Help making a capsule counter.

I'm completely new to this and came across this site totally by chance.
I'm looking at starting a business making supplement capsules for athletes, body builders ect...
I have the capsule filling machine, mixers ect.... but when It comes to counting, the equipment prices just up.
I was wondering if there was a simple (ish) piece of equipment I could make that could do the job?
I can build the machine it's self, I just don't know where to start with the electrical side of things.
I was thinking something similar to an inferred people counter as used on hotels ect.... but with a display instead of a bell or buzzer.
Could anyone help?

Yes, use an electronic scale. Get one that has a "tare" button. They are routinely used to count lightweight items like this. You put one capsule on the scale, hit the "tare" button, and then it will count them up as you add them on.

i was thinking that but it would take longer than a counter. plus I would have to have different weights worked out for each size of filled capsule, with each different content for each different amount of caps! That's one big database. As the caps come out of the machine and fall down a small chute, I was thinking I could put a counter at the bottom with the tubs under that and it would be near enough automated plus a lot easier.

1) Just think of the money you will make selling this stuff to people who don't know any better. Buy the right equipment.

2) I have a hard time believing that counting 250 of capsules/tablets of something will take a lot less time than weighing them. If the difference in time is that significant, see #1.

John

They sell counter modules, here's one that works off a battery and can read transistor inputs for $77 -
http://search.digikey.com/us/en/products/H7EC-NV/Z3008-ND/1812949

The transistor input is because I'm suggesting you could use it with one of these reflective photosensors to detect the capsules as they slide by -
http://search.digikey.com/us/en/products/QRD1114/QRD1114-ND/187536

That has a transistor output. You would connect that transistor across the counter input (look at the right hand side of page 6 on the spec sheet - https://www.electro-tech-online.com/custompdfs/2012/03/h7e_-n_ds_csm119.pdf )

To light up the IR led in the sensor, connect the anode (pin 3) to a 120Ω, 1/4w resistor. Connect the other end of the resistor to a 5V wall-mount transformer (or 4.5V from a 3-AA battery pack) and then connect the cathode of the IR LED (pin 4 - https://www.electro-tech-online.com/custompdfs/2012/03/QRD1113.pdf) to ground.

So the IR light constantly illuminates what's in front of it, a pill slides by, reflects back light, the light turns on the phototransistor, and that triggers one count on the counter.