10,800 watts ÷ 1000 = 010.8
4,800 watts ÷ 1000 = 004.8
800 watts ÷ 1000 = 000.8
Enter that amount in the KW option:
1
From
[IDLE]
, press
OPTIONS
repeatedly until
[KW]
appears. Press
ENTER
.
2
The controller shows 4 digits for entering kilo-
watts:
[000.0]
. Enter kilowatts for your kiln.
3
Press
ENTER
.
4
Press
STOP
to return to
[IDLE]
.
Note:
Please do not confuse kilowatts with kilo-
watt-hours. A kilowatt is 1,000 watts. A kilo-
watt-hour is 1,000 watts powered for one hour.
To view the cost of a firing, press the
8
key after the kiln
has fired to completion and
[CPLT]
flashes.
TEDE / Temperature Deviation
Adjust Temperature Sensitivity of Error Codes
The temperature that the controller is trying to reach, at
any given time, is called the set point. During heating or
cooling, the set point changes at the rate you programmed.
During a hold, the set point remains steady.
The Sentry shows error messages when it can’t maintain
the set point temperature. The cushion, or leeway, allowed
before an error message flashes is called Temperature De-
viation. When the temperature in the kiln is off target by
more than the Temperature Deviation setting, the alarm
sounds. Temperature Deviation affects these error mes-
sages (see page 27):
[FTH]
Fail to Heat
[FTC]
Fail to Cool
[LTDE]
Low Temperature Deviation
Some people worry when
[FTH]
,
[FTC]
or
[LTDE]
ap-
pears. They wonder if something is wrong with the kiln
when in many cases there isn’t. Here are four ways to stop
the alarm messages from appearing during routine firings:
Method 1:
Test your kiln to find its fastest firing rate
and its slowest cooling rate. Then program the controller
using rates within the range of the kiln’s heating/cooling ca-
pacity. Example: If your fastest heating rate is 600° per
hour, enter a rate no faster than 600°.
Method 2:
Set the deviation temperature to a higher
number in the
[TEDE]
option. The higher the number, the
less likely that an alarm message will appear.
Method 3:
Set the deviation temperature to 0 in the
[TEDE]
option. This turns off the
[FTH]
,
[FTC]
and
[LTDE]
alarms (page 27). We do not recommend a 0 set-
ting.
Method 4:
Program a segment at FULL rate (9999°).
This will shut off the deviation alarms for that segment.
(However, deviation alarms will continue to work during
the hold and all other segments with slower rates.)
CAUTION:
The High Temperature Deviation
(HTDE) alarm shuts off the kiln to prevent an
overfire. On controllers with pre-18D software, en-
tering a temperature deviation of 0 turns off this
important alarm! On all controllers, entering a
FULL rate also turns off this alarm for the segment
with the FULL rate.
Changing the Deviation Temperature
If you flash cool the kiln by venting the lid, or if a bead
door triggers an alarm, raise the
[TEDE]
temperature.
1
From
[IDLE]
, press
OPTIONS
repeatedly until
[TEDE]
appears.
2
Press
ENTER
. Change the deviation temperature.
The higher the number, the less likely you will acti-
vate the alarms.
3
Press
ENTER
. Press
STOP
to return to
[IDLE]
.
Note:
The factory default
[TEDE]
setting is 100°F /
56°C.
Example:
The Fail to Heat code
[FTH]
appears during
a firing when the kiln cannot heat as fast as programmed.
The Temperature Deviation
[TEDE]
is set to 100°F / 56°C.
The Fail to Heat code will appear if the temperature is
100°F / 56°C or more below the set point.
HTDE / Adjust High Temperature
Deviation
Change The High Temperature Shutoff Setting
The
[HTDE]
setting is the amount that the temperature
can exceed the programmed temperature before the kiln
shuts off. The factory
[HTDE]
setting is 100°F / 65°C. The
adjustment range is 18°F - 200°F / 10°C - 111°C.
1
From
[IDLE]
, press
OPTIONS
repeatedly until
[HTDE]
appears.
24
Cone-Fire / Ramp-Hold
Do not leave your kiln unattended during operation.
To figure the cost to fire your kiln, the controller needs to know how many
kilowatts your kiln uses. Look at your kiln’s electrical data plate for the
watts and divide by 1,000. (Carry the decimal 3 places to the left. In the
above photo, the wattage is 1680. Enter 1.68 in the KW option.
