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

Hi, Usually the powder measure comes with the small and large powder bars, if you want to do heavier charges than the normal large bar can do, the extra large bar is what you need. Good Luck, Alan

Hi, Make sure you are as consistent as possible with actions on the press so the powder measure will also be consistent. Let me give an example, if you cycle the press with a case under the measure it will get what is in the powder bar. After that shellplate comes back down the powder bar fills up with new powder for the next charge. Any actions that happen after this point will cause the powder in the measure to pack more tightly, allowing more powder to be dumped. To test this, put a case under the measure, charge it, dump it very carefully without touching the press, charge it again, measure it. Then tap the press a bunch of times, cycle it a few times, then drop the charge that is in the measure and it will be heavier. This is because it has had all those extra vibrations to settle and pack the powder in more. My technique on the 550 is this: Dump the charge, measure the next five cycling the press as I normally would and see what they measure. When adjusted properly, and I am ready to load my first round, I put the first round in station 1 and my test case (empty case with a spent primer it in station 2). Once I cycle it, I pull the test case and dump the powder and my first case will get the next drop which will not have been sitting there packing in. I hope this makes sense... I've also enclosed the technique I use to get repeatable settings from the powder measure; it saves me a ton of time setting it! Good Luck, Alan Dillon_Powder_Bolt_Clock_Technique.pdf

Hi, I can't help you on how well it will deal with the stick powder, but I have tried using the large powder bar to do 50 grains of VV n133 and also the extra large powder bar. The large bar will be at its upper limit and because it is so long it will have a tendency to spill power as you cycle the press. I found that the extra large powder bar did a much better job as it didn't have to be almost all the way open and spilled less. Good Luck, Alan

Hi Everyone, I've been reloading for about 6 months now and so far I've reloaded 9mm, 38spl, and some 45/70. I am just about to reload for 44 mag and 40 s&w and have some questions about powder. So far I've been using the VV line and have n320, n330, n340, and n133 (for the 45/70). My questions are all over the place so forgive me but I thought I'd post them in one thread since I have so many: 1. I've read that faster powders tend to give less felt recoil than slower ones give the same bullet weight and velocity. I had thought this was because of the powder burn rate making it feel like less recoil, but I wonder if that makes sense. Now I am thinking it might be because with a faster powder you use less of it, less of it meaning that there will be less powder ejecta. Looking at the formula at http://www.hodgdon.com/faq/index.php for their detailed method of calculating recoil involves multiplying the powder weight by 4700. So, does this make sense, the reason faster powders yield less recoil has nothing to do with their burn rate just that there is less of them? 2. I've been using some of the data at http://www.gmdr.com/lever/lowveldata.htm for my super low velocity 45/70 loads. 300gr lead bullet with 10 grains of n320 in a 45/70 case. They shoot great, but one thing the author of this site mentions is: "Of Note: a failed flash ignition, becomes a ragged conductive ignition, also known as Detonation. Extreme care must be exercised with loads near the flash ignition, ragged conductive ignition border. Detonation is a life threatening event. ". I know some people do believe in S.E.E. and others do not, but does powder really burn in different ways? For example, my 10 grains on n320 in this big open case with a very low load density probably all burns at nearly the same time with the primer blasting over the top of all of it. How does a compressed rifle case burn powder? Does it go from the back where the primer is to the front? Is there a point in which powders switch from burning one way or the other? Or are some powders suited to "flash" ignition such as n320 in a large case and others aren't such as a nearly full case of n133? 3. I want to load some 44 magnum down to an easy to shoot fun level for a Ruger blackhawk. I have 44 magnum cases and 200 grain lead bullets. I've seen load data showing much smaller loads of n320 (similar to my 45/70) with a magnum primer. If there is less powder, why is a magnum primer needed? 4. How do you know where a powder will be stable in its S.D. or E.S. ? I've sort of have the idea that they begin to be stable at a certain pressure up until you get to the caliber maximum pressure. Is this right? Would some powders give stable results at low pressures and other powders be all over the place? Does this have to do with how fast the powder is? Slow powders don't seem to want to burn well or completely at low pressure, why is this? 5. I've had a rough time with 110 grain bullets in my 38 special. I bought 500 of these and even when I run them at about the same speed as the 135 grain ones I shoot they always feel much hotter recoil wise. This is out of a S&W airweight. Is this strange? 6. Here are some chrono results for 45/70 with a 350gr JFN Hornady and n133: 51.0 grains = 103 deg, n=3, avg 1895, sd 6, es 11 48.5 grains = 80 deg, n=5, avg 1735, sd 15, es 29 49.5 grains = 35 deg, n=5, avg 1671, sd 24, es 65 I really expected the 49.5 grains to be around 1800 fps and was surprised when they came in 130 fps short. I know it was in a low temp compared to my first two sessions, but I thought VV powders were in general not very temperature sensitive. Is n133 more sensitive than others? Does this seem right? 7. If you were going to start with 40S&W and a 180 grain jacketed bullet and were looking for around 150 PF (~850 fps) out of a Glock 27 (3.5"). Would you start with n320, n330, or n340? The WWB I shot was running 890 avg out of this G27 so I am looking to download that just a little to see how it feels. Thanks for any and all advice and help!!! Alan

Hi Raul, Thanks--much appreciated!!! Alan

I agree that they shouldn't, and I could be wrong, but I recall when looking at the seating dies that you can see a crimp ring in them... I'll check the next time I am working on the press. Thanks, Alan

Hi, I have Redding TiC dies for both 9mm and 38special I use on a 550. I think the reason they tell you to back off the seat die is because most of Redding's seat dies also have a crimp in them. I don't know why they would say to do this on the TiC sizing die though. I run mine right at the shellplate. Put shellplate up with no case, rotate TiC until it just begins to touch, lower shellplate, load case, raise shellplate, tighten lock ring. I can't say that my technique is right or wrong, but it works fine for me. You could always email Redding, they have been very responsive to my questions. Hope this helps, Alan

Hi foxyyy, I tried Lee, Dillon, and Redding dies out when I first got my 550. In the end I liked the Redding Pro Series the best. So now, I only use Redding Pro Series on my 550 in both 9mm and 38/357. If I add other calibers, they will also be Redding Pro series. I also use 45/70 Redding dies (no pro series available though). If you don't want the micrometer seating then I think you want the 40/10mm #89253. If you want the micrometer then #58253. I *don't* use the Lee FCD and have not needed. I check every round I produce in a case gauge though and haven't had a single round that failed so far. Good Luck, Alan

Hi everyone, I tried the Redding Pro series 9mm dies and reloaded just 30 or 40 rounds on them the other night, and they worked fine. Here are my thoughts on the 3 sets (at least for 9mm): Lee: Cheapest. Sizer was good, it sized fairily well although it left black rings on the case that won't polish off. Seater was terrible, it was not radiused enough and would tend to hang up the press. I found a bunch of brass bits and stuff in it even after very little use. The FCD seemed fine. The quality was fair and they contain aluminum parts. The rings were terrible, use Dillon 1" rings from Brian instead if you buy Lee dies. Dillon: I loved the radiusing on the seater and crimper. Their dies were certainly high quality. I didn't like the sizer in 9mm as it sizes 60% of a 9mm case into a straight wall case. While this seems to shoot fine, it produces the most coke bottle effect looking ammunition I've seen. I also did not like that to adjust the seating depth you would have to adjust the die up or down in the toolhead, it is easier when the seating die has a seperate adjustment. Redding Pro: The sizer is titanium carbide and is the tallest of the 3. I think it does the best job of resizing a 9mm case properly. The Lee did almost as good a job however. The Redding seater and crimper are not nearly as radiused as the Dillon, but I noticed no hanging up using them and I didn't see any chopped up brass in then afterwards. Of the 3, the Redding for me was the best overall solution. BUT, if it weren't available, I would have bought the Dillon seater and crimper along with a Lee sizer. For calibers other than the 9mm, I'd probably buy the entire Dillon set. Thanks, Alan

Hi everyone, My quest for the perfect 9mm sizing die has taught me a few things. The first is that it is very important that 9mm is a tapered case. I didn't think much of 9mm being a tapered case since it is a slight taper until trying to reload for it! Most die manufacturers of carbide dies use a carbide ring to resize brass in their sizers. The problem is that carbide is pricy and they want to use as little carbide as possible to do the job. The issue here is that you can't use a small ring to resize 9mm as it will turn the case into a straightwall case because the top of the ring will go further down the case making it all the same size even if the ring is tapered. Ideally you would want a carbide ring that is full height for the case itself, tapered just right to put the correct taper back into the brass. I've tried the Lee sizer and the Dillon sizer. I have not reloaded on the Redding sizer, but it should arrive today so I can try it out this weekend perhaps. Redding emailed me their sizer ring height. Dillon : 3/16" 0.188" tall Lee : 9/32" 0.281" tall Redding TiC: 7/16" 0.438" tall Honestly the Lee didn't do a bad job. I probably would have stuck with this set if the seating die was a little more radiused and smoother in press operation. Dillon dies might work great for other calibers, but the short ring height sized way to much (55-60%) of the case into a straight walled case at .376. This created a coke bottle effect where the brass behind the bullet base was shrunken by comparison. I certainly liked that the Dillon dies were higher quality than the Lee dies even though they didn't build the 9mm with enough carbide. I am hoping the Redding Pro series dies will be ideal! Redding does charge $11 more for their 9mm sizing die because it has more carbide in it. Thanks, Alan