Sentry Industries Sentry Xpress 4.0 User's Manual
Contents
1. 0000 ees 12 tCr Thermocouple Reversed 05 12 Thermocouple Offset 5 11 Selecting F or C Display 11 Trouble Shooter 0220000085 13 Controller display is blank No heat in kiln 13 Controller display turns on No heat in kiln 14 Kiln switch box 1 2 amp fuses keep blowing 15 e s0tecee onde caw ck eww ee ors 15 Shorthand Instructions 16 Safety The warranty on your Sentry Xpress controller does not cover damage from overfiring regardless of the circumstances It is the operator s responsibility to make sure the kiln turns off at the proper time e When the kiln is not in use disconnect the power e Do not leave the kiln unattended especially near the expected shut off time e Wear firing safety glasses when looking into the firing chamber of a hot kiln e Do not touch hot sides of kiln Keep unsuper vised children away Install your kiln at least 12 inches from any wall or combustible surface Do not open lid or door until kiln has cooled and all switches are off e Fire only in a well ventilated covered and pro tected area away from combustible materials Keep cordset away from hot sides of kiln or fur nace DANGEROUS VOLTAGE Do not touch heat ing elements with anything Disconnect before servicing e When vacuuming the kiln keep the nozzle away from the controller Vacuum cleaners create a2. Note The kiln s actual firing rate may be less than the rate you programmed depending on the kiln model available voltage and density of the load you are firing 1 During a firing press the Up Arrow repeatedly un til appears 2 Press START The hold time for the current seg When the kiln fires to completion it will beep for 30 ment will appear seconds The display will show the following 3 Press the Up Arrow Each time you press the Up Ar E Firing time row the hold time will increase by 5 minutes 4 Press START The normal temperature will appear Note Add Hold Time will add 5 minutes to a hold even if no hold had been programmed E Present temperature E Si Fired to completion To return to KIE 3 press START 8 Single Speed Ramp Hold Editing the Target Temperature While the kiln is firing you can change the target tem perature of the current segment Ramp Hold You can edit only the segment that is firing So if the first segment is the current one you can edit only the first segment To edit other segments wait until the firing has progressed to those segments Even if the current segment has already started its hold time you can still edit the segment s target temperature The controller will go back out of hold and fire to the new target temperature at the original rate You cannot edit the rate however 1 During a firing press the Up Arrow repeatedly until Cee appears 2 Pres
3. Note f you enter a rate of 0000 in segment 1 or if the target temperature in segment I is lower than the cur rent temperature will appear in the display Rate Each segment must include a rate which is degrees of temperature change per hour The kiln will fire at full power when the rate is 1799 F 999 C Full power displays as HIEN Note To enter full power from it press the Down Arrow key once Hold Hold is the length of time that you want the kiln to re main at the target temperature Hold is also called soak or dwell time Hold maintains a steady temperature for the length of time you specify You can use Hold in both heat ing up and cooling down segments When Hold is set to 99 59 hours the controller will re main at that temperature indefinitely until you press STOP To enter a 99 59 hour Hold press the Down Arrow once from 00 00 during programming Note During a Hold the display flashes between the Hold temperature and time left in Hold Two Firing Modes Single Speed and Ramp Hold To give you greater flexibility your controller has two firing modes Single Speed Mode see next page Often times all you will need is Single Speed mode which has one segment that includes a rate temperature change per hour a target temperature and if needed hold time In Single Speed mode you can choose one of five firing speeds Then enter the temperature you are firing to Ramp Hold Mode see page
4. firing chamber 1 2 5 E A diameter thermocouple should extend into the fir ing chamber 3 4 1 or more WE Keep shelves posts and ware 1 1 2 away from the thermocouple 3 A Rapid Way to Scroll Numbers During programming hold an arrow key down several seconds and numbers will begin to scroll rapidly Ordi narily you would press Up Arrow to raise a number and Down Arrow to lower it But sometimes it is faster to press the opposite key This is because the numbers scroll below 0000 to the highest number and vice versa Examples E To program a 99 59 hour Hold when the display shows 00 00 press the Down Arrow once E To program a FULL rate when the display shows 0000 press the Down Arrow once WE To program a temperature of 200 F when the display shows 1800 F press the Up Arrow That is faster than pressing the Down Arrow Program Review amp Repeat Firing Program Review lets you check that the information programmed into the controller is correct Program Review shows the values for the program in active memory Use Program Review from LIA to repeat the last program you fired E Using Program Review during firing Press the Down Arrow key The rate temperature hold etc will display one after the other Firing will continue E To repeat a firing use Program Review from IdLE Press the Down Arrow key After rate tempera ture hold etc G4 will appear Press START KIH wil
5. ment with the slower rate should begin approximately 40 60 below the target temperature 6 Single Speed Ramp Hold Single Speed Programming Instructions Note Single Speed firing is all you will ever need if you are only going to a temperature and holding 1 From EMA press START 2 Use the Up Arrowkey not the Down Arrow to select a firing rate temperature rise per hour from 1 through 5 Ignore GAJI GXfeY EZI 200 F or 111 C EZA 500 F or 277 C EZE 1000 F or 555 C EZ 1500 F or 833 C EZH Full Power Then press START 3 KJENN or KEH and the target temperature from the last firing will appear Use the arrow keys to change the target temperature Then press START 4 and the hold time from the last firing will appear e g 1 hour 10 minutes 01 10 Use the arrow keys to change the hold time Then press START No hold 00 00 5 Fad will appear Press START to begin firing EY will appear the Run indicator light will begin blinking and the kiln will begin firing To stop a firing before completion press START STOP RJJ will appear alternating with total firing time and kiln temperature Note Do not be concerned if your kiln makes a clicking sound during firing Kilns use relays to power the elements The relays click each time their electrical contacts come together Note The firing speed you Select see step 2 above is a pre programmed speed The kiln s ac tua
6. page 3 After pressing the Keys in left column the center message will appear Single Speed Keys to Press Display EZH n KA A Not Down Arrow Select rate SPd1 Sample rate KAEN o KE A Y Enter temperature 1900 Sample temperature A Vv Enter hold time Or hold time Strt E The kiln is now firing Ramp Hold Keys to Press Display EZE nu CEZ A Not Down Arrow Prol Select Program 1 2 3 or 4 CSE A v Enter Segment 1 rate 500 Sample rate eo K R A V Enter Temperature 1900 Sample temperature A Y Enter Hold Time Or hold time First segment not needed enter a rate of 0000 Strt E The kiln is now firing 16 Single Speed Ramp Hold
7. s amp fuse is located in the kiln switch box Remove by pressing the fuse holder and turning counter clockwise half a turn Check the fuse by placing the probes of an ohmmeter on the ends of the fuse If the ohm meter reads less than an ohm digital meter or reads 0 ohms ana log meter the fuse is okay If the reading is OPEN digital meter or infinity no needle movement analog me ter the fuse is bad Replacement fuse AGC 1 2 A 250V AC WE Is the controller receiving power Test the power IN PUT connections on the back of the controller with a voltmeter Controller Power Input Test Unplug the kiln Remove the 4 screws holding the con troller faceplate to the switch box Lift faceplate out of box and let the board hang on the box with the back of the board facing you Plug the kiln back in Touch voltmeter probes eoneneeeneeeeneeee Ze AE Sin LL oye b gene EEC m qi O Touch the voltmeter probes to the white and orange wires to test voltage going to the controller The voltmeter must be in AC mode 13 in AC mode to both INPUT connections the white and orange wires See photo on previous page CAUTION Do not let the back of the board touch a grounded object Make sure the voltmeter is in the AC mode when placing the probes on INPUT connections Controller Power Input Test Result No voltage UNPLUG kiln Check the switch box for disconnected wires between the cord transformer and con
8. 7 Ramp Hold mode offers much greater flexibility than Single Speed mode Use Ramp Hold to create custom fir ings with up to 8 segments The controller can store 4 Ramp Hold programs in memory Programs are numbered Prol Prod Type of Firing Suggested Firing Mode Enameling single Speed Silver Clay Single Speed Glass Bead Annealing Ramp Hold Glass Fusing Ramp Hold Glass Slumping Ramp Hold Lost Wax Ramp Hold Selecting a Firing Mode 1 From display press START once 2 Press the Up Arrow key several times You will see the following display messages SPd1 Single Speed 1 200 F 111 C rate per hour SPd2 Single Speed 2 500 F 277 C rate per hour SPd3 Single Speed 3 1000 F 555 C rate per hour SPd4 Single Speed 4 1500 F 833 C rate per hour SPd5 Single Speed 5 Maximum rate PrO1 Ramp Hold Program 1 PrO2 Ramp Hold Program 2 PrO3 Ramp Hold Program 3 PrO4 Ramp Hold Program 4 Note Your controller may have more Ramp Hold pro grams than the 4 shown above To select a firing mode see the boxed programming in structions on this page and page 8 Or to get back to EEIE press START STOP several times until ap pears Temperature Over Shoot When a kiln is heated too fast it may over shoot the tar get temperature especially in small kilns at lower tempera tures To avoid this add an extra segment in a Ramp Hold program to slow the firing See the next section The seg
9. appears in Ramp Hold programming for each segment 1 2 etc are segment numbers Enter the rate of temper ature change for that segment Rate is figured in de grees of temperature change per hour Example A temperature rise of 100 in two hours 50 rate Atemperature drop of 200 in one hour 200 rate BZ EA EH EI EH page 6 These are preset firing rates or speeds in Sin gle Speed mode EJS Skip Step page 8 This message appears when you press the Up Arrow key during a Ramp Hold firing You can skip out of a segment into the next segment ES The firing was stopped by pressing START STOP Ekdl The Ready to Start message appears after programming a firing Press START to begin firing Thermocouple Offset press the Up Arrow and De lay press the Down Arrow are accessed from the Kag message 1L e i Thermocouple Offset Page 12 Adjust the controller to fire hotter or cooler Error Messages bAdP Bad Programming The kiln will not fire because a the Ramp Hold pro gram just entered has a rate of 0000 in segment 1 or b the target temperature in Single Speed or segment 1 of Ramp Hold is lower than the current temperature EtH Electronics Too Hot The circuit board temperature is above 176 F 80 C Press any key to return to RMI To lower the board temperature use a fan to blow air across the kiln switch box into the louvers But do not blow air into the kiln s peepholes If y
10. of a segment cade oiaseaceareeed 5 Piee erer E ete eee 12 1 eae E ee ee ee eee 13 15 DOIG oe 25 betes eee ous eee E een 5 6 DICE geet sen teee porn ses sone sees entaeeeeees 12 lost wax DUINOUL s 5 44 42 444 0844e08Gecsasecsa eee ee 9 DIL geeeeuaeseswtghe ores ae oneee pees sese ace ee 12 PED pseses eae eee E ease oe eee so seuseae 12 PI een EE P E oe eee 12 Power IQUUICS eces srera urr pan Err RAEE 4 12 DOV E SUL CCS ee aos enter etec ene EE NEREA EE E 4 Protan ROVIO W eescesecedne cade or encetarseseaes 4 Ramp Hold inicekueceeu stan tabs accecsiaaaraaas 8 TAC 2 aa beeen ed aeed Ce oe dean sepa nae 5 repeating a firing c2 904455 24bhecedeedanearcawad 4 scrolling numbers rapidly 0 2 c eee eee SIND SPEEA eerepis En s ened eee oe cae nee eae 5 Skip SCSMIONG oc eee cekaeetaeeesscabhecbassensa dd 8 eee ge eee ee EE ee eee ee 12 D O E EE PEE TET 12 COD erener EA EEA 12 O ERTETTEM TTET T PETTEE EET TET ETE 12 temperature CIS PIA cock neo careocuaeuas Goee4ceu 3 temperature OVEI SHOOL lt 5 3466 ihe ed teens cecdeuss 6 temperature F and 2 hescicdentagoeeeges od 3 19 thermocouple 2 aa 24 be5 eas be das esas bene oe eae 3 11 thunder StOrMiS ac fone arses ean eae mii kariinin 4 mme display sireeni casa see so eee anra ekea Sees 3 Shorthand Instructions These instructions may be confusing until you have read more detailed instructions on Single Speed page 6 or Ramp Hold page 8 Read the safety guidelines
11. static charge that can damage the controller General Guidelines Time and Temperature Display Center Dot Time A center dot appears dur ing time display It separates hours from minutes Exam ple 1 hour 30 minutes dis plays as 01 30 During tem The center display dot indicates perature display ie ok time instead of temperature disappears F Right Hand Dot C When temperature is displayed in C a dot appears in the lower right In F display it disappears You can choose between Fahr enheit and Celsius dis play See page 13 C Operation Begins from the IdLE Display must appear before you can fire the kiln E lf A GEIA or other message appears instead of when the kiln is first turned on press the START STOP key the key with the circular arrow will appear WE Ifyou press START STOP during a firing will ap pear To get back to EJS press START STOP again W If the display shows an error message such as in stead of RINJ sce page 11 Eg firing completed appears at the end of a firing To make appear press START STOP Thermocouple Inspection The small rod protruding into the firing chamber is the temperature sensor or thermocouple CAUTION Bumping the thermocouple can push it out of the firing chamber This could cause an overfire Bumping the thermocouple could also cause inaccu rate readings E A 1 8 diameter thermocouple should extend into the
12. 1450 F At 1445 F you look at the glass through a peephole and realize that the glass will need at least another 50 to fuse fully Change the target temperature to 1500 without having to turn off the kiln to reprogram it e14 Ed Fired to completion TSWV page 4 Delay is a count down timer that starts the firing when the time runs out DJEN or KEN and temperature pages 6 8 The controller is ready for you to enter the target temperature the temperature that the kiln will fire to Each segment in Ramp Hold mode has a target temperature a S Full power firing rate At this setting the kiln will fire at its fastest rate There are two ways to se lect full power 1 Select BZH in Single Speed mode 2 Select a rate of 1799 F 999 C at the FEW prompt in Ramp Hold mode A fast way to do this is to press the Down Arrow key once from YYY will ap pear a X pages 6 8 Hold time of a segment shown in hours and minutes Example 2 hours and 15 minutes 02 15 al 1d Page 8 Add Hold Time During a firing you can extend the hold time of a segment without hav ing tofirst stop the firing to reprogram the controller 8 3 page 3 The controller is ready for you to en ter a program or to begin a repeat firing EJN Firing has begun A moment after EJH ap pears you will hear the relay s clicking EKN GA LE GAZI pages 7 8 These are Ramp Hold programs stored in memory PG EW etc Rate page 8 This
13. Single Speed Ramp Hold Version C Hr Min i a ij C Display Dot Temperature Display No Display Dot Temperature display is in F Right Hand Display Dot Tem perature display is in C See page 13 for instructions on selecting F or C nT MICRO START STOP Key 1 On Off Starts and stops a firing Time Display Center Display Dot Sepa rates hours from minutes Ex ample Display shown above is 1 hour and 30 minutes 2 Enter Data Press after each programming step It works like the Enter key on a computer Up Arrow Key 1 Raise Numbers 2 Select a Firing Mode From press START Press Up Ar row to select Single Speed or Ramp Hold Pages 6 8 3 Skip a Segment During a Ramp Hold firing press the Up Ar row will appear Press START The current segment ramp or hold number will appear To skip press START again Page 8 4 Add Hold Time During a Ramp Hold firing press Up Arrow repeatedly until appears Press START Each time you press the Up Arrow the hold time for the current segment will increase by 5 minutes Then press START Page 8 HIGHER Skip Seg Add Hold Bue pta SENTRY Xpress Sentry Xpress Digital Temperature Controller re JA UU IUIL go When u C When Lit LOWER Delay Review 5 Change Target Tempera ture During a Ramp Hold firing ress Up Arrow repeatedly until CHGt appears Press START Use th
14. anty A Sample Program See instructions on page 8 to enter this program Rate Temp Segment F C F C Hold 1 500 277 300 148 01 00 2 500 277 1350 732 01 00 3 450 250 800 426 02 00 Segment 1 heats the wax to 300 F 148 C and holds it for one hour allowing it to drip from the mold Segment 2 hardens the mold Segment 3 lowers temperature to 800 F 426 C the typi cal casting temperature for silver Most types of gold cast at 900 F 482 C Note Casting temperature depends on the size of the mold The temperatures above are only a guide See your jewelry supply dealer for temperature recommendations Burnout Instructions 1 Place a metal tray inside the kiln on three 1 2 posts Place the mold on a wire mesh screen on top of the tray The mold s sprue hole should be down The tray will catch melting wax as it drips from the sprue hole 2 Keep the kiln s vent hole s if any open during wax elimination If the kiln has no vent hole leave the door open 2 This allows fumes to escape the kiln Heat the kiln to 300 F 148 C and hold it at that temperature for at least one hour CAUTION Do NOT heat the wax above 300 F 148 C Hold at 300 F 148 C for at least one hour During this hour the wax will melt from the mold and drip into the tray If the kiln gets hotter than 300 F 148 C the wax may smoke and deposit carbon inside your kiln causing expensive damage 3 After one hour a
15. e arrow keys to change the target temperature for the current seg ment Then press START Page 9 6 Set the Alarm During a firing ress Up Arrow repeatedly until nine appears Press START Use the arrow keys to change the alarm temperature Press START To si lence the alarm press any key Page 9 7 Adjust Thermocouple Off set At the display press Up Arrow will appear Use ar row keys to adjust the controller to fire hotter or cooler Press START to return to RA Page 12 IM 221 2 06 These features are new with the Sentry Xpress 4 0 If your controller does not have these features it is an earlier controller Indicator Lights Top Light is on during pro gramming Middle Light is on during pro gram review Bottom Light 4 of Orton The Se ntry Xpress 4 0 micro processor is manufactured v the O ton Ceramic Foundation and displays the CE mark Down Arrow Key 1 Lower Numbers 2 Repeat the Last Fir ing From press Down Arrow The pro gram you have selected will appear one step ata time When ap pears press START Page 4 3 Delay a Firing From aE press Down Arrow Enter delay time Press START twice Page 4 4 Review a Program During firing press Down Arrow The program you entered will appear one step at a time Page 4 blinks during firing Introduction The easiest way to learn to operate your controller is to read this manual while you are sitting in f
16. empera ture quickly by propping the lid but program a slow cooling rate the controller will just raise the temperature again Example Some glass artists flash cool the glass just after it fuses They open the door a few inches to remove heat then close it again This takes the glass down rapidly through the devitrification range To program a flash cool use maximum rate This shuts off the heating elements dur ing that segment allowing the kiln to cool rapidly Note During fast cooling do not open the door all the way Do not force cool the kiln with a fan Note You may get an FTL error message page 12 if you program a cool down target temperature that is close to room temperature This is because the kiln cools more slowly as it approaches room temperature causing the error code A Ramp Hold Practice Program To practice using the controller we will enter a program that includes three segments The last segment is a cooling segment Using the programming instructions on the next page enter this firing schedule Then use Program Review page 4 to check for accuracy Make a simple chart like the one above when planning a fir ing program PrO1 rA1 250 F 1 750 HLd 1 00 00 rA2 900 F 2 1425 HLd 2 00 30 rA3 150 F 3 750 HLd 3 00 00 rA4 0000 zeroes cancel segments 4 8 Ramp Hold Programming Instructions Note You have up to 8 segments available in Ramp Hold If you don t
17. gain you can repeat Program 1 by selecting GJI See page 4 When you are ready to fire a different program select GEFA which is Program 2 Then enter temperatures heat ing rates etc Select Program 3 and 4 the same way A program can have up to 8 segments but you don t have to use all 8 segments Use only the number needed per fir ing Often one segment is all you will need Zero out the un used segments The instructions on page 8 explain how to do that To over write a program select it and enter new rates and temperatures This automatically over writes the previ ous program Write down your programs in a notebook and record firing results for all firings Programming a Cooling Segment For controlled cooling program a segment to a lower target temperature than that of the preceding segment Example You fire at a rate of 500 F per hour to 1450 F with your first segment You want the kiln to cool at a rate of 100 F per hour down to 700 F Here is how you would program the two segments Rate Temp Segment F C F C Hold 1 300 277 1450 788 00 00 2 100 55 700 371 00 00 The first segment is the heating segment The second one is the cooling segment The controller does not use mi nus numbers for cooling Just enter a lower target tempera ture than that of the previous segment If you prop the lid or door for a fast cooling program a fast cooling rate for that segment If you lower the t
18. he back of the controller Then plug the kiln back in Apply power to kiln If the 1 2 amp fuse blows replace the transformer If the fuse does not blow the problem is a board or relay Go to step 2 2 Connect the INPUT plug orange blue and white wires to the board again Leave off the OUTPUT wire plug the one with the red and black wires Program the controller to fire to 1000 F at FULL rate in Ramp Hold mode Press START If the fuse blows replace or service the board If the fuse does not blow the problem is caused by a short in the coil of a relay Go to step 3 3 UNPLUG kiln disconnect power Reconnect the OUTPUT wire plug Reinstall the board in the switch box Replace the relay Index Add Hol WT eso 4242 gga en ee Ea vee eee 8 GIO 4adene 5p E T E R aa oe 9 DAP eeepc irinen se Ea 63545 es ee sees 11 calibrating the controller i4 cacseeneheeeceurcees 12 casting temperatur sescisssrceriresreset eriad aun 9 elicking Sound s 4 24 24 644 6 0 sedge ade ane ers 6 8 14 cooling segment 6 aay wenceseeeuGeeepecesaenas san 7 CPLE cOmplote je o0c55 25b on cb treie outs ne eee ees Delay timer o25 o ncrestee ee ase esewea nou ee bone e eas display dot oc oc10242 46 bacon oon 6 oes ces 3 13 editing target LEMPCratures ssscrsriiesrenrtrin igts 9 Sae EE E 14 a n a PEE EE E EE AEE E TE EEEE ee 11 a l PENE IE TEA ELET EEEN TEET TEET TTT 11 PER Chor MOSSA ES rererere v intir it eae ENEN EFREA 12 figuring firing time
19. l ler is draining the voltage and may be defective Return the controller for repair or replacement 14 Single Speed Ramp Hold Problem Controller display turns on No heat in kiln W Is the relay making its normal clicking sound Yes the relay is clicking Test the elements with an ohmmeter Element Resistance Test 1 UNPLUG kiln disconnect the power Open the kiln s switch box Make sure the wires connecting the relay to the elements are secure If connec tions are okay continue to step 2 2 Touch the ohmmeter leads to the two element con nectors of each element A no needle movement reading on an analog meter or OPEN on a digital meter indicates a broken element If the elements check out okay replace the relay Note To replace relay see your kiln s instruction and service manual No the relay is not clicking We know the controller is receiving voltage because the display is lit But the voltage from the transformer may be too low to power the relays Perform the Controller Power Input Test page 13 If your controller passes the Input Test perform the Controller Power Output Test Controller Power Output Test Is the controller sending voltage to the relay Test OUT PUT with a voltmeter 1 UNPLUG the kiln disconnect the power Remove the 4 screws holding the controller faceplate to the switch box Lift faceplate out of box and let the controller hang on the outside of the box with
20. l appear 4 Press START again If you change your mind and don t want to skip that segment don t press START after GJ appears The firing will continue in the same segment and the temperature will appear af ter one minute Skip Segment skips to the ramp of the next segment from either a ramp or hold of the current segment Skip Seg ment does nothing during the final segment To end the fi nal segment press STOP Skip Segment Example Skipping to a Cooling Segment You have pro grammed a target temperature of 1425 F for glass fusing followed by a segment for controlled cooling Watching the glass through the peephole you notice that the glass edges have rounded nicely at 1315 Use Skip Segment to end the will begin blinking The kiln is now firing firing segment and to begin the one for slow cooling Note Make a note of the temperature at which the glass fused Program that temperature for the next fir ing of that type of glass Add Hold Time Add Hold Time adds 5 minutes to a hold It is designed for ceramists who watch witness cones and for glass artists who watch the glass near the end of firing To stop a firing before completion press START STOP ROJA will appear alternating with total firing time and kiln temperature Note Do not be concerned if your kiln makes a clicking sound during firing Kilns use relays to power the elements The relays click each time their electrical contacts come together
21. l appear and the kiln will begin firing the program just reviewed Delay Delay is a count down timer The kiln begins firing when the timer runs out of time Use Delay to fit a firing into your schedule CAUTION For safety do not leave the kiln alone dur ing a delay or a firing We cannot guarantee your kiln against overfiring even though the controller is auto matic 1 After you have entered a program and the control ler is ready to begin firing Gg will appear 2 Press the Down Arrow key once will ap pear alternating with RIAI 3 Use the arrow keys to enter delay time The deci mal separates hours and minutes Example 1 hour and 10 minutes 01 10 Then press START twice will appear alternating with time left until the firing begins 4 Single Speed Ramp Hold Note Press START during delay to end the delay and begin the firing The maximum delay is 99 hours and 59 minutes Power Failures After a power failure the controller will continue firing provided that WE The kiln temperature is above 212 F 100 C when the power comes back on E The temperature dropped no more than 72 F 40 C while the power was off Power Failure Messages see page 12 CAN The power failed during a cooling segment and the kiln cooled past the target temperature while the power was off GLEJ The power failed during firing and kiln tempera ture was below 212 F 100 C when the power came back on GLEJ The p
22. l firing speed may be less depending on the kiln model available voltage and density of the load you are firing When the kiln fires to completion the controller will beep for 30 seconds The display will show the follow ing E Firing time E Present temperature E Fired to completion To return to EMI press START Ramp Hold Mode You can make your own firing programs and store them in the controller s memory A firing program tells the kiln how fast to fire and to what temperature The simplest pro gram is one segment You can use up to 8 segments with your controller in Ramp Hold mode Each segment includes a firing rate and firing tempera ture You can also soak or hold the temperature for a spec ified period The Parts of a Segment M Rate temperature change in degrees per hour E Target temperature M Hold at the target temperature not always used The controller can retain four programs in memory even when power is turned off Programs are numbered Prol Pro4 The first message to appear after you plug in your Sentry Xpress is JMS Press START Then use the Up Arrow key to scroll through these messages PrO PrO2 PrO3 Bey EZI EZA EZI Ee EZA To use Ramp Hold mode for the first time select GJI You do that by pressing the START key after GAJI appears Then follow the boxed instructions on page 8 to enter temperature heating rate etc CAN is Program 1 When you fire the kiln a
23. ln will not resume firing To return to the dis play press any key tC Thermocouple Failure The thermocouple failed during the display See the paperclip test under FAIL page 11 tCL Thermocouple Lag The heating rate is slower than 9 F 5 C per hour and the controller temperature is more than 100 F 56 C away from the actual kiln temperature To return to the display press any key Causes WE On kilns that use a portable controller the thermocou ple has fallen out of the firing chamber E A bare spot on the thermocouple lead wires has touched a grounded object inside the kiln switch box causing the thermocouple to short out Check for worn or burned out elements defective relays low voltage and defective thermocouple tCr Thermocouple Reversed Thermocouple lead wires are reversed Check that the thermocouple lead wires are connected to the correct ter minals See your kiln s wiring diagram Thermocouple Offset You can adjust the controller to fire up to 20 F 11 C hotter or cooler than the zero factory setting 1 From EN press the Down Arrowkey After rate temperature hold etc EQGQ will appear 2 With E amp Y shown in the display press the Up Ar row key 3 KYI will appear Press the arrow keys to change the controller temperature 4 Press the START key to return to the XQ display 5 To fire the controller press START Ee will ap pear Or to return to RIE press START
24. need all 8 zero out the unused segments See step 6 below 1 From RI press START 2 Press the Up Arrow key not the Down Arrow GN GA CLH and GLY are Ramp Hold programs When the one you want appears press START Ignore RZJ Ezg 3 vill appear Enter firing rate tempera ture change per hour for segment 1 1 slowest rate 1799 F 999 C full power Then press START 4 K or Reh and the target temperature from the last firing will appear Use the arrow keys to change the temperature Then press START 5 and the hold time from the last firing will appear e g 1 hour 10 minutes 01 10 Use the arrow keys to change the hold time Then press START No hold 00 00 6 Continue entering values for the segments needed When Wil appears for the next seg ment that you don t need select 0000 Then press ENTER This will zero out the remaining segments Example You need only 1 seg ment When ZW appears enter 0000 7 will appear Press START to begin firing EY will appear and the Run indicator light Advanced Features Skip Segment works only in Ramp Hold programs Add Hold Time Temperature Edit and Alarm work in both Single Speed and Ramp Hold firings Skip Segment Skip Segment jumps the firing from the current segment to the next one 1 During a Ramp Hold firing press the Up Arrow 2 ESQ will appear 3 Press START The current segment ramp or hold number wil
25. ntrolled heating rate The rate is figured in degrees per hour If you selected a rate of 100 per hour it would take 10 hours for the kiln to reach 1000 Rate is similar to miles per hour Parts of a Segment Ramp means to raise or lower the t Hold means to maintain a temperature In summary the controller does three basic tasks 1 It fires at a controlled heating rate or speed mea sured in degrees of temperature change per hour 2 It fires to a target temperature 3 It can hold the target temperature The controller fires in segments or stages A segment is a given heatingrate to a target temperature Shown above is a segment with a rate of 625 per hour a target temperature of 1250 and a hold of one hour Heating rate is figured in degrees per hour The recom mended heating rate for the material you are firing is usu ally available from your supplier It also varies depending on the thickness of the material To figure how long a firing segment will take subtract the current temperature from the target temperature and divide the resultant temperature by the heating rate In the diagram above the firing time is 1250 80 room tempera ture 1170 625 1 87 hours The controller can fire up to 8 segments per firing One segment is often all that is needed though After the controller has finished firing the last segment it will turn off power to the elements
26. ou have more than one kiln in the room place them farther apart Never allow the firing room temperature to exceed 110 F 43 C Measure room temperature three feet away from the kiln FAIL Thermocouple Failure The thermocouple or temperature sensor failed during firing Causes M Defective thermocouple or disconnected loose wires HM Defective controller M Electrical noise Thermocouple Paperclip Test Check the thermocouple wire connections See your kiln instruction manual If connections are tight perform this test 1 UNPLUG the kiln or disconnect the power Re move the controller Remove the two thermocouple wires from the back of the controller 2 Cut a thin paperclip in half Insert a U shaped paperclip piece or other piece of thin wire where you removed the thermocouple wires 3 Plug in the kiln If the controller displays room tem perature replace the thermocouple If it shows ZMN return the controller for repair or replacement 11 FE Error Messages Message Problem PEN Memory Read Write Failure E RAM Failure Feo OEM Factory Data Corruption FE 4 Thermocouple Noise FES Software Error To return to from an FE code Try pressing any key If that doesn t work turn the power off for 10 seconds Call the factory if the error message re mains when you turn the power back on If you get an H message check the wire connections going from the back of the controller to
27. ower failed during firing and temperature dropped more than 72 F 40 C by the time the power came back on CPLt Message Firing Completed When the firing has success fully completed the Sentry Xpress will shut off power to the elements and sound an alarm for 30 seconds Then three messages will cycle one af ter the other 1 complete 2 Firing time in hours and minutes 3 The current kiln temperature Press START STOP to return to RIH Thunder Storms and Power Surges Unplug the kiln or disconnect the power when the kiln is not in use especially during thunder storms and in areas with frequent power surges If the kiln is part way through a firing when a storm begins it is probably okay to continue the firing with close supervision Do not leave the kiln unat tended Canceling a New Program If you do not touch the keys for one minute during pro gramming the controller will go back to the display The controller will also discard the program you were en tering and will retain the previous program in memory This is useful if you change your mind during program ming and decide to keep the previous program Instead of completing the new program wait a minute and let the con troller return to RIK Theory of Operation The temperature you are firing to is called the target temperature After the controller reaches the target tem perature it can also hold that temperature The controller fires at a co
28. r Surges 4 Canceling a New Program 00000 sees 4 Theory of Operation 5 5 5 MAO iced eke Ge A Ge Ad E hse Ae og it ee 5 ONG ee eass ee oo Bus E aer E E E ee 5 Two Firing Modes Single Speed and Ramp Hold 5 Temperature Over Shoot nnana aaan anaana 6 Single Speed Programming Instructions 6 Ramp Hold Mode 000008 7 Programming a Cooling Segment 7 Ramp Hold Programming Instructions 8 Advanced Features 000008 8 Skip Segment css a8 axiorae as arnt ant dap aed e a e 8 Add Hold TMG 20 05 oo een cotta dedadsuwad dogs wes 8 Editing the Target Temperature During Firing 9 The AlarM 42 220 0 gene gk ee ee nd a kid ee 9 Lost Wax Burnout 20000000 9 OvervieW a na nannaa naaa 9 Burnout Instructions a aana aaa 10 Display MessagesS 000005 10 Error MessageS 000000000005 11 bAdP Bad Programming 0008 11 EtH Electronics Too Hot 000005 11 FAIL Thermocouple Failure 05 11 FE Error Messages 20 cece eee 12 FtL Fired Too Long 000 c eee 12 HTdE High Temperature Deviation 12 PF 1 Power Failure 0 00000 eee ae 12 PF 2 Power Failure 0 000 cee eae 12 PF 3 Power Failure 0 0 c eee eee 12 tC Thermocouple Failure 20005 12 tCL Thermocouple Lag
29. ront of your kiln Press the keys as you read the instructions Do not worry if you hear a clicking noise during operation Mechanical relays click as they turn the heating elements on and off This is normal When you first connect the power the controller will display a software code and then PMJ If your controller shows BEER instead of a software code before appears then the controller includes only Skip Seg ment from Advanced Features on pages 8 9 If your controller shows a software code before appears then the con troller has all the features in this manual Please read the manual Damage caused by failure to follow instructions 1s not covered by warranty Once you learn the basic features of the Sentry Xpress you will be able to control every stage of firing This offers learning opportunities and convenience difficult to imagine with a manual controlled kiln 2004 by Paragon Industries L P IM 221 2 06 2 Single Speed Ramp Hold Contents General Guidelines 0 0 5 5 3 Time and Temperature Display 3 Operation Begins from the IdLE Display 3 Thermocouple Inspection 000 eee 3 A Rapid Way to Scroll Numbers 4 Program Review amp Repeat Firing 4 DOV 2 4 oti bas Sng pAr oS Be owas eee ee ees 4 Power Failures 6 o i 0 ed oR Ess aaea 4 CPLt Message Firing Completed 4 Thunder Storms and Powe
30. s START The target temperature for the cur rent segment will appear 3 Use the arrow keys to change the target tempera ture 4 Press START The normal kiln temperature will ap pear and the kiln will begin firing to the new target temperature The Alarm While the kiln is firing you can set the alarm which sounds when the kiln reaches the alarm temperature Use the alarm as a reminder to look at the glass during fusing or slumping to look at witness cones to close the lid from vented position etc You can enter only one alarm temperature at a time However after the alarm beeps you can set the alarm for another temperature as many times as you want during the firing Entering an alarm temperature automatically erases any previous alarm temperature Note The alarm temperature that you set during a fir ing must be higher than the current display tempera ture The alarm is designed only for higher tempera tures and not for cooling temperatures 1 During a firing press the Up Arrow repeatedly until appears 2 Press START The current alarm temperature will appear 3 Use the arrow keys to change the alarm tempera ture 4 Press START The normal kiln temperature will ap pear To silence the alarm when it sounds press any key Note Ifyou do not want to use the alarm set the alarm temperature to 32 F 0 C This setting will turn off the alarm feature Lost Wax Burnout CAUTION Only kilns with
31. t 300 F 148 C open the kiln Re move the mold and wax tray Pour the wax from the tray and leave the tray out of the kiln until your next wax elimination Do not leave the tray in the kiln 4 Heat the mold to the temperature recommended by your jewelers supply house where you pur chased the mold material This is usually around 13507 152 C 5 Lower the temperature to the casting temperature of the metal Hold at that temperature until you are ready to begin casting Remove the mold with tongs Wear protective gloves and safety glasses Saving a Carbon Damaged Kiln If you follow the above directions your kiln should be safe from wax damage In some cases a small amount of carbon may form on the walls over a period of time This is due to the burning of wax residue that was left in the mold For this reason we recommend that you periodically fire the kiln to 1500 F 815 C as follows 1 Open the vent cover s or leave the door ajar 1 2 2 Fire the kiln empty to 1500 F 815 C at a rate of 300 F 166 C with a one hour hold 01 00 10 Single Speed Ramp Hold Display Messages FNFYJ Page 9 Ready for you to enter an alarm temperature When the kiln reaches that tempera ture the alarm will sound also flashes when the alarm sounds KATS page 9 Ready for you to edit the target temperature of the current Ramp Hold segment during firing Example You are fusing glass to a temperature of
32. the back of the board facing you Then plug the kiln back in Program the controller to fire to 1000 F at FULL rate in Ramp Hold mode Press START 2 Put the voltmeter in DC mode It must be in DC mode when testing OUTPUT voltage Touch probes to the red wire and black wire connections Measure voltage when the relay clicks on Output Test Result No voltage at red and black wires The controller is not sending power to the relay Return the controller for repair or replacement Output Test Result 10 14 v at red and black wires The controller is sending correct power to the relay Un plug kiln disconnect power Remove the kiln switch box Look for disconnected wires between the controller relay and elements Check the wiring diagram to be sure wires are connected to the correct terminals Be sure connections are tight If the wiring is okay replace the relay Note To replace relay see your kiln s instruction and service manual Problem Kiln switch box 1 2 amp fuses keep blowing HM What size fuse are you using Correct fuse AGC A 250V AC If the fuse is the correct size perform the following test Kiln Switch Box 12 Amp Fuse Power Test 1 UNPLUG the kiln disconnect the power Remove the 4 screws holding the controller board faceplate to the switch box Lift faceplate out of box and let the board hang on the outside of the box with the back of the board facing you Disconnect both wire plugs from t
33. the thermocouple A loose connection can cause the H message FtL Fired Too Long This message appears when both of the following condi tions are met E The temperature rise or fall is less than 27 F 15 C per hour WE The firing is 2 hours longer than programmed Programming a cooling segment target temperature that is below or even close to room temperature can also trigger the message See Controller display turns on No heat in kiln page 14 HtdE High Temperature Deviation Causes M During a heating up ramp or a hold the temperature is 100 F 56 C above the programmed temperature WE During a cooling down segment the temperature is 100 F 56 C higher than the segment s starting temper ature WE A fast rate caused the controller to overshoot the target temperature Also check for a stuck relay PF 1 Power Failure The power failed during a cooling segment and the kiln cooled past the target temperature while the power was off The kiln will not resume firing To return to the dis play press any key PF 2 Power Failure The power failed during firing and kiln temperature was below 212 F 100 C when the power came back on The kiln will not resume firing To return to the display press any key 12 Single Speed Ramp Hold PF 3 Power Failure The power failed during firing and temperature dropped more than 72 F 40 C by the time the power came back on The ki
34. troller If wir ing is okay replace the transformer Controller Power Input Test Result 20 24 volts AC Correct current is reaching the board from the trans former But since the board is not lighting up it is probably defective Return the controller for repair or replacement Controller Power Input Test Result less than 20 volts Did you recently replace the transformer It may be the wrong voltage The voltage is below 20 which is not enough power for the controller To find out the cause of low volt age continue below Controller Input Test 2 The back of the board is still facing you and the kiln is plugged in Remove the INPUT plug which is the white or ange and blue wires from the back of the controller Touch a voltmeter probe to the white wire and the other probe to the orange wire ar as TS 1 fr P gt m Pi a Inout Test 2 with disconnected plug Touch the voltmeter probes to the white and orange wires to test voltage going to the controller The voltmeter must be in AC mode Input Test 2 Result Less than 20 Volts AC There are two possible reasons 1 Low voltage at the wall receptacle 2 defective transformer If wall receptacle voltage is correct replace the transformer Input Test 2 Result 20 24 Volts AC The transformer is sending correct voltage to the con troller Yet when the INPUT plug was connected to the controller voltage was less than 20 This means the contro
35. two more times Selecting F or C Display The controller can display temperature in either F or C If your controller shows a small display dot in the lower right corner of the display the temperature shown is C No dot means F To change temperature display 1 UNPLUG kiln or disconnect power 2 Remove the four screws that hold the controller to the front of the kiln Carefully remove the controller from the kiln Leave the wires attached to the con troller 3 Look at the back of the controller You will find a set of connector pins near the bottom labeled C F When ajumper is placed on the C F pins the display reads F When the jumper is removed display reads C Remove or insert the jumper as desired You can purchase the jumper from a computer supply store if necessary MA00Z9h GAOTZTOGH A eee EE ole The C F jumper terminal is on the back of the controller circled above 4 Install the controller being careful not to jar compo nents on the back of the controller against the kiln case Trouble Shooter Problem Controller display is blank No heat in kiln W Is the kiln connected to the power WE Has the circuit breaker tripped or fuse blown M Is power reaching the wall receptacle Test with a voltmeter or a test light if you are not sure A a ia gt gt Ss i ft is M Has the kiln switch box Y amp fuse blown The kiln
36. vent holes are designed for lost wax burnout However you may be able to use a kiln without the vent hole provided that you open the door 1 2 during venting CAUTION Always use a wax tray Note These instructions apply to injection wax that melts at 200 F not pattern waxes and plastics that melt at higher temperatures If smoke appears during wax elimination turn off the kiln Smoking wax means the kiln fired hotter than 300 148 C Overview Lost wax casting is the process of carving a shape in wax making a mold and then casting that shape in metal After the wax has been carved a mold is made of the wax shape The mold is a negative image of the wax The wax is later melted out of the mold through hollow channels called sprues Lost wax burnout is the process of preparing a casting mold for the melted metal that will be poured into it The steps in lost wax burnout 1 Melt the wax from the mold 2 Remove wax from the kiln before raising the tem perature higher than 300 F 148 C 3 Harden the mold at high temperature 4 Maintain the mold at the casting temperature rec ommended for the type of metal that will be poured into the mold CAUTION Prevent wax or carbon from contacting the kiln s walls and elements Carbon build up inside a kiln ruins the interior Carbon conducts electricity and causes elements to short circuit Damage to elements from contact with foreign materials is not covered by warr
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