Soko has done it!!

[Slyster]

Soko.. heard your interview on RC Today Show today.. really good! Thanks for making my commute very interesting!!! You were fun to listen to and I learned a lot.. I need to get one of these things.

[soko]

Great to hear from you boltor, luvmyhelis & tripper that you love my little idea
And Slyster, good to know that I don't sound annoying to a native english ear

[P@reez]

Soko, I just wanted to let you know... I didn't have a digital pitch gauge till now (yep I was setting up my helis in the analog way of years yonder ), so I was researching the various options. I had boiled it down to three choices...el cheapo no name brand digital pitch gauge, the rc logger and the soko tool. I ended up choosing the soko tool for one reason and one reason only. The brilliantly written manual. It's been a while since I read such a thoroughly written manual for a product.

I tend to be very picky about setting up my heli and have not been a 100% happy with the analog methods I've been using. My mind keeps conjuring the myriad approximations and sources of error I might be introducing while I try eyeballing. Hopefully the soko tool will eliminate my irrational anxieties

[georgi UK]

Originally Posted by soko

Great to hear from you boltor, luvmyhelis & tripper that you love my little idea
And Slyster, good to know that I don't sound annoying to a native english ear

=] success seems to the operative word for this product. I see the world coverage it has expanded to, and growing all the time!

I need to setup a 600 "special" machine, any discount for me??!

[Luvmyhelis]

Here is another option for us using the Soko system. I had a friend on the east coast buy the Soko tool from one of our write ups over on a different forum. And he picked up one of these heli stands https://www.scaleflying.com/RC-Helic...nt_p_2058.html and called me to let me know about it.

I had my new SHS framed 800 up on it this week. Its a little more touchy to setup as it isn't quite as stable as a wood leveling table. But wow does this make things much more accessible.

Just a note. I have setup 5 large helis with the Soko just this winter/spring. Each has dead nuts on perfect razor edge tracking. And since I started doing this with the Koll balancer system and my normal setup work. All 5 helis reported zero head vibes in a hover at full head speeds. ZERO! In hundreds of builds I have never seen this before.

One of my fellow local pilots just flew his maiden with his 600 that I used the Soko system on. He was honestly stunned at how perfect the tracking was. And had never seen any heli do this that precisely.

Soko factory support is also superb. Most guys get emails back almost instantly and if anything is wrong with the product it gets taken care of immediately.

[soko]

@P@reez: Thx bro. I really want to do the best manual ever which not only shows how to use the Soko Kit, but also explains how to setup a heli properly. You won't be disapplionted for sure!
@Geori: The worldwide supply with Soko Kits results in a waaay bigger load of work too. Sleep is a luxury I can't afford at the moment...
@Luvmyhelis: Thats what I love to here and makes all the sleepless nights worthwhile

Soko

[P@reez]

Originally Posted by soko

@P@reez: Thx bro. I really want to do the best manual ever which not only shows how to use the Soko Kit, but also explains how to setup a heli properly. You won't be disapplionted for sure!

Just wanted to report that after using the soko tool, I found that my earlier analogue pitch gauge method had an error of 0.5 degrees at center stick. And max pitch and min pitch were also off by around 0.5 degrees and had around 0.3 degrees of unleveled swash at max/min pitch.

I'll try to fly tomorrow and I'm curious to see if I see a difference in vibe logs. My main blade vibe was pretty low to begin with.

[rblaha]

Bought the SOKO tool last fall and it's been sitting on the shelf. I just used it to set up the head for a scale build and I couldn't be happier with the results. Easy to use and dead on accurate. Great tool.

Randy

[Ken Here]

How does one get a negative reading on the SOKO gauge? Both my top spirit level and bottom readout (angle relative to last level) do not read on the LCD with a plus sign + or negative - sign.

Section 4.2 blade tracking in the manual step 3 requires the gauge to be mounting in the blade grip and spun around in a circle. You wright down four positions readings (i.e. 1.2, 0.7, -0.9, and -0.8) then average those readings. Then you must note the readings "above" and "below". How do you read the gauge "Above" or "Below" when the LCD readout does not show a negative - sign? Thanks in advance.

[soko]

Hey Ken,

On the left side of each value (absolute and relative) is a symbol. The one next to the absolute level imitates a bubble level. So you can "read" a + or - out of that. Which one is which depends on your heli.
On a clockwise rotating main head a positive angle is when the bubble is on the left side, and negative when it is on the right side.
If you are really picky it also depends if you mount the Soko Gauge facing outwards or inwards in relation to the main rotor shaft. But I've never heard about a guy who faced it inwards.

Soko

[Luvmyhelis]

Originally Posted by soko

If you are really picky it also depends if you mount the Soko Gauge facing outwards or inwards in relation to the main rotor shaft. But I've never heard about a guy who faced it inwards.

Soko

That would be me! I have tried it both ways. Depending on how it loads or unloads the grips. Mr anal here.

[soko]

Congrats man, now I know one guy

[Luvmyhelis]

Originally Posted by soko

Congrats man, now I know one guy

Yep, that would be me. Always the oddball. Hey, thanks for the new replacement gauge! Sadly I will be needing it rather soon......

[soko]

No worries bro. Thanks for admitting you dropped it and not try to argue for a warranty by sayin it cracked down to its parts while sitting on the bench

[petesmith]

I was skeptical when I saw it and how much it cost. But when I went to the manufacturer website and saw the lower price, it was a no brainer.

Following weekend was spent setting up my X50F -- yep - nitro dude :}

For the first time in years, no blade tracking tweaking --- it was spot on. (thunderous applause in the background)

Takes a few more minutes to setup, but worth every second.

Great job!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[soko]

Thanks a lot Pete! It means a whole lot to me

bdw: If you're at IRCHA come by and say high at our tent
This post gives you more info.

Soko

[WI_Hedgehog]

Originally Posted by soko

No worries bro. Thanks for admitting you dropped it and not try to argue for a warranty by sayin it cracked down to its parts while sitting on the bench

There's no doubt when LMH does something, he goes all-out!

Was looking at buying the RC Logger v2 until LMH said the Soko works better & is more accurate, as usual independent opinions confirm his findings. Read parts of the manual--wow, that's a manual! Next parts order will include the kit.

[Boston Bob]

Getting ready to redo my setup with the soko tool with sk720. Do I still need to turn down the auto bell hiller and do the swash trim flight per the sk setup?

[Luvmyhelis]

Originally Posted by Boston Bob

Getting ready to redo my setup with the soko tool with sk720. Do I still need to turn down the auto bell hiller and do the swash trim flight per the sk setup?

I have to admit, I haven't even bothered doing it with my own helis this summer. And haven't noticed any difference? But mine are all 600 and up sizes. The swash lean is much more pronounced on smaller helis though, and they are far more prone to drift. Plus, I almost never hover in any spot for more than a few seconds unless I am playing around inverted.

Just had one of our local guys (Toby) with his 385 stretched 450 with the 540 in place. No HD flight tests. He upgraded to the 4.01, and called me yesterday about it. Says the heli just hung there on its first flight hover like a dart on a dart board, so locked it was uncanny. Zero drift whatsoever until a small whiff of wind pushed it. He actually held out his tx to the guys we fly with to show them. I have to say though, he is a superb mechanic.

[whitehedr]

I had the pleasure to meet Andy at IRCHA 2014. His new swash leveling APP is gonna be a big winner. He showed me how easy it will be to get a dead nuts on swash with his new APP. I think it was less than four minutes to work the procedure on my Goblin 500. He has it running in beta on the Android platform and will be working on ipad/iphone version shortly. I will have the APP as one of my heli tools for sure. It really will enhance the versatility of the SOKO tool.

ROG