Who are the people behind SuperTrickler®?
Rex
Rex
I was born in 1965 in a small town in southern Zealand, Denmark. From an early age, I loved building things, solving problems, and understanding how technology worked.
At 15, I built my first computer—a Sinclair ZX80. That early curiosity about electronics and engineering has stayed with me ever since.
After completing my military service in 1984, I began what would become a lifelong journey as an entrepreneur. In 1986, I founded my first electronics company, designing specialized testing systems for industrial customers. One project took me to Malta, where I spent a year working closely with a client.
Over the following years, I founded and became involved in several technology companies. I opened CD Mekka, one of Denmark’s first dedicated software stores, selling computer software on CDs long before online downloads became the norm.
I was also involved in developing Kalle Computermus, one of Denmark’s early interactive computer books for children. I have always enjoyed creating something new, and I have never been short of ideas.
Later, together with two partners, I co-founded Canvas Interactive ApS, a company specializing in websites and IT security. We grew the business to 56 employees before selling it to the Finnish technology company TJ Group in 2001.
Although I enjoyed working in the technology industry, another passion gradually began to play a larger role in my life.
After obtaining my hunting license in 1996, I developed a strong interest in hunting, precision shooting, and especially ammunition reloading.
What began as a small home-based business selling reloading equipment eventually grew into Guns & Powder, a specialist hunting and reloading store in Laurbjerg, Denmark.
As demand increased, we expanded from a 350-square-meter shop into a 1,100-square-meter warehouse. Over time, the company became one of Denmark’s leading suppliers of reloading equipment.
Following changes to Meta’s advertising policies, the company was renamed Genladning Danmark.
Eventually, I decided to close the physical store and focus entirely on online sales. By then, reloading had become much more than a business—it had become a personal passion.
The idea for SuperTrickler began with a problem I encountered while producing specialized ammunition.
I purchased five identical powder dispensers and expected them to perform consistently. Although each dispenser displayed the same weight, measurements taken with a precision reference balance revealed noticeable differences between the actual charges.
That simply was not acceptable to me.
I decided to design and build my own powder dispenser, capable of delivering the level of precision I believed reloaders deserved.
At the time, I had no intention of selling it. SuperTrickler was a personal engineering project created to solve my own problem.
During development, I shared questions and ideas in several Facebook groups. This was where I met Peter, an experienced software developer.
We quickly discovered that our skills complemented each other, and together we continued developing what would eventually become SuperTrickler.
When I later shared the project on my own
Peter
Peter
I was born in 1960 and grew up in a small country town in South Australia on the Murray River. Like my brothers, I learned to shoot from about age 5; guns and reloading were a normal part of my childhood.
In 1977, aged 17, I purchased a microprocessor – at that time, this was a new emerging technology. I built a computer and taught myself to program in assembler language. This led to a career in electronics, mainly in the areas of instrumentation, automation and process control. C/C++ became my core programming language throughout that journey.
When I, aged 55, due to a teenage injury, was forced to retire prematurely, very much against my desire, I needed something to do. I began refurbishing and modifying guitar amplifiers, and later decided to learn more about microcontrollers and affordable embedded systems (now that I was on a limited income).
I developed a highly efficient cooperative multi-tasking engine, giving these relatively cheap devices extraordinary power. In one of my systems, it originally struggled to cycle through its loop once per second, but after optimisation it was running around 16,000 times per second.
Jump ahead a few years. By now I had joined a Facebook group where I wrote code to help people all over the world. One day, someone from Denmark asked about an Arduino display. I immediately answered. Rex Petersen explained that there was already a complete library available (interface code), but I also wanted to send him the basics.
While working on a machine to dispense gunpowder, I noticed that rookie mistakes were typical among new users. So I wanted to make it run faster, be tidier and easier to use. From there the project became progressively more refined...
Daddy Einstein
The gunpowder dispensing equipment available at the time was often too slow, lacked useful features, or had awkward interfaces. Some products made questionable claims about accuracy, while many commercial machines failed to make proper use of the scales or balances connected to them. Together, these shortcomings inspired Rex to develop his own solution—and so began the story of SuperTrickler.
Rex—known to his children as “Daddy Einstein”—purchased a 3D printer and a few rolls of plastic filament and began creating gears, containers, belts, and tubes. Through trial and error, successes and failures, he learned the skills needed to build a precision powder dispenser capable of handling a wide variety of gunpowders.
During this time, he set up a Facebook group for fellow reloaders, hoping to encourage collaboration and contributions to the project. Although interest was high, practical contributions did not materialize, so Rex continued developing the project on his own.
The first problem
The first challenge was the electronics. Rex had not designed electronic circuits for nearly 35 years. Back then, everything—from circuit diagrams to printed circuit board (PCB) layouts—was drawn with pencil and paper.
A steep learning curve lay ahead as he explored computer-aided design (CAD), modern electronic components, PCB design and manufacturing, and prototyping. The project began with an off-the-shelf Arduino Mega microcontroller board, a few stepper motors, and a bundle of hookup wire.
The early prototypes followed a traditional approach: a powder thrower and trickler driven by motors and pulleys, all controlled by a microcontroller. The system worked, but it did not meet Rex’s expectations.
Two major challenges remained: handling different powders and creating the right user interface. Many manufacturers claimed their equipment could handle any powder. In practice, however, performance varied. Through his ammunition business, Rex regularly worked with powders that were particularly difficult to dispense reliably. Handling these powders became a key design requirement.
The user interface also needed improvement. Rex was using a basic human-machine interface (HMI), but he wanted more than simple push buttons and a limited display. That ambition ultimately led to his partnership with Peter Kowald.
A needed partner
Rex had found a color touchscreen human-machine interface (HMI) that seemed ideal for the project. Getting it to communicate with his microcontroller, however, proved difficult. Frustrated, he posted on an online forum asking for help.
On the other side of the world, Peter—a retired automation and process control engineer in Australia—read Rex’s message and replied:
“Hi Rex. Yeah, mate, I can help you. I’ve written an interface library for that device, and you’re welcome to use it. Send me your code if you like, and I’ll add it and get it working for you.”
Rex sent over his code, and Peter integrated the touchscreen interface. With 30 years of C/C++ programming experience behind him, Peter also took the opportunity to tidy up parts of the code and improve its structure. He even rewrote the code used to communicate with the balance, making it much faster.
Peter returned the updated code with a simple message: “There you go, mate. Hope all goes well.”
Before long, Rex was asking Peter for help with more complex changes. Although Rex had done an impressive job programming the microcontroller, he realized that taking the project further would require more advanced software expertise.
A phone call followed, and the two began discussing a partnership to develop SuperTrickler together.
A deal struck
Peter was an ideal partner. Having grown up in the countryside, he already had extensive reloading experience and understood both the goals of the project and the challenges involved.
They agreed on a clear division of responsibilities: Peter would focus on the software, while Rex would design and build the mechanical components and carry out hands-on testing.
Together, they would work through the electronic requirements and mechanical challenges, sharing ideas and developing solutions as the project progressed.
Patent issues
The next challenge was handling a wide variety of powders. Traditional volumetric powder measures had been around for many years and offered one clear advantage: speed. However, they required manual adjustment to set the charge, and powders with large kernels could be difficult to dispense consistently.
Rex decided that a different approach was needed. His solution was to use two tricklers: a large tube for dispensing most of the charge quickly and a smaller tube for the final, precise adjustments.
The mechanical concept was straightforward, but development paused when Peter discovered another product on the market that also used two tricklers and was covered by patents.
After reviewing the relevant patents and seeking legal advice, Rex and Peter understood that their design could proceed without infringing those patents. Although both systems used two tubes, the assessment indicated that their design differed from the patented mechanisms.
The SuperTrickler Facebook community proved invaluable during this process. Several members had relevant experience or contacts and helped Rex and Peter work through the questions surrounding the patents.
Throughout development, Rex openly shared the design process and progress with the group. Over time, other manufacturers also began adopting dual-trickler arrangements in their own equipment.
A problem that needs solving
With the touchscreen interface and powder dispensing system taking shape, the next step was to address a range of reloading challenges that Rex and Peter felt existing equipment had overlooked.
By now, Rex had become familiar with modern electronics, and the original off-the-shelf Arduino Mega had been replaced through several design iterations. In its place was a dedicated circuit board connected to a touchscreen display, incorporating the components needed to control SuperTrickler and communicate with other devices.
As SuperTrickler attracted worldwide attention, Rex and Peter found themselves spending more time answering messages and less time developing the product. These discussions eventually led to a collaboration with an American company to manufacture the unit and distribute it worldwide.
This allowed Rex and Peter to return their attention to the engineering details. Their goal was clear: to create a precision powder dispenser with advanced features, support for robotic integration, and an intuitive interface that would serve everyone from beginners to experienced power users.
They wanted to build something that reflected the needs and ideas shared by the reloading community throughout development.
Designed by reloaders. Built by reloaders. For reloaders.
Quallity takes time
Research and development takes time, investment, and patience. Building a machine that directly addresses the challenges reloaders face—including those that may go unnoticed—proved demanding. The worldwide shortage of electronic components added further delays.
Rex and Peter used that additional time to improve the design. They incorporated artificial intelligence, further refined the trickler tubes, and developed ways to reduce the effects of air currents on weighing performance. They also improved many smaller details that matter to reloaders seeking the highest levels of precision.
Structural refinements made the unit more efficient to manufacture, helping reduce the cost to the customer.
Rex and Peter are proud to have brought their vision to market: an advanced, affordable powder dispensing system built around a shared commitment to precision.
When True Precision Matters.