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use a rate of Full. This shuts off the heating elements during
that segment, 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.

Note:

See Temperature Deviation (TEDE), page

20, for information on error codes that may appear
during crash cooling. To turn these codes off, pro-
gram a crash cooling rate of Full. This turns off
TEDE error codes only for that particular seg-
ment. The TEDE codes still work on the hold and
the other segments.

Suppose you enter a cooling rate that is faster than the

kiln can cool? Depending on the rate you enter, you may get
an alarm message. (Press the

Down Arrow

key to turn off

the alarm.)

The controller, of course, cannot speed

cooling beyond the kiln’s natural cooling rate.

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.

Use the programming instructions on page 13 to enter

this firing schedule. Then use Program Review (page 5) 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 4-25)

When the Kiln Shuts Off Too Soon

If the kiln shuts off before the pyrometric witness cone

bends, you can turn the kiln back on and keep firing. Simply
program the next hotter cone in Cone-Fire. The kiln will
begin firing, taking up where it left off.

Starting a Firing in a Hot Kiln

If you ever need to begin a firing when the kiln is already

hot, begin the program as you normally would. The Sentry
Xpress will automatically begin firing from the first seg-
ment that matches the current kiln temperature.

Chapter 4

Customize Your

Controller with

Options

In this chapter you will learn to . . .

G

Activate slow cooling in Cone-Fire

G

Check the amperage that your kiln pulls

G

Choose Fahrenheit or Centigrade display

G

Choose from three types of rates used in pro-

gramming

G

Set up your controller to give the cost of electricity

G

Activate Program Lock so you can protect stored

Ramp-Hold programs

G

Check the circuit board temperature, adjust error

messages, check the software version, and more

The Options give you access to special features and ad-

justments in your Sentry Xpress. With each press of the

Up

Arrow

key, the controller will display the next option. Press

the

Up Arrow

either while the kiln is firing or from

IDLE

.

1

When you find the option you want to use, press the

Start/Stop

key again.

2

Use the arrow keys to select changes for that option.

3

After making a selection for an option, press the

Start/Stop

key.

There are two ways to get out of Options and back to

[IDLE]

:

1

Press the

Start/Stop

key.

2

Do nothing for 60 seconds while in an option. You

will automatically be taken out of the option and
back to

[IDLE]

.

How to Edit a Program
During a Firing

See pages 12-15 for details on ramps, holds, and seg-

ments. While the kiln is firing, you can edit the program in
three ways:

I

Skip out of a segment and into another segment.

I

Change the hold time of the current segment.

I

Change the target temperature of the current segment.

Why would you ever want to edit a program during a fir-

ing? Suppose you have programmed 2167°F for a cone 5
glaze firing, followed by a segment for slow cooling. Watch-
ing the witness cone through a peephole, you notice that
cone 5 is bending at 2150°F, so the kiln doesn’t need to fire

Keep the kiln lid or door closed when the kiln is not in use.

15

Содержание Xpress 5.0

Страница 1: ...21 AOP1 For kilns with the optional AOP switch box electrical outlet p22 ELEC Check circuit board tem perature useful in hot weather p22 EXIT Press Start Stop to return to IDLE OPT3 Press Start Stop t...

Страница 2: ...if you hear a clicking noise during operation Mechanical relays click as they turn theheatingelementsonandoff Thisisnormal Itisalsonormalforthetemperaturetofluctuate up and down as the kiln heats up P...

Страница 3: ...or Glazes 17 General Options DELA Delay the Firing for Later 17 TC Choose Thermocouple Type 18 ALAR Temperature Alarm 18 Setting the Alarm From IDLE 18 Setting the Alarm During a Firing 18 DIAG Diagno...

Страница 4: ...s the controller will interpret a power interruption as a power failure and turn the kiln back on when you reconnect the power G Place the kiln on the stand recommended by the manufacturer When a kiln...

Страница 5: ...hermocouple Keep an extra thermocou ple on hand especially if you fire hotter than 2000 F 1093 C If you are using a separate portable controller you will need to install the thermocouple on the kiln S...

Страница 6: ...ower failed during a firing and the kiln tem perature was below 212 F 100 C when the power came back on PF 3 The power failed during a firing and the tempera ture dropped more than 72 F 40 C by the ti...

Страница 7: ...amp Hold Preventing an Overfire Even though a digital controller turns off the kiln auto matically you should monitor the kiln during firing This is to prevent a possible overfire 1 Remain nearby whil...

Страница 8: ...compare one firing to the next and alert you when something is wrong For example if the wit ness cone bends farther and farther with each consecutive firing this may indicate thermocouple temperature...

Страница 9: ...programmed into Cone Fire slow down during the last 216 F 120 C two hours to produce better density in the ware How to Interpret the Bending of a Pyrometric Cone The cones illustrated here are called...

Страница 10: ...me left in Hold To figure hold time for the next firing subtract time left in Hold from the total hold time entered Sentry Xpress 5 Cone Fire Ramp Hold 10 Do not leave your kiln unattended during oper...

Страница 11: ...y kiln is taking too long to fire 9 hours to cone 6 I want the kiln to fire in 4 hours Answer 9 hours is the firing time programmed into the Cone Fire mode at fast speed The easiest way to go faster i...

Страница 12: ...om your supplier The heating rate also varies depending on the thickness of the material Note Some brands of controllers fire to a temper ature in a given length of time If you would prefer to program...

Страница 13: ...is not in use 13 Ramp Hold Programming Instructions You have up to 20 segments available in Ramp Hold Zero outsegmentsthatyoudon tneed See step 9 below Lock Fan and Delay can each be turned on or off...

Страница 14: ...rature indefinitely until you press the Start Stop key Ceramics Watch the pyrometric witness cones through a peephole during hold Press the Start Stop key when the correct witness cone bends noting ho...

Страница 15: ...ng from the first seg ment that matches the current kiln temperature Chapter4 Customize Your Controller with Options In this chapter you will learn to G Activate slow cooling in Cone Fire G Check the...

Страница 16: ...s Then press Start Stop If you don t want to change the hold time after all leave the setting alone and press Start Stop Change the Target Temperature of the Current Segment 1 During a Cone Fire or Ra...

Страница 17: ...g feature It will appear as the COOL prompt during Cone Fire programming But first you have to turn on Slow Cooling in options If you don t turn on the option the Slow Cooling prompt will remain hidde...

Страница 18: ...the glass before the expected fusing or slumping temperature You can see the glass through a kiln window You can enter only one alarm temperature at a time However after the alarm beeps you can set t...

Страница 19: ...ay The controller operates in your choice of Fahrenheit or Celsius temperature In C display a lighted dot appears in the lower right In F it disappears To switch from F to C or vice versa 1 From IDLE...

Страница 20: ...Stop key IDLE will appear 4 From IDLE press the Up Arrow repeatedly un til TCOS appears 5 Press Start Stop O or a Thermocouple Off set will appear 6 Using the arrow keys enter the new offset Press Sta...

Страница 21: ...o such as when the lid is vented or a bead door is open when you load a bead rod CAUTION The High Temperature Deviation HTDE alarm shuts off the kiln to prevent an overfire On controllers with pre 18D...

Страница 22: ...tions 2 Whenyousee AOP1 press theStart Stopkey 3 Use the arrow keys to select one of the above op tions Then press Start Stop ELEC Electronics Temperature Check the Circuit Board Temperature High temp...

Страница 23: ...ou fire your kiln during off peak periods 1 From IDLE or while firing press the Up Arrow repeatedly until CENT appears Note With each Up Arrow key press you will see the next option When you see EXIT...

Страница 24: ...ess Start Stop to return to IDLE The software ver sion can be changed only at the factory CFG Configuration Code 1 From IDLE or while firing press the Up Arrow repeatedly until CFG appears Note With e...

Страница 25: ...H alarm for that particular segment LTDE Low Temperature Deviation I During a cooling down ramp or a hold the temperature is below the set point temperature by more than the de viation setting See Tem...

Страница 26: ...rogrammed temperature I During a cooling down segment the temperature is 100 F 56 C above thesegment s startingtemperature I A fast rate caused the controller to overshoot the target temperature I A r...

Страница 27: ...rts a firing after a power failure the display will show the following I PF 1 PF 2 or PF 3 I Total firing time before power failed I Temperature at the time of power failure I Current kiln temperature...

Страница 28: ...is too hot so the kiln shut off F C Change F C 19 Choose between operation in degrees F or degrees C Message Definition Page Reference F 1 or C 1 Target Temperature 13 This prompt which appears in Ram...

Страница 29: ...s a safety precaution If you had a S Type thermocouple and Reset selected K Type your kiln would overfire On the other hand if you had a K Type thermo couple S Type selected would underfire your kiln...

Страница 30: ...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 17...

Страница 31: ...2 Rate 3 Temp 3 Rate 4 Temp 4 010 180 550 85 600 100 843 60 903 09 180 550 85 600 100 860 60 920 08 180 550 85 600 100 882 60 942 07 180 550 85 600 100 916 60 976 06 180 550 85 600 100 938 60 998 05...

Страница 32: ...range 8 2212 2280 2320 Yellow 9 2235 2300 2336 White 10 2284 2345 2381 Pink Rate of temperature increase during last 90 120 minutes of firing Tables by courtesy of the Edward Orton Jr Ceramic Foundati...

Страница 33: ...an On Off User Program ______ Date_______________________________ Type of firing Firing results Recommendations for the next firing of this type RA1 1 Hd1 RA2 2 Hd2 RA3 3 Hd3 RA4 4 Hd4 RA5 5 Hd5 RA6 6...

Страница 34: ...e pyrometric cone placed on a kiln shelf beside the ware being fired O Overfire When a kiln fires hotter than intended Some kilns cannot overfire They don t get hot enough Overshoot The temperature ha...

Страница 35: ...te Start Stop F 1 Ready to enter a firing temperature Up Down Arrows 0200 Sample firing rate Start Stop HD 1 Ready to enter a hold time if any Up Down Arrows 00 00 Enter hold time 00 00 no hold time R...

Страница 36: ...Stop HOLD Ready to enter a hold time Up Down Arrows 00 20 Sample Enter hold hrs mins Start Stop COOL Ready to enter a cooling rate Up Down Arrows 0200 Sample cooling rate Start Stop LOCK Do you want...

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