Magnetic Blackbird Auger Shaft

[Parellax]

I'm starting to feel like 4K is like trying to break the SB with a BB. I believe the main problem is when you get the torque needed the auger spring compresses bypassing the clutch, and does not allow bb's into the auger. Aaarg! Going to set it aside for a few days.

[camracer]

Well, don't give up.  We've all been there before!

[Parellax]

I can't give up now. I have way too much wasted time invested in this endeavor I'm pretty sure I have a simple solution. Hopefully the next video will be 100% instead of 82%. Thanks for the encouragement!

[Parellax]

Fresh off the lathe courtesy of Hodaka Interprises here is the first production run of magnetic auger shafts available for the Blackbird.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNsIZs-rzAM

[Parellax]

I think i hit the head on the nail with this one. It's an audio of what it sounds like to me when a few people from all around the world try to make something happen, and succeed.

Success can't be measured in volume... Only in goals.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50moUbwgoAQ

[Hodaka]

Couldn't agree more!  Takes a ton of time, dedication and pushing through failure, but an awesome end result is more than worth the frustrating times and keeps the fun in what we do!

[camracer]

Yeah, but where are all the swearing noises.....Heh!

[Hodaka]

We had to edit it to a "G" rating,, for those with virgin ears!?!

[Parellax]

Yes. They are "beeped" out.

[camracer]

...thought so! 

[Parellax]

This is a demonstration of a magnetic auger shaft working in an otherwise totally stock mag using stock voltage. The bb slider,and it's return spring have also been removed. If I sound annoyed in the video don't let that fool you. I was actually very annoyed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkSffgr-Nkg

[Parellax]

In testing TBK's auger with the 10K motor with 24V I have found it spins too fast for the bb's to enter the auger. It works excellent to at least 3K with magnets in it using the 4K motor, and 18.5V. That is way better than it was designed to handle. Thinking of how the bb's were sliding right over the auger brought me back to the design Hodaka, and I came up with.  I used a heavier auger spring in the video shooting 4K at 92%. That seemed to help a lot. I was looking at that assembly today, and a light bulb turned on. I noticed one side of the spring was almost touching the shaft. I tried the best I could when I was fabricating it to keep the shaft in the center of the spring, and was already aware of this imperfection. It was then I had the idea to make another spring with a closer ID to the shaft OD. What I ended up with is a snug fit with the spring touching the outside of the shaft pretty much all around. I haven't shot it yet, but I did test to see how it feeds. Here it is dumping a full mag at a rate of 83 bb's per second. I am also not using the slider in this test. The bb's look like angry bees swarming out of a hive.

[urlhttps://youtu.be/TYw1-JgELac][/url]

[TBK]

I tried the best I could when I was fabricating it to keep the shaft in the center of the spring, and was already aware of this imperfection. It was then I had the idea to make another spring with a closer ID to the shaft OD. What I ended up with is a snug fit with the spring touching the outside of the shaft pretty much all around.

It sounds like you turned it into an auger!!  It looks like it is feeding great!  Good comparison of bees swarming out of a hive!  Glad you separated out the feed of the magazine from your firing test method.  That way you can see what isn't allowing it to actually fire at the rate you want.  As expected, it probably isn't that the feed isn't good, but a combination of things that aren't allowing you to hit your target firing rate.   It shows a good BB flow from the mag, so that can be crossed off the list.

What rpm are you getting on your spring to feed the bbs at that rate?  The auger isn't really spinning too fast... it is spinning however fast you are driving it.  I have augers in every configuration you could imagine, and quite sure it will feed the BBs at whatever rate you want.    It just has to match the rest of the system.  The TBK auger you have feeds flawlessly at the normal ROF and voltage in the Drozd guns.  Good job of showing how much beyond that it can easily go!

Keep up the good work!

TBK

[Parellax]

I shot it after I posted. It seems to be in sync with the clutch. I shredded a cardboard box with about four hundred rounds. I only used a full 13ci bottle at 1200psi so that dropped it down to 500psi. I'm really pleased with bringing the coils closer to the shaft. It has the potential to bring the bb's closer together on the auger.

It's very difficult to get a reliable RPM measurement because of the pulsing nature of the system. Every time the solenoid is actuated it draws current from the motor. The lower the rof the more apparent this becomes. If I were to guess I would say an average of somewhere around 8000.

I'm thinking a magnetic auger with peaks, and valleys might work well also for extreme rof.

I haven't forgotten about testing your auger using lead. Any ideas on how to capture the shot so it's easy to count?

[TBK]

Holy cow!  8000 rpm on the spring, or is that the motor?

My suggestion was just like you did with the BBs in the tub out of the bottom of the mag, or out the top of the mag with the valve body off.  Just an idea of the pickup in the auger for the first scenario, and then around the 90 degree angle and up the mag neck to make sure the larger diameter and softer lead can make the bend.

Not sure what you mean by peaks and valleys.


TBK.