Dillon and maybe Hornady Collator Counter

[Brassaholic13]

Finished my counter last night. Have yet to try it with the press running, but it counts shells that are dropped through just fine. Anxious to try it with the drop tube full to see how it works. Will do that later today.

Parts list:

From Digikey:

CH341-ND lever switch (same as Dillon uses as the power interrupt) $4.72

SW637-ND momentary switch to reset the counter $1.86

451-1158-ND toggle switch for power $2.80

From Ebay:

LED Counter http://www.ebay.com/itm/271033537471 $10.89

From my parts bin:

AC Wall wart (transformer) to step 110VAC down to 12VDC

Wiring for LED Counter:
Red to hot on wall wart via toggle switch

Black to negative on wall wart

Yellow to hot on wall wart via momentary

Blue to hot on wall wart via lever switch

Edited January 31, 2014 by Brassaholic13

[SD1]

Nice.

How about a video

[Brassaholic13]

Here ya go.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7UawLHEEH0

A couple of notes:

1. Lengthen the switch lever slot upwards, to the edge of where it transitions into the funnel.

2. Trim out the plastic above the switch to allow clearance for the switch leads.

3. Clip the lever arm of the lower switch to fit, based on where you mount it.

Also in the video, I added a small DC computer fan to the vent area of the collator. Figured why not, better to use it than leave it laying in the computer junk drawer. I cut out the plastic behind the fan.

Edited February 4, 2014 by Brassaholic13

[Reinz]

Hey that is really slick!

[Brassaholic13]

Thank you. It should be noted that I've designed my own auto drive, and those in the video are the most problematic to process....380 Auto. I decap/resize .380 Auto and .40 S&W at 1800 rounds/hr, and 9mm, 38/357, and .45acp at 2700 rounds/hr.

The auto drive uses a 3-phase variable speed converter that is setup to stop at an over torque condition of 2% at more than 0.20 seconds of what it takes to run the press without any shells. This, coupled with a clutch that is set to slip at any pressure over .357 sizing power keeps me from destroying the press and crushing brass. Now and again, it will crush brass, but that's maybe 10 pcs out of a 2000 piece batch. So we're talking about a 0.05% scrap rate.

Additionally, I use Lee dies, and I have setup a sensor to stop the press if the decapping pin is pushed up.

I sit in a chair and watch it run while reading my favorite gun magazines, occasionally getting up to refill the collator or empty the bin or clear a jam.

Why Dillon doesn't make their own autodrive is beyond my comprehension.

[flyingrhino]

Finished my counter last night. Have yet to try it with the press running, but it counts shells that are dropped through just fine. Anxious to try it with the drop tube full to see how it works. Will do that later today.

Parts list:

From Digikey:

CH341-ND lever switch (same as Dillon uses as the power interrupt) $4.72

SW637-ND momentary switch to reset the counter $1.86

451-1158-ND toggle switch for power $2.80

From Ebay:

LED Counter http://www.ebay.com/itm/271033537471 $10.89

From my parts bin:

AC Wall wart (transformer) to step 110VAC down to 12VDC

Wiring for LED Counter:

Red to hot on wall wart via toggle switch

Black to negative on wall wart

Yellow to hot on wall wart via momentary

Blue to hot on wall wart via lever switch

IMG_0643.JPGIMG_0644.JPG

I like the counter unit but says can't ship to US when you look on EBay.

[Brassaholic13]

Finished my counter last night. Have yet to try it with the press running, but it counts shells that are dropped through just fine. Anxious to try it with the drop tube full to see how it works. Will do that later today.

Parts list:

From Digikey:

CH341-ND lever switch (same as Dillon uses as the power interrupt) $4.72

SW637-ND momentary switch to reset the counter $1.86

451-1158-ND toggle switch for power $2.80

From Ebay:

LED Counter http://www.ebay.com/itm/271033537471 $10.89

From my parts bin:

AC Wall wart (transformer) to step 110VAC down to 12VDC

Wiring for LED Counter:

Red to hot on wall wart via toggle switch

Black to negative on wall wart

Yellow to hot on wall wart via momentary

Blue to hot on wall wart via lever switch

IMG_0643.JPGIMG_0644.JPG

I like the counter unit but says can't ship to US when you look on EBay.

Not sure where you see that. Here's the list:

Shipping to: Worldwide

Excludes: Guatemala, Ghana, Reunion, Djibouti, Puerto Rico, Cape Verde Islands, Martinique, Mali, Guadeloupe, Botswana, Sierra Leone, Madagascar, Cayman Islands, Anguilla, Saint Helena, Gambia, Liberia, Rwanda, El Salvador, Seychelles, Dominican Republic, Libya, Hong Kong, Zimbabwe, Gabon Republic, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Lesotho, Mayotte, Nigeria, Saint Lucia, Mauritius, Guinea, Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast), British Virgin Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands, Kenya, Chad, Grenada, Costa Rica, Guinea-Bissau, Togo, Eritrea, Senegal, Haiti, Saint Kitts-Nevis, Morocco, Africa, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Netherlands Antilles, Burundi, Equatorial Guinea, Bahamas, Trinidad and Tobago, Mauritania, Belize, Aruba, Dominica, Congo, Democratic Republic of the, Western Sahara, Congo, Republic of the, Malawi, Comoros, Nicaragua, Israel, Angola, Algeria, Benin, Montserrat, Tunisia, Zambia, Uganda, Russian Federation, Brazil, Somalia, Barbados, Antigua and Barbuda, Jamaica, Italy, Swaziland, Egypt, Mozambique, Ethiopia, Namibia, Tanzania, Niger, Panama, Burkina Faso, Honduras, South Africa

I don't see the USA listed in the exclusions, and that's where I bought my counter. There are other auctions for the same counter on Ebay if you don't like the one I linked. Just have to search "LED Counter".

Edited February 6, 2014 by Brassaholic13

[757reloader]

can i see some more on your autodrive? ive been toying with the idea of building on.

thanks

[flyingrhino]

Finished my counter last night. Have yet to try it with the press running, but it counts shells that are dropped through just fine. Anxious to try it with the drop tube full to see how it works. Will do that later today.

Parts list:

From Digikey:

CH341-ND lever switch (same as Dillon uses as the power interrupt) $4.72

SW637-ND momentary switch to reset the counter $1.86

451-1158-ND toggle switch for power $2.80

From Ebay:

LED Counter http://www.ebay.com/itm/271033537471 $10.89

From my parts bin:

AC Wall wart (transformer) to step 110VAC down to 12VDC

Wiring for LED Counter:

Red to hot on wall wart via toggle switch

Black to negative on wall wart

Yellow to hot on wall wart via momentary

Blue to hot on wall wart via lever switch

IMG_0643.JPGIMG_0644.JPG

I like the counter unit but says can't ship to US when you look on EBay.

Not sure where you see that. Here's the list:

Shipping to: Worldwide

Excludes: Guatemala, Ghana, Reunion, Djibouti, Puerto Rico, Cape Verde Islands, Martinique, Mali, Guadeloupe, Botswana, Sierra Leone, Madagascar, Cayman Islands, Anguilla, Saint Helena, Gambia, Liberia, Rwanda, El Salvador, Seychelles, Dominican Republic, Libya, Hong Kong, Zimbabwe, Gabon Republic, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Lesotho, Mayotte, Nigeria, Saint Lucia, Mauritius, Guinea, Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast), British Virgin Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands, Kenya, Chad, Grenada, Costa Rica, Guinea-Bissau, Togo, Eritrea, Senegal, Haiti, Saint Kitts-Nevis, Morocco, Africa, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Netherlands Antilles, Burundi, Equatorial Guinea, Bahamas, Trinidad and Tobago, Mauritania, Belize, Aruba, Dominica, Congo, Democratic Republic of the, Western Sahara, Congo, Republic of the, Malawi, Comoros, Nicaragua, Israel, Angola, Algeria, Benin, Montserrat, Tunisia, Zambia, Uganda, Russian Federation, Brazil, Somalia, Barbados, Antigua and Barbuda, Jamaica, Italy, Swaziland, Egypt, Mozambique, Ethiopia, Namibia, Tanzania, Niger, Panama, Burkina Faso, Honduras, South Africa

I don't see the USA listed in the exclusions, and that's where I bought my counter. There are other auctions for the same counter on Ebay if you don't like the one I linked. Just have to search "LED Counter".

It's not there any more. When I first saw your post and clicked on the link it had in big letters "Cannot ship to US". Glad that's fixed.

[Brassaholic13]

Finished my counter last night. Have yet to try it with the press running, but it counts shells that are dropped through just fine. Anxious to try it with the drop tube full to see how it works. Will do that later today.

Parts list:

From Digikey:

CH341-ND lever switch (same as Dillon uses as the power interrupt) $4.72

SW637-ND momentary switch to reset the counter $1.86

451-1158-ND toggle switch for power $2.80

From Ebay:

LED Counter http://www.ebay.com/itm/271033537471 $10.89

From my parts bin:

AC Wall wart (transformer) to step 110VAC down to 12VDC

Wiring for LED Counter:

Red to hot on wall wart via toggle switch

Black to negative on wall wart

Yellow to hot on wall wart via momentary

Blue to hot on wall wart via lever switch

IMG_0643.JPGIMG_0644.JPG

I like the counter unit but says can't ship to US when you look on EBay.

Not sure where you see that. Here's the list:

Shipping to: Worldwide

Excludes: Guatemala, Ghana, Reunion, Djibouti, Puerto Rico, Cape Verde Islands, Martinique, Mali, Guadeloupe, Botswana, Sierra Leone, Madagascar, Cayman Islands, Anguilla, Saint Helena, Gambia, Liberia, Rwanda, El Salvador, Seychelles, Dominican Republic, Libya, Hong Kong, Zimbabwe, Gabon Republic, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Lesotho, Mayotte, Nigeria, Saint Lucia, Mauritius, Guinea, Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast), British Virgin Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands, Kenya, Chad, Grenada, Costa Rica, Guinea-Bissau, Togo, Eritrea, Senegal, Haiti, Saint Kitts-Nevis, Morocco, Africa, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Netherlands Antilles, Burundi, Equatorial Guinea, Bahamas, Trinidad and Tobago, Mauritania, Belize, Aruba, Dominica, Congo, Democratic Republic of the, Western Sahara, Congo, Republic of the, Malawi, Comoros, Nicaragua, Israel, Angola, Algeria, Benin, Montserrat, Tunisia, Zambia, Uganda, Russian Federation, Brazil, Somalia, Barbados, Antigua and Barbuda, Jamaica, Italy, Swaziland, Egypt, Mozambique, Ethiopia, Namibia, Tanzania, Niger, Panama, Burkina Faso, Honduras, South Africa

I don't see the USA listed in the exclusions, and that's where I bought my counter. There are other auctions for the same counter on Ebay if you don't like the one I linked. Just have to search "LED Counter".

It's not there any more. When I first saw your post and clicked on the link it had in big letters "Cannot ship to US". Glad that's fixed.

Again, search on "LED Counter" There are multiple sellers for the same product.

[ams30gts]

I got all the parts ordered and coming except the wall wart. Can you link me to something on Ebay or elsewhere for one that will work? Thanks

[Brassaholic13]

I got all the parts ordered and coming except the wall wart. Can you link me to something on Ebay or elsewhere for one that will work? Thanks

http://www.ebay.com/itm/12V-2A-Wall-Wart-Power-Supply-FAST-US-SHIP-/171256922248?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27dfb54088

[ams30gts]

Ok I think I got this figured out except for the wiring of the microswitch.

Blue goes to the NO (Normally Open) terminal.

COM (Common) goes to ground?

Then which wire do I have going to the wall wart?

[ams30gts]

NM figured it out. COM is wired from the HOT wire from the wall wart and the blue wire goes to the NO. Me likey this counter!

[John Wayne]

Would you consider selling me two of these for my 1050's? I can make the modifications and install them. I think you could sell a lot of them on ebay.

[Brassaholic13]

Sorry man, I've got too many irons in the fire as it is. Everything you need is listed above.

[ams30gts]

Today my counter started acting up. But so far it has been working great.

It started jumping numbers and would constantly reset. Time to get a new counter from China!

Edited November 18, 2014 by ams30gts

[AusPPC]

I'm currently building a round counter for a Hornady LNL that will count completed rounds only, not press cycles. It's a fun project.

[Brassaholic13]

I'm currently building a round counter for a Hornady LNL that will count completed rounds only, not press cycles. It's a fun project.

This will do the same thing. It's all where you mount the trigger switch. I do more brass processing than anything, so I wanted to know how many cases dropped through the collator.

[AusPPC]

I'm currently building a round counter for a Hornady LNL that will count completed rounds only, not press cycles. It's a fun project.

This will do the same thing. It's all where you mount the trigger switch. I do more brass processing than anything, so I wanted to know how many cases dropped through the collator.

Indeed, the location of the switch is critical, and given all the movement that's going on over several thousand repititions, it has to be durable too.

I saw someone else make a collator counter like yours (I think the video is on Youtube), but he spliced into the existing factory microswitch (that shuts the collator off when the drop tube is full) to trigger his counter. As there is mains electricity somewhere inside there I'm not game to try and replicate his effort, your parallel approach seems a fair bit safer.

[Brassaholic13]

Mxing the AC 120V of the collator power with a DC 12V powered counter would be a really bad idea. The switches I listed, which are the same that Dillon uses, are rated for 6 million cycles. It won't be worn out any time soon by anyone who's not loading commercially.

[datguy]

Has anyone come up with a good design to mount the micro switch for finished round counting?

[Brassaholic13]

For what press?

Has anyone come up with a good design to mount the micro switch for finished round counting?

[datguy]

S1050

[AusPPC]

I'm working on this exact thing (but for a Hornady LNL) over the Xmas break, to only count finished rounds that pass through the crimping station, my prototype uses a magnetic reed switch as the sensor. If it all works I'll share the design.