Initial Impressions of the TM SOPMOD M4 AEG

[The Saint]

Both wires along the back is the standard for all M4/16 AEGs based on Marui's version 2 (or in this case, modified version 2).

[elanaiba]

Both wires along the back is the standard for all M4/16 AEGs based on Marui's version 2 (or in this case, modified version 2).

 

Then I have 2-3 years of doing it wrong under my belt

[Magsz]

Should BOTH wires run down the BACK of the grip?!

 

Right now I have the red one in front...

 

Both wires should be routed towards the back of the motor. The red wire will fold forward onto the positive terminal and the black wire will go onto the negative.

 

Also, slightly different topic here.

 

Im having issues with one of my sopmods. The damned gun wont fire in auto but it fires fine in semi...no clue why the heck this is happening.

 

Anyone got any ideas?

[Richard Y]

its only a few mp5 i think that seem to route left and right mainly becuase of the different sized grip me thinks.

 

how odd have you striped it down for signs of problems magz? sometimes agood look see at connecting parts comes up with the problem. i thik the way the trigger block works on theres ones might be the issue for you, combined with your lipo. you might have some charing on the end of the trigger blade. it odd as full auto ould techincally push past the tip of the blade but the charing might be stop contact with the connector blades. i dont think its anything other than selector of trigger contact as its not affecting single. if it is, just clean the blade with a cotton bud / swab (american ) if not take a multimeter (device for measuring electrical current) when your inside and pull the trigger back in full auto and test the wiring to see if current is making it through to the motor when the triggers depressed.

 

it happens with all guns especially the more you use single. only way to avoid it is fitting a mosfet, or once a year cleaning of the contacts.

[2dgreengiant]

Very nice indeed, the battery compartment looks so much different to most airsoft guns

[Isamu]

Sopmod recoil is pretty light, so If you could pull off a higher recoil, close to GBB rirfles, I am VERY interested on it as I plan to make the SOPMOD clone my new main AEG

 

Thanks for your efforts Richard Y

[AnakChan]

This doesn't deserve it's own announcement but for anyone interested in having a shorter barrel, PDI now makes a shorter external barrel for the TM Sopmod :-

 

http://www.x-fire.org/new_m4/sopmod10.3.html

 

With regards to Isamu's preference of a stronger recoil, I think we all prefer that too . But -personally- I'm worried about a stronger recoil...somehow I just don't have enough trust in the current stock TM parts to handle a stronger recoil. if there are more 3rd party parts are are more reinforced then maybe.

[Richard Y]

well i have a plan anak, and its sort of up to the community really, im currently doing the harder recoil spring, since each prototype is costing a lot, and each time i need to redesign it when i hopefully eventually get it right and do a run. mainly id just like to get my dosh back lol but any profits made from selling the springs to the sopmod community ill put right back into aftermarket sopmod parts. We are very much govened by the japanise market and more importantly by tm so if TM doesnt want it, it doesnt get made dispite there being a large EU, and US demand for the product. SO i had a sit down with a plastic maker and ive got another sit down with a cnc machinsts. You can imagine why everyone doesnt do this becuase of the setup costs no word of a lie its astranomical. But the benifits of my job is i have a massive amount of companies i deal with so i will keep making contacts, try and raise the cash and hopefully fill the void where tm has stopped by any cost saving way i can, and we have a plan for that but its all very much dependant on how these springs do and how much i can then pump back into R&D on new parts.

 

Harder recoil spring

Any FPS main spring of the correct length. not cut to length

Hardened sopmod gears

AEP main spring 300 fps

Hardened sopmod mechbox shell

Hardened sopmod Tappet plate

Wider sopmod stock slide rail

Hardened sopmod piston

 

The sopmod main spring ive come up with is a slightly thicker gauge wire than normal and has less coils as a result only 16 coils. i didnt need to increase the free length at all as a result. It worked out around 32nms as being ruffly 330 fps so i just adjust wire thickness and free length and coils to adjust fps for other springs but ruffly 330 fps with be the next spring made. Its linear so although it will be slightly more work for the motor to compress than a non linear variable spring, it will provide more stable results. AS example TM standard springs are linear, prometheus springs are variable.

 

All parts made in england hehe

 

so to answer your question if the stronger recoil spring does produce undisired side effects for example slower ROF, extra stresses on the internals to the point of breaking with in 1000 rounds. Then it will simply be more important that the springs sell and raise the funds for a decent run of hardened gears and or what ever broke.

 

The sopmod has been designed with a hi torqe motor and hi torque gears id like to think combined with a 9.v or greater that it can handle most things thrown at it bearing in mind TM always build there stuff on the safe side. you can always push tm stuff further becuase they build it for 280 fps and 8.4v batterys. You can usually push it quite far before a part needs replacing becuase of there high build quality.

 

 

 

[Isamu]

Im not really worried about TM sopmods since I will use this spring on the Army clone, which being chinese Im sure It will be a bit more reinforced than the original.

 

Just a question Richard, which recoil strength are you aiming at? a bit more than the sopmom orignal? something like a GBB recoil? or stronger than GBB?

 

Thanks for your answers

[Richard Y]

well i think i worked out the current spring putting out 4lbs per inch of compression the new ones 6lb i think, im keeping the wire the same and coils the same i just increased the free length, basically its increasing the overal spring length without adding coils creating more force for each inch of compression, you have an allowance of free length in either dirrection before spring collapse. so im hoping, ive added half of its current recoil, say 8lbs would be double its current recoil. i used a couple of gbbs i didnt rate the recoil that much more, they were a bit more realisitc in operation and sound though. But this is all theory untill i can get the new spring into the gun. what if increasing the spring rate has no effect on recoil... In my mind the recoil simulation comes from the weight block and recoil spring being in a compressed state then being released, and cuasing a rocking motion due to the weight. im hoping this will increase it if its not that noticable i will go for 8lbs and redesign it if the rof isnt effected too much from the first spring.

 

fingers crossed eh guys lol, what the hell its only money

[morb]

Im not really worried about TM sopmods since I will use this spring on the Army clone, which being chinese Im sure It will be a bit more reinforced than the original.

 

Is the ARMY clone out yet? If not, anyone know when ?

Edited August 13, 2009 by morb

[Isamu]

Sorry for the offtopic: ETA was this summer, but I dont spect it before mid september.

 

Ontopic: Sorry Richard, I did understand the explanation

[Richard Y]

Righty still need to do testing in the gun as mines been in peices a while taking parts to places for qoutes and stuff on the new parts. But here it is the prototype new upgraded recoil spring.. we will call this stage 1 shall we like tuning an engine hehe.

 

 

Initial thoughts having fit it in the recoil tube and compressed it and let it go in my hand is, that its quite an increase, which i guess was what i wanted at this stage i think an increase in recoil looks certain but its a bit harder to compress lol so bare with me will i get the gun built up and do some videos of the testing or something. if she turns over fine then i ll waste a thousand rounds or something and if shes still going strong with a noticeable increase ill give the go ahead on a large order for everyone else. if not back to the drawing board!

 

also we have some good feed back for ya with regards the piston and gears! one step at a time though hehe

 

 

[BillyWu]

Sorry for not reading the whole thread yet But is it safe to upgrade this gun at all? I want to get it to about 320 FPS and perhaps put a tightbore in it, but I don't want the recoil, rate of fire or anything to be affected.

[Richard Y]

sigh its like my million posts where wasted

 

you can upgrade the gun easy to 320 just like any other gun get a prometheus ms120 and cut it to the same length as the original TM spring that comes out of the gun. tightbores same as any other gun..

 

job done

 

or you can wait till i make official fancy springs

[BillyWu]

Thanks bro And that won't destroy the gears or anything?

[Richard Y]

nah its just like upgrading any aeg, except its easier lol at the end of the day the springs been shortened. So your bringing it down to ms90 territory. If you fit a full length spring in then you would cause some damage. Insides all standard tm stuff.

[Richard Y]

hmm well id love your opinion on this one guys..

 

we tested the upgraded recoil spring spring in a sopmod and carbine and in my sopmod. obvisouly got a couple of guys feed back on the upgrade spring. Its a tough one, and bare in mind guys before you write what you think that this spring will be 10 quid plus a quid for delivery.

 

We first tried the original, then tried the new one, the new one felt chrisper on singles. a sharper clack, and the full auto definatly felt a little more recoil. AND there was no side affects what so ever.. your thinking fine whats the problem sign me up. well its the amount that it increased it.. do i take the small increase and perfect running and have 50 made or do i go back and try and get even more out of it doubling my costs which is an issue if no one wants these lol.

 

I asked mutton if he would buy it and he said no that i should try for more. So i took it home and change springs back and forth and i honestly can notice a difference in recoil, its most definatly better in every way but is it enough.... And at the end of the day if i saw a spring on the redwolf site the said upgraded recoil spring for sopmod will increase recoil affect, and thats it, i would buy it. If it came and its affect was small its not like id take it out id still use it, it just wouldnt be as mind blowing as id hoped for, and if im honest ive spent 10 times more money on airsoft parts that have done less

 

So what do you think guys.. its an upgraded recoil spring for sure, but exactly what defines upgraded how much does it need to be before the communitys happy lol and at the end of the day ive not just done this for me its for everyone, so feel free to have your say good or bad.

 

[Isamu]

Well, you can never make everyone happy, some will be, some will want more, some will want it make coffe... but if the result recoil is somewhat similar to GBBRs I will be happy with it, but of course if its a bit more harder than GBBRs I will be a bit happier but for 10£ plus shipping... I would bite the bullet

[elanaiba]

Just a quick question - isn't that spring supposed to damp the movement of the weight towards the back? So in a sense, it will weaken the recoil, and make the movement of the weight FORWARD more powerful?

 

Or what is the firing sequence inside the buffer tube ?!

 

LE: BTW I've just chronoed my Sopmod with the following changes instead (no gearbox opening):

 

-Tanio Koba twist barrel (363mm - m4 length)

-Firefly soft hop rubber

-some teflon on the rubber, not sure if its needed since its very very tight!

-Laylax bearing spring guide

 

With 0.2g bbs and hopup off: ~91m/s

 

I suspect about 5m/s are due to the Laylax bearing spring guide, based on preivous readings.

 

Now what spring do I put inside - instead of the stock one, to gain about 10m/s ?

Edited August 16, 2009 by elanaiba

[Richard Y]

its i weird one because when you imagine recoil its the force of a built leaving the gun that creates a sharp movement back. This has the weight block being moved back to a position then released suddenly to a metal wall. Now its two fold its both the rocking movement back and forward of the weight which because of how fast the gears wind back you could actually increase it, simply buy fitting a faster battery. But the faster spring increases the impact against the metal wall when the piston is released. Thus making a heavier thud.

[BillyWu]

Just emailed my favourite retailer asking them to fit the following upgrades (thanks to the guys on here for the suggestions):

 

Tanio Koba twist barrel

Spring guide with bearings

Prometheus M120 spring cut to the length of the M4 SOPMOD stock spring

 

 

None of these upgrades are going to slow my rate of fire, reduce the recoil or damage the gun in any way, right?

Also, how good is the Tanio Koba barrel?

[Richard Y]

well ive just tested my sample sopmod main spring im having made, it chronoed about 335 - 340 fps, for tesitng i made mine std everything apart from a pdi 6.01 tightbore. so im hopeing on a completely bog standard sopmod it should come in under 100ms, problem is if i wind on the hop a little bit so the shots start rising a bit my fps drops down below 328 even with the tight bore so as far as chronos are concerned it would be fine on game day.

The springs proper length and everything, liner spring so it should be more consistant than non liner springs. Made from top notch stuff in england hehe

 

billy, in any gun an upgraded spring slows rof but not by much.. My teams been running them upgrades fine for 6 months. Tanio koba barrel isnt my cup of tea i havent had good results with them. having fit 3 and only 1 resulted in a good shot. how ever ive fit 4 pdi 6.01s and had great results with each. if you want some middle ground id recommend the prometheus 6.03 barrels... if they are going into the gearbox might as well have the prometheus 6mm bearigns installed while they are in there.. if anything the upgrades will increase the recoil..

 

faster battery increases recoil, promy piston head and cylinder increase recoil, my upgraded recoil spring increases recoil , bigger main spring increases recoil. the other peeps on the net claiming enhanced recoil on these sopmods is that when they fit the upgraded parts and upgraded the gun it resulted in a greater recoil. It cummulative, my recoil spring on its own might not be massivly noticable but combined with all the other parts it all adds up to a greater recoil over all.

 

i ordered 30 recoil springs today with the 50 main springs, now that testings finished and they are ruffly right im happy and will be running the recoil spring in mine, its now 2x the strength of the original, i made 4 x 1.5x and 2x and 4x didnt give any more results than 2x just noiseyer, but 1.5 and 2x gave a slight increase over original so, i think ive pushed the spring as far as it will go next ill be increasing the weight block weight from 300grams curretntly to 500 -600g basically doubling the weight block weight, since the spring has platowed.. hopefull twice the wegith weight blaock combined with the twice the stregth recoil spring wil give us a noticable increase in recoil.

 

in a week ish both springs will be up for sale and weight block upgrade should be into prototype stage..

[BillyWu]

Sounds awesome

So you're saying I can fit SOME upgrades? Here's my new list, tell me if it's okay

 

Spring guide with bearings

6.03mm 363mm Madbull Black Python V2 barrel

Metal piston

Systema/Guarder Aluminium piston head

Prometheus M120 spring cut down to the length of the stock TM spring

 

 

That should get about 320 FPS-ish, plus have a longer life span? If these upgrades are acceptable, I'll buy them and have Zero One fit them for me What else can I do to improve performance? I'm not fussed about improving the recoil of it because I'm happy with the way it is now.

Edited August 17, 2009 by BillyWu

[BillyWu]

Ah, sounds great Thanks man. Are there any retailers in this country that sell the Prometheus parts? I've only found Red Wolf airsoft so far and I'm not importing again anytime soon after getting robbed of £44.50 about a week ago.