Heli Professional SOXOS Helis thread

[Thunder Fighter]

Hi guys,

As we haven't been able to get a dedicated forum setup for the Soxos Helis I thought I would create a thread for anyone who wanted to discuss the Helis, post pictures, ask questions, etc.

Here are a few links to specific Soxos threads here on HF.

DB7 build thread - https://www.helifreak.com/showthread...ighlight=Soxos

Soxos 550 thread - https://www.helifreak.com/showthread...ighlight=Soxos

Soxos F3C - https://www.helifreak.com/showthread...ighlight=Soxos

//Dennis.

[acidla]

Subscribed.

[Thunder Fighter]

Here are a few pictures of my current build I am starting while travelling on a work trip. A SOXOS 600.





Hope to get most of the assemblies together this weekend so I can do final assembly when I get home next weekend.

I am setting it up with the following electronics:

HKIII 4035-560
SJ Propo Hawk 120A HV ESC (same as Futaba or Robbe Roxxy 120)
MUI 150A current/voltage/capacity sensor
10s 4000mah 35C packs
Futaba 272 cyclic and BK7005 tail
2s 1650mah 35C Rx pack
Full size gray Vbar 5.3.4 with BT module
Jeti Rsat2 UDI connection

//Dennis.



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[Thunder Fighter]

Spent the day today working on the sub-assemblies of the heli. I am breaking from the standard instructions order as I need to pack it back into my suitcase and take it home before final assembly.

The main frame, servos and tail are built, only change from stock setup is I have fitted the DB7 turnbuckle links (part 7013) from the swash to grips, the links are the larger M3 ones but they fit the same balls and the link length is the same so this is a nice upgrade that can also be fitted to the 550.

















//Dennis.

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[Thunder Fighter]

So it took a little longer than planned but 10 days after getting back from my trip I was able to maiden the heli. The airframe did bolt together quickly but it still took several hours to wire up the heli and also I found I had to cut the canopy to clear my motor, so you can find issues when you go to put everything together that you can't see when doing a remote assembly. BTW: There is room for 25 series like the 4025 but the 4035 size motor like I am using are too big for the 550/600 canopy and need a little dremel work.

Some photos I took at the maiden.





















//Dennis.

[cool cat]

WoW, gorgeous heli!!!

[OleJohan]

Originally Posted by Thunder Fighter

So it took a little longer than planned but 10 days after getting back from my trip I was able to maiden the heli. The airframe did bolt together quickly but it still took several hours to wire up the heli and also I found I had to cut the canopy to clear my motor, so you can find issues when you go to put everything together that you can't see when doing a remote assembly. BTW: There is room for 25 series like the 4025 but the 4035 size motor like I am using are too big for the 550/600 canopy and need a little dremel work.

Some photos I took at the maiden.







//Dennis.

Where did get hold of the links you have on it? Looks like you can adjust them easier than those that comes with the kit.

/Ole-Johan

[Thunder Fighter]

Originally Posted by OleJohan

Where did get hold of the links you have on it? Looks like you can adjust them easier than those that comes with the kit.

/Ole-Johan

I used the Soxos DB7 links as the fit straight on amd are turnbuckles. Soxos Part number 7013.

//Dennis.

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[Implicit]

So, I've been eyeing up the Soxos for a UAV conversion...mostly because the separate main assembly would make it an awful lot easier to make custom sub-frames.
Since they use the same main assembly, is the drive-train the same on them? (600, db7, 800?)

[Thunder Fighter]

Hi there Implicit,

The main central milled part is the same across the range from 550-800 but there are a couple of versions.

The frame was beefed up with more cross bracing when the DB7 was released and over time the other models have been adopting the newer frame, so if you buy a current production kit then I think they will all come with the newer v2 frame.

The main differences are the shaft sizes and some of the gears. The 550 and 600 are exactly the same except for the boom length and those related parts. The 700 and above use the larger mainshaft and there are also 2 of the gears replaced with a Heavy Duty main gear set.

So there are some differences but I am happy to go into more detail for you with part numbers if required.

There are also 2 different boom diameters with the 550-600 again sharing a smaller diameter and 2 different spacers that fit into the alloy to adapt the different booms to the frame. The tail shaft is also a smaller diameter on the 550-600.

The different helis then also have different carbon frame sizes that vary the size of the heli and which canopy will fit and different fin sizes. As you say this makes things easy to customise or modify as the carbon frame sides really only act as a mount for the landing gear and providing space for the batteries.

The DB7 is a good starting point as it has the heavy duty gears, new larger head block/grips and more flexible carbon tray at the front of the heli for mounting electronics. I have used this as a base for my F3C prototype competition machine. You can easily strech it to an 800 size by just replacing the 4 parts of the tail and easily go to an in between size with 10 minutes and a hacksaw or dremel.

//Dennis.

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[Implicit]

In that case, I would probably start with the 600 as it's a better size for surveying/mapping. It'll be cheaper to experiment on too, as I can probably run it as a straight 6S.
Being able to make my own battery mount, etc, is a huge plus.
My Protos 500 ended up like this: (Apologies for the wiring, work in progress!):




With the Soxos, I should be able to design a more modular system, making it much easier to change battery & payload mounts.

This is still all done on as a hobby budget/project, so wont get started until the winter. (Which is soon!).

I couldn't find any retailers in North America...but shipping from Switzerland seemed entirely reasonable.

One more question, if you don't mind; What's the inside dimensions on the db7 electronics bay?

Cheers,
Jakob

[Thunder Fighter]

Hi Jakob, there isn't a US dealer at the moment so the factory supplies the US market directly. Send an email to info@heli-professional.com and they will be able to help you out. There are a few other Soxos owners in the US now buying direct.

The front tray on the DB7 is approximately 115mm x 60mm with 2 levels, I am away frim home and dont have my DB7 with me so cant measure it exactly but that is what I recall as being the size. There is also a rear tray on the DB7 that sits above the rear cyclic servos and also a place for a gyro sensor on the boom mount section.

You can fit the DB7 front tray setup to the 600 to replace the box as an option, but I would start with the box and see how things fit for your setup before ordering it, there is a good amount of room in the 2 levels of the box as well.

The other nice part of the soxos is the battery tray and rails. They mount between the metal top frame and the carbon frame sides and are the same for all the model. There is plenty of room for batteries, one of the guys even managed to fit a 6s 16,000mah drone pack into his 550 just to see if it would fit. But you could easily fit 2 x 5000 6s packs in parallel to give you a 10,000mah setup.

//Dennis.

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[Implicit]

So, inching closer to getting the 600. Emailed Heli-Professional and no problem in getting it shipped (for a reasonable price).

Decided to go with a 12S setup and gear down as needed. If I'm going to go bigger down the road, I might as well start now and I can still use the individual 6S lipos on most of my existing gear.

Looking at using Savox servos, Hobbywing v3 100AHV ESC and a Mauch Powercube
100A / 200A Hall Sensor PM for Pixhawk / APM - Power - Cube
Spinblade 620 Asymmetrical (And probably black belts on the tail).

Can't decide on motor:
KDE 550XF-565-G3
Xnova 4025-560
or
Scorpion HKIII-4025-550kv

Leaning towards the KDE as it's as close as I can get to a local manufacturer (West Coast, anyway).

Been studying the manual a fair bit and with the exception of the electronics bay, I don't think I need to make any modifications to get it flying. Will still need to make a payload mount and custom landing gear, but the design of the Soxos makes that relatively easy, as far as I can see.

[Thunder Fighter]

Great to hear. The motor choice is very open with the Soxos, you don't need long or special shafts and the mount takes both the standard M3 and M4 screws and spacings. There is a good range of 6mm and 8mm pinions available but remember to order your pinion with the kit as one is supplied with the 600 kit.

//Dennis.

[Implicit]

Well, it was worth waiting for Black Friday. Wasn't expecting much from a Swiss company, but a 30% discount had me hitting buy on a 600 immediately!

[Thunder Fighter]

Yep, anyone thinking about getting one should probably jump today.

//Dennis.

[Implicit]

Got it today! Build will take a while, as I'll still have to customize some stuff.

[Thunder Fighter]

If anyone is going to OHB then you will find a couple of the Soxos team pilots and the owner of Heli Professional attending the event. Don’t be shy, Pilots Yan and Raquel are very approachable and Alex the owner is great to talk to about the SOXOS Heli designs.

//Dennis.

[Implicit]

So, I finally got a bunch of loose ends on other projects tied up, got my workbench (mostly) cleaned) and I have a week off work, so I could finally get started on my Soxos 600 UAV build.
Still waiting for the correct ESC to show up (They sent the wrong one) and need to order blades, but I can get those here in Canada, so it'll only take a couple of days.
Very impressed with the quality of the parts, especially the aluminum parts.
A couple of gotchas was the manual showing how to assemble parts that were already pre-assembled. They had me scrambling for a few minutes.
Tolerances are near perfect.
I also ordered a couple of parts from Soxos Australia (Thunder Fighter' shop) and it took a little over a week from Australia to Vancouver, over the Christmas rush. I added the carbon fiber porch, which will later make my life much easier, as the pixhawk will be much more accesible:

Having only had second hand helis before, I'm taking my time doing this, but this was progress after 2 and 4 hours respectively.



While I will probably assemble the head first, I'll do the power harness after that, as it'll require some work.
In addition to the ESC, I also need to run a Mauch power sensor and a Mauch Power Cube, providing voltage and current information to the pixhawk, as well as power + a 5v/10A power rail (servos, etc) and a 12v/10A power rail (for sensors/cameras).

Also thanks again to TF/Dennis for advice and help. It's much appreciated!

[Implicit]

All the mechanical parts are now assembled and it took less time than I expected.
However, my motor is too big for the canopy, so I had to cut a hole to make it fit.






Still need to clean the edges up.