Honey packer

[Perry]

Guess I should have been paying closer attention when I picked this up. In prep for my move to the honey house I have started going through some of the equipment I have and have never used yet. The automatic bottler is one of those things.



Much of it I can figure out, there is a rubber impeller that fits under the cylindrical thingy on the bottom. It came with 3 impellers.

I found the foot pedal and only found 1 place where it can plug into so I guess I have that figured out as well.

I also found a switch with a float on the end of it and the wire leaving the switch has a connector on it that looks like it would fit into the packer, but I have no idea what purpose it would serve? It says that "for steady pumping, the unit can be run by the switch on the terminal motor box or by the float switch". Apparently this unit can be used as a pump as well as a bottler. Would this switch be used on the container being filled or the tank being emptied?



I will also have to figure out the filling amount (I assume by the adjustable numbers on the front) and the "dwell", the time in between pumps when set on automatic?Getting a headache just thinking about it.
Apis, where are you?

[apisbees]

I am here!!!
still looking at the pictures.
studying.

[40 Acre Bees]

Automation a wonderful thing, soon you will just have to leave the supers on the front step of the new honey house, come back in the morning and everything will be done...............

[J-grow]

He has the best toys .......

[apisbees]

Pull the pump off and plug it in and run the motor.
I THINK!!! I May be wrong, The 4 number read out at the top the is a unit counter so every cycle the number increases by one. How many jars you filled.
omron h3y is the timer. You set the jar fill level by adjusting the run time of the pump.
When set to auto the pump will restart automatically after a couple of seconds, set to foot it requires the foot peddle to activate the timing cycle.
The Stop will kill the fill operation in the case that you put a 500g jar when it is set for 1kg.
These two may be the other way around from what I have explained.
I think pressing the Dosing button is the same as pressing the foot peddle just hand operated.
The Add will run the pump only while being pressed.

The pump can be controlled by the fill timer or you can plug in the float switch to control the pump. What does the float switch look like? Does it clamp on the top of a tank or barrel? If so when it comes up it will shut off the pump before overfilling the barrel

This is my thought on it, could be totally wrong.
 

[G3farms]

I thought you found some instructions with it last time you where looking at it.

Seems it was made in France???

[Perry]

I do have some instructions that came with it but they are vague at best.

"Dial controlled automatic cycling for any size bottle, can or Honey Bear"

"Automatic dial controlled adjustable "dwell" between fillings"

The paperwork keeps mentioning "dialing in" an amount. I assume this is referring to the numbers at the top and means the amount of honey desired. Nowhere does it show or explain where or how to do these things.

As a final note, the paperwork includes:
"We have tried to explain the fundamentals of using this equipment and would welcome any suggestions (from the users' viewpoint) that might add to these instructions and make this unit more useful to others."

The float switch is the thing I'm holding in my hand and doesn't seem to have anything with it that suggests mounting.

The Api-Electronic was made in France, and the paperwork I do have shows it was sold and distributed by Maxant. I have been unable to find any history on the company or manufacturer of it.

[neillsayers]

Perry,

What you have there is a limit switch. If it is a float switch it would mount on the external mechanism of a float lever mounted on a tank. It could also be a weight switch on a levered table to stop and start flow when a bottle is in position and when filled. This would require serious tweaking to get accurate results.
 I have no experience with honey handling equipment but I do have thirty years experience in automation engineering. Good luck-you may have a real labor saver on your hands!

[riverbee]

"Apis, where are you? "

"Automation a wonderful thing, soon you will just have to leave the supers on the front step of the new honey house, come back in the morning and everything will be done.".........

"He has the best toys ......."

..........

[apisbees]

Perry,

What you have there is a limit switch. If it is a float switch it would mount on the external mechanism of a float lever mounted on a tank. It could also be a weight switch on a levered table to stop and start flow when a bottle is in position and when filled. This would require serious tweaking to get accurate results.
 I have no experience with honey handling equipment but I do have thirty years experience in automation engineering. Good luck-you may have a real labor saver on your hands!

It is a limit switch but it does not plug into the time control used for filling jars bur plugs in to the motor control instead replacing the timer function. With the nylon cord attached to the leaver it is most likely used with a float to keep from over running larger pails 

[neillsayers]

apis,
That sounds logical. Think you nailed it.

[Perry]

I agree.
 I guess I would just have to mount the switch on some type of adjustable stand next to whatever I was filling at the time, that or just adjust the length of the line to the float.

[iddee]

First, you need to determine if it is a NO or NC switch. If it's a NO, then it would turn a motor on when tripped. If it's a NC, then it would turn a motor off when tripped. That would help decide if it was used in the dispenser or receiver tank.

[apisbees]

dee is wright I have considered this and you should be able to chance the on\off depending on which way up the switch is mounted.
I would mount the switch on a hinged board attached to the wall that would let the switch be swung out over the container being filled when it is being used as the control and swung back out of the way when not being used.
The honey packer will be mounted on the largest bottling tank and there is a hook on the top so a support chain or cable can be used coming down from the ceiling To help hold it up and keep it from twisting over.
Do you put a ball valve between the tank and the honey packer? It depends if you think you may need to remove it from the bottling tank while there ls still honey in it. Do you completely drain the tank when willing another wrt of containers or leave honey in the tank.

[Riverrat]

I at one time have an automatic bottler. But mine didn't look like that;.  Darned if they both didn't go off and enlist in the marine Corps.   

[LazyBkpr]

I at one time have an automatic bottler. But mine didn't look like that;.  Darned if they both didn't go off and enlist in the marine Corps.   

   LOL   Mines in the Army...  Sure do miss his help, but dont miss the whining and complaining when he HAD to help, although, he has now come to realize how easy he had it.

[Perry]

Rat and Lazy, good stuff right there.

Apis, it recommends having a valve between the tank and the packer, and there are a couple that came with it, along with a bunch of stainless pipe, elbows, etc. that look like milk line stuff.