On 12 February 2015 at 13:37, Jesse Lackey wrote: > ... I've wanted a machine like this for 10 years, > ... > > My idea of a tape feeder matched what someone posted when the list was in trouble so my comments may have not got to list. I'll check. Essentially, you can run components in original tape pockets as he does, with a takeup spool and something to strip the seal off. The machine can either advance the tape at every pick or, probably quite acceptably, let the pickup work along the row and indicate the need for a new feed of tape when it gets to a certain point. The takeup systems can be very simple and low cost. If desired you could have the pickup select a number of a limited range of high volume of component and load them into a "ready action" area that is close to the PCB so that place times are reduced. (You could bulk pick to a trasnfer tray, move tray and empty, or pick an empty tray, take it to the filling area, fill it and return it. Just frequency coding component positions would help reduce times. Idle musings - if you had two picking heads with one loading a "conveyor" at a suitable time in advance of need and the other picking from the conveyor picking times could also be much reduced. Unnecessary complexity in something this simple. > > If the pick area can hold 70+ tapes / small trays of loose parts and a > 8x10" pcb, I'm sold. > ... > Machine size is sensibly unlimited (for some value sof sensibly) as extrusion is cheap, and accuracy is vision based so rigidity and dimensional accuracy are desirable but not the killers they are in some bottom end systems. So, 700 tapes, no problem [ :-) ] . Oh. 70. Also no problem :-) R --=20 http://www.piclist.com/techref/piclist PIC/SX FAQ & list archive View/change your membership options at http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist .