Installing the AutoDrive on the Mark 7 Apex 10 (Part 1 of 2)
Welcome back to Jim's Armory. In this one, Jim takes the next big step in his reloading bench build: installing the Mark 7 Autodrive on his Apex 10 press. This is part one of a two-part series, and it caps off a journey that started with a two-month backorder wait, a full press assembly video, and upgrades like the Mr. Bullet Feeder, tool head LED light and mirror from Double Alpha Academy, and the X Prime priming system. Now it's time to go full auto. In this video, Jim mounts the press to the Autodrive base, gets the pulley and belt on, wires up the touch screen, and installs PrimeSense, SwageSense, and DecapSense.
About This Video Before diving in, Jim is upfront about what this series is and isn't. He paid for all the equipment himself and isn't sponsored by or affiliated with Mark 7 or Lyman. He's not being paid to review or provide instructional content, and he notes that official instructional videos already exist and are worth watching. What Jim is documenting instead is his own experience as a regular guy with minimal reloading background putting this equipment together - including the good, the bad, and any mistakes along the way.
Unboxing the Autodrive Opening the box, Jim finds the instruction manual, the touch screen monitor, a monitor mount, various wires, a monitor bracket, a power cord, zip ties, a belt, a pulley, hardware, a pulley cover, and finally the Autodrive base itself.
Mounting the Press The first step is bolting the press onto the Autodrive base plate. Jim notes the unit feels top-heavy but trusts the base is heavy enough to keep it stable. This step also calls for removing the small aluminum feet from the press, which means tilting the whole machine - a moment Jim admits is a little nerve-racking before he gets it locked down and no longer at risk of tipping.
With the press mounted, Jim removes the handle to prepare for the pulley installation.
Attaching the Pulley and Belt A new, longer bolt replaces the original handle bolt to attach the pulley, tightened down with a 9/16 wrench. From there, Jim loosens the bolts holding the motor to install the belt. The manual calls for using the old handle to pry the motor and set proper belt tension, targeting about a quarter inch of travel. A 5/32 Allen wrench handles the adjustment bolts.
Pro-Tip: Jim credits his ball-end Allen wrenches as invaluable here, letting him get an angled bite on bolts in tight spots the pulley and motor mount create.
Mounting the Touch Screen Jim discovers his mounting hardware doesn't quite match the manual - his unit uses a ball mount rather than the four-sided clamp setup shown in the instructions, which he chalks up to Mark 7 having recently updated the screen. He works through the ball mount and bracket, then makes the necessary connections before powering anything on: monitor cable, a USB connection for the motor tucked in an easy-to-miss spot, and a second motor connection.
Plugging in the Motor and Inline Capacitor Jim connects the integrated capacitor cable, which is used for the bullet feeder, before buttoning things back up and running the power cable.
Powering On and Calibration With everything connected, Jim powers on the unit and calibrates it, watching the press cycle up and down and confirm it stops correctly. In the monitor's sensor and settings menu, he sets up for 9mm, where the manual calls for the digital clutch to be set between two and five. Jim starts conservatively at two to be safe.
Primer Sensor Port one on the Autodrive handles both PrimeSense and SwageSense. Jim connects PrimeSense first and confirms it powers on through the sensors menu.
SwageSense SwageSense also plugs into port one, and installing it means replacing the existing swage rod with the new one - which requires removing the pulley Jim just installed to access it. After deriming a case, he threads the new rod up into position, snugging it and then giving it about a quarter turn more, a step he finds easier than expected.
To test it, Jim sets up two cases - one deprimed, one still primed - on the swage station. Running a single cycle on the deprimed case, the press completes normally. On the still-primed case, the cycle won't end because the ram still needs to travel down before returning up; Jim manually stops the cycle, and while it dings the case slightly, it confirms the sensor is working as intended.
DecapSense Installing DecapSense means removing a bracket that's in the way and threading a wire through a tight spot underneath the press. The sensor connects into port five at the back of the unit. Testing it, Jim runs a case with a spent primer through and gets no signal, then runs the same case with the primer removed - the unit correctly reports "no ejected primer detected."
What's Next for This Build With PrimeSense, SwageSense, and DecapSense installed and tested, Jim wraps up part one. In part two, he'll cover the primer orientation sensor, the digital powder sensor, and the laser-powered bullet sensor - completing the full Autodrive setup.
Final Thoughts This first half of the Autodrive install shows the kind of hands-on trial and error Jim set out to document - mismatched screen hardware, an unexpected teardown to reach the swage rod, and a couple of sensor tests that prove out the system step by step. It's a real look at what fitting this upgrade onto the Apex 10 actually involves, mistakes and all.
Stay tuned for part two to see the rest of the sensors go in, and subscribe so you don't miss it.
