Honeycomb Bravo Throttle Quadrant configuration

In this post I would like to show you the configuration of the Honeycomb Bravo Throttle Quadrant. I’m currently dealing with commercial aviation, so the configurations here are more for the A320, the A32NX from FlyByWire which gives B787, B747 as well as the rest of the commercial aircraft. However, many functions can also be transferred to general aviation, so you don’t have to be afraid here – usually you only have to assign the axes (e.g. the thrust levers) differently. There are also a few tools and additional software that you should consider to get the most out of your Honeycomb Bravo Throttle quadrant.

You can find the full keyboard layout of the Honeycomb Bravo Throttle Quadrant in Read the Honeycomb Bravo Throttle Quadrant Keymap.

Microsoft Flight Simulator

The Honeycomb Bravo Throttle Quadrant comes in Microsoft Flight Simulator currently configured for General Aviation. This means that you cannot actually use the profile that Microsoft creates for you for commercial aviation. You should also create several profiles, about one per aircraft (an A320 has a different throttle assignment than a B747, for example). You can then copy the profiles again and again. You can find more information about the flight simulator in the articles Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 and Microsoft Flight Simulator – Game of the Year Edition.

Better Bravo Lights

First of all I would like to recommend the free tool Better Bravo Lights. Better Bravo Lights (BBL) is an alternative “better” replacement for the Aerosoft Honeycomb Bravo Throttle Lights Tool (aka “AFC Bridge”). Better Bravo Lights is completely self-contained and therefore does not require the original Honeycomb Bravo Lights driver. The tool is available for free download at Flightsim.to  or on Github . The installation instructions are kept simple: unzip the folder, copy it into the community folder and run a file. Then restart the flight simulator and many LED lights for MSFS will work.

I recommend using the tool because you can assign all the LEDs as you wish. Don’t worry, the LED assignment is already configured for many MSFS aircraft as well as for FlyByWire. However, you also have the option of remapping LED lights and thereby misusing them, for example if you want to assign the lights differently. I find that only with this software and the LEDS does the Honeycomb Bravo Throttle Quadrant become a good product.

Spad.Next

Spad.Next is paid software that allows the configuration of various panels and input devices for simulators (including flight simulators). The Honeycomb Bravo Throttle Quadrant is also supported (but without prepared profiles). With Spad.Next, variables (e.g. A32NX variables) can be read out and key events and parameters can be transmitted via the SimConnect interface. This allows you to control your aircraft with different hardware buttons and assign several actions to one key.

In addition, with this software there is the possibility to create local variables and conditions. The latter is required to use the Honeycomb Bravo Throttle Quadrant’s autopilot feature. On the selector you choose which value you want to change (heading, speed, altitude) and then use the rotary knob to set the value. This is necessary because – unlike on an airplane – there is only one rotary knob.

Configuration for the FlyByWire A32NX

FlyByWire made a beautiful gem out of the A320 from Microsoft Flight Simulator. This means that many functions are already fully implemented – but additional variables are required for this. These variables are read out or commands are sent via the LVAR Bridge and SimConnect. Other variables are of course also part of the traditional flight simulator. For this reason, the Honeycomb Bravo Throttle Quadrant cannot be used immediately for the A32NX, but still needs some adjustments. You can find the recommended adjustments in the article Honeycomb Bravo Throttle Quadrant Configuration for the A32NX.

More about the Honeycomb Bravo Throttle Quadrant

More about the Honeycomb Bravo Throttle Quadrant can be found at the Overview page for the Honeycomb Bravo Throttle Quadrant and the Honeycomb Bravo Throttle Quadrant Test and Recommendation.