Chapter 2
The 12 Keys
In This Chapter you will learn to . . .
G
Check for mistakes before firing a program
G
Edit a program during a firing
G
Delay a firing to suit your schedule
G
Know which segment is firing at any time
G
Set an audible temperature alarm
G
Find out the electrical cost of a firing
Correcting Entries
If you enter the wrong temperature, cone, time, etc.,
while programming, enter 0000. Then enter the correct
numbers before pressing ENTER. See also the Stop/Back
Key, page 10.
Note:
During programming mode on the previous
Sentry 2.0 controllers, the display went back to
[IDLE]
if you paused for one minute. On your new
Sentry 3.0, the display will no longer time out dur-
ing programming. You must advance or go back to
exit programming.
The 1 Key / Cone-Fire
Cone-Fire mode fires your kiln to a pyrometric cone. See
Chapter 3, page 10, for details. To find out if your Sentry in-
cludes Cone-Fire:
1
From
[IDLE]
display, press 1. If
[CONE]
appears,
you have Cone-Fire mode. If the 1 key does not re-
spond, you have Ramp-Hold mode only.
2
Press
STOP
to bring the controller back to
[IDLE]
.
The 2 Key / Add Time
This key adds five minutes to a Hold. It is designed for
ceramists who watch witness cones and for glass artists who
watch the glass near the fusing temperature.
1
During a firing, press
2
.
[HD ]
plus the segment
number, and hold time, will appear. If that segment
has no hold time,
[00.00]
will appear.
2
Press 2 again. The time shown will increase by 5 min-
utes.
3
To return to the temperature display, press any key
(except
2
) or wait 10 seconds.
Note:
Add Time will add 5 minutes to a hold even if
no hold had been programmed before. After hold
time appears in the display, 5 minutes will be added
with each press of the key.
The 3 Key / Delay Fire
This delays the start of the firing by the amount of time
entered. Use it to fit a firing into your schedule or to take
advantage of lower electric rates at night. Delay zeroes out
after each firing. Therefore, it must be programmed again
for each firing. The maximum delay is 99 hours and 59 min-
utes.
1
First, enter the Cone-Fire or Ramp-Hold program
you are going to fire.
2
From
[IDLE]
press 3. Enter delay time (i.e., 5 ½
hours = 05.30). Press
ENTER
.
3
To begin Delay, press
ENTER
once from
[IDLE]
. A
Delay count-down timer will appear.
Note:
Press
START
during delay to end the delay
and begin the firing. (You could also press
STOP
to end the delay and then
START
to begin the
firing.)
CAUTION:
For safety, do not leave the kiln alone
during a delay or a firing. We cannot guarantee
your kiln against overfiring even though the con-
troller is automatic. The operator assumes full re-
sponsibility for shutting the kiln off at the proper
time.
The 4 Key / Ramp-Hold / Edit
Ramp-Hold fires the kiln to the temperature you spec-
ify, whereas Cone-Fire fires to a pyrometric cone. Press 4
from
[IDLE]
to program a Ramp-Hold firing or to select a
stored Ramp-Hold program. See “Ramp-Hold,” page 14.
Editing the Current Segment
During Ramp-Hold Firing
Note:
This feature works only in Ramp-Hold, not
in Cone-Fire.
While the kiln is firing in Ramp-Hold, you can change
the target temperature, ramp rate, and hold time of the cur-
rent segment. (You can edit only the segment that is firing.
Keep the kiln lid or door closed when the kiln is not in use.
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