salemsm Posted April 20, 2013 Share Posted April 20, 2013 (edited) Saw this on http://inlinefabrica...tml#LED_systems I'd like to hear from the Dillon 550/650 community if they are happy with any of the lights bought here in general and the "Ceiling Light" and "Skylight" in particular. 1. Does it work? 2. How long have you been using it? Thanks! Edited April 20, 2013 by salemsm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dzhitshard Posted April 20, 2013 Share Posted April 20, 2013 I found a handful of reviews via the search function last week. I was impressed enough that I mad a significant order from Inline on Thursday Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Law Posted April 20, 2013 Share Posted April 20, 2013 Saw this on http://inlinefabrica...tml#LED_systems I'd like to hear from the Dillon 550/650 community if they are happy with any of the lights bought here in general and the "Ceiling Light" and "Skylight" in particular. 1. Does it work? 2. How long have you been using it? Thanks! Dan makes good gear. I've got the Skylight on order for my 650 and just received the Ceiling Light, I just need to install it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njl Posted April 20, 2013 Share Posted April 20, 2013 The skylight thing I'd not seen before, but I bought the supplies to make my own "Complete ceiling kit" for my RL550B, and I've been very happy with it. The only issue I've had have been with the adhesive on the LED strips not being strong enough to keep the ceiling strip in place, and I haven't found a solution to that yet. Assuming Inline has resolved that, I'm sure anyone wanting a lighting kit would be happy with one from them. I'm just a combination of cheap and curious and like doing this sort of thing myself. If you shop around, you can get a whole roll (5M I think) of LED strip and the other odds and ends you'll need for less than the cost of the complete ceiling kit...but you will have to spend some time soldering and assembling things. If you're not comfortable with a soldering iron, send Inline some $. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaelnel Posted April 21, 2013 Share Posted April 21, 2013 I just got my 550 and the Skylight. Had it all hooked up, wire ziptied down, working great. But then I was trying to figure out the best way to dump powder out of the Dillon measure, and read a post that said to disconnect the failsafe rod and pull the two pins out and then remove the whole toolhead and dump that. "Cool", says I, thinking this is a great way to go. So I removed the failsafe bar and the two pins and slid it out, and proceeded to yank the wires out of the Skylight. It's destroyed. Don't be a dummy and do what I did! All I would have had to do was pop the Skylight out from underneath, but I didn't think of it. Now I'm not altogether sure I want to spend another $34 for a replacement. It's a nice thing and works well, but I don't think I want it bad enough to have $68 wrapped up in it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njl Posted April 21, 2013 Share Posted April 21, 2013 It can't be opened up and resoldered? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaelnel Posted April 21, 2013 Share Posted April 21, 2013 It can't be opened up and resoldered? No way to do it that I can see. The light assembly is glued inside a black plastic or Delrin tube, and the places to solder to are down too far in there for at least me to be able to solder on them. Dan is selling me a fix for $15.50. I am NOT going to use the zipties on it next time so that even if I do screw up again the wire will be free to move and won't pull out. I think there should be some kind of strain relief on that connection, or fill that cavity with black epoxy and pot the wiring in place if it's not going to be designed to be repairable. Not a great design, IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirty Rod Posted April 21, 2013 Share Posted April 21, 2013 (edited) I've got a Skylight and Im confused about your statement about pulling it out from underneath. Doesn't yours just plop into the center hole from the top? Edited April 21, 2013 by Dirty Rod Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirty Rod Posted April 21, 2013 Share Posted April 21, 2013 (edited) Op The Skylight has worked well for me but be aware that the unit is a little wide to work in some of the older tool heads. Dan indicated that he is going to thin it out but he hadn't as of a few weeks ago. Rather than drill out my tool heads I ground off a couple of thou off the body of the skylight to solve that issue. I also took off a lot of the collar so it would drop past dies that use larger lock rings. Working good for me now. Edited April 21, 2013 by Dirty Rod Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaelnel Posted April 21, 2013 Share Posted April 21, 2013 I meant rather than pulling it out of the hole from the top, instead sticking a finger on it from underneath and pushing up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baron6 Posted April 21, 2013 Share Posted April 21, 2013 I didn't know this was a thing, and my press area gets a little dark so I put one together myself with parts off of Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002QQ48TK/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 The light comes with a DC pigtail attached at one end of the strip so it's stupid easy when you buy the power supply. They also have an adhesive backing so I just attached it along the inside of the frame and it gives enough light with three LED's for me to always have a clear look inside the case. I just electrical taped the pigtail down the frame so it's out of the way and I plug it in before I start loading. Michael, I recommend you take a look at that. The power supply that works is listed on Amazon in the "frequently bought together" section. For a little over 20 bucks you'll have a replacement and a supply of LED's to last a long time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njl Posted April 22, 2013 Share Posted April 22, 2013 These LED strips will run on lower than 12vdc. You might actually prefer lower voltage (a little less intense light). Odds are, you have one or more 9-12vdc transformers (wall warts) left over from some device that either died or outlived its usefulness. Just make sure its rated for enough mA to power the LEDs...but since you're only likely powering a handful of LEDs, you really don't need much power. The whole 5M string of them eats 2A @12vdc. If you're only powering 9 of them, a 100mA supply is more than enough. As they would say on the GT reloading forum, if you built one of these and had to buy a transformer, turn in your CRB card. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SD1 Posted April 22, 2013 Share Posted April 22, 2013 I just got my 550 and the Skylight. Had it all hooked up, wire ziptied down, working great. But then I was trying to figure out the best way to dump powder out of the Dillon measure, and read a post that said to disconnect the failsafe rod and pull the two pins out and then remove the whole toolhead and dump that. "Cool", says I, thinking this is a great way to go. So I removed the failsafe bar and the two pins and slid it out, and proceeded to yank the wires out of the Skylight. It's destroyed. Don't be a dummy and do what I did! All I would have had to do was pop the Skylight out from underneath, but I didn't think of it. Now I'm not altogether sure I want to spend another $34 for a replacement. It's a nice thing and works well, but I don't think I want it bad enough to have $68 wrapped up in it. Call or email him.....be honest. He will probably warranty it. He stands behind his products. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tunaman Posted April 22, 2013 Share Posted April 22, 2013 I just got my 550 and the Skylight. Had it all hooked up, wire ziptied down, working great. But then I was trying to figure out the best way to dump powder out of the Dillon measure, and read a post that said to disconnect the failsafe rod and pull the two pins out and then remove the whole toolhead and dump that. "Cool", says I, thinking this is a great way to go. So I removed the failsafe bar and the two pins and slid it out, and proceeded to yank the wires out of the Skylight. It's destroyed. Don't be a dummy and do what I did! All I would have had to do was pop the Skylight out from underneath, but I didn't think of it. Now I'm not altogether sure I want to spend another $34 for a replacement. It's a nice thing and works well, but I don't think I want it bad enough to have $68 wrapped up in it. Man that sucks! I hope they work with you on it... You can't be the first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaelnel Posted April 22, 2013 Share Posted April 22, 2013 He's selling me just the pigtail part at his cost, plus shipping. Still another $15.20 into this thing, and although I paid it, it's not worth fifty bucks to me. It should be repairable, but it is not designed to be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaelnel Posted April 22, 2013 Share Posted April 22, 2013 Call or email him.....be honest. He will probably warranty it. He stands behind his products. I did email him. Told him what I did. He did not warranty it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Babaganoosh Posted April 23, 2013 Share Posted April 23, 2013 Why would someone warrant something someone did out of stupidity? I think too many people are spoiled by Dillon. This guy is a small business and can't absorb the cost of people doing dumb things. No offense to to OP, I do plenty of dumb costly things myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njl Posted April 23, 2013 Share Posted April 23, 2013 Why would someone warrant something someone did out of stupidity? I think too many people are spoiled by Dillon. This guy is a small business and can't absorb the cost of people doing dumb things. No offense to to OP, I do plenty of dumb costly things myself. It's on a Dillon. Doesn't that mean it has a lifetime no B.S. warranty? OTOH, Inline's web site says 'these have our lifetime "no worries" warranty.' but I don't see where that warranty is defined on their site. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirty Rod Posted April 23, 2013 Share Posted April 23, 2013 The switch on my original setup came apart and Dan took care of it under warranty. As part of the deal he replaced my old single light setup with a dual quick detach skylight setup for the cost of shipping which I though was fair. I think if there was a product defect he would have replaced your but as stated, damage due to user action, is obviously not going to be covered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaelnel Posted April 23, 2013 Share Posted April 23, 2013 (edited) I do not think what I did to mine should be covered by warranty. I never said it should, only that it wasn't. I do resent the "stupidity" comment above. You don't know me, I am not stupid. I made a simple mistake that anyone could make. However, I do think it is a poor design. It is VERY easy to pull those wires out, so it should have a strain relief built-in. Since it doesn't have a strain relief, then it should be repairable. I know how to solder, I could repair it if the light assembly wasn't glued into the plastic tube, or if the connections weren't buried deep in that tube where you can't really get at them to solder them. Dan knows that connection is fragile. He explains in the installation sheet that when you remove it from the tool head you should not pull on the wires, but should push it out from below instead. In an email to me he admitted they should be potted, but he was thinking that if he didn't do that then if someone's LED burned out they could return it to him and he could re-use the bushing. He also said that when he is happy with the design and does a big run of them he will start potting them (with epoxy or something similar) to fill the cavity and provide strain relief. I think the "no worries" warranty means Dan doesn't have to worry. Prospective purchasers of this item, on the other hand, should. Edited April 23, 2013 by michaelnel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaelnel Posted April 23, 2013 Share Posted April 23, 2013 Well, since I already paid for a replacement light, I figured I had nothing to lose so I decided to try to fix the one where the wires pulled loose. First I used the edge of a knife blade to scrape off the glue holding the lamp to the black plastic tube I found two deep sockets that fit... one that fit inside the tube to bear on the backside of the lamp around the edges, and one that fit over the outside of the tube and that bears against the flange on the tube. A very light tap with a hammer and the lamp came out. I tested the polarity of the lamp and marked the white body of the lamp with red Sharpie for the positive side. I stripped back some more insulation off the wiring assembly (about 3/16", originally it was only about 1/16" and straight), twisted the strands and tinned them. I slipped the black plastic tube down the wiring so I would be able to slide it back up to capture the bulb assembly after the repair. I then formed the tinned ends into a J shape. I fitted the J on the wire harness to the J on the lamp keeping polarity correct and then squished them together, making a solid mechanical joint prior to soldering them. After soldering them, I slid the black tube back up the wires and popped the white lamp assembly back into the black tube. Then I filled the cavity in the top of the tube where the wires are with black permatex RTV, and am currently letting it cure. The light works fine now. So what I discovered by doing this is that the thing IS repairable. I also discovered that the initial assembly and soldering by Inline Fabrication was very very poorly done. As mentioned, the insulated red and black wires were only stripped back about 1/16", and there was only a tiny amount of solder on them. There was no mechanical connection prior to soldering. That's a biggie. Solder is not glue. You need to make a solid mechanical connection prior to soldering, and you should use enough solder so that it flows over that mechanical joint, providing a good electrical connection. Neither of those things was done by Inline Fabrication. Very shoddy workmanship. After the RTV cures I will have a Skylight that is made the way it should have been to begin with, and a spare that I can fix if I need to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhenry132 Posted April 23, 2013 Share Posted April 23, 2013 I got one of these several months back and really like it. It's stuck to a 550B and lights everything very well. I have nothing to do with the ad. http://www.ebay.com/itm/LED-LIGHT-FOR-YOUR-RELOADING-PRESS-HORNADY-DILLON-RCBS-LEE-LYMAN-FREE-SHIP-/140956021770?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item20d1a2340a Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1in9twist Posted April 30, 2013 Share Posted April 30, 2013 I also discovered that the initial assembly and soldering by Inline Fabrication was very very poorly done. Very shoddy workmanship. I think the "no worries" warranty means Dan doesn't have to worry. Prospective purchasers of this item, on the other hand, should. I will have a Skylight that is made the way it should have been to begin with, and a spare that I can fix if I need to. I surely don't have a problem with someone posting a review or documenting their experience with a product. I always take them with a grain of salt because everyone is different and expresses themselves in different ways. But I also listen close and try to learn from them and in turn do my best to improve the design if it can be done. Honestly, the above review/statements leaves me feeling a bit trashed on, because anyone that knows me or my products knows better. This is a brand new gen #1 item and there are always little changes to be made after some real world use by people other than the beta testers. In the design of any item, I think down the road and make serviceability an important consideration, potting the LED to the bushing does not lend itself to serviceability of the LED pod. I am pleased to say that we have had zero failures in regards to soldering across the Dillon 550, 650 and Hornady LNL AP Skylight product lines. They have been well received and are performing well. As usual we aggressively continue to look for ways to improve. A secondary strain relief has been incorporated to help combat against accidental damage/occurrence as Michael experienced. Again, I am not above taking a chewing on something that I should have done a better job on, but I don't think we earned this one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrewst359 Posted April 30, 2013 Share Posted April 30, 2013 I'm more than pleased with my led strip light kit and customer service. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thegunnerd Posted April 30, 2013 Share Posted April 30, 2013 I installed mine and it's fantastic. Super easy to check my powder and case mouths Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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