Electric powder cop

[Striker Fired]

I got my electronic powder cop going.I make the dies,plunger with teflon tip,and switch mount out of stainless.It will make a loud buzzer alarm if the powder charge is more than.2gr more than set with most powders.(some it can tell .1gr variance others it takes .3gr).

 

[jmorris]

More often than not the powder check dies are looking for no charge than over. You want one that checks for both. A little more fab work and you can start posting in the for sale forums.

 

[Striker Fired]

yes I'm working on adding a plunger that makes contact with the ram so if the powder check plunger isn't off its perch ,indicating no charge,it sets the alarm off also.To me catching a double or over charge is more important right now, as I do look into the case before placing a bullet.I can easily see no powder.This whole thing is just a "back-up",incase I get destracted or am watching something else.Its never a good idea to relie on something else to make up for bad practices.

 

[Lucas McDennis]

How will performance differ from the RCBS powder check? Or is this just for the fun of it?

 

[Striker Fired]

It is different than the RCBS.I made this for both need to have a backup and why buy something that I can make to accomplish the same thing.I don't know how much of a variance it takes to set the RCBS off,I made mine to be as accurate as I want it so I can tell if my measure is throwing charges that are +/- .1 to.2gr.(thats the goal anyway).

 

[noylj]

Problem with the Dillon electronic is if the battery goes dead and you don't notice.
Unless yours uses 120 VAC, you are still trusting a battery.
I find the RCBS Lock-Out die is very sensitive to slight over- or under-loads.

 

[Striker Fired]

I routinely flip the switch to test the system.I am using a 9 volt batt right now but the buzzer and swicth are rated for up to 24volts.I have plenty of 120v -DC converters that can be used.For me though it takes nothing to just bump the switch and know if the batt is getting low(the buzzer gets quieter),so having it "fail" because of a dead battery is a non issue.

 

[GW Staar]

The one thing that makes Dillon's powder cop better than RCBS's and Hornady's is the buzzer. With RCBS and Hornady renditions, you have to be looking. IMO there's already enough to be watching for in the reloading process. The RCBS Lockout die is another thing....it has my vote because it doesn't require eyes looking or ears hearing. Superior...as many have found. The only problem with the lockout die is that it works only with straight wall cases. Unfortunately for all of us...that's the limits of powder sensors made today.

I do REALLY LIKE your homemade version!....sort of a Dillon-style sound alert system. (Extra valuable, since Dillon won't make one that fits non-Dillon presses). But I have to agree with the battery argument....unfortunately....also Dillon-like. Since cell phone companies screw us yearly with new ever-changing cell phone power supply connectors, everybody has extra power supplies hanging around....no excuse not to use one IMO. Very few of us are perfect enough to ALWAYS check the batteries, and personally I don't want the bother. Add the power supply and your empty case sensor and you've got a winner in my book....at least until you come up with a bottleneck version too...or better yet a bottleneck Lockout die! Wouldn't that be something!

BTW the empty case scenario that jmorris mentioned is just as dangerous and just as necessary to catch. More often than you think people shoot a bullet in their barrel with a squib (empty case and a primer), don't register the fact that something's wrong, and then shoot the next charged round, blowing up the barrel.

Great project...keep up the good work!

 

[cfullgraf]

Nice idea.

I would make the electrical powered by a choice of power. Battery or 110v power supply. Gives the user the option that fits his needs.

 

[Striker Fired]

If I were to make some to sell I will put a 110v to dc adaptor(it will take about 5 min to switch mine over to 110v)but in my case I have an older house made at a time when electrical boxes were an afterthought.I simply don't have an extra plug in without running a extention cord or making one of those cord "spiders" on the one outlet I do have.Untill I cut a hole in the wall and run a new circuit wire(If I do any electrical work on one area of my house,I do it right and upgrade the entire area/circuit)I'm going to run the battery.This week I should get the undercharge/no charge circuit completed so both sides are covered.Then my next project will be a air ram that pulls the press handle so all I have to do is press a button. not really but I have thought of it.

 

[jmorris]

You don't need 110v ac. Remember the buzzer should never go off, sure it will beep when you first load up the shell plate and again when you are finished but the batt
will die from old age before you drain it from the buzzer going off. Not a number of weeks or months but years. I check my PC die and low primer alarm every time before I begin a session.

 

[floydster]

Here is mine, wouldn't run without it!!

 

[floydster]

Few more pic's. All parts from Radio Shack.
Made a few imrovements since these photos.

 

[nojoke]

Another idea....but there's some cool engineering going on in this thread!

http://www.thehighroad.org/showpost.php?p=7659071&postcount=885