Making that Bullet Collator

[TylerR]

If you are up for it I'll send them to you. Just PM me address to send and I'll mail them out next weekend when I'm back at the ranch. I poured roughly 6,000 of them for him so he won't miss 20-30 of them

Let's get it done. I love a challenge. PM sent.

[lablover]

Let's get it done. I love a challenge. PM sent.

I also have some hitech coated 160s if you want some for testing. I’d be happy to send you some on my dime. I can’t wait to see the results because these are tough little suckers

[djinnpb]

So finally printed up another base and using the new slider electronics box (VERY nice btw). And now starting to build another cable but thinking about trying the proximity sensor. For those that used the photosensor and the swapped, much better? sure looks like an easier way. Though seems like a huge wait to get a PRD18-14DN2 delivered. And do plan to get one somewhere other than Amazon.. for.. reasons. So might make another regular box for now then swap.

Also beyond impressed with the manual. That has become such an amazing collection of people coming together in a common goal.

[TylerR]

I also have some hitech coated 160s if you want some for testing. I’d be happy to send you some on my dime. I can’t wait to see the results because these are tough little suckers

Send em on over.

[lablover]

Send em on over.

I’ll get them out today hopefully! Got sent home from work due to no work today. After weeks of OT we don’t have work today....lol. Go figure

[TylerR]

So finally printed up another base and using the new slider electronics box (VERY nice btw). And now starting to build another cable but thinking about trying the proximity sensor. For those that used the photosensor and the swapped, much better? sure looks like an easier way. Though seems like a huge wait to get a PRD18-14DN2 delivered. And do plan to get one somewhere other than Amazon.. for.. reasons. So might make another regular box for now then swap.

Also beyond impressed with the manual. That has become such an amazing collection of people coming together in a common goal.

In my opinion the proximity sensor is the way to go. Simpler to wire and more reliable detection. You can use any sensor that meets the requirements specified in the manual.

"18mm diameter normally closed (NC) inductive proximity sensor with a minimum detection range of 8mm." The wiring diagram is for an "NPN" version but "PNP" would work as well just wired a little differently.

[lablover]

Send em on over.

In a small flat rate box in the mailbox. Sent along a few of the other headaches too. Hope you have tons of hair on your head...lol

[TylerR]

In a small flat rate box in the mailbox. Sent along a few of the other headaches too. Hope you have tons of hair on your head...lol

Sweet, I'll find a way to make those suckers work!

Pulled all my hair out already following recent history. Nothing left anyway

[noacess]

So finally printed up another base and using the new slider electronics box (VERY nice btw). And now starting to build another cable but thinking about trying the proximity sensor. For those that used the photosensor and the swapped, much better? sure looks like an easier way. Though seems like a huge wait to get a PRD18-14DN2 delivered. And do plan to get one somewhere other than Amazon.. for.. reasons. So might make another regular box for now then swap.

Also beyond impressed with the manual. That has become such an amazing collection of people coming together in a common goal.

I switched from the optical sensor to using the proximity. I never had any issues with the optical but much preferred the cleaner wiring from the proximity. I've also used both the PRD18-14DN2 (got lucky and bought a couple cheap from a US seller on ebay) and the uxcell 8mm sensor and both have worked fine for me.

[stanford]

In my opinion the proximity sensor is the way to go. Simpler to wire and more reliable detection. You can use any sensor that meets the requirements specified in the manual.

"18mm diameter normally closed (NC) inductive proximity sensor with a minimum detection range of 8mm." The wiring diagram is for an "NPN" version but "PNP" would work as well just wired a little differently.

You guys are killing me. I thought the optical sensor was better so I printed the tubes for those, now I find out the proximity is better. I guess back to the drawing board.

[TylerR]

You guys are killing me. I thought the optical sensor was better so I printed the tubes for those, now I find out the proximity is better. I guess back to the drawing board.

The drop tubes handle both optical and proximity sensors.

[GWS]

I'll take all the blame and fault....I brought the degenerate proximity sensor to the forum....pure evil intentions.... You can ignore them and probably do just fine....but I like em. Sorry to complicate everything, but I had had enough with micro-switches that had to be constantly tweeked.....and at the time I couldn't even find an optical switch....I knew they were made, but back then they seemed to be hard to find. So I tried the Proximity switch a guy was using on a case annealer system....and it worked really well.

Today I finally got my .308 case collator plate printed...... (Zyltec Lipstick Red I got for $19))



The hold up was the hex motor shaft I had chosen....that ruined the .223 plate.....well that's not completely true, it was the dang super powerful Dayton motor that did that while I looked for a speed slow enough to drop cases without binding......it was the over and over binding that ruined the .223 plate...wallered out the hex hole, but at least it didn't totally trash the plate...maybe I can fix it.

So I decided to try raising the plate's handle and double the hex coupler.

Attachment 275856

Doubled hex coupler illustrated below:




So did it work? Well eventually. Lets just say if you mount 2 couplers back to back using an M4X20 hex bolt.....make sure the dang thing is tight.....in fact thread locker would be a good Idea if your motor is as powerful as mine is. Notice, I even tightened the top set screw around the bolt to help hold them together.....heck maybe I'll super glue them together as well....

And if you use a motor that is geared too fast like that one is....and you have to use a speed control, do what TylerR suggests and buy (and use ) a relay. Procrastination in that area was fatal to my little cheap speed control.....it now has one speed ... too fast. Looking for another more forgiving motor before I ruin another plate.........(not the one above, yet)

[TylerR]

I'll take all the blame and fault....I brought the degenerate proximity sensor to the forum....pure evil intentions....

And yet look at my current recommendation. Would not be the case without you making us aware of them.

[GWS]

Since I'm fresh out of speed controls, I went looking on the web for any other solutions.....I know a resistor isn't a good way, but I found out that DC motors slow down with lower voltage......so I ran downstairs and plugged in a 5 volt wall wart into the 12v motor and guess what? Maybe I don't need a speed control.....it feeds those .308's without a hitch.......no jams....Now, since TylerR is way smarter electrically than me, what say you? Is that going to cause a heat problem in the motor?

[noacess]

Since I'm fresh out of speed controls, I went looking on the web for any other solutions.....I know a resistor isn't a good way, but I found out that DC motors slow down with lower voltage......so I ran downstairs and plugged in a 5 volt wall wart into the 12v motor and guess what? Maybe I don't need a speed control.....it feeds those .308's without a hitch.......no jams....Now, since TylerR is way smarter electrically than me, what say you? Is that going to cause a heat problem in the motor?

I'd worry about burning out the wall wart, but then again, I'm no expert.

[TylerR]

Since I'm fresh out of speed controls, I went looking on the web for any other solutions.....I know a resistor isn't a good way, but I found out that DC motors slow down with lower voltage......so I ran downstairs and plugged in a 5 volt wall wart into the 12v motor and guess what? Maybe I don't need a speed control.....it feeds those .308's without a hitch.......no jams....Now, since TylerR is way smarter electrically than me, what say you? Is that going to cause a heat problem in the motor?

I don't claim to be an expert either, but I do not believe there is any issue with running a DC motor at a lower voltage. Isn't that what a speed controller is ultimately varying, the voltage?

[lablover]

Sweet, I'll find a way to make those suckers work!

Pulled all my hair out already following recent history. Nothing left anyway

Now that was funny!

[GWS]

This from an Electrical engineer asked the same question:

"Normally, when you reduce the voltage applied to a DC motor it will turn slower, but not because "voltage affects speed", not directly. If you apply a lower voltage, it will draw less current, will have less torque, and therefore will turn slower, for a given load."

Hmmm.....less torque too.....also not a bad thing in this instance....maybe won't rip things apart if binding on a stuck bullet.

Guess I'll try it for a while......just a old phone power supply....never throw away anything that works.... It sure is simpler than trying to find a speed that works....and remembering where it is. If it works for .308 it ought to work fine for .223.

At the moment I'm waiting for liquid steel to dry...to maybe save my .223 plate. Then we will see. I do like the price!

[Anuccite]

Since I'm fresh out of speed controls, I went looking on the web for any other solutions.....I know a resistor isn't a good way, but I found out that DC motors slow down with lower voltage......so I ran downstairs and plugged in a 5 volt wall wart into the 12v motor and guess what? Maybe I don't need a speed control.....it feeds those .308's without a hitch.......no jams....Now, since TylerR is way smarter electrically than me, what say you? Is that going to cause a heat problem in the motor?

These are working nicely for me

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[GWS]

These are working nicely for me

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08BJ4WQCV/ref=ppxyo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Exact same ones I bought, and yes that one did work nicely until it didn't. Suddenly the switch would not turn off and the speed control only had one speed....fastest. And before I could unplug it ruined my plate with a .308 stuck half-way through the hole. Nothing I could do but race to the plug which happened to be out of reach and pull it.

I'm about to find out whether epoxy steel can resurrect the now round hex inside......if not I'll have to print another. I'm beginning to wonder if we might not need to reexamine a smaller motor......or at least a de-torqued motor with the 5 volt power supply like I'm now testing.

I still really am dumb about relays.....I have no idea if not having it installed was the reason for the fail or if the cheap Chinese board would have failed anyway. I have no clue how a relay works and what it works.

I tried for two hours last night to understand a "back to the basics" tutorial on how to wire the prox. That electronics engineer had no idea what the word "basics" means. Came away no smarter in the least. Every other word was beyond normal lay English or even basic electronics. What does "NPN sink" or "PNP source" have to do with wiring a motor? Back searching this morning for a "real" basic talking engineer....if one exists. I'm pretty sure the NPN sensor is to be switching across the negative wire, or if it's a PNP, the positive wire.....but that ain't enough information, when you add a relay.

TylerR's schematic didn't help.....too dumb I guess to convert that to the wires I have. Try again this morning....maybe I was too tired last night.