Sentry Sentry Xpress Sentry Xpress 4.0 Instruction manual
Contents
1. 000 00 12 tCL Thermocouple Lag 0c eee eee 13 tCr Thermocouple Reversed 00005 13 Thermocouple Offset 13 Selecting F or C Display 13 Cone Fire Schedules 14 Orton Pyrometric Cone Chart 16 Display Messages 222255 17 Trouble Shooter 00000neenee 17 Controller display is blank No heat in kiln 17 Controller display turns on No heat in kiln 18 Kiln switch box 1 2 amp fuses keep blowing 18 The kiln overfireS 2 susow ae iw we bed ee dee oon ee 19 INGGX cake ees ee RRR ERE RE ER wR LO Safety The warranty on your Sentry Xpress controller does not cover damage from overfiring regardless of the circum stances 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 green 3 firing safety glasses when look ing 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 Fire only in a well ventilated covered and pro tected area away from combustible materials Keep cordset away from hot sides of kiln or fu2. 2232 2262 2280 2300 2345 16 Cone Fire Ramp Hold 210 F Per Hour 1094 1143 1180 1283 1300 1405 1465 1904 1940 1982 1620 1641 16 9 1706 1 93 1809 1839 1877 1911 1971 2019 2052 2080 2109 212 2138 2161 2205 2231 2209 2295 2320 2336 2381 Pre Fire Color Green Fuschia Orange Yellow White Pink Light Blue Violet Gray Green Fuschia Orange Dark Red Dark Red Dark Red Dark Red Dark Red Dark Red Dark Red Dark Red Dark Red Dark Red Dark Red Dark Red Dark Red Dark Red Gray Green White Fuchsia Orange Yellow White Pink C Cone Number Heated at 022 021 020 OO lollo IN I amp A A CO IN I A A J N ide 10 Self Supporting Cones 15 C Per Hour 696 686 109 142 190 ol 807 843 80 891 907 922 962 981 1004 1021 1046 1071 1078 1093 1109 1112 1119 1141 1199 1167 1185 1201 1211 1224 1251 60 C Per Hour 586 600 626 6 8 138 2 91 80 83 861 8 9 903 920 942 976 998 1019 1031 1063 1086 1102 1119 ioe 1142 1132 1162 1186 1203 1222 1239 1249 1260 1285 150 C Per Hour 590 617 638 695 134 163 196 838 861 882 894 930 956 987 1013 1025 1044 1077 1104 1122 1138 1194 1164 1170 1183 1207 1225 1243 1257 1271 1280 1305 Pre Fire Color Green Fuschia Orange Yellow White Pink Light Blue Violet Gray Green Fuschia
3. f Sentry Digital Temperature Controller 1582 H BIL i C Display Dot Temperature Display No Display Dot Tempera ture display is in F Right Hand Display Dot Temperature display is in C See page 13 for instructions on selecting F and C Time Display Center Display Dot Sepa rates hours from minutes Ex ample Display shown above is 1 hour and 30 minutes IM 222 5 11 Enter Skip Seg Add Hold F when o C When Lit LOWER Delay Review Program Change Temp C Offset SENTRYXpress4 0f_ 6 VIRGO Sr h 1G Eso OR START STOP Key 1 On Off Starts and stops a firing 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 Arrow to select Cone Fire or Ramp Hold Pages 6 8 3 Skip a Segment During a Ramp Hold firing press the Up Arrow will appear Press START The current segment ramp or hold number will ap pear To skip press START again Page 10 4 Add Hold Time During a Ramp Hold firing press Up Ar row repeatedly until EEN ap pears Press START Each time you press the Up Arrow the hold time for the current seg ment will increase by 5 minutes Then press START Page 10 5 Change Target Tempera ture During a Ramp Hold firing ress Up Arrow repeatedly until CHG appears Press START Use the arrow keys to change the targ
4. Cone Rate 1 Temp 1 Rate 2 Temp 2 Rate 3 Temp 3 Rate 4 Temp 4 1 324 1022 153 1112 162 1863 108 2079 2 324 1022 153 1112 162 1872 108 2088 3 324 1022 153 1112 162 1890 108 2106 4 324 1022 153 1112 162 1908 108 2124 5 324 1022 153 1112 162 1951 108 2167 6 324 1022 153 1112 162 2016 108 2232 7 324 1022 153 1112 162 2046 108 2262 8 324 1022 153 1112 162 2064 108 2280 9 324 1022 153 1112 162 2084 108 2300 10 324 1022 153 1112 162 2129 108 2345 14 Cone Fire Ramp Hold Cone Fire Schedules C Selecting a Fast speed in Cone Fire increases the segment rates shown in this chart by 20 Selecting a Slow speed de creases the segment rates by 20 However the rate shown in this chart for the last segment remains the same whether you select Fast Medium and Slow speeds Note Your controller accepts only cone numbers that fall within the kiln s maximum temperature range Low Fire Cones C Segment 1 Segment 2 Cone Rate 1 Temp 1 Rate 2 Temp 2 022 220 526 60 586 021 220 540 60 600 020 220 566 60 626 019 220 618 60 678 018 220 655 60 715 017 220 678 60 738 016 220 712 60 772 015 220 731 60 791 014 220 747 60 807 013 220 777 60 837 012 220 801 60 861 011 220 815 60 875 Medium Fire Cones C Segment 1 Segment 2 Cone Rate 1 Temp 1 Rate 2 Temp 010 180 550 85 600 09 180 550 85 600 08 180 550 85 600 07 180 550 85 600 06 180 550 85 600 05 180 550 85 600 04 180 550 85 600 03 180 550 85 600 02 180 550 85 600 01 180 550 85
5. 600 High Fire Cones C Segment 1 Segment 2 Cone Rate 1 Temp 1 Rate 2 Temp 1 180 550 100 600 2 180 550 100 600 3 180 550 100 600 4 180 550 100 600 5 180 550 100 600 6 180 550 100 600 7 180 550 100 600 8 180 550 100 600 9 180 550 100 600 10 180 550 100 600 2 2 3 Segment 3 Rate 3 Temp 100 843 100 860 100 882 100 916 100 938 100 971 100 1003 100 1026 100 1042 100 1059 Segment 3 Rate 3 Temp 3 90 1017 90 1022 90 1032 90 1042 90 1066 90 1102 90 1119 90 1129 90 1140 90 1165 Segment 4 Rate 4 Temp 4 60 903 60 920 60 942 60 976 60 998 60 1031 60 1063 60 1086 60 1102 60 1119 Segment 4 Rate 4 Temp 4 60 1137 60 1142 60 1152 60 1162 60 1186 60 1222 60 1239 60 1249 60 1260 60 1285 F Cone Self Supporting Cones Num ber Heated at 27 F Per Hour 022 021 020 1213 1267 1301 1368 1382 1395 1485 1949 19 79 1636 1669 1692 1 764 1798 1839 18 0 1915 1960 19 2 1999 2028 2034 2039 2086 2118 APE 2165 2194 Ar 2230 10 2284 CO IN ID A A J N ido Rate of temperature increase during last 90 120 minutes of firing Tables by courtesy of the Edward Orton Jr Ceramic Foundation Temperature Equivalents For Orton Self Supporting Pyrometric Cones 108 F Per Hour 1087 1112 1159 1232 t319 1360 1422 1456 1485 1539 1582 1607 1657 1688 1728 1789 1828 1859 1888 1945 198 2016 2046 2079 2088 2106 2124 216 219
6. At this setting the kiln will fire at its fastest rate Select a rate of 1799 F 999 C at the DEN prompt in Ramp Hold mode A fast way to do this is to press the Down Arrow key once from YYY will appear als I page 8 Hold time of a segment shown in hours and minutes Example 2 hours and 15 minutes 02 15 a ei Page 10 Add Hold Time During a firing you can extend the hold time of a segment without having to first stop the firing to reprogram the controller 8 3 page 3 The controller is ready for you to enter a program or to begin a repeat firing EJN Firing has begun A moment after RAH appears you will hear the relay s clicking CON GLA GCA GLI pace 8 These are Ramp Hold programs stored in memory TA 2 etc Rate page 8 This appears in Ramp Hold programming for each segment 1 2 etc are segment numbers Enter the rate of temperature change for that segment Rate is figured in degrees of temperature change per hour Example A temperature rise of 100 in two hours 50 rate A temperature drop of 200 in one hour 200 rate SStP Skip Step page 10 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 StOP The firing was stopped by pressing START STOP Strt The Ready to Start message appears after pro gramming a firing Press START to begin firing Thermo couple Offset press the Up Arr
7. Orange Dark Red Dark Red Dark Red Dark Red Dark Red Dark Red Dark Red Dark Red Dark Red Dark Red Dark Red Dark Red Dark Red Dark Red Gray Green White Fuchsia Orange Yellow White Pink Rate of temperature increase during last 90 120 minutes of firing Tables by courtesy of the Edward Orton Jr Ceramic Foundation Display Messages Abrt The firing was stopped ALAr Page 10 Ready for you to enter an alarm temper ature When the kiln reaches that temperature the alarm will sound CHGt page 10 Ready for you to edit the target temper ature of the current Ramp Hold segment during firing Ex ample You are fusing glass to a temperature of 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 1560 without having to turn off the kiln to reprogram it Ea page 6 This is the prompt for Cone Fire mode Press the START key to select Cone Fire The controller is then ready for you to select a pyrometric cone number 0J J BW page 4 Fired to completion dELA page 4 Delay is a count down timer that starts the firing when the time runs out or road and temperature page 8 The con troller 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 page 8 Full power firing rate
8. a software code and then IEJ Press START Then use the Up Arrow key to scroll through these mes sages GI RH LKH LKA KA To use Ramp Hold mode for the first time select CJI You do that by pressing the START key after GAYI appears Then follow the boxed instructions in the next column to enter temperature heating rate etc CGA is Program 1 When you fire the kiln again you can repeat Program 1 by selecting GJJ When you are ready to fire a different program select RJA which is Program 2 Then enter temperatures heating rates etc Se lect Program 3 and 4 the same way 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 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 RUIN Note To select full power from press the Down Arrow key once Ramp Hold Programming Instructions Note You have up to 8 segments available in Ramp Hold If you don t need all 8 zero out the unused segments See step 6 below 1 From EIH press START the left button 2 Press the Up Arrow key not the Down Arrow GoD GA CLE and GLY are Ramp Hold programs When the one you want appears press START Ignore ZNA 3 EZMG will appear Enter firing r
9. 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 heating rate to a target temperature Shown in the chart above is a segment with a target temperature of 1250 and a rate of 625 with 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 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 Storing Programs The controller can retain four Ramp Hold programs in memory even when power is turned off Programs are num bered 1 4 The first message to appear after you plug in your Sentry Xpress is
10. keys in the left column the message in the center will appear Cone Fire Keys to Press Display COnE PrO1 ff PrO4 A Not Down Arrow COnE Select COnE of Last cone fired A Y Select cone number oof Sample cone FASt A V Select speed FASt Sample speed HLd A Y Enter Hold Time Or hold time Strt E The kiln is now firing Ramp Hold Keys to Press Display K PrO1 fj PrO4 A Not Down Arrow Prot Select Program 1 2 3 or 4 rA 1 A V Enter Segment 1 rate 500 Sample rate ESEN KEN A Y Enter Temperature 1900 Sample temperature A v Enter Hold Time Or hold time First segment not needed enter a rate of 0000 Strt EE The kiln is now firing 20 Cone Fire Ramp Hold
11. less than 20 This means the control ler is draining the voltage and may be defective Return the controller for repair or replacement 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 18 Cone Fire Ramp Hold 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 left column 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
12. 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 The segment with the slower rate should begin approximately 40 60 below the target temperature 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 1 500 277 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 tempera 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 se
13. started to bend To fire 25 hotter raise the target temperature of segment 2 by 25 1422 25 1447 This is the program you would enter in Ramp Hold Rate Temp Segment F C F C Hold 1 396 220 1314 712 00 00 2 108 60 1447 786 00 00 You could also easily add a slow cooling segment Rate Temp Segment F C F C Hold 1 396 220 1314 712 00 00 2 108 60 1447 786 00 00 3 100 7 55 1000 537 00 00 Question My digital kiln is taking too long to fire 9 4 hours to cone 6 I want the kiln to fire in 4 hours Answer 9 1 2 hours is the firing time programmed into the Sentry Xpress Cone Fire mode at fast speed The easiest way to go faster is to use Ramp Hold mode where you can program the ex act speed that you want Note however that the fir ing speed is limited to the kiln s heating capacity Ramp Hold Mode 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 controlled 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 temperature Hold means to maintain a temperature In summary the controller does three basic tasks 1 It
14. the firing in Ramp Hold See the next page Compensating for an Over Fired Cone E Fire to the next cooler cone number E If firing to the next cooler cone number results in un der firing add hold time Adjust the Thermocouple Offset See page 13 E Customize the firing in Ramp Hold See the next page Cone Fire Hold Cone Fire Hold heat soaks the ware at the cone temper ature at the end of the firing Without Hold the kiln shuts off after it reaches the cone temperature Hold maintains the cone temperature for the period you specify Hold is not needed in every firing Experience will help you decide when to use Hold Some of the reasons you might consider using it E To even out the temperature throughout the kiln WE To allow heat to penetrate more completely into the clay Rapid firing is like cooking the turkey will be done on the outside but not on the inside WE To help glaze absorb china paint WE To heal glaze defects such as bubbles CAUTION Use hold sparingly A little hold time can yield dramatic results But too much can overfire your ware and burn out colors One way to add hold time without over firing is to fire to one cone cooler than needed Then add enough hold time to bend the next hotter cone Hold time needed to bend the next cone will vary As a rule of thumb 45 60 minutes of hold one cone of heat work Example to fire to cone 05 program Cone Fire for 06 and add 45 60 minutes of hold
15. the other 8888 BEE or a software code such as 3F 1 If your controller shows BEE instead of a software code before appears then the controller includes only Skip Segment from the Advanced Features on page 10 If your controller shows a software code such as 3F 1 before appears then the controller has all the features in this manual The code that appears when you first turn on the power to the controller is the software version installed in the memory chip The code is not an error message and is not in the manual because every time the software is updated that code number changes Do not worry if you hear a clicking noise during opera tion Mechanical relays click as they turn the heating ele ments on and off We are constantly trying to find better ways to make kilns and your kiln is extremely reliable Nevertheless it contains mechanical parts that eventually wear out In some cases a parts failure can lead to a kiln overfire There fore it is important that you occasionally check on the kiln during operation Although the kiln does not require con stant attention it should never be left unattended Please check the kiln especially during the later stages of firing Please read the manual Damage caused by failure to fol low instructions is not covered by warranty Write notes on the controller features that you use Then if you are away from your kiln for a period you can review your notes to refresh
16. to the next one 1 During a Ramp Hold firing press the Up Arrow 2 EG will appear 3 Press START The current segment ramp or hold number will appear 4 Press START again If you change your mind and don t want to skip that segment don t press START after BGI 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 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 inspect the glass near the end of firing 1 During a Cone Fire or Ramp Hold firing press the Up Arrow repeatedly until appears 2 Press START The hold time for the current seg ment will appear 3 Press the Up Arrow Each time you press
17. 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 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 11 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 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 EI 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 you 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 FalL Thermocouple Failure The thermocouple or temperature sensor failed during firing Causes M Defective thermocouple or disconnected loose wires WE Defective controller WE Electrical noise Thermocouple Paperclip Test Check the thermocouple wire connections See your kiln in stru
18. ailure 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 180 F 100 C while the power was off Power Failure Messages GR 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 power 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 successfully 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 CPLT minutes 3 The current kiln temperature Adverse Weather It is okay to store the controller at sub zero tempera tures But before operating raise the room temperature to at least 32 F 0 C Place a space heater within a couple of feet of the control panel and let the heater run for an hour or so Or hang a shop light near the kiln to raise the temper ature 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 throu
19. ate tempera ture change per hour for segment 1 1 slowest rate 1799 F 999 C full power Then press START 4 GARE or Re 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 Example 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 ZW 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 Wj appears enter 0000 7 FAG will appear Press START to begin firing eel will appear and the Run indicator light will begin blinking The kiln is now firing To stop a firing before completion press START STOP RJA 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 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 Question I programmed a FULL rate yet my kiln heated at only 550 F per hour Answer The controller is limited by the heating capacit
20. clicking sound during firing Kilns use relays to power the elements The relays click each time their electrical contacts come together 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 When the kiln fires to completion it will beep for 30 seconds The display will show the following E Firing time WE Present temperature E fired to completion To return to EMI press START To fire the same program again see Program Re view amp Repeat Firing page 4 When the Kiln Shuts Off Too Soon If the kiln shuts off before the pyrometric witness cone bends you can turn the hot kiln back on and keep firing 1 Press STOP twice 2 From KLIS program the next hotter cone in Cone Fire 3 E809 will appear To begin firing press START EIH will appear and the Run indicator light will begin blinking The hot kiln will begin firing taking up where it left off How to Customize Cone Fire You can customize a Cone Fire program using Ramp Hold See the next section On pages 15 and 16 ta bles show the segments used to program each cone number in Cone Fire For instance a cone 016 firing at medium speed W3 uses these two segments Rate Temp Segment F C F C Hold 1 396 220 1314 712 00 00 2 108 60 1422 772 00 00 Suppose your 016 witness cone at a medium speed fir ing only barely
21. controller hang on the outside of the box with 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 WE 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 1 2 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 boa
22. ction manual If connec tions are tight perform this test 1 UNPLUG the kiln or dis connect the power Remove the controller Re move 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 will appear Press START Test results A If the controller displays room temperature and after you press START replace the thermocouple B If the display still shows after you press START return the controller for repair or replacement FE Error Messages Message Problem FE 1 Memory Read Write Failure EZ RAM Failure Pes OEM Factory Data Corruption FE 4 Thermocouple Noise FE 5 Software Error 12 Cone Fire Ramp Hold 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 message check the wire connections going from the back of the controller to the thermocouple A loose connection can cause the HEY message FtL Fired Too Long This message appears when both of the following condi tions are met E The temperature rise 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 temperatu
23. e as many times as you want during the firing Entering an alarm temperature automatically erases the 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 for higher temperatures and not for cooling temperatures 1 During a Cone Fire or Ramp Hold 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 fyou 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 vent holes are designed for lost wax burnout However you can use a kiln with out 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 s
24. e to use 1 Correct Bend When the self supporting cone bends so that the tip is approxi mately even with the top of the base the cone has been exposed to the correct amount of heat work for that cone number This is called A cone fired to maturity a 6 o clock bend 2 Under Fired Cone The cone in this photo has not bent far enough It indicates that the kiln did not fire long enough or hot enough An under fired cone Ae An over fired cone 3 Over Fired Cone When a cone collapses or pud dles it indicates that the kiln over fired the ware rated to that cone number Note Do not be overly concerned with achieving an ex act 6 o clock bend The difference between a 3 o clock and a 6 o clock bend is only a few degrees of temperature How to Correct for Under or Over Fired Cones Before changing a firing because of an under or over fired cone make sure the correct cone was in the kiln For instance if you fired to cone 05 make sure the cone in the kiln was not a cone 5 instead See the cone temperature chart on page 17 Compensating for an Under Fired Cone E Fire to the same cone number next time but add hold time How much hold time to add is a matter of experi mentation A general guideline would be 10 30 minutes 5 E If the kiln still does not fire hot enough then fire to the next hotter cone number without hold time Adjust the Thermocouple Offset See page 13 E Customize
25. ecommendations 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 1 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 Note 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 at 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 purchased the mold material This is usually around 1350 F D2 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
26. et temperature for the current segment Then press START Page 10 6 Set the Alarm During a fir ing press Up Arrow repeatedly until appears Press START Use the arrow keys to change the alarm temperature Press START To silence the alarm press any key Page 10 7 Adjust Thermocouple Offset At the display press Up Arrow will ap pear Use arrow keys to adjust the controller to fire hotter or cooler Press START to return to Page 13 These features are new with the Sentry Xpress 4 0 This manual nevertheless is backward compatible with earlier controllers Indicator Lights Top Light is on during pro gramming Middle Light is on during pro gram review Bottom Light blinks during firing rton The Sentry Xpress 4 0 micro processor is manufactured b the Orton Ceramic Foundation and displays the CE mark Down Arrow Key 1 Lower Numbers 2 Repeat the Last Fir ing From press Down Arrow The program you have selected will ap pear one step at a time When appears press START Page 4 3 Delay a Firing From Smi press Down Arrow Enter delay time Press START Page 4 4 Review a Program During firing press Down Arrow The program you entered will appear one step at a time Page 4 Introduction Thank you for buying the Sentry Xpress micro proces sor We appreciate your business When you first connect the power the controller will dis play these messages one after
27. gh 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 PI Two Firing Modes Cone Fire and Ramp Hold To give you greater flexibility your controller has two firing modes Cone Fire and Ramp Hold Cone Fire Mode see below Cone Fire mode fires the ware to a pyrometric cone number using the Orton cone tables on page 17 This mode is for ceramics pottery stoneware and glazes Your sup plier can tell you which cone number to program Ramp Hold Mode see page 7 Use Ramp Hold mode to create custom firings Select your own firing speed temperature and temperature hold time in up to 8 steps or segments The chart shows the recommended firing mode for sev eral types of ware Type of Firing Suggested Firing Mode China Painting Cone Fire Ceramic Decals Cone Fire Ceramic Glaze Cone Fire Ceramic Greenware Cone Fire Glass Bead Annealing Ramp Hold Glass Fusing Ramp Hold Glass Slumping Ramp Hold Lost Wax Ram
28. gment 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 A Ramp Hold Practice Program Te mp 250 750 zz Make a simple chart like the one above when planning a firing 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 page 8 enter this firing schedule Then use Program Review page 4 to check for accuracy 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 Question If you stop abort a firing to change a temperature and then resume firing do you need to skip segments to get back to where you were before Answer When you press Stop during a firing re program the controller and then press Start the controller will go to the first segment that matches the temperature inside the kiln For instance if seg ment 3 starts at 1200 and ends at 1700 and the kiln temperature is 1600 when you press Start the con troller will go directly to segment 3 Advanced Features Skip Segment and Temperature Edit work only in Ramp Hold firings Add Hold Time and Alarm work in both Cone Fire and Ramp Hold firings Skip Segment Skip Segment jumps the firing from the current segment
29. hape 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 warranty A Sample Program See instructions on page 8 to enter this program Rate Temp Segment F C F C Hold 1 900 277 300 148 01 00 2 BUDS 27 _ 1350 732 01 00 d 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 r
30. hat the information programmed into the controller is correct Program Review shows the values for the program in active memory Use Program Review from ILIB 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 iG will appear Press START KIH will 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 selected a program and the control ler is ready to begin firing QQ will appear 2 Press the Down Arrow key once will ap pear alternating with RA 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 Note Press START during delay to end the delay and begin the firing The maximum delay is 99 hours and 59 minutes 4 Cone Fire Ramp Hold Power Failures After a power f
31. ill also cause elements to turn on as soon as you plug in the kiln Replace the relay Question My kiln is not shutting off when it reaches cone 06 It is holding the temperature 1861 F for hours and hours After the controller shows me cone 06 I see 5 20 How do I eliminate this Answer Please check Program Review A long hold time has been added to cone 06 The 5 20 means the hold will continue for 5 hours and 20 min utes To remove the hold time please reprogram the kiln for cone 06 When you see the Hold prompt en ter 0000 Index POM ke oa caesar e e ee Sees eas eens E 17 Add Hold TiM s saa to hae as he steed ene eos eee 10 PONE sc tet ace ad etc ene ose a wre oboe ee ba oe 17 AIAG Ee hese er EE base see eeee os see oe aee eae x 10 DAU oe ee oh eee ee es ee 12 center display dOl eciscccsris i srerinpus sarea sears 3 CTAG e A E ER EE E A cous 10 17 ae aaa e E 2 CODE eaer reee OEA 6 17 COMG File lt cst cowere Gus od rakei inea 5 6 cooling segment os cnitcc dt aedsbadened sanded 9 10 12 CPLT complete 26 46 2045 nen sew nage oneeenenes 4 17 JELA aa ee ee ee ee ee ee ee 4 17 Delay timer 4 oe phe eG aeed arasasueeeduseoaees display dots 0 0 cece cc eee een ene j editing target temperature 00 10 En a EOE OE ETERNO E EEE TETE 12 Fado vanggnes erekere AR EFE OERA e we ane oe 12 US E EE LEETE TEREE EEE EEEE 12 1USCs Seu HR Seas Madea SORES eee eee ee eee os 17 PLA cme aunts Le e
32. le Offset Youcan calibrate the controller to fire up to 20 F 11 C hotter or cooler than the zero factory setting 1 From EM press the Down Arrow key After rate temperature hold etc QQ will appear 2 With RG shown in the display press the Up Arrow key 3 RZJ will appear Press the arrow keys to change the controller temperature 4 Press the START key to return to the QQ display 5 To fire the controller press START JA will ap pear Or to return to KIN press START 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 kiln Carefully remove the controller from the kiln Leave wires attached to the controller SIMAR f e SEY _ fa SSS EEN S 4 wL S eee ee 5 The C F jumper terminal is on the back of the controller circled above 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 necessa
33. nded 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 controller 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 MES INPUT plug which is the white orange and blue 7 wires from the back of the controller Touch a volt meter probe to the white wire and the other probe to the or ange wire 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
34. ne bea eo heen Syne Sees 2 10 17 TOMO s semen oe os eee ean E ue he eee tacos aes 6 9 lost WAX casting oie 2 mswiniene Hub ewes Eanes pear us 11 PET eee eee ee ERT EE 4 12 PI eae E ET ET oe 4 12 Pa ga geaeaneeweneceer has sy ennees sneer ees 4 13 WOW CR TAUTOS cc poe ce one ebeceete roe checeeres 4 12 DOWD SU CCS sce oo oe oo ne oe oe oe ee nes 4 Program REVIEW cdcccc ou claus ee ags et seeneeeseen 4 pyrometric witness cones 4 5 14 15 16 Ramp Hold oct toc ecapustertascat seen teinii 5 7 8 E iie oo cee PE EIE eee nk esd opens eee seaeoes 7 8 POPCHING CUMING ces catshantnsdceeeoeten neta 4 scrolling numbers rapidly 0 e eee self supporting CONES 0 cece eee ee eee 5 16 Skip Segme nt 2 acuta ese de Sos esr tet edi tesise 10 S EE EEE EE E T E ES 10 17 target temperature scssi 6 0e bet cense saiia tue ouex 7 Cr ee er E ee ee ee ere 13 eee Te ee Se ee ee eee 13 CO ee A A 13 CCl E OE E ET E EE E E 13 temperature display F and C o lt o 46426340d2 lt 40 3 13 MCTINOCOUDIC 2 nok on uum re EEPE EE ERE ben 3 19 Thermocouple ONSel 2 2bsececeenees eonewareus 13 thunder StOrDS 4 orcigeoeteoasnneeeeese ee asestues 4 n o EE EEEE T nine L EE EEEE eae 11 WDO O epera ounce es Ave ees eons ERE EE 5 Shorthand Instructions These instructions may be confusing until you have read more detailed instructions on Cone Fire page 6 or Ramp Hold page 8 Read the safety guidelines page 3 After pressing the
35. ow and Delay press the Down Arrow are accessed from the RAS message LLJ Page 13 Adjust the controller to fire hotter or cooler 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 WE Is power reaching the wall receptacle Test with a voltmeter or a test light if you are not sure WE Has the kiln switch box 1 2 amp fuse blown The kiln s 1 2 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 plac ing the probes of an ohmme ter on the ends of the fuse If the ohmmeter reads less 4 than an ohm digital meter or reads 0 ohms analog meter the fuse is okay If the read ing is OPEN digital meter or infinity no needle move ment analog meter the fuse is bad Replacement fuse AGC 1 2 A 250V AC W 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 Re move the 4 screws holding the controller faceplate to the switch box Lift face plate 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 in AC mode to both INPUT connections the white and orange wires CAUTION Do not let the back of the board touch a grou
36. ow to Interpret the Bending of a Pyrometric Cone 5 How to Correct for Under or Over Fired Cones 5 Cone Fire Programming Instructions 6 Cone Fire Hold 0 00 cc eee eee 6 When the Kiln Shuts Off Too Soon 7 How to Customize Cone Fire 0 eee eee 7 Ramp Hold Mode 2252 7 Storing ProgramS 4 3 4 xx ceed ws ean Aw RO oem oa 8 PIO erie ke bert Bee AOR ae She a iter doe 8 Ramp Hold Programming Instructions 8 HMOs a2 pees bw et eed ae oe oe ede ee eee aes 9 Temperature Over Shoot 00000 c cece eee 9 Programming a Cooling Segment 05 9 Advanced Features 10 Skip CCOMCM 140 an rd tcarbe ta banded aen ea eae kd ew erna 10 Add Hold Time 00 cc cece ee ees 10 Editing the Target Temperature 10 The Alarm 0 ees 10 Lost Wax Burnout 11 Error MessageS 0000000000212 bAdP Bad Programming 0000 eens 12 EtH Electronics Too Hot 00 0c eee 12 FalL Thermocouple Failure 00055 12 FE Error MessageS 0 ccc ee 12 FtL Fired Too Long oi 65 csmae dae eddie eh oot ee 12 HtdE High Temperature Deviation 12 PF 1 Power Failure 0 000 cc eee eee eee 12 PF 2 Power Failure 0 0c cc eee ees 12 PF 3 Power Failure 0 000 ccc eee eee 12 tC Thermocouple Failure
37. p Hold Cone Fire Cone F ire mode fires the ware to a pyrometric cone Cone Fire is not designed for heat treat ing glass fusing and enameling For these fir ings use Ramp Hold mode page 7 You can also use Ramp Hold to fire ceramic pieces that require a custom firing schedule Pyrometric Witness Cones It is important to understand pyrometric witness cones because clay and glazes are rated to cone numbers Pyro metric cones are small pyramids of clay that bend when ex posed to the correct amount of heat work Cones are rated by number See page 17 for a list of cone numbers and their temperatures When a witness cone bends during firing the clay and glaze in that firing rated to that cone number have re ceived the correct amount of heat Place the pyrometric witness cone on the kiln shelf near the ware you are firing Use the cone to check for firing ac curacy The cone is the most accurate measurement of heat work in a ceramic firing This is because the cone measures the combined effects of time kiln atmosphere and temper ature We suggest using the witness cone to trouble shoot prob lems with the ware If china paints appear faded and you suspect it is due to over firing test fire with a witness cone Another example glaze crazing due to under fired bisque How to Interpret the Bending of a Pyrometric Cone The cones illustrated here are called self supporting cones They are the easiest type of witness con
38. press any key 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 kiln 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 12 tCL Thermocouple Lag The heating rate is slower than 9 F 5 C per hour and the actual kiln temperature is more than 100 F 56 C away from the programmed temperature The tCL alarm be comes inactive above 500 F To return to the display press any key Causes E Worn or burned out elements defective relays low volt age and defective thermocouple M 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 E You have programmed a cooling segment temperature that is below room temperature tCr Thermocouple Reversed WE This usually means the thermocouple lead wires are re versed Check that the thermocouple lead wires are con nected to the correct terminals See your kiln s wiring di agram E The thermocouple may be starting to fail and is sending erratic signals to the controller WE The thermocouple inside the kiln is much colder than the controller circuit board Thermocoup
39. r nace DANGEROUS VOL TAGE Do not touch heat ing elements with anything Disconnect before servicing e When vacuuming the kiln keep the nozzle away from the controller and the thermocouple Vac uum cleaners create a static charge that can damage the controller Question Would unplugging the kiln erase the digital programs Should the kiln be unplugged when not in use Answer You can unplug the kiln The digital pro grams will stay in memory even without power For safety you should unplug the kiln or disconnect the power when the kiln is not in use General Guidelines Time and Temperature Displays 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 atic temperat 1502 H BIL 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 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 EIMA press START STOP again W If
40. rd facing you Disconnect both wire plugs from the back of the controller Then plug the kiln back in Apply power to kiln If 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 Problem The kiln overfires E Did you see an error message such as uel If not the thermocouple gave a faulty reading so the controller did not shut off the kiln Sometimes a shelf can bump against the thermocouple and push it out of the firing chamber Make sure the thermocouple is pushed far enough into the firing chamber A 1 8 diameter thermocouple should extend into the firing chamber 12 54 A diameter thermocouple should extend into the fir ing chamber 1 or more Keep shelves posts and ware 1 1 2 away from the thermocouple E Do the elements stay on after you press STOP If so the electrical contacts inside a relay are stuck in the closed position This w
41. re can also trigger the message See Controller display turns on No heat in kiln page 17 Question The controller on my Paragon SC 2 jew elry kiln flashes A but only when I include a con trolled cooling What is happening Answer 19 means firing too long But firing too long applies to cooling as well as to heating can appear if you program a segment for slow cooling and the kiln is taking too long to cool Pro gram a slower cooling rate will also appear if you program a cooling segment target temperature that is below or close to room temperature HtdE High Temperature Deviation This error message is accompanied by an audible alarm which sounds for one minute Causes M During a heating up ramp or a hold the temperature is 100 F 56 C above the programmed temperature E During a cooling down segment the temperature is 100 F 56 C higher than the segment s starting temper ature A fast rate caused the controller to overshoot the target temperature M 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
42. ry 4 Install the controller being careful not to jar compo nents on the back of the controller against the kiln case Cone Fire Schedules F Selecting a Fast speed in Cone Fire increases the segment rates shown in this chart by 20 Selecting a Slow speed de creases the segment rates by 20 However the rate shown in this chart for the last segment remains the same whether you select Fast Medium and Slow speeds Note Your controller accepts only cone numbers that fall within the kiln s maximum temperature range Low Fire Cones F Segment 1 Segment 2 Cone Rate 1 Temp 1 Rate 2 Temp 2 022 396 979 108 1087 021 396 1004 108 1112 020 396 1051 108 1159 019 396 1144 108 1252 018 396 1211 108 1319 017 396 1252 108 1360 016 396 1314 108 1422 015 396 1348 108 1456 014 396 1377 108 1485 013 396 1431 108 1539 012 396 1474 108 1582 011 396 1499 108 1607 Medium Fire Cones F Segment 1 Segment 2 Segment 3 Segment 4 Cone Rate 1 Temp 1 Rate 2 Temp 2 Rate 3 Temp 3 Rate 4 Temp 4 010 324 1022 153 1112 180 1549 108 1657 09 324 1022 153 1112 180 1580 108 1688 08 324 1022 153 1112 180 1620 108 1728 07 324 1022 153 1112 180 1681 108 1789 06 324 1022 153 1112 180 1720 108 1828 05 324 1022 153 1112 180 1780 108 1888 04 324 1022 153 1112 180 1837 108 1945 03 324 1022 153 1112 180 1879 108 1987 02 324 1022 153 1112 180 1908 108 2016 01 324 1022 153 1112 180 1938 108 2046 High Fire Cones F Segment 1 Segment 2 Segment 3 Segment 4
43. the Up Ar row the hold time will increase by 5 minutes 4 Press START The normal temperature will appear Note Add Time will add 5 minutes to a hold even if no hold had been programmed 10 Cone Fire Ramp Hold Editing the Target Temperature While the kiln is firing you can change the target tem perature 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 Ramp Hold firing press the Up Arrowre peatedly until LAAJ appears 2 Press 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 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 temperatur
44. the display shows an error message such as in stead of I sce page 12 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 firing chamber 12 54 E A diameter thermocouple should extend into the fir ing chamber 1 or more WE Keep shelves posts and ware 1 1 1 2 away from the thermocouple 3 Scrolling Numbers Rapidly 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 E 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 t
45. time If your kiln has a peephole watch the pyrometric witness cones during firing Press STOP when the correct witness cone bends Note how much Hold time was needed Pro gram that much Hold time the next time you fire the same type of ware Note During Hold the display temperature will alter nate with time left in Hold To figure hold time for the next firing subtract time left in Hold from the total hold time entered When Hold is set to 99 99 hours the Sentry Xpress will remain at that temperature indefinitely until STOP is pressed 6 Cone Fire Ramp Hold Cone Fire Programming Instructions 1 From EH press START the left button 2 Using the Up Arrowkey not the Down Arrow skip past XR LLA LRH LEZI and se lect ZM Then press START 3 The last pyrometric cone you fired and its tem perature will appear Use the arrow keys to change the cone number Then press START 4 slow MEJ medium or EN will appear Use the arrow keys to change speed Then press START 5 and the hold time from the last firing will appear Example 1 hour and 10 minutes 01 10 Use the arrow keys to change the hold time Then press START 6 i will appear Press START Ee will ap pear the Run indicator light will begin blink ing and the kiln will begin firing To stop a firing before completion press START STOP JA will appear alternating with kiln temperature Note Do not be concerned if your kiln makes a
46. y of each kiln Your kiln heated at 550 per hour because that is its maximum heating rate When the kiln fires to completion it will beep for 30 seconds The display will show the following E Firing time WE Present temperature a Fired to completion To return to EM press START To fire the same program again see Program Re view amp Repeat Firing page 4 8 Cone Fire Ramp Hold 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 firing the display shows Hold tempera ture and time left in Hold Question Should a hold time be programmed as total number of minutes or hours and minutes Answer Program a hold as hours and minutes rather than the total number of minutes i e 90 minutes is programmed as 1 30 Question What is the maximum number of times per minute that the Sentry Xpress controller can turn on the relay during a hold Answer The maximum number of relay cycles is 6 times a minute Temperature Over Shoot When a kiln is heated too fast it may over
47. your memory When you need to use additional controller features such as the temperature alarm refer back to the instruction manual The cover shows all the controller features at a glance Use Program Review see page 4 every time you fire the kiln This is your assurance that you are firing the correct program If necessary check the program in the display against a written copy We trust that you will enjoy your kiln Once you learn the basic features of the Sentry Xpress you will be able to con trol every stage of firing This offers learning opportunities and convenience difficult to imagine with a manual con trolled kiln 2004 by Paragon Industries L P IM 222 5 11 2 Cone Fire Ramp Hold Contents General Guidelines 0sss2 0 Time and Temperature Displays 3 Operation Begins from the IdLE Display 3 Thermocouple Inspection 000 cece 3 scrolling Numbers Rapidly 0000 eee 4 Program Review amp Repeat Firing 00005 4 DIGI a chek ance ote ire Ha tea ee ia ew ee Wee eee a A Power Failures ccu d odwdew fo mae ee dodo ea do ew eee ts 4 CPLT Message Firing Completed 4 Adverse Weather 00 000 c eee ee een eee 4 Canceling a New Program 00 cee araa 4 Two Firing Modes Cone Fire and Ramp Hold 5 Cone Fire civic ieee dees ces ewe Pyrometric Witness Cones 0 cee eee 5 H
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