4
Press
Start/Stop
.
[IDLE]
will appear.
How to Program in Ramp-Hold with TIME
Selected in Rate
After selecting
[TIME]
in the RATE option, program
the amount of time that each segment should take to reach
its target temperature. Hours and minutes are separated by
the center display dot. For example, 1 hour and 30 minutes
is programmed in rate as 01.30.
The Time mode in some ways is different and opposite
the standard degrees of temperature per hour rate:
I
For a Full rate, or the fastest that the kiln will fire, select
a time rate of 00.00.
After you have entered all of the segments for your pro-
gram, you will need to zero out the remaining available seg-
ments. To do this, select a rate of 99.00 hours.
CENT / Cost Per Kilowatt-Hour from
Your Electric Bill (for Firing Cost)
The controller can figure the electrical cost of a firing if
you enter 1) the cost of electricity from your electric bill and
2) the wattage of your kiln. The cost of electricity is entered
in the CENT option. The wattage of your kiln is entered in
the KW option. (See next option, right column.)
Pointer:
The cost of electricity is figured in kilo-
watt-hours (KWh). A kilowatt-hour is 1,000 watts
of electricity running for 1 hour. (10 – 100-watt
light bulbs glowing for one hour consume 1 KWh of
electricity.)
To find what the power company charges you for a kilo-
watt-hour, look at your electric bill, call your power com-
pany, or visit their website. The electric rate may vary de-
pending on the time of year and amount of electricity you
use. In the summer, the electric rate may go up.
On your electric bill, you will find the cost per kilo-
watt-hour along with other charges such as a delivery
charge and taxes. Divide the total amount of your bill by the
number of kilowatt-hours on your bill.
Electric bills can get complicated. The rates can vary by
time of day or the day of the week. On an electric bill, this is
called peak and off-peak rates. You may be paying less than
the above calculation if you 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]
, press the
Up Arrow
again to see more options. When
[OPT2]
appears, press
Start/Stop
followed by the
Up Arrow
. That will take you to more options. Re-
peat with
[OPT3]
.
2
When
[CENT]
appears, press the
Start/Stop
key.
3
From an electric bill, enter the cost of a kilo-
watt-hour. Place cents to the right of the decimal.
Round off fractions. (Example: Enter 9.25 cents per
kilowatt-hour as 00.09.) Then press
Start/Stop
.
[IDLE]
will appear.
Pointer:
You can enter the cost in U. S., Canadian,
or Euro cents, British pence, Indian paisas, or any
other money system that is based upon 100 units
(i.e. 100 cents = 1 dollar.) If your system is based
upon 1000 units, such as the Libyan dirham, the
Oman baiza, or the Kuwait fil, divide the cost by 10.
Example: Enter 140 as 00.14. Then multiply by 10
the cost of a firing shown in the controller display.
KW / Kilowatts of Your Kiln (Needed
to Calculate Firing Cost)
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. It is usually on the side of the
switch box. The data plate lists the watts, amps, and volts. If
watts are not listed, multiply amps x volts. (Example: 15
amps x 240 volts = 3,600 watts.)
Divide the wattage of your kiln by 1000, which gives the
kilowatts.
3 examples:
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]
or while firing, press the
Up Arrow
repeatedly until
[KW]
appears.
Note:
With each
Up Arrow
key press, you will see
the next option. When you see
[EXIT]
, press the
Up Arrow
again to see more options. When
[OPT2]
appears, press
Start/Stop
followed by the
Up Arrow
. That will take you to more options. Re-
peat with
[OPT3]
.
2
When
[KW]
appears, press the
Start/Stop
key.
3
The controller shows 4 digits for entering kilowatts:
[00.00]
. Enter kilowatts for your kiln.
Keep the kiln lid or door closed when the kiln is not in use.
23
Your Sentry can give you the electrical cost of a firing.
Photo by Nick Casberg.
