Magnetic Blackbird Auger Shaft

[Parellax]

It looks like Hodaka has beat me to a functioning prototype. That suits me just fine because everything he turns out is grade "A"+++. I can't wait to try this puppy out! I will be waiting by the mailbox. You'er freaking awesome by the way Big H!

[Hodaka]

Thanks for the kind words!  I hope it functions as we hope!  If it can keep the BB's from bouncing back out at high rpm's and not bind things up, we should be able to reliably increase the feed rate!

[Parellax]

I received the prototype auger shaft today. Why is it that whenever there is something you really want to do people start coming out of the woodwork for you to do things you would rather not? I barely had time to squeeze this test in after I tried some long 2K bursts of about 250. BTW. There is no shot limit of 256 on the SB-4K. I burned up two aftermarket seals doing that. I need a source for some better ones. There were very few air shots in those long runs with no spans that lasted for what I could tell more than two in a row. It was pretty damn magical.

This is how the magnetic auger shaft (MAS) performs with only 50 bb's in the hopper. I may not have had a single air shot because after I filled the feed channel, and dumped the rest of the bb's out of the hopper there were several bb's stuck to the auger before I put 50 in. There is some lag in the video that I hope to get rid of after I update it.

https://youtu.be/XHZZ-QXiX-I

[camracer]

Interesting. More testing to be done, eh? Looks promising.

I was wondering if there would be any issues feeding bb's once the mag's reservoir is full due to the bb's becoming stuck together from the magnet.

You mentioned that you "burned up" two seals. Are you talking about the breech seal?

[Parellax]

I just did this test to see how it would work under the worst conditions. It works fine with a full mag. The field doesn't go much further than two, or three bb's. We would like to send the barrel testers one to keep. Yes. More delays, but we have our fingers crossed for spring. That would be better anyway.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                                                                                                       I burned up the front valve seal twice. They are PU. I dug around to find one of the stock seals, and didn't have anymore problems. That's the first time that happened with the PU seals. Of course I was punishing them severely.

I did more testing today to see if the auger would help past 2K. Nope. The 14280 just isn't fast enough for what I want to do, but I think I found my solution. The dimension's are almost exactly the same so it should drop in. The only problem is I will have to wait until April for them to ship:^(

http://www.jameco.com/1/1/28172-ms5n-1885-r-12-volt-dc-motor-9820-rpm-nominal-voltage-12vdc.html

[TBK]

The motor specs look just like the MD5 - one of the original replacements for the BB motor.  I have some somewhere, but I don't think they are the higher speed versions.  If I find one like you want I will send it to you.

[Parellax]

That would be awesome if you had one! No matter if you don't. One of us will be sending you a MAS from the first production run. BTW. I purchased this unit in 2014 to learn how to solder. It is totally badass for the price.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Aoyue-968A-4-in-1-Digital-Hot-Air-Rework-and-Soldering-Station-/110839316933?hash=item19ce89c1c5

[camracer]

That is a really nice solder/hot air set up! I am going to get one. Thanks for the link Parellax.

That's great that the MAS is working. I was thinking about the magnetism and how strong the magnets really need to be.
I don't know, you will have to tell me, but I was thinking that you could use magnets interspaced with non-magnetic material inside that brass tube if need be. Basically, alternating magnets and non magnetic material, rather that filling the tube all the way.
Also I was thinking you don't have to magnetize the output end of the MAS. Don't know. I'd have to test it and see.

Anyway Hodoka and Parellax, great work so far! Keep it up. I love to see the creativity!

---Cam

[TBK]

Only this one, the lowest speed one..
In their catalog it is listed as a 4000 rpm motor.
From Jameco:

232013 ReliaPro MD5-12160R 15 12 12-24 0.30 4000 34.3 39.1 0.12"/solder 0.091 0.622 1.082 x 1.279

[Parellax]

I don't know what strength magnets Hodaka used, but when I made one I used an N42 bar magnet. It didn't jam it up. I epoxied it into an antenna section. Where I went wrong was trying to use disk magnets for the ends. Because of the block magnets' polarity it made it impossible for the end magnets to stay flat. One of us will send you one to play around with. It's a good idea to grease the chamber the spring rides in because the magnet pulls on the spring making it rub the inside. This is the magnet I tried.

http://www.kjmagnetics.com/proddetail.asp?prod=BC22

I appreciate you looking TBK.

[camracer]

Ok. Yeah send it out to me. I'll try it out. Thanks

That is a good site you found for the magnets. Seems they have a better selection of small size rod and disc sizes.
If I choose a magnet to try, I would use these inside the auger shaft:
http://www.kjmagnetics.com/proddetail.asp?prod=D14

Or these:
http://www.kjmagnetics.com/proddetail.asp?prod=DH14

http://www.kjmagnetics.com/proddetail.asp?prod=D24

If the spring rubs because of the magnetism, would it be better to have a less powerful magnet?

[Parellax]

The reason I chose the ones I tried was because Hodaka found that trying magnets that are polarized like the ones you are considering barely have any pull on the sides. The bb's just snap to the ends.

I was playing around with it today, and found you don't even the agitator with the MAS making it much quieter.

[Hodaka]

I have 5 more cut, stuffed and glued, just need to put them on the lathe and cut them down, should have them shipped to Parellax by mid week! Nice we don't need the agitator with these, that thing is annoying!!  Will make a much quieter experience, easier to sneak up on those waskly wabbits!

[Parellax]

Yes. It actually sounds pretty cool. All you need to do is plug the hole where the agitator pivots.

To my surprise the two motors I ordered came today. It was an easy swap. All I had to do was slightly widen the hole the shoulder of the motor goes into. That's what made me try it without the agitator. It's quite an unpleasant sound at 10K RPM. I almost tore it back down before I tried shooting it after turning it on.     

So far it only works a little better above 2K. It's a lot easier to hear what's going on without the agitator though. If I have time tomorrow I will put a stiffer spring on the clutch, and see how that works.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

[Hodaka]

So I'm curious as to how reliable 2k is now??  Have we at least made it that far in reliable feed speed?? If so, I will order a few of those motors!