Once you've been bitten by the simming bug, purchased your HOTAS, gotten your desk set up and laid everything out you'll look at your keyboard and frown - and probably wish you could replace it with another controller of some sort.

Over the years there's been a few items that have attempted to address this need with varying degrees of success. Users have bought programmable keyboards such as x-keys, built their own panels using EPIC programmable cards and soldered their 'cockpit' together. Various other controllers have been shoe-horned into this role but no product was truly intergrated. The CH MFP is the first piece of hardware that is.

What is the CH MFP?
The CH MFP is a Multi Function Panel that uses positionable programmable buttons. It integrates with CH's Control Manager software so programming is simple and uses profiling, ie - If you want to play IL2 Sturmovik you load your IL2 Sturmovik profile that assigns commands to all of your CH gear quickly and easily.

Components
Base panel unit - USB connector
Clear tray
25 Programmable buttons
Sheet of blank key labels
Sheet of preprinted labels
Control manager 4.2 Software

Optional
Additional 25 buttons (26-50)
Additional Clear trays

System Requirements
Windows 98, Me, 2000, XP, XP 64bit, Vista
Control manager 4.2
USB port

Installation
Installation was simple. Install the updated version of Control Manager and plug the device into a spare USB port. Once the device is installed you clip the plastic tray over the base unit and attach the keys. Each individual key is numbered and attaches by a rubbery pad with a gentle push. To remove the button you twist it gently.

Configuration
You can either download templates and profiles from CH or at CH Hangar or make your own.

If you make your own knowing what you want to program is the first step. For myself I placed a blank sheet of white paper under the clear tray and used a whiteboard marker to scribble commands next to buttons as I flew. Between flying sessions I programmed the buttons until I had every command I could think of marked. From there I created a graphic with labels and decoration to replace the blank white paper under the clear tray and wiped off the whiteboard marker text.

Through Control Manager the buttons can be assigned keystrokes, macros, joystick buttons, joystick axis, mouse buttons and mouse axis. In tandem with the unsurpassed scripting capabilities of the software you would be hard pressed to come up with something you couldn't do.

If you are going to use the units for many different types of application it's worth buying additional buttons and trays. I have an IL2 specific tray and a Falcon4 Allied Force specific tray. When I switch sims I swap trays. This allows you to have a much more customised layout and stylised appearance.

Use
The devices are simple to use. Press a button to perform the associated action. The buttons feel solid.

A single MFP can be programmed for up to 300 commands with 25 keys, or 600 commands with 50 keys when using the three modes and shift modifier available in control manager

You can use up to 16 of these devices connected to 1 pc, that's 9600 individual commands.

Issues
I did run into two minor issues with the MFD's, both when using multiple units.

The Control Manager software assigns commands per MFP based on the windows USB enumeration order. This is done by the OS itself and there is no way to identify which MFP is assigned which commands otherwise. This means that if windows detects the MFPs in a different order than when you programmed them you will find your commands assigned to the wrong MFP. To get around this issue you should reboot after you initially install the devices and take note of which device plugged into which USB port. Otherwise you can unclip the trays and place them on the other MFP. A minor annoyance.

You should place MFPs at least 4 inches apart to prevent the devices from interfering with one another. Initially I thought I had malfunctioning units before I surmised how they might worked (RF field modified by the buttons and interpreted) and moved them apart. Everything worked perfectly once they were sufficiently clear of one another.

Developer support
CH products are well known for their excellent support. The CH Hangar is an excellent source for templates, profiles and help.

Conclusion
This product fits nicely into a void simmers have been trying to fill for years and will integrate with your existing hardware with no fuss. For less masochistic home pit builders these are the bit of kit that we've been waiting for. The programmability is unmatched and the seemless integration with the existing CH suite of products once again highlights why CH Products are the leaders in flight sim hardware.

Manufacturer's site