Got my auto trickler project running

[Larry Morgan]

I got inspired to build this when I found a stepper motor and controller in the recycle bin at work.

After the video I slowed it down a bit and it was throwing dead on at 5 grains.

My logic is just a tiny bit off though, because it waits until you go past zero. From a process control standpoint I'm lopping off one half of the distribution so it always has to be on the high side. I think I know how to fix it though. My wife claims it has caused many hours of me ignoring her.

I guess you could say it's kind of like the prometheus, but I don't know how he's sensing the beam position. I am considering ditching the image recognition and trying to turn the copper damper into a frictionless LVDT. We'll see..

 

[dennishoddy]

Very cool project! Love doing that kind of stuff. Integrating that with the computer is super cool.
I was in process control systems before retiring, so I appreciate stuff like that.

I'd like to hook you up with a mechanical engineer in Dallas that builds some of the most complex mechanical reloading devices I've ever seen. He machines, and assembles some amazing things for sizing brass, etc. Its on another forum though I participate in.

 

[Nimaro]

Very cool!

 

[DRC458]

That's amazing!

 

[h4everything]

Nice work. IT will be a huge time changer, My Prometheus improved things greatly for me

 

[Blitzfike]

Are you using something like Arduino or Raspberry Pi? Both those platforms are a natural for creating custom automation for the reloader. I'm playing with Raspberry Pi right now with the intent of doing some similar things.

 

[aviator41]

Very cool! I put a similar setup together using a picaxe and a high sensitivity load cell, I could get it to + or - 0.1 grains but had problems with getting a stable enough power supply to make it work reliably without a ton of calibration every time. I finally ended up using a medical grade power supply to get it working which made it impractical but a fun project. It was the lead off project for making my CNC machine.

cool to see there are still electronics enthusiasts out there.

 

[Larry Morgan]

Thanks for the positive support! Right now it's not arduino or raspberry pi. The digital board I showed simply allows you to toggle digital outputs through software commands. It also has analog inputs/outputs but I don't use them. Everything is handled by the computer. I wanted to use a load cell but quickly abandoned it since I didn't think I could get the resolution or linearity I wanted.

 

[Pokinfun]

I took a 3" piece of PVC 1.5 pipe glued a PVC rounded cap to it upside down, used a brass tube off an air chuck. I drilled hole in the cap glued in the brass tube at about a 10 degree a down angle.
I then went in my wife’s box under the bed and got out something that looked like a silver egg. It has a slide power switch to change the speed. I then wired in a push button switch to activate it. The silver egg got hot glued into bottom of the PVC pipe. A little adjusting the speed controller push the button and it will trickle as much as I want. I drilled a hole in a piece of wood glued the PVC pipe in it and clamped it to the table.

 

[dennishoddy]

LOL, on the silver egg.