Mark 7 SwageSense setup & help

[Zerofade]

Hi,

 

Does anyone have insight on setting up a Swagesense?

 

Here is where I am at:

-I have swagesense installed on my Evo press

-I have setup my backup die and swage rod as per the manual

-I can manually trip the microswitch to create a 'ringer detected' alarm

-I have adjusted the microswitch set screw so that it is within 1/8 turn of setting off the 'ringer detected' alarm

 

When I test the function with a piece of brass that still has a spent primer seated, I cannot get a 'ringer detected' alarm.  I get a torque sense stop and alarm, If I increase torque sense I get a bent piece of brass with a flattened primer from the swage rod and the press completes the cycle.

 

Basically, I know that everything is hooked up correctly and I can create the alarm myself.  I suspect the problem is in the assembly of the swagesense itself.  From my understanding, the sensor has to pivot (or flex) enough to trip the microswitch.  My sensor does not appear to have any flex or give to allow the set screw to contact the microswitch.

 

Any input is greatly appreciated.  I have struggled with a few other setup items with this press, but I am out of ideas on this sensor setup.  Thanks in advance.

[36873687]

I was having this same issue. I did everything u did but mine would trigger for bit. I spent hrs messing with it an sent to m7 an it was bad micro switch. Bad thing just bought it 9/29/20. And charged  me $28 bucks. Haven’t got it back yet but if it works it be worth it

[Zerofade]

21 minutes ago, 36873687 said:

I was having this same issue. I did everything u did but mine would trigger for bit. I spent hrs messing with it an sent to m7 an it was bad micro switch. Bad thing just bought it 9/29/20. And charged  me $28 bucks. Haven’t got it back yet but if it works it be worth it

I don't think it is a bad switch as I can use a screwdriver to activate the switch, the swagesense itself will not move enough to activate the switch.

[36873687]

2 hours ago, Zerofade said:

I don't think it is a bad switch as I can use a screwdriver to activate the switch, the swagesense itself will not move enough to activate the switch.

I could trigger mine also with screw driver. $28 they make it right. 

[MountainMan]

Describe how you adjusted the height of the back up die and then the swage rod.  Did you use a half cut piece of brass?

 

you need to set the back up die, whatever you use, first.  Then the swage. 
 

To summarize, u r getting a torque stoppage but no ringer detected stoppage?  

 

[Zerofade]

3 hours ago, MountainMan said:

Describe how you adjusted the height of the back up die and then the swage rod.  Did you use a half cut piece of brass?

 

you need to set the back up die, whatever you use, first.  Then the swage. 
 

To summarize, u r getting a torque stoppage but no ringer detected stoppage?  

 

I cut a piece of brass in half.  I did set back up rod and then swage as per manual.  I could not trigger a ‘ringer’ stoppage.  I kept setting swage rod higher and higher, eventually I got a torque stoppage but never a ringer.

 

I eventually, took the swagesense apart and reassembled it with a bit of bias towards the microswitch.  After that I set press to bottom, made sure my backup rod was down, then I adjusted the swage rod up until it just made contact with brass and gave it an extra 1/8 turn.  After all of that, the sensor would react properly and react to brass that still has spent primer.

 

 

 

 

[MountainMan]

Ok, thanks.

 

What caliber are you loading?

 

Ok. I apologize for this...but did you ensure your Swage sense button on the tablet is on (green)?  You said you could trigger it manually so I assume yes.

Also, unplug the swage connector into the autodrive housing, and plug it back in while unit is on. Sometimes that's an issue.

 

You said backup rod.  What is your back up die? 

 

Mark 7 unofficially (at least awhile back) discouraged use of the Dillon 1050 swage station style back up rod which actually makes contact with the inside base of the brass.   On the 1050, the rod could be a little sloppy and function with mixed brass fine, since the 1050 just swaged (did not sense obviously) and that swaging is the bottom of the primer pocket. So a little 'give' to the assemby at swage station was okay for a 1050. Not so for the Mark 7. The swage sense needs the brass to be pretty much fixed on that shellplate with minimal upward deflection. Yes there will be a little give when you test it with a firm push with the toolhead up, but with the tool head down, and the back-up die holding the brass down, there should be very minimal upward deflection of the shellplate/brass.  With the toolhead in the 'clear shellplate' setting, you should just barely be able to rotate the shellplate with your finger. this will also reduce primer height variations, BTW.

 

At my swage station I use a resizing die with depriming pin removed. (In fact, to be honest, I resize at swage, as my 2nd stage (1st stage after case feeder) is actually a universal Lee depriming die. I was getting too many bent pins from gravel in my cases (I'm lazy) etc so I did this way, and it works great.  When it hits gravel, it pops the pin up (doesn't break it), I get a clutch stop, and/or I get a decap sense stoppage. But nothing breaks. I also have another resizing die at priming, doing the same thing holding down the brass to reduce primer height variations)

 

So if you are using a back up rod like the dedicated Dillon 1050 die (which is a combo case neck expander and hold down rod), and especially if your shellplate is a tad loose, you will find that the case will move up until it hits the back up rod and that will trigger the clutch. The swagesense 'window' of sensing a ringer is a very narrow window of that cycle.

 

To test this, I would actually move your resizing die to the swage station and use this as the back up die to test this issue. You'll need some deprimed cases for the test first.

 

You sound experienced but so was I when my Evo arrived and I spent dozens of frustrating hours before realizing I was missing one little step in a process as the source of my problems. So apologies if this sounds pedantic...

 

1) calibrate press. Make sure all other dies are not touching shellplate. shellplate just barely able to move by one thumb.

2) move toolhead down to bottom.

3) screw in a resizing die (depriming assembly removed) until it just makes contact with shellplate, tighten the die lock rings here.

4)Toolhead up, put in your half-cut brass, then move-to-bottom on toolhead.

5) thread swage rod up into primer pocket per manual. tighten the nut on the swage rod base.

6) set your digital clutch to 2 or 3 or so.  Make sure swage sense is green on the tablet.

7) test the system with a normally deprimed brass, then with a piece of brass with retained spent primer.

 

Another poster mentioned that his microswitch bolt had no 1/4" nut...which I think is necessary to anchor that sensor switch. Yeah maybe the sensor has been changed since I got mine, but I don't know. But....if you could snap and post several close-up images of your swage sense unit (several angles) that will help us troubleshoot for you.

 

The next step, if all this fails, might be trying to squeeze those two red plates together to mimic a ringer situation. I've never heard of that being the problem, but there are spring washers stacked between those plates that are intended to compress with such-and-such a force applied (the force one gets with a ringer or retained spent primer). I guess it's possible there is some blockage or mis-alignment of that assembly preventing the plates from compressing properly. I really doubt it, but it's possible.

 

 

 

[DacianMH]

On 2/28/2021 at 10:19 AM, MountainMan said:

Ok, thanks.

 

What caliber are you loading?

 

Ok. I apologize for this...but did you ensure your Swage sense button on the tablet is on (green)?  You said you could trigger it manually so I assume yes.

Also, unplug the swage connector into the autodrive housing, and plug it back in while unit is on. Sometimes that's an issue.

 

You said backup rod.  What is your back up die? 

 

Mark 7 unofficially (at least awhile back) discouraged use of the Dillon 1050 swage station style back up rod which actually makes contact with the inside base of the brass.   On the 1050, the rod could be a little sloppy and function with mixed brass fine, since the 1050 just swaged (did not sense obviously) and that swaging is the bottom of the primer pocket. So a little 'give' to the assemby at swage station was okay for a 1050. Not so for the Mark 7. The swage sense needs the brass to be pretty much fixed on that shellplate with minimal upward deflection. Yes there will be a little give when you test it with a firm push with the toolhead up, but with the tool head down, and the back-up die holding the brass down, there should be very minimal upward deflection of the shellplate/brass.  With the toolhead in the 'clear shellplate' setting, you should just barely be able to rotate the shellplate with your finger. this will also reduce primer height variations, BTW.

 

At my swage station I use a resizing die with depriming pin removed. (In fact, to be honest, I resize at swage, as my 2nd stage (1st stage after case feeder) is actually a universal Lee depriming die. I was getting too many bent pins from gravel in my cases (I'm lazy) etc so I did this way, and it works great.  When it hits gravel, it pops the pin up (doesn't break it), I get a clutch stop, and/or I get a decap sense stoppage. But nothing breaks. I also have another resizing die at priming, doing the same thing holding down the brass to reduce primer height variations)

 

So if you are using a back up rod like the dedicated Dillon 1050 die (which is a combo case neck expander and hold down rod), and especially if your shellplate is a tad loose, you will find that the case will move up until it hits the back up rod and that will trigger the clutch. The swagesense 'window' of sensing a ringer is a very narrow window of that cycle.

 

To test this, I would actually move your resizing die to the swage station and use this as the back up die to test this issue. You'll need some deprimed cases for the test first.

 

You sound experienced but so was I when my Evo arrived and I spent dozens of frustrating hours before realizing I was missing one little step in a process as the source of my problems. So apologies if this sounds pedantic...

 

1) calibrate press. Make sure all other dies are not touching shellplate. shellplate just barely able to move by one thumb.

2) move toolhead down to bottom.

3) screw in a resizing die (depriming assembly removed) until it just makes contact with shellplate, tighten the die lock rings here.

4)Toolhead up, put in your half-cut brass, then move-to-bottom on toolhead.

5) thread swage rod up into primer pocket per manual. tighten the nut on the swage rod base.

6) set your digital clutch to 2 or 3 or so.  Make sure swage sense is green on the tablet.

7) test the system with a normally deprimed brass, then with a piece of brass with retained spent primer.

 

Another poster mentioned that his microswitch bolt had no 1/4" nut...which I think is necessary to anchor that sensor switch. Yeah maybe the sensor has been changed since I got mine, but I don't know. But....if you could snap and post several close-up images of your swage sense unit (several angles) that will help us troubleshoot for you.

 

The next step, if all this fails, might be trying to squeeze those two red plates together to mimic a ringer situation. I've never heard of that being the problem, but there are spring washers stacked between those plates that are intended to compress with such-and-such a force applied (the force one gets with a ringer or retained spent primer). I guess it's possible there is some blockage or mis-alignment of that assembly preventing the plates from compressing properly. I really doubt it, but it's possible.

 

The best swagesense troubleshooting guide I’ve ever read!!! Thank you!

 

 

 

[N7VY]

DacianMH, do you have a question?