Auto conversation for the Star

[hunter74]

I've read many treads on the forum about this topic and I'm impressed with the knowledge presented. Since I'm, as many other, not a machinist or otherwise capable of building something as complicated as many of these projects I'm sure many people wish they hade an automated Star. My guess is that many of them also are willing to pay what it'll cost to get one made for them. I sure am.

So.... Im thinking... If someone have spare time and are able to build a "plug'n play" package of an automated package for the star it would be great.

What do you think..... Strange that some companies in the business haven't done this when the price for Magmas lubmaster is well..... Stiff. It's out of most people's price range.

Thaughts? Anyone willing to take on a project like this?

[HATCH]

Send a pm to Wyman for the pneumatic side. Electronic side is easy.

[hunter74]

Thanks! What do you recomend? Pneumatic vs electronic? I'm thinking building cost and what's best in the long run. I have grounded 220v in the house since I live in Europe

Hatch, if the electronic side is easy, what's the downside? Cost?

[HATCH]

What I was talking about is pneumatic conversion with electronic controls.
There is several ways to automate the star sizer.

Wyman and my self use a pneumatic cylinder to operate it with a electronic relay to control the air valve.

Look at these


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XlPcBvGsDTY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QaR6un4vkos
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YyLPVWREGR8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=piNj5i00TbM

[wymanwinn]

go here... http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...zer&highlight=

post 20 for the parts list....

wyman

[hunter74]

go here... http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...zer&highlight=

post 20 for the parts list....

wyman

I'm afraid that partlist don't help me much. 😁

What I'm asking I guess is if someone could make me a working package and send it to me here in Norway ☺. It may be bold but asking don't cost much, right?

Is this possible and would you consider it and at what price?

Thanks

Knut Egil Bakke

[Tom_Highway]

Hello!

Look that: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0Az7...KU3ZkgLgJgrCQw
This system had not seen it until today. I find it interesting.

[HATCH]

A complete working package with sizer?

And Tom, thats a neat setup.
I am afraid to know what the gear reduction motor cost though....

[wymanwinn]

Hello!

Look that: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0Az7...KU3ZkgLgJgrCQw
This system had not seen it until today. I find it interesting.

does it have a clutch....?

[hunter74]

Parden my previous post, it was ment to be a pm.

The dream sollution for me would be a complete package without the sizer and feedee but with all the other parts and installation manual

[HATCH]

The pneumatic side is $200
The relays I use for for control are $70 each and I use two of them. I want to say that air valve is around $40 I think. You need a enclosure too, and a few little parts.
So parts alone its almost $400
A entire "kit" would be around $600 or so.
Not to even mention shipping cost to ship the "kit" to you.

[Tazza]

That motor driven version is very slick. We all need access to used motors like that for our builds. New the price would be insane.

I wonder how well a windscreen wiper motor would go in a situation like this.

[HATCH]

I don't know if that would have enough torque when it comes to sizing

[jmorris]

The motor I used on mine is something like 1/15th hp. For a clutch I just made the lever arm clamp the shaft with no key way so it can slip if it gets too heavy of a load.

[Tazza]

They are kind of small, so i can understand that.

Jmorris - that is very fancy, i wish i could come up with the ideas you do to automate things.

[chloe123]

Hunter, there's was a member who was soliciting interest in selling exactly what you wanted.

I remember posting a comment on his thread and I may have sent a PM requesting a vid when he first described the Star he automated .

....the link is posted below. Kind of unique to be in a situation where you could purchase a customized unit. The biggest challenge may be reaching the OP as I don't think he updated the thread

Link:

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...utomated-star-!


also, I completely empathize with your interest in enjoying the tech-savvy modifications

my original post was akin to yours but related to (automation of) the Master Caster. I bombarded both the design creators as well as those who, per the forum, succesfully modified their MCs.

I was lucky that Wyman Winn and Hatch responded and helped me. Out of fairness, "Hatch" did help by having thorough discussions regarding different approaches to automating, but he also made the "electronics" portion that controls the "pneumatics" that he described a little bit in your post.

though the master caster casting machine is made to cast boolits and the Star Sizer lubes and sizes, their(Wyman Winn /Hatch) approach to automate the machine is similar. On the surface, the Star design looks similar in that there's one dual acting cylinder(powered in both up/down directions), and in at least the designs I saw, use a "smart relay" to operate the complete cycle of the Star

I don't have a link handy, but "Hatch" has a video posted of a proof of concept test using these 2 relays

also, you can see the exact parts that are needed for the project (apart from the description) by viewing a video that W Winn published. (For some reason I think the one I saw is unique from the link posted above. In it, you'll see the flow restrictions, pressure regulator, the control of with the 2 relays, air lines coming in/out etc.--it's good)

My transition to automating the master caster, should have been re-titled "Idiots guide to Automating the Master Caster" as I didn't really know what I was doing, let alone understanding the concept behind it. For reference to my aptitude, I just learned that "green is for ground, and " black is lead" for changing electrical outlets (I graduated to changing dimmer switches and outlets, and became acquainted with a multi meter after the MC project)

The point of this is, if you're not successful in reaching the member on the above thread, you can tackle at least the pneumatic side of the project. W Winn detailed exact part numbers on the thread that Hatch referenced. This you accomplish, as I did. The obstacle would then be the electronics side.

As as you saw in the video there are other impressive designs that involve motors but that would require fabrication, motor, reduced gear drive etc.

if you have any questions that appear too dumb to ask, feel free to PM me. I'd be glad to share the experiences I had before, during and after automation. Good luck.

[HATCH]

Concerning the automation of the star, my setup and Wyman's setup is identical in every way.
Wyman's electronic side was provided by me and shown in the proof of concept.
Wyman cleaned up my sloppy mounting but other then that he used it as shown.

[Tazza]

Chlow123 - there are no dumb questions around here. No one here knows everything, yet some seem to be close

There is only one way to learn, asking questions and doing it on your own, just like you did. It feels better completing a job like this too rather than getting someone else to do it for you.

[HATCH]

I don't know everything and for the most part I try to share what I know to anyone that ask.
Its us reloaders vs "the man"

I have to admit that after speaking with Dino (Chloe123) on multiple calls that he was WAY out of his element when he took on the automation of the master caster.
Not saying that he is stupid or anything like that. Just says it was just something that he has never done before. He did a great job getting it up and running.
I even learned a couple things when I did his control panel.
Example - his panel has a toggle switch for heavy boolits. This allows you to run a second set of timers at the flip of a switch. I also made it change the range of the boolits you could cast.
What I didn't think of (only cause I don't cast single cavity) is that the large boolits are single cavity molds. So a mold for a 500 grain boolit takes the same amount of lead as the dual cavity molds I use for 250 grain boolits. I was thinking a 500 grain boolit would need to drop 1000 grains of lead (two boolits) when in reality its a single 500 grain boolit.


On my master caster setup, I had my brother Robert (no_1 on here) make the alum bar that the movement air cylinder is on. It was easier for him to do it and to be honest cheaper then me buying the parts and doing it myself. On the lead pour I use a bunch of 1/4 inch nuts to space out the lead pour air cylinder. Guess I should change that one day.

On the star, I got lucky. One day a package showed up from Wyman. Inside the package was all the pneumatic parts for the star. The metal rod was already bent to the correct angle.
I just had to assemble everything and then automate it. Wyman came up with the correct air valve and I did the electronic side.

Friends helping friends

[Tazza]

That is the good thing about the forum, you help one person out and they are happy to help you out. Everyone is happy to share their experience, be it good or bad to help others not make the same mistakes they did.