Thunder Storms and Power Surges
Unplug the kiln when not in use, especially during thun-
der storms and in areas that have frequent power surges. If
the kiln is part way through a firing when a storm begins, it
may be okay to continue the firing. When the kiln shuts off,
disconnect the power.
CAUTION:
When firing the kiln during a storm,
do not leave the kiln unattended.
Canceling a New Program
It’s okay if you pause while entering a program. There is
no time out. If you change your mind and want to cancel a
new program, turn off the power to the controller. Or con-
tinue entering a program. When
[STRT]
appears, press the
Down Arrow key. The controller will cancel the firing and
go back to
[IDLE]
.
Cone-Fire and Ramp-Hold
To give you greater flexibility, your controller has two
firing modes: Cone-Fire and Ramp-Hold.
Cone-Fire Mode (see pages 8-11)
Cone-Fire mode fires the ware to a pyrometric cone
number using the Orton cone tables on page 32. This mode
is for ceramics, pottery, stoneware, and glazes. Your sup-
plier can tell you which cone number to program.
Ramp-Hold Mode (see pages 12-15)
Use Ramp-Hold mode to create custom firings. Select
your own firing speed, temperature, and hold time in up to
20 steps, or segments.
The chart shows the recommended firing mode for sev-
eral types of ware:
Type of Firing
Suggested Firing
Mode
China Painting
Cone-Fire
Ceramic Decals
Cone-Fire
Ceramic Glaze
Cone-Fire
Ceramic Greenware
Cone-Fire
Glass Bead Annealing
Ramp-Hold
Glass Fusing
Ramp-Hold
Glass Slumping
Ramp-Hold
Lost Wax
Ramp-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 while the kiln is firing. Check the
kiln occasionally.
2
Set the temperature
alarm (page 18) to re-
mind yourself to check
the kiln. If you are too far
away to hear the alarm,
you might try using a
baby monitor.
3
After the kiln fires to
completion, disconnect
the power. It is okay to
turn off the power to the
controller while the kiln
cools to room tempera-
ture.
How to Disable the Audible Alarm
The Sentry Xpress makes a beeping noise when it fires to
completion and when it displays error messages. Some peo-
ple prefer not to have an audible alarm. You can disable the
alarm by removing a jumper on the back of the controller.
Replace the jumper
w he n you w a nt th e
alarm again.
1
Disconnect the kiln
from the power.
2
Remove the four
corner screws that
hold the controller
to the switch box.
Lift out the con-
troller.
3
F i n d t h e 2 - p i n
jumper plug for the
alarm on the back
of the controller. It
is on the connec-
tion pins labeled
BUZZ ENABLE.
Remove and save
the jumper plug.
4
Reinstall the con-
troller being careful not to tug on the wires.
Keep the kiln lid or door closed when the kiln is not in use.
7
Try to avoid firing your kiln during thunderstorms. Keep the kiln discon-
nected from the power when not in use. (Lake Grapevine, Texas. Photo by
Jared Davidson.)
Pointer:
Set a wristwatch alarm,
cell phone, or even an alarm clock
to remind youself to check on your
kiln.
Remove the 2-pin jumper plug from the
connectors labeled BUZZ ENABLE to si-
lence the beeping alarm.You will find the
connectors on the back of the controller.
