Making that Bullet Collator

[bigmike111]

I also have the same Dayton motors and drilled and dropped a pin in. I used the values on the plates for the shaft. Also noticed they were much looser as you did without adjusting them:

// my dayton shaft
shaft_hole=8.2;
shaft_slot_length=26;
shaft_slot_width=4.5;

I used a 1/8 1" long pin.

Tried the plate this morning, 8.1 for the shaft hole was just a bit too small so I ended up running a 21/64 bit through and it fits perfectly.

Also used some regular 55gr FMJ bullets and had way less issues with them feeding/jamming etc.

[thump_rrr]

I thought about it but don’t know how to go about it or if it would even solve the problem. I have them on my Dillon casefeed plates but I’m not aware of how they function.

It is simply a top and bottom washer bolted together with 2 cap screws. There are lock washers between the cap screws and the top washer.
It is basically a friction fit.
Too loose, the washers slip and the plate doesn't turn.
Too tight and it acts as if it isn't even there.

[thump_rrr]

Might as well post mine .
Completed the main body a couple of days ago.
I went a little crazy with 0.12mm layers wall thickness of 6 in PETG.
Total print time of 71 hours.

Here it is next to the AmmoMike83 collator that I abandoned.
I had a loose X-axis belt and it slipped as I was watching it.
Once I saw the difference in size between them
I was glad that it happened.
As of today it’s 15 days that I’ve first touched a 3D printer.
Printed in MG Chemicals PTEG17RE1

[tanders]

This is why I have arduino uno with a motor shield. It is limiting the torque by constantly measuring the power consumption. With the motor shield and the sensor shield stacked on top of the uno it is almost plug and play. If anyone is interested I will do my best to get a parts breakdown and wiring diagram completed.

[djinnpb]

This is why I have arduino uno with a motor shield. It is limiting the torque by constantly measuring the power consumption. With the motor shield and the sensor shield stacked on top of the uno it is almost plug and play. If anyone is interested I will do my best to get a parts breakdown and wiring diagram completed.

I definitely would. That sounds like a great method to accomplish this. Do you have it set to just stop or reverse then go again unless jammed again then stop?

[lablover]

This is why I have arduino uno with a motor shield. It is limiting the torque by constantly measuring the power consumption. With the motor shield and the sensor shield stacked on top of the uno it is almost plug and play. If anyone is interested I will do my best to get a parts breakdown and wiring diagram completed.

I’d be interested as well

So awesome to see you guys having success with Tyler’s awesome design! It’s been great for me

[GWS]

Might as well post mine .
Completed the main body a couple of days ago.
I went a little crazy with 0.12mm layers wall thickness of 6 in PETG.
Total print time of 71 hours.

Here it is next to the AmmoMike83 collator that I abandoned.
I had a loose X-axis belt and it slipped as I was watching it.
Once I saw the difference in size between them
I was glad that it happened.
As of today it’s 15 days that I’ve first touched a 3D printer.
Printed in MG Chemicals PTEG17RE1

Looks really good thump rr! I only started in August.....still a beginner, but I'm getting better all the time. The best part is I haven't wasted a lot of plastic. You caught your fail early too. But I have only used PLA, and I'm very curious what hoops you have to jump to be successful with PTEG. Could you share some of the other parameters you used? Nozzle temperature, Bed temperature? Direct Drive? Did you have to cover the printer? Which printer? Type and size of Nozzle. Trying to learn all I can. And about the PTEG? What's the pluses?

My last base posted a page or two ago (post 3218), took 64 hours using variable layer height from .10 to .14. It lifted just a little in two corners (easily fixed) and I finally found out why I've been having that trouble.....too high bed temperature. Now I'm using first layer at 70C and the rest at 60C. and the PLA temperature 1st layer at 215, and the rest at 210. Working much better. I've only used a .4 nozzle and not direct drive.

BTW, yeah, I've thought of using a clutch....even on my Hornady Pistol Collator mods....(which didn't have one on that machine), just have seen one like you have. Having a hard time seeing how it works.....is it just squeezing the plate between to little washers?

[thump_rrr]

Looks really good thump rr! I only started in August.....still a beginner, but I'm getting better all the time. The best part is I haven't wasted a lot of plastic. You caught your fail early too. But I have only used PLA, and I'm very curious what hoops you have to jump to be successful with PTEG. Could you share some of the other parameters you used? Nozzle temperature, Bed temperature? Direct Drive? Did you have to cover the printer? Which printer? Type and size of Nozzle. Trying to learn all I can. And about the PTEG? What's the pluses?

My last base posted a page or two ago (post 3218), took 64 hours using variable layer height from .10 to .14. It lifted just a little in two corners (easily fixed) and I finally found out why I've been having that trouble.....too high bed temperature. Now I'm using first layer at 70C and the rest at 60C. and the PLA temperature 1st layer at 215, and the rest at 210. Working much better. I've only used a .4 nozzle and not direct drive.

BTW, yeah, I've thought of using a clutch....even on my Hornady Pistol Collator mods....(which didn't have one on that machine), just have seen one like you have. Having a hard time seeing how it works.....is it just squeezing the base between to little plates?

My printer is a Creality CR-6 SE. It has a bowden tube setup and has a Carborundum coated glass bed
With PETG for the most part there is no issues with it sticking as long as your bed is squeaky clean.
It actually sticks too well.
I only use Dawn dish soap and hot water to clean the bed. If you let the bed cool down the parts come off by themselves.

As for printer settings I settled on 235C nozzle temp and 80C bed temp.

I don't know if you have heard anything about the CR-6 SE printers but they were initially launched on Kickstarter.
it was a disaster with hardware and software issues. on/off switches failing, main boards smoking, leak voltages frying computers, etc.
Having read up about them before purchasing I felt confident that all those issues could be worked out and I could get a decent printer with auto bed leveling and a touch screen GUI for $529 Canadian for a unit that was in stock locally and I could walk out of the store with it.

I brought it home and within 1 hour I was printing.
I bought a replacement on/off switch at the same time for $3.99. The original lasted 10 days.
I printed a Benchy with the 200gr of PLA that was supplied.
I then switched to the red PETG so I could start printing the collator.
I got to around hour 25 when I noticed the X-axis belt began to slip.
I never checked the belt tension assuming that since it was new everything would have been adjusted from the factory.
I tried to adjust the belt tension on the fly and that's where the print shifted enough that I stopped the print.

I then found this video and site and spent almost 2 days testing and tuning to get it where it is today.

https://teachingtechyt.github.io/calibration.html
There were many bolts in the frame of the printer that simply weren't tight enough or not tightened at all.
I can say that now my first layer is like a wafer perfect without being a bunch of strings you could see through

I also tested and repaired the leaky voltage issue on my unit.


I then installed a Raspberry Pi so that I could remotely monitor and control my printer.
I was going to flash the printer with the community developed firmware that everyone was raving about but I'll wait till my collator parts are all printed first.

[djinnpb]

So testing the proximity sensor out. I reprinted all the drop tubes at 2 wall and 10% infill hoping it would make a difference. They seem to work better on bullets. However if brass moves ever so bit it goes on and off even if brass is in the position. Has anyone else had issues with the detection on brass? Was testing with 300blk brass in 10mm drop tube.

I could use the photosensor setup on brass and proximity on brass but really digging the simplicity of the proximity.. just seems a bit finicky or am I doing something wrong? :P

[TylerR]

So testing the proximity sensor out. I reprinted all the drop tubes at 2 wall and 10% infill hoping it would make a difference. They seem to work better on bullets. However if brass moves ever so bit it goes on and off even if brass is in the position. Has anyone else had issues with the detection on brass? Was testing with 300blk brass in 10mm drop tube.

I could use the photosensor setup on brass and proximity on brass but really digging the simplicity of the proximity.. just seems a bit finicky or am I doing something wrong? :P

Which sensor are you using again? And are you sure you are pushing it all the way in flush to the flat part of the drop tube?

[djinnpb]

Which sensor are you using again? And are you sure you are pushing it all the way in flush to the flat part of the drop tube?

Still waiting for the blue one in the manual (AUTONICS PRD18-14DN2), so for now using this one: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B081DGFYN8 (PR18-8DN2) and indeed pushing it in all the way flush. Though starting to wonder if it's really 8mm sensing. on my bench if seems to only sense reliably at about half that distance. does the AUTONICS PRD18-14DN2 sense on the bench an accurate 8mm? Being the first time I've tried proximity sensors, not sure if I ended up with a bad one or not .. lessening the experience.

[TylerR]

Still waiting for the blue one in the manual (AUTONICS PRD18-14DN2), so for now using this one: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B081DGFYN8 (PR18-8DN2) and indeed pushing it in all the way flush. Though starting to wonder if it's really 8mm sensing. on my bench if seems to only sense reliably at about half that distance. does the AUTONICS PRD18-14DN2 sense on the bench an accurate 8mm? Being the first time I've tried proximity sensors, not sure if I ended up with a bad one or not .. lessening the experience.

Looks like it should work. The sensing distance is much shorter on these then what's advertised, for our purpose. I designed the drop tubes to have only 3mm or less between the flat portion and the inside of the tube. So even at 4mm it should still be sensing. Maybe that one is a bit of a lemon.

[djinnpb]

Looks like it should work. The sensing distance is much shorter on these then what's advertised, for our purpose. I designed the drop tubes to have only 3mm or less between the flat portion and the inside of the tube. So even at 4mm it should still be sensing. Maybe that one is a bit of a lemon.

Thinking it could be. I didn't see a screw to turn anywhere to help adjust it. I grabbed these too so will see if they work any better or worse https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B073XDVSNX

[GWS]

Still waiting for the blue one in the manual (AUTONICS PRD18-14DN2), so for now using this one: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B081DGFYN8 (PR18-8DN2) and indeed pushing it in all the way flush. Though starting to wonder if it's really 8mm sensing. on my bench if seems to only sense reliably at about half that distance. does the AUTONICS PRD18-14DN2 sense on the bench an accurate 8mm? Being the first time I've tried proximity sensors, not sure if I ended up with a bad one or not .. lessening the experience.

When you say pushing it in all the way flush......what's flush? My part is open into the drop tube and my sensor is flush with the inside drop tube wall.....and I have no problem detecting anything so far. Of course I bought the original (to me) again....and it's long....but it works every time. Makes me wonder what was lost shortening the tube....sensitivity?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CWTQ3SF...roduct_details

[TylerR]

When you say pushing it in all the way flush......what's flush? My part is open to the drop and my sensor is flush with the drop tube wall.....and I have no problem detecting anything so far. Of course I bought the original (to me) again....and it's long....but it works everytime.

https://www.amazon.com/your-orders/p...ntId=D7tYjwY1m

I believe he is using it with my drop tube, that has a flat face the sensor should sit flush against.

[GWS]

But the tube is round inside isn't it? If your part is closed off with a flat is it flat inside the drop too? Or is it round inside where the cases are? Distance to the sensor would then vary.....mine varies too, but it's open to the inside...in there it's flush on the rim, but the center is recessed a tad......add plastic in-between and that increases. So the question is how thick is the plastic between .... is the sweet spot where it is close big enough?

[TylerR]

But the tube is round inside isn't it? If your part is closed off with a flat is it flat inside the drop too? Or is it round inside where the cases are? Distance to the sensor would then vary.....mine varies too, but it's open to the inside...in there it's flush on the rim, but the center is recessed a tad......add plastic in-between and that increases. So the question is how thick is the plastic between .... is the sweet spot where it is close big enough?

Yes, it is round on the inside of the tube. With my testing I get reliable detection as far out as 5mm. The 6mm tube as an example has 2mm of wall space, so there is plenty of tolerance built in there. With inductive sensors the sensing distance is not supposed to be greatly impacted by non metallic material (plastic) in between. I have had no issues in testing all the sized drop tubes with brass and bullets, with the two sensors I have tested. (One of them being the one you posted)

[thump_rrr]

Still waiting for the blue one in the manual (AUTONICS PRD18-14DN2), so for now using this one: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B081DGFYN8 (PR18-8DN2) and indeed pushing it in all the way flush. Though starting to wonder if it's really 8mm sensing. on my bench if seems to only sense reliably at about half that distance. does the AUTONICS PRD18-14DN2 sense on the bench an accurate 8mm? Being the first time I've tried proximity sensors, not sure if I ended up with a bad one or not .. lessening the experience.

That sensor has only an 8mm detection distance at best.
If you look at one of the images from the link you provided copper gives you about 1/4 of that sensing distance or 2mm.
Don’t forget that bullets are only jacketed in copper.
That may also play a part.

I may be out in left field and someone please correct me if I’m wrong.

[djinnpb]

That sensor has only an 8mm detection distance at best.
If you look at one of the images from the link you provided copper gives you about 1/4 of that sensing distance or 2mm.
Don’t forget that bullets are only jacketed in copper.
That may also play a part.

I tried another sensor as well. Both seem to work unless there is any wiggle room (aka drop tube movement) it will go off and on. wonder if that bevel being about where the prox flat spot is lets the top move away ever so slightly causing that? Did you have issues with it moving with brass? that or would maybe undersizing the hole help (without binding the brass obviously).

I use mostly cast lead and those oddly seem to do well. The brass is the hit and miss so the detection rate that would see on part given the rate of induction

quick example on how it would work but if the tube has any vibration moving the brass it toggles on/off

[noacess]

Just to add a little more to this proximity sensor discussion. I've had 0 issues with 300BLK cases using the PRD18-14DN2 sensor and the #10 tube. However, last night I tried out the uxcell 8mm sensor ( https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1 ) with 220gr berrys plated in a #8 tube and it seems like this sensor just barely does not detect them. If I push the bullet a hair towards the sensor it works. I have a second PRD18-14DN2 I'm going to wire up and see if it helps. I'll report back with the results.