lights are all bright and easilydistinguishable, and the good news is that the bright halo that reallyused to annoy me, isn't there this time around. From one of the onscreen menus, you can open the double passengerrear door, and front cabin door, as well as the baggage compartmentlocated in the right-hand side of the nose, and again the texturedetails and door operations are extremely realistic. In the baggagecompartment for example, there are a few pieces of luggage. From thesame menu you can also add and remove instrument and windowreflections, as well as add and remove a number of static objects,such as chocks, warning cones and protective covers for instrumentslike the pitot tube and engine air intakes. It also worth mentioningthat the two pilots are also removed from the cabin when static. /images/reviews/b58baron/t/car_b58_baron_-_2019-05-09_15.27.34.jpg /images/reviews/b58baron/t/car_b58_baron_-_2019-05-09_15.31.47.jpgMoving inside, the high-quality textures and level of detailcontinues. There is detailed texturing of the seating in the cabin,air vents, exit signs, information/warning signs on the windows anddoors, and even instrument reflection in the sun shades. The interiorroof lights can also be switched on and off, and the list just goes onand on. In my opinion, the B58 is pretty impressive when you considerthe overall features list, the asking price and just the ease ofoperation of the whole thing. The bar certainly has been raised withthis aircraft, and it never fails to amaze me at the quality thatdesign teams like those at Carenado keep on delivering. Moving aroundthe compact cabin (various views are available from a second pop outon-screen menu), you have a great view through the relatively largewindows, and in particular the views from both the pilot and co-pilotseats are excellent. One of the reasons I like this aircraft so much,is the fact the with my 3 x 27" screens, the view from the cockpit islargely unobstructed, allowing the user to get a great view of theoutside world. I personally use TrackIR and this allows me to get adynamic 180° view of everything going on around me. /images/reviews/b58baron/t/car_b58_baron_-_2019-05-09_15.36.04.jpg /images/reviews/b58baron/t/car_b58_baron_-_2019-05-09_15.37.02.jpgSitting in the left-hand pilot seat, I thoroughly enjoyed thecrispness and clarity of the instrument panels, and once again nodetail has been overlooked. With the move to X-Plane 11, the qualityof the textures really stands out, resulting in a truly immersiveexperience. This is one of the most noticeable differences between thedefault Baron and this one, the improvement in texture quality isextremely noticeable. Most of the buttons and switches were user active, so there isplenty of interaction possible, although this was not the case for thevarious fuses (a minor detail in my opinion, and maybe something forthe future). As an avid Saitek panel user, the fact that everything"just worked" made me extremely happy; no additional scripts required,no fuss. As far as I could tell, all the features worked perfectlywith the Baron's controls, and this is the sort of thing that reallymakes a massive difference for me. I do however appreciate that noteveryone uses these, and therefore no big deal for some. /images/reviews/b58baron/t/car_b58_baron_-_2019-05-09_15.40.20.jpg /images/reviews/b58baron/t/car_b58_baron_-_2019-05-09_15.40.25.jpgThe B58 comes with twin default X-Plane Garmin 430 panels, and alsoa Bendix/King KFC 225 autopilot panel. I also understand that RealityXP GTN750 support is provided if you so wish, although I do not usethis add-on so can't comment on how well it works. From what Iunderstand, it adds an extra level of sophistication to navigation ifyou would prefer more modern equipment. Anyway, back to theKFC225. The unit can be accessed easily via a third pop out panel or byclicking on the actual unit itself. Either way, it was extremely easyto access, and more importantly, to operate. It is quite a simplepanel (which I really appreciated), however it has all the basicfeatures an aircraft of this type would need, such as heading andaltitude hold, vertical speed adjustment, yaw damper, etc. I found thewhole thing really simple to understand and use when in flight. I justloved the fact that with only a couple of simple clicks, you can setyour desired altitude and vertical speed, set arm and the aircraftglides to the required altitude and stops. Just fabulous... /images/reviews/b58baron/t/car_b58_baron_-_2019-05-09_15.45.31.jpg /images/reviews/b58baron/t/car_b58_baron_-_2019-05-09_15.53.44.jpg On The GroundTaxiing the B58 was relatively easy and smooth, however as I haveno toe brakes due to a change in my hardware (I fly mainly helis thesedays), I felt at times it had a habit of getting away from me, soregular manual braking was required to keep me on the taxiway. I amsure it was purely down to way too much power and prop on my part,however, once I had the balance point sorted out, things did improvesignificantly. I did find my CH throttle quad sensitive down at thelow speed end of things, however if this is an artefact of myhardware, or the actual aircraft I am unable to say, so just somethingto take note of for prospective buyers. In all honesty it didn'treally detract that much from my overall enjoyment once I knew what toexpect. /images/reviews/b58baron/t/car_b58_baron_-_2019-05-09_15.53.56.jpg /images/reviews/b58baron/t/car_b58_baron_-_2019-05-09_15.54.10.jpgReaching the runway and pushing the prop leavers to full and easingforward on the throttles resulted in a very noticeable change inpitch, emanating from the twin Continental engines. Keeping the B58straight as I launched myself along the runway was straightforward andstable, and takeoff was extremely smooth. There is a very nice 'throb'and 'hum' to the engine sound (which is responsive to changes inpropeller pitch), and you will also hear the faint whine of thelanding gear hydraulics as the gear comes up. Having never been in areal Baron, I can't really say if this is realistic or not, although Ido feel that in the recent releases of X-Plane, the sound balance isperhaps not as good as it could be, particularly when in the cabin.What I would say however, is that the action of the landing gear isvery well modelled, and fabulous to watch, so well worth taking a lookfrom the outside when you can. This is probably the sort of detailmany people miss, however if a developer is putting that much detailinto the parts you don't typically see, it all bodes well for the moreobvious areas. /images/reviews/b58baron/t/car_b58_baron_-_2019-05-09_15.57.17.jpg /images/reviews/b58baron/t/car_b58_baron_-_2019-05-09_15.59.21.jpgIn The AirAs I toured around the beautiful island of Borneo (if you havenever been you should try it out), the B58 was a real pleasure tofly. The expansive view out of the cabin, the smoothness of the turnsand in combination with numerous altitude changes was to coin that oldcliche... as 'smooth as silk'. It really was a wonderful flyingexperience. I included a couple of flights using ATC, and even then, I foundcontrolling the aircraft with everything going on around me much lessstressful than some other aircraft I have flown in the past. Ibelieve this was largely down to the accessibility of the flightcontrols, and just how well everything responded to my inputs. Of allthe fixed wing aircraft types around, I fully admit that GA aircraftare by far my favorite, primarily because I really enjoy the relativesimplicity and sense of flight when aboard. The B58 fits snugly intothat category, and Carenado's version even more so. /images/reviews/b58baron/t/car_b58_baron_-_2019-05-09_16.00.33.jpg /images/reviews/b58baron/t/car_b58_baron_-_2019-05-09_16.01.13.jpgCruising the skies at around 5000 feet above the ortho basedlandscape on a beautifully sunny day in South East Asia, brought thebest out of the Baron. I honestly can't remember the last time that Ifelt so relaxed when in a cockpit to a point where (with the autopilotblinking away), I was on the verge of nodding off. There really isn'tmuch else to say about the flight experience, as I could not find anyfault in the aircraft's response to my fairly average airmanship. Iam therefore sure, that from beginners right up to the moreaccomplished pilots, the B58s flight characteristics will be anenjoyable experience for all, no matter your level of ability. Virtual RealityThe Baron is equipped to run in the VR mode, and as I do have anOculus Rift, I did take a quick look inside, although as I have stillto master the whole world of VR, I didn't do an extensive test. WhatI would say though, is the visual experience is just breathtaking, andthe manipulators I tried appeared to work as intended. I shouldmention though that I predominately relied on my existing hardware tofly the aircraft, and used the touch controllers to control variousswitches etc. The combination worked pretty well. /images/reviews/b58baron/t/car_b58_baron_-_2019-05-09_16.01.41.jpg /images/reviews/b58baron/t/car_b58_baron_-_2019-05-09_16.02.51.jpgVR really does add a whole new dimension to X-Plane, and if I canever just get used to the sensation, I am sure it will be the futureof the hobby. The most noticeable difference I encountered is thesense of how compact the cabin actually is when inside, and with theheadset on, just how in proportion everything is. It sounds daft Iknow, but going back to a stretched three screen setup, the level ofdistortion is way more obvious. If however you are a VR fan, even withmy limited experience, I believe the B58 does offer the sort offeatures most people are after. Final ThoughtsAs I am sure you have realised by now, I thoroughly enjoyed flyingthe B58, both in manual and with the autopilot engaged. For me, thisaircraft really ticks all the boxes on my list, mainly because the B58has been a favorite of mine since I first tried X-Plane back inversion 10. The default model supplied with X-Plane is a goodworkhorse aircraft, of that there is no doubt, and for many armchairpilots may be all you ever need. However, if you are looking forsomething that is just that little bit more sophisticated, and a stepor two up in terms of eye candy and also the flying experience, thenthe B58 from Carenado is well worth considering. /images/reviews/b58baron/t/car_b58_baron_-_2019-05-09_16.46.26.jpg /images/reviews/b58baron/t/car_b58_baron_-_2019-05-09_16.47.31.jpgCarenado quality shines through again with their version of theBaron, and I believe they are consistently one of the top teamsdeveloping aircraft for the X-Plane platform. Their B58 being anothergreat example of the quality of work they produce at a fairprice. There are many differences between the various paywaredevelopers and their products, although in my experience, generallythe majority do a decent job. So where do you spend your money? Atthe end of the day what you spend your money on all comes down to afew things in my opinion: a particular affinity for a certain type ofaircraft, the types of features you enjoy, the developer's reputation,and clearly the price being asked. From what I have experienced, this is a high quality, beautifullypresented twin engine GA aircraft. It handles well, has enough bellsand whistles to keep you entertained for hours on end, and it allcomes at a competitive price! /images/reviews/b58baron/b58-baron.jpgStuart McGregor Purchase Carenaedo - B58 Baron for X-Plane 11 Additional Screen Shots Additional Screen Shots /images/reviews/b58baron/t/car_b58_baron_-_2019-05-09_16.48.38.jpg /images/reviews/b58baron/t/car_b58_baron_-_2019-05-09_21.37.45.jpg /images/reviews/b58baron/t/car_b58_baron_-_2019-05-09_21.39.18.jpg /images/reviews/b58baron/t/car_b58_baron_-_2019-05-09_21.56.56.jpg /images/reviews/b58baron/t/car_b58_baron_-_2019-05-09_15.12.10.jpg /images/reviews/b58baron/t/car_b58_baron_-_2019-05-09_15.13.09.jpg /images/reviews/b58baron/t/car_b58_baron_-_2019-05-09_21.51.58.jpg /images/reviews/b58baron/t/car_b58_baron_-_2019-05-09_21.54.54.jpg /images/reviews/b58baron/t/car_b58_baron_-_2019-05-09_15.11.20.jpg /images/reviews/b58baron/t/car_b58_baron_-_2019-05-09_15.11.42.jpg

/images/notams/notams19/rep0411.jpgCarenado released a newBaron B58made for X-Plane 11 to replace the one for XP10 (which was yearsold). Now, a new Reality Expansion Pack is ready for it. It comes withall the features that made REP what it is now. Economic Systemincluded. The package is available at the usual price of $19.99. If you bought REP for the older B58 or for Laminar's B58 from theX-Plane.org Store, you get a 40% discount for this new package. Of course, the older package is not on sale anymore but it will becontinuously updated as long as feasible, like all the other packagesnot on sale anymore. So, if you own the old package for the XP10Carenado Baron, don't worry, we're not dropping support. About Reality Expansion PackThe Reality Expansion Pack for X‑Plane 11 and 10 is an add-on thatreplaces some internal parts of the sim with custom ones, greatlyenhancing the realism. It replaces and enhances the flight & ground dynamics, the defaultpiston engine, the electrical system, the landing gear and many otheraspects of the airplane, adding things such real world physics, newstereo sounds and extra 3D elements. REP also provides a damages system, a maintenance hangar and theinteractive ground checks. You learn how to use it and become a better pilot thanks to thein-flight tips: a simple and not invasive way to let you know whenyou’re doing something wrong to the airplane and how to fix theproblem. Source Carenado - B58 Baron For X-Plane 11

/images/notams/notams19/care0409/care0409.jpgFeaturesVersion 1.1High-end 4K PBR (Physically-Based Rendering) graphics throughout, with ultra-realistic materials rendition (dynamic reflections, realistic metal and dielectric materials, etc.)Custom Bendix King KFC 225 autopilot with detachable pop-up windowRain effect support*In-depth FMOD sound design implementation, including atmospheric distance effects, realistic prop effects, etc.RealityXP GTN750 support (with 3D panel display support)Extensive VR support with snap points in every passenger seat (all knobs, buttons, dials, handles, etc. also optimized for VR usage)End-user customizable via Manifest.json file.Goodway compatibleEngine and prop design re-authored completely for XP11.30's new engine modelFlight dynamics re-authored for latest improvements in XP11.30.Librain support also includes visual ice effects on windows*Requires downloading Librain plugin. /images/notams/notams19/care0409/baron-3.jpgIncluded In The Package4 Liveries1 Blank textureNormal and Emergency Procedures PDFKFC225 Autopilot ManualB58 Reference PDFGeneral Information PDFRecommended Settings XP11 PDF /images/notams/notams19/care0409/baron-1.jpg /images/notams/notams19/care0409/baron-2.jpgPurchase Carenado - B58 Baron for X-Plane 11

/images/notams/notams19/care0329.jpgFeaturesHigh-end 4k PBR (Physically-based Rendering) graphics throughout, with ultra-realistic materials rendition (Dynamic reflections, realistic metal and dielectric materials, etc.).Custom APS85 Autopilot with detachable pop-up window.Rain effect support.In-depth FMOD sound design implementation, including atmospheric distance effects, realistic prop effects, etc.RealityXP GTN750 support (with 3D panel display support).Extensive VR support with snap points in every passenger seat (All knobs, buttons, dials, handles, etc. also optimized for VR usage).End-user customizable via Manifest.json file.Goodway compatible.Engine and prop design re-authored completely for XP11.30's new engine model.Flight dynamics re-authored for latest improvements in XP11.30.Librain support also includes visual ice effects on windows.Purchase Carenado - B58 Baron For X-Plane 11

Review: Replica TPM And Gear LeverCreated by SimMax.itBy Ray AndersenIntroI have now for several years been on aquest of testing various software and hardware materials createdspecifically for flight simulation purposes and this time I have founda rather new flightsim manufacturerwww.SimMax.itthat sells both blueprints to aircraft panels and also modules bothplug-and-play and also modules without the interface card. /images/reviews/simmaxit/t/simmax03.jpgThis review will cover two of their recently developed products.One is the replica Cessna style TPM and the other is an independentreplica Baron 58 style landing gear lever featuring gear lever as wellas LED lights. This is the first time I have tested and reviewed materials fromSimMax but the products have definitely proved their worth and I wasvery positively surprised. I do hope you enjoy the write-up of myexperience of these new and exciting products and how they in myopinion performed. Packing And DeliveryThe products included in this review were ordered directly athttp://www.SimMax.it which is a multi-language international web site andwhere you can make your purchase in several currencies with world-widedirect shipment. The company is an Italian company located on theisland of Java in Indonesia and the products are made by Simone Saruiswho is a very talented flightsim builder. /images/reviews/simmaxit/t/simmax18.jpg /images/reviews/simmaxit/t/simmax19.jpgThe delivery was performed by the Indonesian Postal Service whichcarried the package to the international haulers and finally to theDanish Postal Service which did the final delivery. Overall the entiretransit time was about two - three weeks, however the extendeddelivery time was mainly due to a delay at the Danish customsservice. The shipment was supported by track and trace and the numberwas sent directly to me by SimMax - this was excellent so that I couldkeep track of how close the pack was getting to delivery. You knowthat when you have finally ordered some new hardware, you just can'twait to receive it. Receiving the package I saw that the transport had been carried outnicely and there were absolutely no signs of rough handling on thepackage. The parts were carefully packed within a strong and thickcardboard box which had an inner layer of polystyrene plates to shieldthe parts from rough handling. Furthermore the parts were also packedin a dual/triple layer of bubble wrapping, so the parts were verycarefully and nicely packed. The TPM Cessna StyleMy primary focus immediately zoomed in on the Cessna style TPM(throttle, prop, mixture) which absolutely looked awesome layingthere in the box. Included with the TPM is also the USB cable 2.0 A/B(short version) together with mounting screws for an easy mountinginto your home cockpit. /images/reviews/simmaxit/t/simmax06.jpg /images/reviews/simmaxit/t/simmax10.jpgThe TPM is built as a box with the measurements width 157mm, height45mm and depth 175mm featuring a faceplate with the measurements width170mm, height 65mm and depth 3mm. The button of the TPM is made ofmetal, most likely aluminum whereas the cover (sides, end and top) iscreated in good quality plastic which is painted in black. Thefaceplate is laser cut hard acrylic and features engraved legends ofgood quality. The cylinder arms or levers are made of aluminum as well as thefasteners - these however can be ordered as a plastic version to keepthe costs down, but I would recommend upgrading to the aluminumversion instead. That does really add more realism to theexperience. Last but not least, the knobs. The throttle, the prop and themixture knobs are all 3D printed knobs made of hard plastic andthereafter polished and painted with a great accuracy, realisticcolors and focus on quality and eye candy. The knobs are absolutelyawesome and indeed very realistic replica knobs that provide a great experience to the simmer. The core of the knobs isthe aluminum cylinders and the front end of the knobs is also aluminumwhich really adds to the feeling of a realistic TPM and the experienceof using it. Overall the quality of the TPM was better than I expected - I didexpect the TPM to be rather heavy but that is certainly not thecase. The weight is less 1 kg for the complete TPM which makes is veryeasy to mount into your home cockpit without the use of additionalsupport. I did see a guy in the forum at SimMax who had applied extramounting brackets on each side of the TPM, so that he could mount theTPM below his desk. Very nice idea and maybe an idea for a potentialselectable option upgrade of the TPM. There is no twist function on the cylinders which of course is notnecessary, however by including that it might send the TPM to reachthe skies, because I don't believe I have seen that on other TPMreplicas from other manufacturers. That is simply just an idea for apotential future upgrade or option. Opening up the TPM I quickly got an overview of the complexitywithin - not really that complex but everything is placed perfectlyand mounted firmly. The interface card is an Arduino UNO card with aUSB connector and the card is placed in the back of the casing withthe USB connector mounted to the left side of the casing, probably dueto the limited space available within the box. This works nicely butfor my home cockpit I would have preferred that the USB connector wasmounted through the back-end of the casing, but that is just for myhome cockpit. To open the lid you need to unscrew nine small Phillips screws andcarefully tilt the lid from the opposite side from where the USBsocket is placed - very easy! The interface card features several available pins, so if you haveadditional switches or buttons in your home cockpit, or evenadditional axis that you would like to add, then you can actually usethese extra pins to do the connection. Nice detail that could come inhandy. You are also able to increase or decrease the tension on thecylinders by either tightening or loosening the screws in the clampbetween the pipe and the potentiometers. I did not change the settingon my TPM since I found the tension to be very nice and close toreality of the Cessna 172, but this might be more user friendlyif the tension control was mounted in a way where you could access itwithout opening the lid. Connecting the TPM to the computer was easy - simply plug in theUSB in both the TPM and the computer and I found that Windowsimmediately recognized the interface card and I was now alreadyconnected. The connection was tested on both a USB2.0 socket as wellas the newer USB3.0 socket which is actually notorious for not workingproperly with several gaming devices - this however was not the case,the TPM worked perfectly using both the USB2.0 and the USB3.0socket. The TPM is a plug and play unit however, when connected you stillhave to calibrate each lever and you also have to assign thecorresponding functions that you would like the TPM toreplicate. Originally the TPM is created to utilize the throttle, theprop and the mixture, but you can of course assign a variety of otheraxis/functions to it in stead if you want to. I did notice that whencalibrating the axis there actually showed up two axis for themixture, but that was because the Arduino UNO interface card featuresadditional axis inputs. I tested the TPM on both the old 32-bit Microsoft FSX platform, thenew 64-bit Lockheed Prepar3D v4 platform and additionally also the64-bit X-Plane 11 platform. The TPM worked perfectly on all platformsand was recognized as interface card 'UNOJOY'. Assigning the axis was easy and I could perform the assigningthroughout all standard assignment tools within each simulator. I alsotested the assigning using the FSUIPC by Pete Dowson and that alsoworked beautifully. I assume that basically you could use more or lessany programming tool or language as SIOC, LINDA, C++ etc. as long asthe interface card is recognized by Windows. One thing you need to be aware of when assigning the TPM in XP11is that if you already have assigned a function/axis to a differentcontroller that already is plugged in, then you will get anerror. This I found out when assigning the throttle axis on the TPM towork on all throttles - this axis and function was already assigned tothe throttle axis on my Logitech controller and that caused myassigning of the TPM to not work. To overcome this issue all I had to do was to unplug the Logitechcontroller or simply just remove the assignment from the Logitechcontroller. This issue I only encountered using XP11 and not usingeither FSX or P3Dv4. Before I found the solution I contacted SimMax to get a littlehelp, and SimMax urgently replied with several suggestions to fix thisissue - thanks SimMax for quick and excellent support! /images/reviews/simmaxit/t/simmax21.jpg /images/reviews/simmaxit/t/simmax08.jpg /images/reviews/simmaxit/t/simmax17.jpg /images/reviews/simmaxit/t/simmax12.jpgThe potentiometers are of a good quality with a perfect reaction tomy change in inputs. However, I have not been able to verify theduration to see how many cycles the potentiometers can do beforefailing. Additionally there are not applied Hall Sensors to the unit- that could maybe be an idea for an upgraded version with even bettersensitivity. Short YouTube video created by SimMax.it here: The Gear Lever Baron 58 StyleThe TPM certainly set the quality bar quite high so it wasabsolutely with great anticipation that I now moved my focus on to thegear lever Baron 58 Style. I have for a while been looking for anindependent gear lever that was neither a Boeing or Airbus gearlever or even a part of a secondary system like trims or similar, sowhen I discovered the gear lever at SimMax, I just had to check thatone out. /images/reviews/simmaxit/t/simmax16.jpgThis gear lever is not a 'Plug 'n Play' unit and consists of thefaceplate, the back plate, the lever, the LEDs and the mechanismbehind. All parts are assembled including the connection wiring andthe unit is all ready for mounting into your home cockpit. The faceplate is made of 2mm acrylic plate that is laser cut,painted and thereafter the legends has been engraved on it. Behind thefaceplate is the back plate which also is an acrylic plate but a 5mmplate instead that also has been laser cut - normally a 2mm acrylicplate can be rather fragile but when you actually have both afaceplate and the back plate put together, you have excellentstability within the plates and a combined thickness of 7mm. /images/reviews/simmaxit/t/simmax04.jpgAlso, the faceplate features mounting holes in each corner andalso included in the package are four mounting screws so that you canmount the gear lever immediately. The acrylic faceplate feels reallynice but of course it could have been over-the-top if the faceplatewas aluminum. I know the costs would change, but that might be an ideafor a selectable option. The mechanism behind the gear lever is built from variousmaterials, primary 3D printed plastics and both looks and works veryprofessional. Taking a look at the lever and the knob itself; I mustsay it looks and feels awesome - just what I had been waiting for. Theknob is 3D printed and a superb replica of the real gear lever knobfound in the Baron 58 which I have found several images of on theinternet for comparison. After the 3D print the knob has been giving amanual finish and there after a paint job - all is very nice with agreat feel for realism and accuracy. Connecting the gear lever to the computer requires an interfacecard that features both input and outputs or as a minimum twointerface cards where one is an input card and the other an outputcard. I tested the connection first on an interface card from DesktopAviator (DTA) which only supported the inputs meaning only the gearlever up/down function. Secondly I tested the inputs on a commonPokeys57U interface card that supports both input and outputs and thatalso worked perfectly. Originally the gear lever was built to beconnected to an Arduino card, but any interface card that can berecognized by Windows can be used. Just to go all-in Ipurchased an Arduino Mega card and did the connection and test usingthat card and to even test some more options, I also tried to connectthe gear lever to the available pins in the Arduino UNO card withinthe TPM. /images/reviews/simmaxit/t/simmax15.jpg /images/reviews/simmaxit/t/simmax20.jpg /images/reviews/simmaxit/t/simmax07.jpgDepending on the interface card to be used, the connection can varyand please be aware that if you have two separate cards - one inputand one output, you probably have to split the GND wire into two wiresthat can be connected to each interface card. The wiring on the gear lever is very simple - yes there are severalwires, but each wire is perfectly marked with what function is has toperform as well as each wire of course also has a unique color so thebasis for the setup is perfect. You have a total of seven wires where four of them are for theoutputs (LEDs), two are for the inputs and one is a common GND. Eachwire is marked like e.g. 'LED Nose Gear' and this explains that thisspecific wire has to be connected to an output and controls the lightbehind the nose wheel indicator. There are the following markings: /images/reviews/simmaxit/t/simmax01.jpgOrange - LED Nose GearYellow - LED Gear LeftGreen - LED Gear RightBlue - LED Gear in TransitPurple - Gear UpWhite - Gear DownGrey - GNDThe lights are all outputs and e.g. the lights for the nose, theleft and the right gear are green lights that light up when the gearhas been lowered and locked into position. These lights turn off whenthe gear is raised where the LED 'Gear in Transit' now lights up. Thislight is a red light and will light until the gear has been fullyraised and locked where after the light turns off - please see thisshort YouTube video created by SimMax of this feature: This gear lever is not just a click/click gear lever but actuallyhas a built-in feature like e.g. the Boeing B737 levers on themarket. To be able to raise or lower the gear you have to pull thelever towards you to 'unlock' it - and not before you do that youcan't move the lever preventing un-wanted or accidental movements ofthe gear lever. This is a small but superb detail that in my honestopinion shows how much detail this new manufacturer goes into, andagain sets the bar high for these products. Programming the gear lever (inputs) to the functions is verysimilar as to assigning functions to any other piece of hardware like theTPM previously tested in this review. I tested the programming orassigning of functions on the default assignment tools within FSX,Prepar3D v4 and X-Plane 11, and this was absolutely no problem. I alsotested the programming using the FSUIPC and again this also workedeasily - you don't need to be a hardcore programmer to get this gearlever connected and up and running, but if you do need some help, thenSimMax.it has a downloadable guide/manual on their web site that willhelp you connect the gear lever and there after also set it upaccordingly. The guide is written in both Italian and English and isvery easy to read and features lots of images to help. In regards to programing the LEDs (Outputs) then this is adifferent story - I have not programmed outputs that many timesbefore, so this was quite new to me. Apparently this is not possibleto do through the default tools within each simulator and I also triedif it would be possible using the FSUIPC on its own, but I couldn'tget that to work... maybe there is something that I haveoverlooked. Well, I decided to follow the manual from SimMax's website instead and downloaded two programs - links to both downloads areavailable in the manual: Arduino IDEMobiflightI already had FSUIPC, but you can also download that using the linkin the manual. I did this programming on the FSX and P3D platform, butif you would rather do it for X-Plane, then use the included link inthe manual named 'ARDSIMX' which will be the interface to X-Planesimilar to the MobiFlight for FSX/P3D. Hereafter I first installed the Arduino IDE which is the softwarefor the interface card and thereafter the Mobiflight software which isthe software where you can assign inputs and outputs. I followedthe manual picture for picture, but since this was a new software toolthat I was not familiar with, then it was certainly something I had toget used to. You can either program everything manually or 'upload' a completefile - I started out trying the complete files (.mcc and .mfmc) fromSimMax, but encountered some issues with the .mfmc file - I contactedSimMax who gave me excellent and quick support followed by a sessionon TeamViewer where SimMax made an override of the file and did themanual programming to ensure everything was working perfectly. Here Icould see how easy the software of MobiFlight is to program withdropdowns for the FSUIPC options etc. Almost just like the standardassignment tools but where you of course had to link each function tothe specific pins on the interface card. The issue found with the file was that it contained a complete codefor all modules from SimMax but I only had this gear lever and theTPM, so the program couldn't really figure it out due to what I thinkwas too much irrelevant information. After just assigning the gearlever functions the program worked beautifully. My settings on the Arduino Mega card are: Gear Up - Pin 22, GearDown - Pin 24, Left LED - Pin 30, Nose LED - Pin 31, Right LED - Pin32 and Transit LED - Pin 33. GND in common. Inputs And Outputs Setup In MobiFlight: /images/reviews/simmaxit/t/simmax05.jpg /images/reviews/simmaxit/t/simmax09.jpg /images/reviews/simmaxit/t/simmax11.jpgResult when running MobiFlight behind Prepar3D v4 with Cessna 172from Alabeo: One note to the test I had using the TPM's Arduino UNO card is thatyou can only utilize the inputs using that card. To apply the outputsyou do need to use the Arduino MEGA card which can be purchased fromvarious web sites - I found mine at thewww.Arduinoshoppen.dkfor a total of 148,- DKK including VAT charge of 25% but excluding theshipping charge. You can probably find this card on a web site in yourcountry as well. /images/reviews/simmaxit/t/simmax14.jpgGear lever connected to the Arduino UNO card in the TPM: /images/reviews/simmaxit/t/simmax02.jpgConclusionTo wrap up my experience of these new and very exciting pieces ofsimulation hardware I can certainly say that I was very positivelysurprised. The quality is very good, the finish and paint job isbeautiful and the accuracy and focus on the details are absolutelyperfect. Materials used are good quality laser cut acrylics, 3D printedplastics and some parts are even aluminum for better look and feelwhich absolutely does provide a sensational experience and a greaterrealism. Connecting is easy - for the TPM it is plug 'n play and for thegear lever it does require that you purchase an input/output interfacecard and do the manual connection yourself with your preferredprogramming tool or download the freeware software tools. An idea foran upgrade of the gear lever, could be that it would bebuilt with an option as a plug 'n play item like the TPM - of coursefor an extra cost but I am certain that some simmers look elsewheresimply because they either do not wish to or do not think they areable to do the manual connection. These two products are in my honest opinion awesome and certainlyfeature a high quality rarely seen by a new manufacturer. It is veryeasy to see that SimMax.it has a passion for aviation and flightsimulation and have a superb eye for details, quality, finish andrealism - very nice to see other products that are not just for theheavy tubeliners but just as much for the GA sim aviators. I strongly recommend both these products to my fellow simmers - thequality is good and the price level is fair. Both items are a 4+ on ascale from 1-5 meaning that they are well above what I had expected.Of course there are always ways to improve the products but as theyare now, I am so amazed by the effort and talent behind the creationof these products. Finally I would like to thank SimMax.it for joining the flightsimulation community which these awesome products that absolutely willadd realism to any home cockpit. Keep up the excellent work and I willbe looking forward to see future developments from you for sure. /images/reviews/simmaxit/simmax13.jpgRay Andersen Rays Aviation www.SimMax.it Review Test SystemOS Win7 32-bit and Win10 64-bitCPU Intel Core™ i7-4790K 4x4,00GHz (Turbo 4x4,40GHz)Motherboard Asus Maximus VII Ranger (ROG-Series)CPU Cooler Antec Kuhler H20 650 Water CoolerRAM Kingston HyperX Beast-series 32GB DDR3-2133Hard disc Primary 500GB Samsung 850 EVO SSD (Solid State Disk)Hard disc Secondary 3TB Seagate Barracuda (7200rpm, 6GB/s)Graphic Card Asus GeForce GTX 980 Strix OC 4GBPower Supply Seasonic 750RT 80Plus GoldSound Asus ROG SupremeFX 2014 Sound (Sonic Radar II)Netcard Asus N53 Wireless USB (Dualband) Intel GameFirst III w/LANGuardInternet Connection 120 Gbit/s Lockheed Martin Prepar3D v4Laminar Research X-Plane 11Microsoft Flight Simulator FSX + Acceleration PackREX SkyForce for P3Dv4REX Overdrive for FSX

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