DTC 1000, 800, 600 & 100 Series
Controller Trouble Shooter
1
CAUTION: Attaching the INPUT wires (white, orange) to the controller’s OUTPUT
connectors can destroy the controller! Use care when connecting wires.
©Paragon Industries, Inc. IM-195/9-00
Page 1: ... 100 Series Controller Trouble Shooter 1 CAUTION Attaching the INPUT wires white orange to the controller s OUTPUT connectors can destroy the controller Use care when connecting wires Paragon Industries Inc IM 195 9 00 ...
Page 2: ...2 2011 South Town East Blvd Mesquite Texas 75149 1122 800 876 4328 972 288 7557 Toll Free Fax 888 222 6450 Paragonind worldnet att net www paragonweb com ...
Page 3: ...oter This is usually faster than a phone inquiry When calling please have in front of you the information on your kiln s electrical data plate You will find this on the side of the kiln switch box Make a record of all your firings Include firing time temperature witness cones and firing results These records will be a valuable trouble shooting aid Firing record blanks are available from Paragon Th...
Page 4: ...fuse is bad Replacement fuse AGC 1 2 A 250V AC If replacement kiln fuses keep blow ing see Kiln switch box amp fuses keep blowing page 10 I Is the controller receiving power Test INPUTS with a voltmeter Controller Power Input Test Make sure the kiln is unplugged and remove the 4 screws holding the controller board faceplate to the switch box Lift faceplate out of box andlettheboardhangontheboxwith...
Page 5: ...ing wires Controller display turns on No heat in kiln I Has a delay been programmed The elements will not fire until the delay time has elapsed I Is the relay making its normal clicking sound Yes the relay is clicking Test the elements with an ohmmeter Element Ohmmeter Test 1 UNPLUG kiln disconnect the power Open the kiln s switch box Make sure the wires connecting the relays to the ele ments are ...
Page 6: ...o continuity reading with the lid or door closed no needle move ment on an analog ohmmeter OPEN reading on a digital meter Kiln fires too slowly or will not reach temperature I Is your kiln model rated to fire hot enough for the ware I Does kiln voltage match circuit voltage Be sure your 240 volt kiln is not plugged into a 208 volt outlet and vice versa I Check wall outlet voltage with a voltmeter...
Page 7: ...over 50 feet the wire gauge should be one gauge heavier than the catalog recommendation I Check kiln amperage with an ammeter at wall receptacle Wall Receptacle Ammeter Test The ammeter measures the amps that the kiln draws If an element is burned out or a relay is broken the kiln will draw less amperage See the electrical data plate for your kiln s rated amperage Before checking amps check voltag...
Page 8: ...lyoucanseetheglowingelements Use a protective glove Keep your face well away from the firing chamber Do not reach inside the chamber DO NOT TOUCH THE ELEMENTS WITH ANYTHING Lift the lid for only a moment then close The center elements in most 7 8 10 and 12 sided kilns will not glow brightly but there should be a faint redness It iseasiertoseetheelementswithroomlightsturnedoff Somekilnstake40minute...
Page 9: ...sing the breaker to shut off Is the kiln too close to the circuit breaker or fuse panel Heat from the kiln may shut off the circuit breaker or blow a fuse Check electrical connections for tightness Loose connections over heat build resistance and trip the breaker blow the fuse Does the circuit breaker panel or wall outlet feel hot If so have repaired by an electrician Unplug kiln disconnect the po...
Page 10: ...lace the wall outlet If you smell burning plastic turn off the breaker immediately Touch the wall receptacle faceplate If it feels hot re place the receptacle Replace the kiln cord if it has been damaged by heat from the outlet DO NOT FIRE THE KILN UNTIL THE RECEPTACLE AND CORD ARE REPAIRED Temperature Problems Controller reads wrong temperature I Has a hold been inadvertently programmed If the te...
Page 11: ... down a few degrees during firing As temperature rises the readout will not show a steady climb but rather minor jumps up and down This section of the troubleshoot is for readouts that are erratic by 10 15 degrees and more I Does erratic temperature display start at around 1600 F A poor circuit ground can cause high temperature erratic readings So can a thermocouple that touches a grounded object ...
Page 12: ...ktheelectricalcir cuit for a poorly connected grounding wire I Did you recently change the transformer Atransformerofthewrongvoltagecancauseanerratictemperaturedisplayandmissingdisplaydigits Seepage1 The display remains stuck I Stuck key Return the controller for replacement of key pad I Electrical noise Sometimes a chattering relay or other source of electrical noise freezes the display message T...
Page 13: ... the controller board faceplate to the switch box Lift faceplate out of box Look at the back of the board You should see a yellow wire and a red wire connected to thermocouple screw connections on the back of the board See diagrams page 1 If one of these wires is disconnected or loose recon nect or tighten Grasp connector block to prevent block from twisting The controller should work now Test the...
Page 14: ...rogress to wait for the zone temperatures to even out This can cause an Err 1 code Useahigherlagtemperature oruseadelayedtemperaturelag Seethemultiple zoneinstructions I Kilns with a power connection fuse box has a fuse blown A blown fuse in the power connection fuse box will shut down one of the relays and its elements This could slow the kiln down and cause an Err 1 code See page 8 I Does your k...
Page 15: ... temperature rises 50 above a cool down Ramp temperature instead of a Hold temperature If the last segment of your firing is a cool down an Err4 means your kiln fired to maturity then be came too hot during the cool down Err 6 I Are the thermocouple lead wires hooked up correctly UNPLUG kiln and remove the controller from the switch box Make sure the yellow and red wires are attached to the correc...
Page 16: ... elements the kiln will fire out of balance When a zone gets over 100 F hotter than the pro grammed temperature Errd appears To solve the problem compare the switch box wiring with the wiring diagram for your kiln Trace thermocouple and relay lead wires to the back of the DTC 1000 board Each thermocouple should be matched to the correct relay See DTC 1000 diagram page 1 Kiln Thermocouple Relay Sec...
