CH Products Multi Function Panel Review

Time of Use: ~1 month

What is this Multi Function Panel (MFP)?

(standby for a blatant rip off from the CH announcement)

Now for the "Simple Folk" in us.  Basically what you have is 25 wireless and programmable buttons that you can layout on a pad in any configuration that you want.

The MFP can be purchased directly from CH Products or from one of their online retailers such as Provantage.  You will find all kinds of support for the CH MFP and any other CH Products devices the the CH Hangar website and forums.

First Impressions

What can you say, it's a CH Products kit.  It's well built, high quality and top notch as always.  I do not foresee any problems arising from the workmanship of this device in the near or far future.  It lives up the the standards that you are used to seeing when you purchase a CH Products device.  Overall I am quite happy with the overall build quality of the device.

Hardware Setup

First up was placing the keys.  Well this is going to be fun.  There are 25 of them and they can go anywhere.  How do you decide?  Well, to get started, I just placed them on the tray so I could get it up and running.  The keys are removable, so I can play around with positioning keys later.  To remove the keys you just simply twist them and that "magic sticky stuff" lets go.   I have been told if they keys don't seem to stick to just wash them off with some warm water.  Well, I have been placing and removing the keys quite often and I have yet to have them not stick.  This "magic sticky stuff" is something else.

It's a USB device, there is nothing to setting the hardware up other then plugging it into an open USB port.  Windows immediately recognized the device and install drivers for it.  Unfortunately, there is more required to get the device working in your Sims/Games/Apps, but more on that later.

Another thing you must consider when setting up this device.  It is a wireless device.  The keys communicate with the pad wirelessly.  So if you have wireless keyboards and mice, you will need to pay attention to where their wireless receivers are place relative to the MFP.  After I got the MFP up and working, I noticed that my mouse was not responding properly.  Fixing it was simply a matter of moving my receiver for my mouse and keyboard away from the MFP.

Software Installation

Installation of the Control Manager Software is as easy as it gets.  Place the CD in your drive, MFP comes with v4.2, and run the setup application.  I had a previous version installed already and the setup application did what it needed to install the newer version.  There were no issues at all when installing the newer version.

CH Products controls are programmed via their Control Manager Software.  With their Flight Sim Controllers such as their Fighter Stick USB and Pro USB pedals, installing the Control Manager Software is not required.  The devices will work with the as standard DirectX devices and can be assigned in games and flight sims as such.  This is not the case of the MFP.  You will need to install the Control Manager Software to be able to use it in game and flight sims.  By default the keys have no assigned functions and therefore you must go into the Control Manager and create a map for the MFP.  Using the Control Manger is pretty straight forward for basic functions.  You have two choices on how to map a function to each key.  It can be either a DirectX button which you assign it a button number and device number or it can be keystroke/macros.  I am not going to go in depth into programming the MFP as there is a great tutorial written by Ken "531_Ghost" King and is available here.   In his current version, the MFP is not covered, but all the programming that is available to all other CH devices works with the MFP as well.  There is a new version of the Control Manager and Ghost's Tutorial in the works that adds more features to all of the CH Devices.  Check www.chproducts.com and www.ch-hangar.com for release information.  Maybe in upcoming releases, they will update the drivers for the MFP to install it as a DirectX devices with DirectX buttons by default.  This would be helpful for those that are the "Plug and Play" type and do not like getting nose deep into programming controllers.

Putting the MFP to work

As I already covered in the previous section, you will need to setup a map for the MFP.  You can either set the MFP up as another DirectX device with DirectX buttons or set it up to send keystrokes and/marcos.  You can also do any combination the two.  You could very well have buttons 1-10 setup as DirectX Device 4 and DirectX buttons 1-10 and then have buttons 11-25 mapped as various keystrokes and/or macros.  This makes the MFP a highly useful device.  The possibilities are endless on what you can do with this thing. 

To this day I am still tinkering with different maps.  There are just so many things you can do with this thing!  In my Red Orchestra map, I have keys programmed to be toggle on and off.  I use this for leaning left and right so I do not have to hold the key down.  I just push it once to lean and push it again to stand upright.   In my IL2 map, I have keys programmed for the manual landing gear.  Now instead of mashing the keys for what seems an eternity, I push one key to raise the gear and another to lower it.  This is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to what this thing can do.  Not only am I using this for games and flight sims, but I now have made maps for graphics programs, excel and countless other applications.  Any program that requires multiple keystrokes to do a single function will benefit from this device.

The MFP has a clear removable tray that allows you to print out custom backgrounds for your key placements.  You can label each key as to its function.  You switch to a different map, just replace the background and your keys are instantly relabeled.  For me this is a GREAT!  I can sit here and rattle of my wife's, my kid's and my SS#'s, our 4 checking account numbers, my Drivers License Number and countless log ins and passwords, but to this day, I still fumble through all the buttons on my Stick and Throttle Quad to finally find the one I need.  With the MFP, all my buttons are now labeled.  A quick glance and I know what the button does.  Plus the backgrounds behind the buttons just look so darn cool.  I have for the most part now taken most of my in game functions and moved them to the MFP.

With all my playing around, I found myself moving my keys when changing backgrounds and maps.  After a few days, I finally decided that I really only needed two configurations for the button layout.  One I use for my First Person shooter games.  This layout is very comfortable and I can reach multiple keys with ease with each finger.  I even have 4 keys that I can reach rather easily with my thumb.  I even use this layout for a few of my applications as most of the buttons are easy to reach and therefore I can run through commands pretty fast.  This layout is all about efficiency and more for tasks when I am going to keep my hand on the MFP at all times during its use.  The downfall to this layout labeling of keys.  Since they are so close.  So I am back to remembering what is where and referring to a printout I made that is labeled with each keys function.  The other layout I have is more for flight sims and apps where labels are more helpful and when I am not using the MFP as my primary input device.  With this layout when I need to lower the tail hook on my Hellcat, I just look over at the MFP and see the button I need to push.  No more fumbling through Throttle/Joystick buttons trying to remember where the Tail hook key is because I haven't used it in a couple of weeks.

Ok, having read that you might say, well isn't moving the keys around a pain.  Well, yes, it can get annoying depending on how many maps you are using and how many different applications you are using the MFP for.  But there is an answer.  You can buy an additional set of 25 keys and another tray.  Now I have both of my key layouts on their own tray.  When it's time to switch maps, all I will have to do is swap out the trays and put the new background behind the tray.  Well, what if you have 3 key layouts.  Well buy  more keys and more trays.  But for the average Joe, I would say having two sets of 25 keys and two trays would be more then sufficient to handle just about any task you would throw at the MFP.

I could sit here and go on all day about the things you could do with this MFP.  It is a very versatile device that is only limited by your imagination.  So you are going to have to get one for yourself to just see how much it can really do!

Who would want an MFP

Quite simply...... ANYONE!  For the guy building a Simpit, these make great MFD mockups.  Sure there is no actual display, but most of the MFD's you see out there do not either.  But with the CH MFP, you have some versatility when it comes to the look and design of the panel.  Plus when you aren't flying you can use the CH MFP for other apps and games so it's not limited to only flight sim usage.  For the FPS player talk about comfort. Not everyone's hands are the same size. So the ability to lay the keys out is like getting a Tailored Suit. Add in the ability to program macros and it becomes golden.  How about the graphic artist, photo editor or CAD designer?  The CH MFP will do wonders in this area as well.  Instead of pushing 3-5 keys to do a single function, you can program it to a single keystroke.  Or you can have a single keystroke do multiple functions.  As I said, just about anyone would find the CH MFP a useful device.

Cost of the MFP

OK, I am not going to dance around the bush on this one.  The MFPs are not cheap.  With a suggested retail of $189.95, these things to not come cheap.  BUT, when you look at it comparatively to other devices and hardware we gamers spend our money on, it's really not that bad.  You go out and spend $400+ on a video card.  Next year, it's not so good anymore.  Games are running slow on it.  So you drop another $400 to get the latest and greatest.  With the MFP, you won't have to worry about that.  It will keep going for years to come.  When I look around my computer at all the "things" I have purchased over the years.......... TrackIR, Widescreen Monitors, Joysticks, Throttles, Throttle Quads, Pedals, Video Cards, even my Office Chair..... the CH MFP doesn't really seem all that expensive to me.

CH MFP vs the Ergodex DX1

I can hear it already.  In fact I have seen the question come up in a few forums boards.  Why should I spend the extra money on the CH MFP and not just get the DX1?  Well, here's my answers to that question....

1.  Programmability:  The CH panel wins hands down here.  The DX1 is limited to keystroke and keystroke macros.  With the MFP, you can have keys input Joystick/Mouse axis values  and    Joystick/Mouse buttons.  The DX1 cannot do this.  The MFP has two selectable modes on the device plus 4 scriptable modes.  This makes it possible for 8 total modes for each key.  This means that each key could have 8 functions programmed to it on a single map.  That's a lot of buttons.  Then there is the Scripting ability of the Control Manager Software.  Basically, the DX1 cannot hold a candle to the MFP when it comes to programmability

2.  64bit Driver Support:  If you look around the Egrodex forums, you will see that users have been asking for 64 bit drivers for quite sometime and it does not look like they will be getting what they need.  The CH MFP already has 64 bit drivers.  No need to worry in that department.  What are the DX1 users going to do when they want to switch to Windows Vista 64bit and finally be able to make use of those 64bit CPUs?

3.  Connection of more then one unit:   The DX1 is limited to hooking up only 1 unit to a PC.  With the CH MFP, you can hook up to 16.  Want a right and left side MFD mockup in your Simpit?  The CH MFP is the clear choice here.

4.  Support:  You simply cannot beat CH Products support for their devices.  They are always more then willing to bend over backwards to make sure you are enjoying your purchase.

So I would ask you..... Why would you not choose the MFP over the DX1?  They cost difference isn't really that much.

Pictures (click on the images for larger version)

  First up is a picture showing the MFP and all the accessories that I have.  Notice the two trays with their own sets of keys.  I am calling these my "Hand-On" and "Hand-Off" layouts.  I figure that these two layouts will work out for just about any application or game I want to use the MFP with.  Also in the picture are two background images I created for IL2 and Red Orchestra.

  This one shows the "Hands-Off" tray installed with my IL2 background.  This layout is nice because I can label what each key does in both Red and Green Modes.  This way, I do not have to remember what each key does.

  This one shows my "Hands-On" tray installed with my Red Orchestra background.  For this one, I created a clone of the key layout so I could add text for what each key does.  This works out pretty well.

Final Thoughts

Overall I am quite pleased with the CH Multi Function Panel.  I find myself using the MFP for more and more tasks each day.  I have programmed the MFP for use in just about every application that I use now.  I would have liked to see the MFP be a little bit more of a "Plug and Play" device like joysticks.  There are going to be people that will purchase the device that do not want to get into programming maps for everything and simplicity is something they will be looking for.  But even for those out there that are some what "technically challenged", programming the MFP is pretty simple and straight forward.  With the many different roles that the device can do, it is in my opinion well worth it's price tag.  Add another set of keys and tray and the MFP's possibilities skyrocket.  I would recommend adding these to your purchase or think about getting them at a later time.