Making that Bullet Collator

[rogerandre]

I've run through a quite a few and it looks like cleaning up the funnel and smooth the area out a bit with the file has increased the reliability of feeding quite a bit.

Are there any tips in speeding the actual feeding? I notice that a lot of the slots on the small pistol plate ends up being empty. I notice that using the large pistol plate seems to work a little faster than the small pistol plate, but introduces some other jams. I was thinking perhaps opening the small pistol plate slots a bit or maybe creating a bit of a taper on the plate. Curious if anyone has some experience or modifications that have worked?

EDIT: in doing some searching it looks like a lot of people use the large pistol plate for 9mm. I got a weird jam where the brass is facing forward and catching on the main body. I'll try to get a photo of this the next time it happens, or I'll check if there is a bur there.

EDIT 2: the jamming of of the brass towards the top of the plate and the main body appears to be slightly alleviated by tilting the main body more. I still do get an occasional jam, but it seems like it's reduced.

I have tested various tilts but with a higher tilt I get standing jams. 9 mm work MUCH better. 223 is where I get most jams. The 223 neck fits close to perfect in the holes in the main body.

[TylerR]

Dear Team,

Anyone else that is experiencing jams in the unused holes when feeding 223 brass ?
Anyone that have a cool STL for a plug for the holes ? Right now I am using a hex M3 but still get jams.
Attachment 330579

Those holes were moved in the latest versions. I have used heavy duty packing tap, or duct tape to cover the hole if that is happening.
Could also use some kind of filler. I bet even wood filler would work fine.

[Thishadow]

Possibly some JBWELD for plastic.... I used Marine Tex on mine

[rogerandre]

Those holes were moved in the latest versions. I have used heavy duty packing tap, or duct tape to cover the hole if that is happening.
Could also use some kind of filler. I bet even wood filler would work fine.

Where are the holes moved ? I compared the last version (just by naked eye in the slicer) to the version I downloaded in February and couldn't see any difference.
Perhaps just not visible to the naked eye ?

[TylerR]

Where are the holes moved ? I compared the last version (just by naked eye in the slicer) to the version I downloaded in February and couldn't see any difference.
Perhaps just not visible to the naked eye ?

I moved the holes down to account for bullet plates, but probably was not enough for the thinner brass plates. just moved some more and updated.

[rogerandre]

I moved the holes down to account for bullet plates, but probably was not enough for the thinner brass plates. just moved some more and updated.

Way cool. Huge thanks.

Can see that there is a rim on the right top side on the new version. What is that for ?

[TylerR]

Way cool. Huge thanks.

Can see that there is a rim on the right top side on the new version. What is that for ?

That is for the sweepers.

[rogerandre]

That is for the sweepers.

Thanks! Need to get mt GitHub notifications working so I am not running on Jurassic versions.
Will the "new" sweepers address that sometimes (primarily 223 Rem) brass gets stuck towards the sweeper ?

[TylerR]

Thanks! Need to get mt GitHub notifications working so I am not running on Jurassic versions.
Will the "new" sweepers address that sometimes (primarily 223 Rem) brass gets stuck towards the sweeper ?

Its kind of a try it, and see if it works. I have not put tons of time in to sweeper development, but I would say try the long sweeper, V2.
https://github.com/BF556/Feeder/blob...eper_Long2.stl

GWS's sweeper is great for brass because it clears them way before they get to the drop hole.
https://github.com/BF556/Feeder/blob...eper_Large.stl

[rogerandre]

Its kind of a try it, and see if it works. I have not put tons of time in to sweeper development, but I would say try the long sweeper, V2.
https://github.com/BF556/Feeder/blob...eper_Long2.stl

GWS's sweeper is great for brass because it clears them way before they get to the drop hole.
https://github.com/BF556/Feeder/blob...eper_Large.stl

Huge thanks !
Both look great.
Correct that GWS's sweeper should be attached with 2 screws using the 2 top holes on the right side of the main body ?

[ChrisMChristian]

I made a circuit board for the inductive circuit. It is not the fanciest board out there but it works. It is made so that you can use 5mm screw terminals or you could solder the wires straight to the board.

The screw terminals I used are: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B088LVP6ML...fed_asin_title

This is the proof image.
Attachment 330247

This is a completed board.
Attachment 330248

It fits in the small box.



Attachment 330249

There is only printing on one side of the board, so I assembled it upside down so I could read the writing. It works either way. Some industrious soul is welcome to add larger printing to the bottom of the board.

The attached zip file (gerber) is what you need to send to the PCB board manufacturer.

I used a place called https://jlcpcb.com/
They made me 5 boards and it took a couple of weeks for them to arrive. The total cost including shipping was $3.69. That was 2 bucks for the boards, a buck and a half shipping, and 19 cents in tax.

Link to video of the assembled board.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/vIY4-RjDdyE

Hey there Lewis1914, thank you VERY much for this.
I went ahead and ordered 30 of them just now (was like <$7 before shipping/tax).
I plan on making 6 of these collators, so I will have 24 of these left over.
And as a way to pay it forward, I'm offering to ship 1 or 2 to members here for FREE!!
As long as I can get away with putting these in a normal envelope and just requiring normal postage stamps.
If anyone is interested (First come, first served, until I run out of them), just PM me via this forum and I will get you some headed your way (don't be greedy).
Now, I'm wishing I had done 50 or 100, it wasn't much for the actual boards, and shipping was about the same, oh well.
Again, thanks for making this and sharing it, and thanks to the people that put so much effort into the great project.
I'm looking forward to assembling and using my first one some time tomorrow. I used all PETG in red, black, and grey, to match my Lee Six Pack Pro presses and Lee APP setups.
There is one thing I am doing to most of the parts where screws are involved, and that is adding a brass heat-insert.
Have a great day!


Chris

[TylerR]

Hey there Lewis1914, thank you VERY much for this.
I went ahead and ordered 30 of them just now (was like <$7 before shipping/tax).
I plan on making 6 of these collators, so I will have 24 of these left over.
And as a way to pay it forward, I'm offering to ship 1 or 2 to members here for FREE!!
As long as I can get away with putting these in a normal envelope and just requiring normal postage stamps.
If anyone is interested (First come, first served, until I run out of them), just PM me via this forum and I will get you some headed your way (don't be greedy).
Now, I'm wishing I had done 50 or 100, it wasn't much for the actual boards, and shipping was about the same, oh well.
Again, thanks for making this and sharing it, and thanks to the people that put so much effort into the great project.
I'm looking forward to assembling and using my first one some time tomorrow. I used all PETG in red, black, and grey, to match my Lee Six Pack Pro presses and Lee APP setups.
There is one thing I am doing to most of the parts where screws are involved, and that is adding a brass heat-insert.
Have a great day!


Chris

Great offer. Your a good man.

[ChrisMChristian]

My pleasure, I really appreciate this project and all the effort that went into it. It's the least I can do to give back to the project.
Cant wait to get these 4 collators finished and into my reloading process. I added some Lee APP presses to do bullet sizing and case prepping, all to make my reloading as streamlined and consistent as I can do with the type of presses I have. I've really enjoyed the whole process of printing and assembling these, now for the wiring and fine tuning.

Have a great day
Chris

[TylerR]

Roger, I made an adapter to mount to an X-10. I'll get a picture of it for you

I wasn't sure if you followed up on this, or if you have a design you can offer. had a couple of guys ask me about it.

[ChrisMChristian]

I'm making great progress on the 4 collators I'm making. Most of the hardware and electronics have come in and I'm almost through all of the 3D printing (even 15 collators and 20 slide plates). I have one collator mocked up that I will tune and get the way I want, and then kick out the other 3 collators the same way.

I do plan on submitting some slight changes for options, like diff sized holes (to support 3/4" EMT on mounts), to support other size nuts and bolts, to use heated brass inserts on most connection points (except I do like the "carriage bolt" like design that holds the heavy body (and payload) to the mount, and will create some new organization systems to help store and manage all of the bits and pieces to running 4 of these. I am thinking of using the gridfinity system (since like heated brass inserts; "I put that $h1t on everything")

Also, I plan to share an alternative proximity sensor. The current PRD18-14DN2 is a rock solid choice and you can't go wrong. But it's relatively expensive ($25 to $45) and usually takes a week or more shipping. Plus, the main thing you get with that M18 size sensor is the 14mm of sensing distance compared to the 8mm sensing distance of the one I have sourced that is only $6.99 with 2 day shipping.

In a quick test, I'm not seeing where that affects the task that the collator design requires of it (probably due to the 90 degree installation that places the head within a mm or two of the bullets and brass that will pass by it. From what I am seeing based on the adapters and placement, even 8mm is overkill as it works just as good.


STATUS ON PCB ORDER FROM lewis1914 's DESIGN
The 30 PCB's have been made and are in UPS Expresses hands with an ETA of some time Tuesday (10/29).
So I should be able to ship out everyone's PCB's by Wednesday.
I still have some left, just PM me if you want any (no cost), I'm only keeping 6 of the 30 I ordered.
**disclaimer, I have never ordered PCB's before, this was my first order (and kind of exciting).
The process was much easier than I thought and lewis1914 provided the gerber files in zip, so it was mostly automated.
I did have to make some choices in the order though, attached shows the options I did.


have a Great day!
Chris

[ChrisMChristian]

I was wondering, if anyone else in this forum also have a Prusa XL 5 tool head printer and know about the XL Enclosure called "enXLosure" that Voxel3D_Nederland came up with (if you go to printables.com and search on model 610843, you will see what I'm talking about). What I found most interesting about this project AND that part that I am relating here is this... Several companies popped up on AliExpress to supply the pre-cut acrylic panels, all of the hardware, and even all of the 3D printed parts should you want. It turned that unattainable enXLosure for some into something they could actually make. Even if you chose hardware, acrylic, and 3D printed parts, it was still in pieces and was more of a kit to be assembled. This made it a doable thing for the companies that popped up to provide the various components. Most didn't need the 3D printed parts, but many needed the precisely cut acrylic pieces. And due to the low price on all the hardware parts, many also got the hardware kits.

I ended up sourcing all of the hardware myself (nuts/bolts/etc) and of course I 3D printed all of the parts myself. I was also able to laser cut and engrave all of acrylic panels myself fortunately (I have an xTool P2 laser and conveyor).
But when I did the math on all of the hardware, who ever put that kit together was able to sell way cheaper than I could source and 1 stop shipping.

QUESTION: Would the community or who ever owns the rights to this collator, consider giving some company a BoM (Bill of Materials) list that could be put together and then a link to that BoM list added to the collators User Manual? Many of those companies will also offer 3D printed parts, though I could see that part being more difficult here because of the awesome options and combination possibilities? It could great simplify things and through "economics of scale" get the price down even more. Maybe there could be 2 versions of the "Collator Kit" 1) standard kit 2) pro kit (better motor, better sensor).

Any way, just curious, if this has been considered. I apologize in advance, I PROMISE I'm not one of those forum members that ask things that were already asked and answered (many times). It's just that this thread is unbelievably HUGE (currently 7,355 comments on 368 pages). I'm reading it all, it's just gonna take me a while to catch up on this beast. So sorry in advance if this was already asked.


Have a Great day!!
Chris

[TylerR]

I'm making great progress on the 4 collators I'm making. Most of the hardware and electronics have come in and I'm almost through all of the 3D printing (even 15 collators and 20 slide plates). I have one collator mocked up that I will tune and get the way I want, and then kick out the other 3 collators the same way.

I do plan on submitting some slight changes for options, like diff sized holes (to support 3/4" EMT on mounts), to support other size nuts and bolts, to use heated brass inserts on most connection points (except I do like the "carriage bolt" like design that holds the heavy body (and payload) to the mount, and will create some new organization systems to help store and manage all of the bits and pieces to running 4 of these. I am thinking of using the gridfinity system (since like heated brass inserts; "I put that $h1t on everything")

Also, I plan to share an alternative proximity sensor. The current PRD18-14DN2 is a rock solid choice and you can't go wrong. But it's relatively expensive ($25 to $45) and usually takes a week or more shipping. Plus, the main thing you get with that M18 size sensor is the 14mm of sensing distance compared to the 8mm sensing distance of the one I have sourced that is only $6.99 with 2 day shipping.

In a quick test, I'm not seeing where that affects the task that the collator design requires of it (probably due to the 90 degree installation that places the head within a mm or two of the bullets and brass that will pass by it. From what I am seeing based on the adapters and placement, even 8mm is overkill as it works just as good.


STATUS ON PCB ORDER FROM lewis1914 's DESIGN
The 30 PCB's have been made and are in UPS Expresses hands with an ETA of some time Tuesday (10/29).
So I should be able to ship out everyone's PCB's by Wednesday.
I still have some left, just PM me if you want any (no cost), I'm only keeping 6 of the 30 I ordered.
**disclaimer, I have never ordered PCB's before, this was my first order (and kind of exciting).
The process was much easier than I thought and lewis1914 provided the gerber files in zip, so it was mostly automated.
I did have to make some choices in the order though, attached shows the options I did.


have a Great day!
Chris

Just confirming, you are building 15 collators? Or did I misread that?

Edied: Re-reading it, I think you mean 15 collator plates.

[ChrisMChristian]

oops, yeah. I'm building 4 Collators total (when listing the accessories like slide plates and all I meant to collator plates).

I went through all of your videos TylerR, and took several different screen shots to gain some insights into how various sweepers, flippers, drop holes, drop tubes, slide plates (and adapters and drop holes). I've read through the User Manual probably a dozen times and most of the missing areas and questions I have, are to do with putting this all together. I didn't know if you were aware of a user guide or something that shows these things all coming together? I'm sure I will figure it all out once I'm up and running.

Your videos presented several different scenarios that I was able to recognize parts and get an understanding on how they come together. Much appreciated there



15 collators would get me in SERIOUS trouble with the wife, I'm kinda pushing it a tad with 4, haha. Luckily her dad is also into reloading as well as making black powder guns from scratch (not kits), so I get a pass on most things I do with guns and reloading thank God.

[ChrisMChristian]

STATUS ON PCB ORDER FROM lewis1914 's DESIGN
I received the 30 PCB's today after lunch, I did a random inspection of the traces and the pitch is 5.08mm.
Looks like these PCB's are perfect. I'm going to solder one up tonight and wire it into my prototype collator.
Should be able to start mailing these out tomorrow as planned.
Kudo's to lewis1914!!




(side info - turns out I only have 2.54mm pitch terminal block (screw type), I ordered 5.08mm, which should be here tomorrow.
But for tonight, I'm going to sacrifice a few of my 2.54mm pitch ones, by cutting every other post which will let me use them to test with.)

[ChrisMChristian]

STATUS ON PCB ORDER FROM lewis1914 's DESIGN
I just mailed out all PCB's to those that requested them.
Please let me know if you don't get those and I will resend.

I still have some left if anyone is interested, just PM me, no cost, my pleasure.


Have a Great day!!
Chris