alank2

Does the ProChrono require you to send any data for it to transmit data? Are the strings above commands you are sending it such as ":000000037D" followed by a cr/lf?

Hi nxfedit1, There is another thread on my Press Monitor here at be: http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=104030&st=0 I will be happy to answer any questions you have about it. I've sold 47 of them and only one has come back, so my customers like them. Have a great day, Alan www.pressmonitordevice.com

Hi glynnm45, Awesome! I'm glad you made it by. I appreciate the kind words on my presentation skills! It was very busy on Saturday especially. Today was a bit slower, but still had its busy moments. I have two black units and two light gray units completed and ready to ship so if you want to order one on my site, I can ship it tomorrow. If you order one, let me know what type of press it is for in the order notes and I'll include everything you need for the press harness/sensors. Thanks again, Alan

Hi Everyone, Got back from the show tonight, it was a great and busy show as always. If any of you stopped by, please let me know how I did!! It was my first show demonstrating the Press Monitor. glynnm45 - Did you stop by at the show? I saw so many people so I am not sure if I saw you or not... murkish and High Lord Gomer - Did you guys get your switches mounted to your presses yet? Any questions from you guys? Just drop me an email to let me know how it is going and if you need any help. I found a really great way to mount the press light on my 550 a few days ago, will post a picture on my website in the next day or so. Basically you get a 14 or 16 gauge copper wire or coat hanger wire. Just bend it about 2 inches from the end 180 degrees so that it comes right back on itself. The half circle the bend makes should be about 1/4" so when it is running parallel to itself it should be about 1/4" apart. Then turn bend it the same way again in the middle of the 2 inches so that you end up with sort of a four sided spring that presses outwards. This fits perfectly with good tenstion in the left hole in the back of the 550 on the left edge of where the toolhead inserts. Easily allows you to form the spring and aim the press light perfectly. I'll post a picture later that will probably make more sense than my description!! Thanks, Alan

Hi, murkish and High Lord Gomer: Both of orders shipped out today via USPS priority. You should have them Wed. or Thus. I would think. Drop me an email or PM when you get them if you have any questions! slavex: I have had a few requests for a PC interface. My current design is using every microcontroller pin and nearly all of the available flash, so I won't be able to add it to the current design. Someday if I build a bigger unit I might have a 40x4 display and serial or usb interface. I would then have an application that could be used to monitor as well and/or configure the device via PC GUI. I'm not sure if I will ever build a larger unit however, I may try to build a less featured, less priced unit to see if that gives me another price point to offer. I've also thought about an idea of a virtual press monitor. This would be a much smaller box with no buttons, no LCD, just a press connection and a PC USB connection. Then the user interface would be completely on the PC. The only downside here is that you would need a PC near your press. Maybe everyone has an old notebook they don't mind turning into their "reloading montitor". Thanks, Alan

Hi, I'm going to work hard this week to build additional units to have available at the show as well. If anyone else is thinking about one, please post your color preference, black or light gray. Thanks, Alan

Hi Gary, I still have one available and I will build and hold it for you. Do you want the light gray case or the black case ($10) more? Also, what type of press do you need it for so I can prepare the wiring harness? I will have two on display at show as well for everyone to test out and play with. I'm planning on ordering more PCB's next week and building more... Thanks!!! Alan

Hi High Lord Gomer, Thanks for your order! Will drop you an email as soon as I ship! Have a great weekend, Alan

Hi Everyone, I will be at the huge Tulsa Wanamacher show NEXT weekend, so anyone who wants to stop by and checkout a Press Monitor will be able to. http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=104197 Thanks, Alan

Hi, Dale brings up a good example in that where to mount the press sensors isn't necessarily set in stone. You can look at your press and hold the sensor to a spot and actuate it until you find a good place that isn't in the way. As long as the sensor is activated properly it really doesn't matter. I'm a proponent of strong double sided tape, but some people prefer the more permanent approach of drilling and tapping or using a small machine bolt/nut. You also are not limited to the type of sensor you can use. I provide microswitches, but nothing would stop someone from using a magnetic type sensor, proximity sensor, or light sensor. The Press Monitor has an easy configuration for whether a switch should be normally open or closed, so the sky is the limit with how you want to sense the actions. I probably would have used magnetic sensors because they are non contact, but I couldn't think of a good way to handle the rotating star on the 550. Well the other reason is that the microswitches work so well. I still may try a magnetic setup on a 650 if I get my hands on one someday to see how it does. Thanks, Alan

Hi Everyone, I am hoping to get a table at the Wanamacher gun show in Tulsa next weekend. If I can get a table I will have a couple of monitors on display, one connected to my 550 and the other connected to my "virtual press" box for people to try out. Thanks, Alan

Hi Jack, Thanks for the order; I will get it built and on its way to you asap. Take care, Alan

Hi, Sure, missed that. It has built in settings for: Dillon Square Deal B, 550, 650, and 1050 Hornady LNL RCBS Pro 2000 Lee 3 Hole / 4 Hole / Classic Turret Lee Load Master / Lee Pro 1000 If someone has a press that isn't on the list, they can simply select "Other Progressive" or "Other Turret" and configure it manually. It supports any progressive or turret press that has 1-8 stations, manual or automatic indexing. I should add that it is designed for presses that produce a piece of ammunition by running it through all the necessary steps in one (progressive) or multiple (turret) cycles. It really isn't designed for something like a single stage or single stage style loading where a user sizes 50 cases, then flares 50 cases, etc. Some turrets are what I would call single stage style like a Redding T-7, while others are designed to take empty brass and turn that into a round after 4 cycles like a Lee Classic Turret. I don't have a plan on where to mount microswitches on all these presses, but if a user watches the press operate, I would think they would be able to find some good spots to mount them. Thanks, Alan

Hi Everyone, Sorry I'm late to the thread; been busy lately and missed it! Thanks Dale and Kevin for responding with the great info you guys have. I am Alan of SA Development, the developer and builder of the Press Monitor. I will try to address all the questions in the thread so far, but if anyone has more, please shoot. It will definitely catch and report the mistakes it was designed to catch. How it works is this: There is a sensor for press handle up, press handle down, and rotate (on manual indexing presses). The device watches these sensors and expects to see an exact set of sequences. For a 550 it is: Handling being pulled down, Handle down, Handle being pushed up, Handle up, Shellplate Rotate Sensor On, Shellplate Rotate Sensor Off, (repeat). If you deviate at all from this sequence, it will alert you by flashing the press light and buzzer. On a 550 this will catch, Double Stroke (forgetting to rotate the shellplate), Double Rotate (rotated shellplate twice), Short Stroke (did not pull handle fully down), and any other deviation will be reported as Bad Sequence. On a 650/1050, since it is auto-indexing, there is no need to monitor the shell plate. It expects to see: Handling being pulled down, Handle down, Handle being pushed up, Handle up, (repeat). This will catch Short Stroke and other other sequence as Bad Sequence. It makes sense that this feature is most beneficial on presses where there is more user control (and more the user could make a mistake on) such as the 550. But, it will catch a short stroke on the 650 which can cause a lighter charge or squib. I hear that a 1050 has a physical short stroke preventing mechanism. This type of monitoring is really good for the situation where you have been loading for an hour or two and the repetitive nature sometimes lulls you. The monitor will not tire and if an action is done out of sequence, it will alert you. It can't monitor things like correct load information, or brass quality, etc., but that probably goes without saying. I will admit that it isn't for everyone. The truth is that if you keep your eye on the reloading process 100%, you shouldn't have any problems. But to err is human and I've read many stories of guys who have been loading for 10 or 20 years double charge or squib a round due to inattention. It is funny, but accountability is one of those things that keeps you more on your toes. When I reload with the press monitor, I know if I make a mistake, it is going to error on me so I try a little harder to be consistent. And, if I get tired or someone interrupts me when I'm loading and I do make a mistake, it lets me know. It also has many other features such as statistics, maintenance tracking, etc. that are of benefit even if the monitoring isn't the primary reason someone might want one. I would love to become a competitive shooter and have done some forum reading on it; but haven't ever been to a match. Primary issue is the lack of time. I know, priority priority. I think competitive shooters and shooting sports are really cool. I've been to some training (not enough) and carry a G19/S&W 442 every day, so conceal carry is a priority. I enjoy reloading as much or more than shooting, but nothing beats a couple hour getaway to blast at an outdoor range on a beautiful day. I work out of my home and I am a one person company. I would prefer to keep my home information private so I don't release it. I have a business P.O. Box if someone wants to send me a payment using a USPS MO instead of using PP because they are anti. Nothing funny here; I am a Christian and do my very best to treat others as I would like to be treated. The truth is that I don't make a ton of profit on these, and I realize their price point is not the low low electronics price everyone is accustomed to these days. I originally planned to build one just for myself until others expressed interest. I then reworked the project so I could build them as efficiently as possible to be able to produce a completed unit to sell. Everything is done by hand. I cut the enclosure by hand, I place the parts by hand, I solder them by hand, I assemble and test it by hand, well you get the idea. I would like these to be a money making adventure for me, and I hope they still will be, but I am striking a balance of profit made vs time spent. I am certainly not trying to sell one to anyone who isn't interested. If someone buys one and changes their mind, I will refund them. I've sold about 20 so far and have heard nothing but great feedback. An accurate observation. I was originally going to run the video in my garage attached to my 550, but I found after trying this that you couldn't see the display well enough. I only have the 550 and I wanted to also demo it on a 650, so I just decided to demo it in my office. Instead of connected to an actual press, it was connected to a "simulated press" consisting of a small black plastic box with a switch simulating the press handle and a button for rotation. I use this little device for testing the devices after building them. I will say I'm not doing any more loading without my Press Monitor attached and running. I've recently been told that I may be "geeking" it up too much and covering all the little details of what it can do instead of just keeping it simple. The truth is that you can just flip it on and start loading. If you want to use any of the many other features you can, if you want to keep it simple, you can do that too. If you really want to see all of its features, check out the PDF manual on my website. Please let me know if you have any more questions! Thanks, Alan

Hi, Cool, if you find that it spills too much powder on the press during loading, getting yourself the extra large powder bar from Dillon ($24 I think) will help with that. Good Luck! Alan