Single-Speed / Ramp-Hold Version
Sentry Xpress
Digital Temperature Controller
Indicator
°F
Lights
Light is
on during pro-
gramming.
Program
Review
Run
°C
Hr./Min.
When Lit
Light is
on during pro-
gram review.
°C Display Dot
°F When Off
°C When Lit
Temperature Display
Temperature
display is in °F.
Light
START/
STOP
HIGHER
LOWER
Delay
Skip Seg.
blinks during firing.
Review
Add Hold
Tem-
Enter
Change Temp.
T/C Offset
Alarm
Program
perature display is in °C.
See page 13 for instructions on
selecting °F or °C.
SENTRYXpress4.0
TM
M I C R O P R O C E S S O R
The Sentry Xpress 4.0 micro processor is manufactured by the
Orton Ceramic Foundation and displays the CE mark.
START/STOP Key
Down Arrow Key
Starts and stops a firing.
Time Display
Press after each
programming step. It works like the
Enter key on a computer.
: Sepa-
From
press
. The pro-
rates hours from minutes. Ex-
ample: Display shown above
is 1 hour and 30 minutes.
gram you have selected
will appear one step at a
Up Arrow Key
time. When
pears, press
Page 4
ap-
.
During a Ramp-Hold firing,
repeatedly until
press
From
appears. Press
. Use
press
. Press
the arrow keys to change the target
temperature for the current seg-
From
to select Single-Speed or
Ramp-Hold. Pages 6, 8
press
.
ment. Then press
. Page 9
Enter delay time. Press
twice. Page 4
During a
During a firing,
Ramp-Hold firing, press the
press
repeatedly until
appears. Press . Use
the arrow keys to change the alarm
temperature. Press . To si-
lence the alarm, press any key.
Page 9
.
will appear. Press
. The current segment ramp
During firing, press
. The program you
entered will appear one
step at a time. Page 4
or hold number will appear. To
skip, press
again. Page 8
During a
Ramp-Hold firing, press
repeatedly until
appears.
At the
.
display, press
will appear. Use ar-
Press
the
. Each time you press
, the hold time for the
row keys to adjust the controller to
fire hotter or cooler. Press
to return to
current segment will increase by 5
minutes. Then press
Page 8
.
. 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.
1
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Safety
General
The warranty on your Sentry Xpress
controller does not cover damage from
overfiring, regardless of the
Guidelines
Time and Temperature
Display
circumstances. It is the operator’s
responsibility to make sure the kiln turns
off at the proper time.
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-
perature display, the dot
disappears.
When the kiln is not in use, disconnect the
power.
Do not leave the kiln unattended, especially
near the expected shut-off time.
The center display dot indicates
time instead of temperature.
Wear firing safety glasses when looking into the
firing chamber of a hot kiln.
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.
°F
°C
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.
Operation Begins from
Fire only in a well-ventilated, covered and pro-
tected area away from combustible materials.
the IdLE Display
must appear before you can fire the kiln.
Keep cordset away from hot sides of kiln or fur-
nace.
I
If
,
, or other message appears instead of
when the kiln is first turned on, press the
key (the key with the circular arrow).
will appear.
DANGEROUS VOLTAGE! Do not touch heat-
ing elements with anything. Disconnect before
servicing.
I
I
I
If you press
during a firing,
, press
will ap-
again.
pear. To get back to
When vacuuming the kiln, keep the nozzle away
from the controller. Vacuum cleaners create a
static charge that can damage the controller.
If the display shows an error message such as
stead of , see page 11.
in-
(firing completed) appears at the end of a firing.
To make appear, press
.
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.
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A 1/8” diameter thermocouple should extend into the
firing chamber ½” - 5 8”.
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A ¼” diameter thermocouple should extend into the fir-
ing chamber ¾ - 1” or more.
I
Keep shelves, posts and ware 1” - 1 ½” away from the
thermocouple.
3
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Note: Press
during delay to end the delay and
A Rapid Way to
Scroll Numbers
begin the firing. The maximum delay is 99 hours and
59 minutes.
During programming, hold an arrow key down several
seconds, and numbers will begin to scroll rapidly. Ordi-
Power Failures
narily, you would press
to raise a number and
After a power failure, the controller will continue firing
provided that:
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:
I
The kiln temperature is above 212°F / 100°C when the
power comes back on.
I
To program a 99.59 hour Hold when the display shows
00.00, press the
I
The temperature dropped no more than 72°F / 40°C
while the power was off.
once.
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To program a FULL rate when the display shows 0000,
press the once.
Power Failure Messages (see page 12)
The power failed during a cooling segment, and
the kiln cooled past the target temperature while the power
was off.
To program a temperature of 200°F when the display
shows 1800°F, press the
pressing the
. That is faster than
.
The power failed during firing and kiln tempera-
turewasbelow212°F /100°C when thepowercamebackon.
Program Review &
Repeat Firing
The power failed during firing and temperature
dropped more than 72°F / 40°C by the time the power came
back on.
Program Review lets you check that the information
programmedinto thecontrolleris correct. ProgramReview
shows the values for the program in active memory. Use
CPLt Message: Firing
Completed
Program Review from
fired.
to repeatthe last program you
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 messageswill cycleone af-
ter the other:
I
Press the
key. The rate, temperature, hold, etc. will
display one after the other. Firing will continue.
I
Press the
ture, hold, etc.,
key. After rate, tempera-
will appear. Press
.
(complete)
will appear, and the kiln will begin firing the program
just reviewed.
Firing time in hours and minutes
The current kiln temperature
Delay
Press
to return to
.
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.
Thunder Storms and
Power Surges
CAUTION: For safety, do not leavethekiln alone dur-
ing a delay or a firing. We cannot guarantee your kiln
against overfiring even though the controller is auto-
matic.
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.
After you have entered a program and the control-
ler is ready to begin firing,
will appear.
Press the
key once. will ap-
pear, alternating with
.
Canceling a New Program
gramming, the controller will go back to the
The controller will also discard the program you were en-
tering and will retain the previous program in memory.
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
will appear, alternating with time left until
the firing begins.
If you do not touch the keys for one minute during pro-
display.
twice.
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
.
4 Single-Speed/Ramp-Hold
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Rate
temperature change per hour.
Each segment must include a rate, which is degrees of
Theory of
Operation
The kiln will fire at full power when the rate is
1799°F/999°C. Full power displays as
.
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.
Note: To enter full power from
, press the
key once.
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.”
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.
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.
When Hold is set to 99.59 hours, the controller will re-
main at that temperature indefinitely, until you press
. To enter a 99.59 hour Hold, press the
2) It fires to a target temperature.
3) It can hold the target temperature.
once from 00.00 during programming.
The controller fires in segments, or stages. A segment is
a given heating rateto a targettemperature. Shown above is
a segment with a rate of 625° per hour, a target temperature
of 1250°, and a hold of one hour.
Note: During a Hold, the display flashes between the
Hold temperature and time left in Hold.
Two Firing Modes:
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.
Single-Speed and Ramp-Hold
To give you greater flexibility, your controller has two
firing modes:
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
diagramabove, the firing time is 1250° - 80° (room tempera-
ture) = 1170 ÷625 = 1.87 hours.
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.
The controller can fire up to 8 segments per firing. One
segment is often all that is needed, though.
In Single-Speed mode, you can choose one of five firing
speeds. Then enter the temperature you are firing to.
After the controller has finished firing the last segment,
it will turn off power to the elements.
Ramp-Hold Mode (see page 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
Note: If you enter a rate of 0000 in segment 1, or if the
target temperature in segment 1 is lower than the cur-
rent temperature,
will appear in the display.
5
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Ramp-Hold programs in memory. Programs are numbered
Pro1 - Pro4.
Single-Speed Programming
Instructions
Type of Firing
Suggested Firing Mode
Enameling
Single-Speed
Silver Clay
Single-Speed
Note: Single-Speedfiring is all you will ever need if
Glass Bead Annealing Ramp-Hold
you are only going to a temperature and holding.
Glass Fusing
Glass Slumping
Lost Wax
Ramp-Hold
Ramp-Hold
Ramp-Hold
From
, press
.
Use the
key (not the
) to
Selecting a Firing Mode
select a firing rate (temperature rise per hour)
From
display, press
once.
from 1 through 5. (Ignore
/ (200°F or 111°C)
/ (500°F or 277°C)
/ (1000°F or 555°C)
/ (1500°F or 833°C)
/ (Full Power)
-
.)
Press the
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
Then press
.
SPd3:
or
and the target temperature
Single-Speed 3 / 1000°F/555°C rate per hour
from the last firing will appear. Use the arrow
keys to change the target temperature. Then
SPd4:
Single-Speed 4 / 1500°F/833°C rate per hour
press
.
SPd5:
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.
Single-Speed 5 / Maximum rate
PrO1:
Ramp-Hold, Program 1
Then press
. (No hold = 00.00)
will appear. Press
will appear, the Run indicator light will
begin blinking, and the kiln will begin firing.
to begin firing.
PrO2:
Ramp-Hold, Program 2
PrO3:
Ramp-Hold, Program 3
To stop a firing before completion, press
.
will appear, alternating with total
firing time and kiln temperature.
PrO4:
Ramp-Hold, Program 4
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: YourcontrollermayhavemoreRamp-Holdpro-
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
Note: The firing speed you select (see step 2
above) is a pre-programmed speed. The kiln’s ac-
tual firing speed may be less, depending on the kiln
model, available voltage, and density of the load
you are firing.
, press
several times until
ap-
pears.
Temperature Over-Shoot
When the kiln fires to completion, the controller will
beep for 30 seconds. The display will show the follow-
ing:
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-
ment with the slower rate should begin approximately 40° -
60° below the target temperature.
I
Firing time
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Present temperature
I
= Fired to completion
To return to
, press
.
6 Single-Speed/Ramp-Hold
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Rate
°F/°C
Temp.
°F/°C
Segment
Hold
00.00
00.00
Ramp-Hold
Mode
1
2
500/277
100/55
1450/788
700/371
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.
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.
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.
Each segment includes a firing rate and firing tempera-
ture. You can also soak, or hold, the temperaturefor a spec-
ified period.
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.
The Parts of a Segment
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Rate (temperature change in degrees per hour)
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Target temperature
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Hold at the target temperature (not always used)
Note: During fast cooling, do not open the door all the
way. Do not force-cool the kiln with a fan.
The controller can retain four programs in memory even
when power is turned off. Programs are numbered Pro1 -
Pro4.
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.
The first message to appear after you plug in your Sentry
Xpress is
. Press
. Then use the
key
to scroll through these messages:
.
To use Ramp-Hold mode for the first time, select
. You do that by pressing the key after
appears. Then follow the boxed instructions on page 8 to
enter temperature, heating rate, etc.
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.
is Program 1. When you fire the kiln again, you
can repeat Program 1 by selecting
. (See page 4.)
When you are ready to fire a different program, select
, which is Program 2. Then enter temperatures, heat-
ing rates, etc. Select Program 3 and 4 the same way.
Using the programming instructions on the next page,
enter this firing schedule. Then use Program Review (page
4) to check for accuracy.
A programcan 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 automaticallyover-writestheprevi-
ous program. Write down your programs in a notebook and
record firing results for all firings.
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
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:
°F 3 = 750
HLd 3 = 00.00
rA4 = 0000 (zeroes cancel segments 4-8)
7
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Ramp-Hold Programming
Instructions
Advanced
Features
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.)
Skip Segment works only in Ramp-Hold programs. Add
Hold Time, Temperature Edit, and Alarm work in both
Single-Speed and Ramp-Hold firings.
From
, press
.
Press the
key (not the
and
).
are
Skip Segment
Ramp-Hold programs. When the one you
Skip Segment jumps the firing from the current segment
to the next one.
want appears, press
.)
. (Ignore
-
During a Ramp-Hold firing, press the
will appear.
.
will appear. Enter firing rate (tempera-
ture change per hour) for segment 1. (1° =
slowest rate. 1799°F/999°C = full power.)
Press
. The current segment ramp or hold
Then press
.
number will appear.
or
and the targettemperaturefrom
Press
again. (If you change your mind and
the last firing will appear. Use the arrow keys
tochangethetemperature.Then press
don’t want to skip that segment, don’t press
.
after
appears. The firing will continue in the
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.
same segment and the temperature will appear af-
ter one minute.)
Skip Segmentskips to the ramp of the next segmentfrom
either a ramp or hold of the current segment. (Skip Seg-
ment does nothing during the final segment. To end the fi-
Then press
Continue entering values for the segments
needed. When appears for the next seg-
ment that you don’t need, select . Then
press . This will zero out the remaining
segments. (Example: You need only 1 seg-
ment. When appears, enter .)
will appear. Press to begin firing.
. (No hold = 00.00)
nal segment, press
.)
Skip Segment Example
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.
will appear and the Run indicator light
will begin blinking. The kiln is now firing.
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.
To stop a firing before completion, press
.
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.
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.
Note: The kiln’s actual firing ratemay be less than
the rate you programmed, depending on the kiln
model, available voltage, and density of the load
you are firing.
During a firing, press the
repeatedly un-
til
appears.
Press
. The hold time for the current seg-
ment will appear.
When the kiln fires to completion, it will beep for 30
seconds. The display will show the following:
Press the
. Each time you press the
, the hold time will increase by 5 minutes.
I
Firing time
Press
. The normaltemperaturewillappear.
I
Present temperature
I
= Fired to completion
Note: Add Hold Time will add 5 minutes to a hold even
if no hold had been programmed.
To return to
, press
.
8 Single-Speed/Ramp-Hold
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Editing the Target
Temperature
Lost Wax
Burnout
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.)
CAUTION: Only kilns with 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 ½” during venting.
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.)
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.
During a firing, press the
appears.
repeatedly until
Press
. The target temperature for the cur-
Overview
rent segment will appear.
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.
Use the arrow keys to change the target tempera-
ture.
Press
. The normal kiln temperature will ap-
pear, and the kiln will begin firing to the new target
temperature.
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:
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.
Melt the wax from the mold.
Remove wax from the kiln before raising the tem-
perature higher than 300°F/148°C.
Harden the mold at high temperature.
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 timesas you want, during the
firing. Entering an alarm temperature automatically erases
any previous alarm temperature.
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.
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.
During a firing, press the
appears.
repeatedly until
A Sample Program
Press
appear.
. The current alarm temperature will
See instructions on page 8 to enter this program:
Rate
°F/°C
Temp.
°F/°C
Use the arrow keys to change the alarm tempera-
ture.
Segment
Hold
01.00
01.00
02.00
1
2
3
500/277
500/277
450/250
300/148
1350/732
800/426
Press
pear.
. The normal kiln temperature will ap-
To silence the alarm when it sounds, press any key.
Segment 1 heats the wax to 300°F / 148°C and holds it for
one hour, allowing it to drip from the mold.
Note: If you do not want to use the alarm, set the alarm
temperature to 32°F / 0°C. This setting will turn off the
alarm feature.
Segment 2 hardens the mold.
9
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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.)
Display
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.
Messages
(Page 9) Ready for you to enter an alarm
temperature. When the kiln reaches that tempera-
ture, the alarm will sound. (
when the alarm sounds.)
also flashes
Burnout Instructions
Place a metal tray inside the kiln on three ½” 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.
(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 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.
Keep the kiln’s vent hole(s), if any, open during
wax elimination. If the kiln has no vent hole, leave
the door open ½”. 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.
Fired to completion.
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.
(page 4) Delay is a count-down timer that
starts the firing when the time runs out.
or
(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.
After one hour at 300°F / 148°C, open the kiln. Re-
move the moldand 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!)
Full power firing rate. At this setting the kiln
will fire at its fastest rate. There are two ways to se-
lect full power:
Heat the mold to the temperature recommended
by your jewelers’ supply house where you pur-
chased the mold material. This is usually around
1350°F / 732°C.
1) Select
in Single-Speed mode.
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.
2) Select a rate of 1799°F/999°C at the
prompt
in Ramp-Hold mode. A fast way to do this is to press
the
key once from
.
will ap-
pear.
Saving a Carbon-Damaged Kiln
(pages 6, 8) Hold time of a segment,
shown in hours and minutes. (Example: 2 hours
and 15 minutes = 02.15)
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 recommendthatyou periodicallyfire the
kiln to 1500°F / 815°C as follows:
(Page 8) Add Hold Time: During a firing, you
can extend the hold time of a segment without hav-
ing tofirststopthefiring toreprogram thecontroller.
Open the vent cover(s) or leave the door ajar ½”.
Fire the kiln empty to 1500°F / 815°C at a rate of
300°F / 166°C with a one hour hold (01.00).
(page 3) The controller is ready for you to en-
ter a program or to begin a repeat firing.
Firing has begun. A moment after
ap-
pears, you will hear the relay(s) clicking.
10 Single-Speed/Ramp-Hold
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(pages 7, 8) These
are Ramp-Hold programs stored in memory.
Error Messages
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.
etc. (Rate) (page 8) This 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:
bAdP / Bad Programming
A temperature rise of 100° in two hours = 50° rate.
A temperaturedrop of200°in onehour=200°rate.
EtH / Electronics Too Hot
The circuit board temperature is above 176°F / 80°C.
Press any key to return to
.
(page 6)
These are preset firing rates, or speeds, in Sin-
gle-Speed mode.
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.)
(Skip Step) (page 8) This message appears
when you press the
key during a
Ramp-Hold firing. You can skip out of a segment
into the next segment.
FAIL / Thermocouple Failure
The firing was stopped by pressing
.
The thermocouple, or temperature sensor, failed during
firing. Causes:
I
Defective thermocouple or disconnected/loose wires
The "Ready to Start" message appears after
I
Defective controller
programming a firing. Press
Thermocouple Offset (press the
to begin firing.
) and De-
I
Electrical noise
lay (press the
message.
) are accessed from the
Thermocouple Offset (Page 12). Adjust the
controller to fire hotter or cooler.
Thermocouple Paperclip Test
Check the thermocouple wire connections. (See your
kiln instruction manual.) If connections are tight, perform
this test:
UNPLUG the kiln or disconnect the power. Re-
move the controller. Remove the two thermocouple
wires from the back of the controller.
Cut a thin paperclip in half. Insert a U-shaped
paperclip piece, or other piece of thin wire, where
you removed the thermocouple wires.
Plug in the kiln. If the controller displays room tem-
perature, replace the thermocouple. If it shows
, return the controller for repair or
replacement.
11
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FE Error Messages
PF 3 / Power Failure
The powerfailedduring firing and temperaturedropped
more than 72°F / 40°C by the time the power came back on.
FE 1
FE 2
Memory Read/Write Failure
RAM Failure
The kiln will not resume firing. To return to the
play, press any key.
dis-
FE 3
OEM Factory Data Corruption
Thermocouple “Noise”
Software Error
FE 4
tC / Thermocouple Failure
FE 5
The thermocouple failed during the
display. See
the "paperclip" test under "FAIL," page 11.
To return to
from an FE code
Try pressing any key. If thatdoesn’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.
tCL / Thermocouple Lag
The heatingrateis slower than 9°F / 5°C perhour 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:
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
message.
I
On kilns that use a portable controller, the thermocou-
ple has fallen out of the firing chamber.
FtL / Fired Too Long
This message appears when both of the following condi-
tions are met:
I
A bare spot on the thermocouple lead wires has touched
a grounded object inside the kiln switch box causing the
thermocouple to short out.
I
The temperature rise or fall is less than 27°F / 15°C per
hour.
Check for worn or burned out elements, defectiverelays,
low voltage and defective thermocouple.
I
The firing is 2 hours longer than programmed.
Programminga coolingsegmenttargettemperaturethat
is below or even close to room temperature can also trigger
the
See “Controller display turns on. No heat in kiln,” page
14.
tCr / Thermocouple Reversed
message.
Thermocouple lead wires are reversed. Check that the
thermocouple lead wires are connected to the correct ter-
minals. See your kiln’s wiring diagram.
HtdE / High Temperature
Deviation
Thermocouple
Offset
Causes:
I
During a heating-up ramp or a hold, the temperature is
100°F / 56°C above the programmed temperature.
I
During a cooling-down segment, the temperature is
You can adjust the controller to fire up to 20°F / 11°C
hotter or cooler than the zero factory setting.
100°F / 56°C higher than the segment’s starting temper-
ature.
From
, press the
key. After rate,
will appear.
I
A fast rate caused the controller to overshoot the target
temperature.
temperature, hold, etc.,
With shown in the display, press the
key.
will appear. Press the arrow keys to change
the controller 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.
Press the
keytoreturntothe
display.
The kiln will not resume firing. To return to the
play, press any key.
dis-
To fire the controller, press
.
will ap-
two more
pear. Or to return to
times.
, press
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
press any key.
display,
12 Single-Speed/Ramp-Hold
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Selecting °F or Trouble Shooter
Problem: Controller display is
°C Display
right corner of the display, the temperature shown is °C. No
dot means °F. To change temperature display:
blank. No heat in kiln.
The controller can display temperature in either °F or
I
Is the kiln connected to the power?
°C. If your controller shows a small display dot in the lower
I
Has the circuit breaker tripped or fuse blown?
I
I
Is power reaching the wall receptacle?
Test with a voltmeter or a test light if you are not sure.
UNPLUG kiln or disconnect power.
Has the kiln switch box
½ amp fuse blown?
Remove the four screws that hold the controller to
the front of the kiln. Carefullyremove the controller
from the kiln. Leave the wires attached to the con-
troller.
The kiln’s ½ 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.
Look at the back of the controller. You will find a set
of connector pins near the bottom labeled “C/F.”
When a jumper is placedon the C/F pins, the display
reads°F. When thejumper is removed, displayreads
°C. Remove or insert the jumper as desired. (You
can purchase the jumper from a computer supply
store if necessary.)
Replacement fuse:
AGC 1/2 A 250V AC
I
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
The C/F jumper terminal is on the back of the controller, circled above.
Install the controller being careful not to jar compo-
nents on the back of the controller against the kiln
case.
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
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(in AC mode) to both INPUT connections (the white and
orange wires). (See photo on previous page.)
Problem: Controller display
turns on. No heat in kiln.
CAUTION: Do not let the back of the board touch a
grounded object. Make sure the voltmeter is in the AC
modewhenplacingtheprobesonINPUT connections.
I
Is the relay making its normal clicking sound?
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.
Test the elements with an ohmmeter:
Element Resistance Test
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:
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. Returnthecontrollerfor repairor replacement.
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.
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:
If the elements check out okay, replace the relay.
Note: To replace relay, see your kiln’s instruction and
service manual.
Controller Input Test #2
The back of the board is still facing you and the kiln is
pluggedin. Removethe 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.
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:
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 the
back of the board facing you. Then plug the kiln
back in. Program the controller to fire to 1000°F at
Input 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.
FULL rate in Ramp-Hold mode. Press
.
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.
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.
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.
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 control-
ler is draining the voltage and may be defective. 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.
14 Single-Speed/Ramp-Hold
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Problem: Kiln switch box ½
amp fuses keep blowing.
Index
Add Hold Time. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
alarm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
bAdP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
calibrating the controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
casting temperature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
clicking sound . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6, 8, 14
cooling segment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
CPLt (complete) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Delay timer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
display dot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3, 13
editing target temperature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
element . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
EtH. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
FAIL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
FE error messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
figuring firing time of a segment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
FtL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
fuse. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13, 15
hold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5, 6
HtdE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
lost wax burnout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
PF 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
PF 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
PF 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
power failures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4, 12
power surges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Program Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Ramp-Hold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
rate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
repeating a firing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
scrolling numbers rapidly. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Single Speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Skip Segment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
tC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
tCL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
tCOS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
tCr . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
temperature display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
temperature over-shoot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
temperature, °F and °C. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3, 13
thermocouple . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3, 11
thunder storms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
time display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
I
What size fuse are you using? Correct fuse:
AGC ½ A 250V AC
If thefuse is thecorrectsize, performthefollowingtest:
Kiln Switch Box ½ Amp Fuse Power Test
UNPLUG the kiln/disconnect the power. Remove
the 4 screws holding the controller board faceplate
totheswitch box. Liftfaceplateoutof box andletthe
board hang on the outside of the box with the back
of the board facing you. Disconnect both wire plugs
from the back of the controller. Then plug the kiln
back in. Apply power to kiln. If the ½ amp fuse
blows, replace the transformer. (If the fuse does not
blow, theproblemis aboardor relay. Gotostep2.)
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
. 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.)
UNPLUG kiln/disconnect power. Reconnect the
OUTPUT wire plug. Reinstall the board in the
switch box. Replace the relay.
15
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Shorthand Instructions
These instructions may be confusing until you have read more detailed instructions on Single-Speed, page 6, or
Ramp-Hold, page8. Readthesafetyguidelines, page3. Afterpressingthekeysin leftcolumn, thecentermessagewillappear.
Single-Speed
Keys to Press
Display
thru
(Not Down Arrow) Select rate
(Sample rate)
or
Enter temperature
Enter hold time
(Sample temperature)
(Or hold time)
The kiln is now firing.
Ramp-Hold
Keys to Press
Display
thru
(Not Down Arrow)
Enter Segment 1 rate
Enter Temperature
Enter Hold Time
Select Program #1, 2, 3, or 4
(Sample rate)
or
(Sample temperature)
(Or hold time)
First segment not needed: enter a rate of 0000.
The kiln is now firing.
16 Single-Speed/Ramp-Hold
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