Paragon Sentry 3.0 Instructions Manual

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Sentry 3.0

Digital Temperature Controller

Cone-Fire and Ramp-Hold Instructions

Cone-Fire (pg 10-13)

From IDLE, press 1.

Basic firing to a cone num ber. Enter cone number, speed, pre-heat, hold, and slow cool.

Ramp-Hold (pg 14-18)

From IDLE, press 4.

Select stored program (1 - 4). Enter rate, temperature, and hold for each segment.

Edit Ramp-Hold (pg 7)

During firing, press 4.

Change the current segment rate. Press ENTER. Change temperature. Press ENTER. Change the hold. Press ENTER. The kiln will continue firing.

Alarm (pg 8-9)

From IDLE or during firing, press 7.

Enter a temperature. When alarm sounds during firing, press 7. To silence, press 0, then Enter.

Enter/Start

1) Press ENTER/Start after each step in programming a firing.

2) Press ENTER/Start once from

[IDLE] to begin firing.

Firing Cost (pg 9)

Press 8 after the kiln fires to completion.

The cost of the last firing will appear. (First enter electrical cost in the

[CENT] option and kiln

wattage in the tion, pg 23.)

[KW] op

Options (Next Page)

From IDLE, press 0. Press ENTER for the option displayed.

Turnthepagetoexplore the ways you can custom ize your controller.

Stop/Back (pg 10)

Press during firing or programming.

1) Stops a firing.

2) In Options, takes you

back to

3) During programming,

takes you back one step

each time key is pressed.

[IDLE].

Delay (pg 7)

From IDLE, press 3.

Enter time in hours:minutes. Delays the start of firing.

Add Time (pg 7)

During firing, press 2.

Each additional key press adds five minutes to a hold. It works in both Ramp-Hold and Cone-Fire.

Present Status (pg 8)

During firing, press 5.

Shows the rate of heating or cooling and the segment that is currently firing. Works in both Ramp-Hold and Cone-Fire.

Program Review (pg 8)

From IDLE or during firing, press 6.

Shows the program that is loaded in memory and ready to fire, or the one that is firing.

Cone Table & Skip Segment (pg 9)

From IDLE or during fir ing, press 9.

1) From IDLE, shows tempera ture for the cone # you enter.

2) While firing in Ramp-Hold, skips to any ramp you select.

3) While firing In Cone-Fire, skips out of Pre-Heat or Hold.

IM-204/12-18

QuickCone-Fireprogramming...page11 Ramp-Holdprogrammingforthepoweruser...page15 Errormessages...pages27-29 Confused about display messages? . . . pages 30 - 31

The Options

Before You Begin

CustomizeyourSentrywiththeOptions key. From IDLE, press Options (the 0 key) repeatedly until you see the desired option listed below. Then press ENTER. See pages 19 - 26 for details.

[SPD] Speed Alter the Fast, Medium, or Slow speeds of a

Cone-Fire program. (Pg 19)

[OFST] Cone Offset AdjustCone-Firetomatchthebend

ing of the witness cone. (Pg 20)

[COOL] Slow Cooling Turn on controlled cooling in

Cone-Fire. This can dramatically affect glazes. (Pg 21)

[FAN] Vent Fan Select when the vent fan will operate in

Cone-Fire. (This is an optional kiln upgrade.) (Page 21)

[DIAG] Amperage Test Find out why your kiln is slowing

down. Kiln must be equipped with an amp sensor. (Pg 21)

[TC] Thermocouple Type Select Type K, N, S or R thermo

couple. Use caution! Selecting the wrong type can over or underfire your kiln. (Pg 21)

[F/C] Select °F or °C temperature display. (Pg 22) [TCOS] Thermocouple Offset If your controller is firing too

hot or cold, adjust the thermocouple setting. (Pg 22)

[AOP1] [AOP2] AOP Outlet Select vent fan or alarm if

your kiln has an auxiliary output. This is a special-order kiln feature. (Pg 22)

[RATE] Rate Calculation Type Your controller is set for

degrees-per-hour rate by default. You can change the rate to temperature-reached-in-elapsed-time. (Pg 23)

[CENT] Electric Rate Enter rate shown on electric bill so

your controller can estimate the firing cost. (Pg 23)

[KW] TheCosttoFireKilnEnter your kiln’s wattage. (Pg

23)

[TEDE] Temperature Deviation Set temperature sensitivity

for FTH, FTC & LTdE errors. (Pg 24)

[HTDE] High Temperature Error Code Change the high

temperature shutoff setting. (Pg. 24)

[SFTY] Maximum temperature rating of your kiln. (P 25) [LIM] Set Max. Temp. Set your own maximum tempera

ture.(Pg.25)

[ELEC] Electronics Temp. Check the circuit board tem

perature for overheating. Useful in the summer. (Pg 25)

[LOCK] Program Lock Make a program tamper-proof.

Lock individual Ramp-Hold programs. (Pg 25)

[CFG] Configuration Code For technicians. (Pg 26) [SOFT] Software # (Pg 26) [TEST] Element Test (Pg 26) [RST] Reset Removes the thermocouple offset and returns

the board to factory defaults. (Pg 26)

[DIFF] Difference Multi-zone kilns: Shows the difference in

temperature between top and bottom zones. (Pg 26)

[T123] Zone Temperatures Multi-zone kilns: Shows the

temperature of each zone. (Pg 26)

Thank you for purchasing the Sentry 3.0 temperature controller. As you read the manual, pull up a chair and sit in front of your kiln so you can try out the keys.

The controller display messages are limited to four characters. If at any time you are con

fused by thesemessages, turn toAppendix A: Display Messages on pages 30 - 31.

The back cover is a shorthand guide to programming, to be used after you have

read the programming instructions on pages 10 and 14.

Do not worry if you hear a clicking noise during operation. Mechanical relays click as they turn the heating elements on and off. This is normal.

The warranty on your Sentry controller does not coverdamage from overfiring,regardless of the circumstances. It is the operator’s responsibility to make sure the kiln turns off at the end of the firing.

Instructions for multiple-zone kilns are included in this manual. If you are not sure whether your kiln is multiple-zone, look into the firing chamber. If you see two or three thermocouple tips, your kiln is mul tiple-zone. If you see only one thermocou

ple, skip multiple-zone instructions.

New Features With the Sentry 3.0, we are introducing the amperage test (DIAG option, page 21). The controller now has 35 programs in Ramp-Hold, with 20 seg

ments each. Lock individual programs with Program Lock (page 25). Adjust the maximum temperature of your kiln (page

25), and use a rate of tempera ture-reached-in-elapsed time if you pre

fer (page 23).

2 Cone-Fire / Ramp-Hold Do not leave your kiln unattended during operation.

Contents

Safety .................4

Quick habits for trouble-free firing.

1 Basic Pointers .........5

A quick read of this chapter will save you time later when you fire your kiln.

Two Ways to Fire Your Controller . . . 5

Hot and Cold Weather............5

Thunder Storms and Power Surges . 5

How to Read the Display..........5

Repeat Firings ..................6

Thermocouple Inspection .........6

Preventing an Overfire............6

2 The Keys .............7

Learn your way around the keypad.

The 1 Key / Cone-Fire ............7

The 2 Key / Add Time ............7

The 3 Key / Delay Fire............7

The 4 Key / Ramp-Hold / Edit ......7

The 5 Key / Present Status ........8

The 6 Key / Program Review ......8

The 7 Key / Temperature Alarm ....8

The 8 Key / The Firing Cost .......9

The 9 Key / Cone #s, Skip Segment 9

The ENTER/Start Key...........10

The Options Key...............10

The Stop/Back Key.............10

3 Cone-Fire ............10

Learn basic ceramic firing quickly and easily.

Cone-Fire Programming .........11

Speed SPD ...................12

Pre-Heat PRHT ................12

Hold HOLD ...................13

Slow Cooling COOL ............13

For Kilns with AOP Outlet ........13

4 Ramp-Hold...........14

Read this section for non-ceramic fir ingsandcustomizedprograms.

Theory of Ramp-Hold Operation. . . 14

Storing Programs ..............14

Ramp-Hold Programming ........15

Types of Rates.................16

Hold (HD #)...................16

AOPFan .....................16

Programming a Cooling Segment . 16

Temperature Overshoot .........17

Sample Firing Schedules ........17

Starting a Firing in a Hot Kiln .....18

When the Kiln Shuts Off Too Soon . 18

5 Multiple-Zone ........18

Only for kilns that have more than one thermocouple.

An Overview of Multiple-Zone Firing

.............................18

Thermocouple Failure

In a Multiple-Zone Kiln ..........18

Power Output Lights ............18

Testing Multiple-Zone Elements . . . 19

6 The Options ..........19

Become a power user with this chap ter. The information is here if you ever need it.

SPD / Cone-Fire Speed .........19

OFST / Cone Offset ............20

COOL / Slow Cooling ...........21

FAN / Controlling a Kiln Vent .....21

DIAG / Amperage Test ..........21

TC / Thermocouple Type ........21

F/C / Selecting °F or °C Display . . . 22

TCOS / Thermocouple Offset .....22

AOP1, AOP2 / Auxiliary Outlets . . . 22 RATE / Select Preferred

Type of Rate ..................23

CENT / Electric Cost ............23

KW / Kilowatts Used to

Calculate Firing Cost ............23

TEDE / Temperature Deviation ....24

HTDE / Adjust High

Temperature Deviation ..........24

SFTY / Maximum Temperature ....25

LIM / Set Maximum Temperature . . 25 ELEC / Electronics Temperature . . 25

LOCK / Program Lock...........25

CFG / Configuration Code .......26

SOFT / Software Version.........26

TEST / Element Test ............26

RST / Reset ...................26

DIFF / Zone Temperature

Difference ...................26

T123 / Zone Temperature Display . 26

7 Error Messages.......27

Error messages are like the heart rate monitor on a digital watch . . . They let you know when something is wrong.

FTC / Failed to Cool ............27

FTH / Failed to Heat ............27

LTDE / Low Temperature Deviation 27

PF / Power Failure ..............27

TC and 1, 2, or 3 / Multiple-Zone Kiln

Thermocouple Failure ...........27

----/ No Thermocouple.........27

BADP / Bad Programming .......27

ETH / Electronics Too Hot........28

FAIL / Thermocouple Failure .....28

FE 1 / Failed to Read/Write

To Memory ...................28

FE 4 / Unstable Analog-to-Digital Con version; Errors Detecting Thermocouple

Signal........................28

FTL / Firing Too Long ...........28

HTDE / High Temperature

Deviation .....................28

LAG / Thermocouple Lag ........28

LID / Missing Connector Pin ......28

OTL / Over Temperature Limit ....29

PF1 / Power Failure .............29

PF 2 / Power Failure ............29

PF 3 / Power Failure ............29

TC 2 / Thermocouple Failure .....29

TCDE / Uneven Multiple-Zone

Temperatures .................29

TCR / Thermocouple Leads

Reversed .....................29

Power Failures .................29

Appendix A: Display

Messages .............30

Come to this section often to master your controller.

Appendix B: Cone-Fire

Schedules.............32

Appendix C: Upgrading In

structions .............34

How to replace earlier Paragon con trollers (DTC 100, 600, 800 & 1000 Se ries) with the Sentry 3.0.

Appendix D: Orton Cone

Temperature Chart......36

Appendix E: Blank Records for your Kiln Log Book. . . 37

Make copies. Keep a log book of your firings. Build a knowledge base.

Appendix F: Ramp-Hold Shorthand Instructions. . 39

Appendix G: Cone-Fire Short

hand Instructions.......40

Keep the kiln lid or door closed when the kiln is not in use. 3

Safety Rules

The warranty on your Sentry controller does not cover damage from overfiring, regardless of the circumstances.It is the operator’s responsibility to make sure the kiln turns off at the end of the firing.

Follow these safety rules in addition to the ones in your kiln manual:

When the kiln is not in use, disconnect the

power and keep the lid or door closed. (For

larger kilns with heavy cordsets, we recommend

a power disconnect box near the kiln.)

Large studio kilns should have a power disconnect box for the kiln. Place the box in the kiln room.

Do not leave the kiln unattended, especially

near the expected shut-off time. Do not leave a

kiln turned on at your studio while you are at

home sleeping.

Wear green #3 firing safety glasses when look

ing into the peephole of a hot kiln.

Do not touch hot sides of kiln. Keep unsuper

vised children away.

Install your kiln at least 12 - 18 inches from any

wall or combustible surface. (See manufac

turer’s recommendation for your model.)

Do not open lid or door until kiln has cooled and

all switches are off.

Fire only in a well-ventilated, covered and pro

tected area away from flammable materials.

Keep cordset away from hot sides of kiln.

DANGEROUS VOLTAGE! Do not touch

heating elements with anything. Disconnect

kiln before servicing.

Do not operate if the controller itself is hotter than 158°F / 70°C. (See instructions on page 25 for checking circuit board temperature.) Never allow the firing room temperature to exceed 110°F / 43°C. (Measure room temperature three feet from the kiln.)

Stop a firing by pressing the STOP button, not by disconnecting the power. In certain condi tions, the controller will interpreta power inter

ruption as a power failure and turn the kiln back on when you reconnect the power.

Place the kiln on the stand recommended by the manufacturer. When a kiln is safety tested, the lab fires the kiln on the stand designed for the kiln. Cinder blocksor brickscan inhibit the flow of air under the kiln. They can also change the kiln’s heating characteristics.

Place the kiln on a non-combustible surface.

Keep the kiln lid or door closed when the kiln is not in use. This keeps dust out of the kiln. Also, should someone turn on the kiln while you are away, the closed lid will keep the heat safely inside the firing chamber.

Never place anything on the kiln lid, even when the kiln is idle. If people become accustomed to placing papers and other objects on the kiln, they may forget and do that while the kiln is firing.

Remove all tripping hazards from around the kiln. Keep the kiln’s supplycord out of traffic areas.

Avoid extension cords.

Never fire tempered glass inside a kiln. It could

explode.

Greenware, which is unfired clay, must be bone dry before firing. Moist greenware can explode inside the kiln, damaging the ware and the kiln. Place a piece of greenware against the inside of your wrist. If it feels cool, it is too wet to fire.

Store kiln shelves in a dry area. Moist shelves can explode inside a kiln.

If you smell burning plastic, turn the kiln off. Examine the wall outlet and supply cord for

signs of burning.

Never place extra insulation around the kiln in an attempt to conserve energy. The extra insu

lation can cause the wiring and the steel case to over-heat.

Cone-Fire / Ramp-Hold Do not leave your kiln unattended during operation.

Chapter 1

Basic Pointers

In This Chapter you will learn to . . .

Choose between Cone-Fire and Ramp-Hold

Use the controller in freezing or hot weather

Understand the display window layout

Easily repeat the last firing

Make a quick visual check of your thermocouple

Avoid overfiring your kiln

Two Ways to Fire Your Controller

The Sentry fires in two modes:

Cone-Fire, based on pyrometric cones (page 10). Quickly program a ceramic firing by selecting a cone number and firing speed.

Ramp-Hold is for those who want to design their own firing schedules. Program custom firing rates and target temperatures (page 14).

Ceramic kilns come with both Cone-Fire and Ramp-Hold. Heat treating, glass fusing, and enameling kilns come with Ramp-Hold only.

1 From [IDLE] display, press 1. If [CONE] appears,

you have Cone-Fire mode. If the 1 key does not respond, you have Ramp-Hold mode only.

2 Press STOP to bring thecontroller back to [IDLE] .

If you have Ramp-Hold only, skip pages 10 - 13.

Hot and Cold Weather; Storage Sheds

It is okay to store the Sentry at sub-zero temperatures. But before operating, raise the room temperature to at least 32°F / 0°C.

The Sentry will register sub-zero °F / °C temperatures. However, 32°F / 0°C is the lowest recommended operating temperature.

Pointer: Raise the room temperature with a space heater before firingthe kiln.Place thespace heater within a couple of feetof thecontrol panel and let it run for an hour or so. Or even hang a shop light

Hot weather pointer: Blow a gentle stream of air through the control panel of thekiln to reducethe temperature of thecontroller circuit board.

near the kiln to raise the temperature above freezing.

The circuit board is rated for 176°F / 80°C maximum op erating temperature. However, the maximum recom mended temperature is 158°F / 70°C, measured at the con troller inside thekiln switchbox. Tolower the temperature, open windows and blow air across the kiln’s switch box with a fan. Place several fans in the room during hot weather. (See page 25 to check circuit board temperature.)

High humidity will not adversely affect the Sentry unless water condenses on the circuit board. In this case, do not fire the kiln until the moisture has evaporated from the board.

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.)

Thunder Storms and Power Surges

Unplug the kiln when not in use, especially during thunder 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.

How to Read the Display

Center Dot: Time

A center dot appears when time is displayed. The dot sepa rates hours from minutes (i.e. 1 hour, 30 minutes = 01.30). Dur ing temperature display, the dot disappears.

Three-Light Display

The Sentry turns on the heat ing elements through relays. Power outputlights appear in the right side of the display when the Sentry sends a signal to turn on the relays. This lets you know when the elements turn on.

Single-Zone Kiln When theSentry turns onthe relays, the lights will appear. The number of lights that appear depend on the number of relays in your kiln.

Multiple-Zone Kiln The top light indicates power to the top section of the kiln, the middle light power to the middle section, and the bottom light power to the bot

Keep the kiln lid or door closed when the kiln is not in use. 5

tom section. (Two-zone kilns: The middle light does not turn on.)

Note: Though poweroutput lightsare on,mechan ical problems canprevent the elements themselves from turning on.

Single Right-Hand Dot: °C

When temperature is dis played in °C, a dot appears in the lower right. In°F display,it disap pears. You can choose between Fahrenheit and Celsius display. SeetheF/Coption, page 22.

IDLE Display: Kiln is Ready to Begin

The controller displays [IDLE] when you first apply power to the kiln. Operation begins from

[IDLE]. You can’t fire the kiln

[IDLE] appears. It means the kiln is ready to be pro

until grammed or to begin firing.

If you press STOP during a firing, [ABRT] will appear. To get back to

If the display shows an error message such as [FAIL] in stead of (See pages 27 - 29 for error messages.)

[CPLT] (firing completed) appears at theend of a firing.

To make

[IDLE], press any key.

[IDLE], Press any key to make [IDLE] appear.

[IDLE] appear, press any key.

CPLT Message: Firing Completed

When the firing has successfully completed, the Sentry will beep for 60 seconds and shut off the elements. Then four messages will cycle one after the other:

1 [CPLT] (complete)

2 Firing time in hours and minutes

3 The temperature reached during the last segment

that you programmed

4 The current kiln temperature

Note: After the kiln fires to completion, discon nect the power. It is okay to turn off the power to the controller while the kiln cools to room temperature.

Note: If the temperature alarm sounded (see page

9) before the kiln fired to completion, you will see

[ALAR] instead of [CPLT].PressENTER. [CPLT] will appear.

LID Display

This indicates that your kiln is equipped with a lid or door safety switch,and thelid or door is open. Thiswill turn off the elements.

If your kiln does not have a safety switch, or the kiln is closed, please see page 28.

Repeat Firings

To repeat the last firing, pressENTER from [IDLE].The

kiln will begin firing. This works in both Cone-Fire and Ramp-Hold. But first,make sure you arerepeating the cor rect firing by using Program Review (see page 8). For re peat firings thatyou don’twant toinadvertently change,see Program Lock, page 25. Program Lock is especially useful in classroom settings.

Thermocouple Inspection

The small rod protruding into the firing chamber is the

temperature sensor, or thermocouple.

CAUTION: Bumping the thermocouple canpush it out of the firing chamber. This could cause an overfire! The controller does not contain an alarm to detect this type of failure. Bumping the thermo couple could also cause inaccurate readings.

Thermocouples come in different widths. The wider the thermocouple, the farther it should extend into the firing chamber. A ¼” - ½” diameter thermocouple should extend into the kiln about ¾” - 1”. (Do not be concernedif yourthermo couple extends into the firing chamber even farther.)

Note: Keep shelves, posts and ware 1” - 1 ½” away from the thermocouple. Keep an extra thermocouple 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. See the sepa rate TnF 2 installation instructions.

Pointer: Keep shelves, posts and ware 1” -1 ½”away from the thermocouple.

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 8) to re mind yourself to check the kiln. If you are too farawaytohearthe alarm, you mighttry us ing 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 kilncools to room temper ature.

Pointer: Set a wristwatch alarm, cell phone, or even an alarm clock to remind you to check on your

6 Cone-Fire / Ramp-Hold Do not leave your kiln unattended during operation.

Chapter 2

The 12 Keys

In This Chapter you will learn to . . .

Check for mistakes before firing a program

Edit a program during a firing

Delay a firing to suit your schedule

Know which segment is firing at any time

Set an audible temperature alarm

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 yourkiln to a pyrometriccone. See Chapter 3, page10, for details. To find out if your Sentryincludes Cone-Fire:

1 From [IDLE] display, press 1. If [CONE] appears,

you have Cone-Fire mode. If the 1 key does not respond, you have Ramp-Hold mode only.

2 Press STOP to bring thecontroller 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,

2 Press 2 again.The time shownwill increase by5 min

utes.

3 To return to the temperature display, press any key

(except 2) or wait 10 seconds.

Note: Add Time willadd 5 minutes toa hold evenif no hold had been programmed before. After hold time appears in thedisplay, 5 minuteswill be added with each press of the key.

[00.00] will appear.

after each firing. Therefore, it must be programmed again for eachfiring. The maximum delay is 99 hoursand 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 notleave 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

[IDLE] to program a Ramp-Hold firing or to select a

from 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.

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

Keep the kiln lid or door closed when the kiln is not in use. 7

While the kiln is firing in Ramp-Hold, you can change the target temperature, ramprate, andhold timeof thecur rent segment. (You can edit only the segment that is firing.

To edit other segments, wait until the firing has progressed to those segments.)

If the current segment has already started its hold time,

you can edit only the hold time.

1 During firing, press 4.

2 The display will show the rate of the current seg

ment. Use the number keys to change the rate. Then press ENTER.

3 The display willshow the targettemperature ofthe

current segment. Use the number keys to change the temperature. Then press ENTER.

4 The displaywill thenshow thehold timeof the cur

rent segment (or

[00.00] if there is no hold time).

Change the time, if needed, and press ENTER. The kiln will resume firing.

The 5 Key / Present Status

Press 5 during a firing to display the current segment

that is firing. (See page 14 for the definition of segments, rate, and hold.) The messages that can appear in Present Status:

[RA ] , the segment number, and the actual rate: The

Sentry is in the ramp part of a segment.

[HD ] and segment number: The Sentry is in the hold

part of a segment.

[PRHT] Cone-Fire Pre-Heat (see page 12).

[COOL] Cone-Fire Slow Cooling (see page 13).

Uses for Present Status:

You are firing a program that contains several heating and cooling segments. Without Present Status, it would be easy to lose track of which segment is firing.

In Cone-Fire, you may think the kiln has fired too long when it is actually only in a slow cooling.

Note: Present Status shows the actual firing rate of the current segment instead of only the rate you programmed. This is very useful in knowing how fast your kiln can actually fire.

The 6 Key / Program Review

Pointer: Use Program Review before every firing! It takes only seconds.

When you press ENTER to begin firing, the controller

will fire the program that is in active memory. Program Re view shows the values for that program. The program in ac tive memory is—

The program that you fired last, or

The program that you entered or selected since the last firing.

Start Program Review from

pressing 6.

[IDLE], or while firing, by

Note: In Program Review, Cone-Fire speed is dis played as the RA part of each segment. Cone-Fire Review shows the segments and ramp rates listed in the charts on pages 32 - 33.

The 7 Key / Temperature Alarm

If you need to know when your kiln reaches a particular temperature, set the alarm. The controller will beep and

[ALAR] will flashwhen thekiln reachesthe alarmtempera-

ture that you enter. Use the alarm to alert you to—

Lower the lid from the venting position and insert the peephole plugs.

Check the witness cone near shut-off time.

Check the glass before the expected fusing or slumping temperature. You can see the glass through a kiln win dow.

You can enter only one alarm temperature at a time. However, after the alarm beeps, you can set the alarm for another temperature, as many times asyou want, duringthe firing. Enteringan alarm temperature automatically erases the previous alarm temperature.

Note: The alarm temperature that you set during a firing must be higher than the current display tem perature. The alarm is designed only for higher

temperatures and not for cooling temperatures.

After the alarmbeeps, thealarm temperaturewill stayin memory for future firings until you replace it with a new temperature.

Monitoring the Alarm from a Distance

Place an inexpensive baby monitor near the kiln. From another location in your building, you will be able to hear the temperature alarm beeping and even the relaysclicking if your kiln has mechanical relays.

8 Cone-Fire / Ramp-Hold Do not leave your kiln unattended during operation.

Setting the Alarm From IDLE

1 From [IDLE], press 7. [ALAR] will appear alternat

ing with the last alarm temperature entered.

2 Enter new alarm temperature. Press ENTER.

[IDLE] will appear. (To disable the alarm, set the

alarm temperature to 0.)

Setting the Alarm During Firing

1 The alarm beeps while thekiln is firing. [ALAR]will

appear, alternating with the temperture. Press 7.

Note: By pressing the 8 key duringa firing, you can

seehowmuchthecostincreasesasthefiring progresses.

Pointer: If you wonder how much Slow Cooling adds to the cost of a firing, press the 8 key before Slow Cooling begins, and press it again after the kiln has fired to completion.

The 9 Key / Look Up Cone Numbers & Skip a Segment

2 Enter the new temperature. (To disable the alarm,

set the alarm temperature to 0.)

3 Press ENTER. [ALAR] will disappear, and the kiln

will continue firing.

If you touch 7, enter a new temperature, and forget to

press ENTER, the controller will continue firing without resetting the alarm. the kiln temperature.

Question The alarm on my Sentry sounds a min ute into each firing. Why is the alarm going off?

Answer The alarm was set to a temperature below the current temperature. To deactivate the alarm for your next firing, set it to 0.

[ALAR] will continue alternating with

The 8 Key / Estimating the Firing Cost

Cone Table

Look up a cone temperature with the 9 key. (See the next page for information on cones.)

1 From [IDLE] , press 9. [CONE] will appear, then

the cone, if any, currently programmed in Cone-Fire.

2 Enter a pyrometric cone number. Press ENTER.

The display will show the temperature forthat cone. If you enter a non-existentcone number, the display will repeat the last cone number thatyou looked up.

Note: Do not be concerned if the actual cone shut-off temperature does not match the Cone Table. The temperature of a cone varies with firing speed. The cone temperatures in Cone Table are for self-supporting cones fired at a rate of 108°F / 60°C per hour during the last hour of firing.

Skip a Segment

Skip Segment works only during a firing. It jumps from the current segment to the next one.

To skip a segment, press 9. ing with the number of the next segment. Press ENTER.

If you change your mind and don’t want to skip that seg ment, wait 10 seconds without pressing any key. You will exit the Skip option, and the firingwill continue in the same segment as before.

[SKIP] will appear alternat-

Your Sentry can give you the electrical cost of a firing. Photo by Nick Casberg.

The Sentry controller can figure the electrical cost of a

firing. Set up the controller as follows:

[CENT] option, enter the cost of a kilowatt-hour

In the

of electricity. See page 23.

[KW] option, enter the wattage for your kiln. See

In the

page 23.

After the kiln fires to completion,

Press the 8 key; of electricity to fire the last load will appear. To return to temperature display, press ENTER.

Note: If you enter the kiln wattage in the tion but you do not enter cost per kilowatt-hour in the

[CENT] option, the controller will display kilo

watt-hours instead of firing cost.

[IDLE] will appear. Press again; the cost

Keep the kiln lid or door closed when the kiln is not in use. 9

[CPLT] will flash.

[KW] op

Skip More Than One Segment

1 Press 9. [SKIP] will appear alternating with the

number of the next segment.

2 Press the 1(or 3)key. Keeppressing the1 (or 3)key

to scroll through the available segments. When you see the segment you want to skip to, press ENTER. The temperature display will return, and the kiln will fire in your chosen segment.

Note: As you scroll through the available seg ments, one of the options is you don’t want to skip to a different segment after all, press ENTER when

Skip Segment in Cone-Fire

See the segments in the Cone-Fire firing schedules on pages 32 - 33. Reasons to skip a segment in Cone-Fire:

To skip out of Pre-Heat and begin the cone firing. You might do this if the ware is dry and ready to fire before

[CANC] (Cancel). If

[CANC] appears.

Pre-Heat has ended. (You can tell by placing a small mirror near an open peephole.)

To skip out of Cone-Fire Hold. Slow Cooling will begin. (If the firing does not include Slow Cooling, Skip Seg ment will not end a Hold. PressSTOP to endthe firing.)

Skip Segment in Ramp-Hold

In Ramp-Hold, the firing will skip to the next segment from either a ramp or hold of the current segment. (See pages 14 - 18 for details on ramps, holds, and segments.)

Note: Skip Segment does not skip from a ramp to a hold. It skips to the new ramp.

Skip Segment Examples

For additional examples, see pages 17 - 18.

Cone-Fire

In Cone-Fire you are firing to an 05 witness cone for the first time. You select cone 04 with a 40 minute hold and a slow cooling. You can see the witness cone through a peephole. After 20 minutes in hold, the 05 witness cone bends to maturity. Use Skip Segment to end the hold and begin Slow Cooling.

Pointer: Once you know how much hold time will bend the witness cone, program that much hold for the next firing.

Ramp-Hold

Skipping to a Cooling Segment: You have programmed 2167°F for a cone 5 glaze firing, followed by a segment for slow cooling. Watching the witness cone through the peephole, you notice that cone 5 is bending at 2150°F. Use Skip Segment to end the firing segment and begin the one for slow cooling.

Chapter 3

Cone-Fire

In this chapter you will learn to . . .

See witness cones at high temperatures

Program a Cone-Fire program in minutes

Pre-heat the ware so it doesn’t explode

Bend a cone by adding extra hold time

Cool slowly (called down fire) to alter glazes

Cone-Fire mode is based on pyrometric cones. It is not designed for heat treating, glass fusing and enameling. For these firings, see “Ramp-Hold,” pages 14 - 18. Use Ramp-Hold to fire ceramic pieces that require a custom firing schedule, such as some types of stoneware sculp ture or crystalline glaze.

Before using Cone-Fire mode, read all of this chapter. Have your controller in front of you so you can try out the keys as youread.Formoredetailsonpyrometric cones, please see your kiln manual.

Pyrometric Witness Cones

Pointer: Make a note of the temperature at which the cone bent. Program that temperature for the next firing. Adds comments like thisto a firing log.

The ENTER/Start Key

Press ENTER after each step in programming a firing.

From [IDLE] press ENTER once to begin firing.

Press ENTER to access an Option. See pages 19 - 26.

0 / The Options Key

See Chapter 6, page 19.

The Stop/Back Key

You can stop a firing at any time by pressing STOP.If you inadvertently enter Ramp-Hold or Options, you do not have to go through all the prompts to get back out. Press STOP to go to

The STOP/BACK key works in Cone-Fire and Ramp-Hold. It will take you back one step with each key press.

[IDLE].

Question A cone 5 firing was 7°F below the target listed in your manual, and a cone 6 firing was 22°F below the target. Is thistypical and okay? Is thedig ital controller on my kiln operating normally even though it did not achieve the controller tempera tures that were programmed at cone 5 and 6?

Answer This is normalfor Cone-Fire operation. If the kiln fires slower than the normal rate, it will shut off at a lower temperature. If the kiln fires faster than a normal rate, it will shut off at a higher temperature, sometimes by only a few degrees.

The Sentry controller shuts off automatically with out cones. Nevertheless, ev ery ceramic firing should in cludeatleastonewitness cone (also called the shelf cone). The witness cone is placed inside the kiln. The witness coneis the most accu rate measurement of heat work in a ceramic firing.

Use self-supporting witness cones on the shelf. They stand upright without cone holders.

10 Cone-Fire / Ramp-Hold Do not leave your kiln unattended during operation.

If you fire the same size load and type of ware regularly, the witness cones let you 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 drift.

Note: If the bending of the witness cone does not match the Cone-Fire shut-off, you may want to ad just Cone Offset or Thermocouple Offset. See pages 20 - 21. If the witness cones bend inconsis tently from one firing toanother, see “SentryTrou bleshooter,” a separate publication.

How to Position Cones on the Shelf

Position the witness cones so that you can see them through a peephole during firing. If the kiln takes longer than usual to fire, you may wonder if something hasgone wrong and the kiln is over-fir ing. But by seeing the cones, you will know howthe firing is actually progressing.

If you follow these guidelines, you should be ableto see the coneseven at cone 10:

Silhouette the lower part of the cone against an element. Keep the cone 8” - 12” away from the peephole.

1 Place thecones 8” - 12”away from a peephole. Posi-

tioning them closer makes them difficult to see.

2 Have enough space around the cones to keep them

from touching a piece of ware when they bend.

3 Position cones so that when viewed from the peep-

hole, they are silhouetted by a glowing heating element on the opposite kiln wall. (Keep cones at least 2” from an element.)

4 The element that silhouettes the cones should be

level with the lower part of the cone. If the element is in line with the upper part of the cone, you won’t be able to see the cone when it bends.

5 If you use the three cone system, always have the

higher temperature cone on the same side in every firing. Otherwise you can lose track of which cone is which.

6 Wear green #3 kiln firing safety glasses when view

ing the cones through the peephole.

See your dealer if in doubt about which cone number to use with each clay and glaze.

Firing Schedules

Cone-Fire uses three firing schedules:

Low fire cones 022 - 011

Medium fire cones 010 - 01

High fire cones1-10

Cone-Fire Programming

Use these instructions for your first firings. Later you mayprefer “Cone-Fire ShorthandProgramming,” page 40.

As the Sentry prompts for cone, speed, pre-heat, hold, and slow cooling,values enteredfor thelast firing will appear. To use these values again, press ENTER.

To fire without Delay or Alarm: Follow steps 1 through 7 below. Then from use Delay or Alarm, see also pages8-9.

[IDLE] press START.To

1 Apply power to the kiln. [8888] then [IDLE]

will appear. (Press ENTER if [IDLE] does not appear.)

2 Press 1. [CONE] will appear. Enter cone num

ber. (If the 1 key does not respond, your con troller has Ramp-Hold only.)

3 Press ENTER. [SPD] will appear. Enter speed:

FAST (1), MEDIUM (2), SLOW (3). (Me dium speed will display as

[STD].)

4 Press ENTER. [PRHT] will appear. To use

Pre-Heat (p. 12), entertime. Otherwise enter 0.

5 Press ENTER. [HOLD] will appear (pg 13). To

soak the ware at the end of firing, enter a hold time. Otherwise enter 0.

6 Press ENTER. [COOL] will appear (after you

have turned it on in Options, pg 13). To use Slow Cooling, enter cooling rate as degrees per hour. (180°F/82°C is the maximum coolingrate. Set 0 to turn Slow Cooling off.)

7 Press ENTER. [IDLE] will appear. 8 To set Alarm: Press 7. [ALAR] will appear.

Enter alarm temperature. (Press 0 to turn alarm off.) Then press ENTER.

9 To set Delay: Press 3. [DELA] will appear.

Enter delay time. Press ENTER. (Delay zeroes out after each firing.)

10 To start the firing, press ENTER once.

[STRT] will appear, then temperature. If Delay

was programmed, time remaining until start. To stop the program during firing, press STOP.

When program fires to completion, pear and the controller will beep. Press ENTER.

[IDLE] will appear. To shut off the alarm when it

sounds during a firing, press ENTER.

[DELA] will appear, then

[CPLT] will ap

Keep the kiln lid or door closed when the kiln is not in use. 11

The firing schedules programmed into Cone-Fire mode are listed in Appendix B, pages 32 - 33. Should you ever want to customize a Cone-Fire program, make the desired changes to a firing schedule and program it in Ramp-Hold (page 14).

During a cone firing, press 5 (Present Status) to see which stage, or segment, of the firing the kiln has reached. The number displayed will be a segment number from the schedule listed in Appendix B that you are firing.

Note: Pre-Heat shows in Present Status as

[PRHT]. It is not given a separate segment

number.

CAUTION: Cone numbers beginning with 0 are lower in temperature than those without the 0. When programing a Cone-Fire, be sure you know the difference between an05 and 5. See“Tempera ture Equivalents Chart for Orton Self-Supporting Pyrometric Cones,” Appendix D, page 36.

Low Fire Cones 022 - 011

This range includes decals, over-decorations, lusters, and golds. You can usually fire fast. Good venting is impor tant because ofthe oils and other organics. Do notclose the lid from the vented position untilall odor has disappeared.

Middle Fire Cones 010 - 01

Glazes fired on bisque ware (ware that has already been fired) can be fired faster than greenware.

Pre-Heat [PRHT]

Moist greenware can explode during firing. This hap pens when the moisture in the clay rapidly turns to steam and cannot escape from the clay fast enough. The Sentry Pre-Heat feature dries the ware at low temperature before the moisture can turn to steam.

Pre-Heat is sometimes necessary when firing thick greenware. It may also be necessary in humid weather, which inhibits drying. If possible, however, avoid using Pre-Heat to dry greenware. If the greenware feels damp or cool when you touch it to your cheek, dry it longer outside the kiln before firing. Use a dehumidifier in humid weather. Drying greenware in the kilntends to rust the kiln.

Note: During Pre-Heat, vent the lid or use the op tional Orton Vent Master. Otherwise the fire bricks will absorb moisture, leading to rust behind the steel case. Moisture in the firebricks can also slow down the firing.

CAUTION: Venting the lid during Pre-Heat is so important that some ceramists use the extended

vent position. If you do this, you must be near your kiln at the end of Pre-Heat to lower the lid.

Pre-Heat raises the temperature 60°F/33°C per hour to 200°F/93°C. Then it holds at 200°F/93°C for the period of time that you specify. Pre-Heat works in Cone-Fire only. After Pre-Heat is finished, the kiln will automatically begin firing to the cone you have selected.

High Fire Cones 1 -10

This is the firing range for porcelain and stoneware. These bodies firenearly tovitrification andcan shrinkup to 16%. Water, carbon and sulfur burn out during the early stages and must be vented. The amount of oxygen in the kiln affects the color of the fired clay. The high fire sched ules programmedinto Cone-Fire slow down during the last 216°F/120°C (two hours) to produce better density in the ware.

Cone-Fire Features

Speed [SPD]

When you select Medium speed in a Cone-Fire pro gram, the kiln uses the standard firing schedules listed on pages 32 - 33. Whenyou select Fast (1), the standardsched ules fire 20% faster. On Slow (3), they fire 20% slower.

You can alter the firing speed even more under Speed (SPD) in Options. You can increase or decrease the firing time of a standard schedule by up to 40%. For instance, if you are on a tight deadline, you can reduce a 7 hour fast cone firing to 5 ½ hours.

Note: The final segment heating rate will not change. It will always be 108°F/60°C per hour. SPD option affects only the earlier ramp segments.

Note: Above an altitude of 6,000 feet / 9,656 kilometers, water boils at a lower temperature. This may cause moisture in the ware to turn to steam even during Pre-Heat.

Mirror Test

This test will help you determine how much Pre-Heat to use.

Occasionally during Pre-Heat, hold a mirror near the top peephole. (Be careful to avoid burns.) The mirror must be at room temperature, so hold it near the peep hole for only several sec onds at a time.

If the mirror fogs, moisture is still escaping from the ware.When the mirror no longer fogs, you can exit Pre-Heat and begin the firing.

To interrupt Pre-Heat and begin firing to the cone in Cone-Fire, press 9 (Skip Segment).

[RA 2], will appear. Press ENTER. Segment 1 of the

with main firing will now begin.

Vent the kiln until moisture no longer fogs a mirror.

[SKIP], alternating

12 Cone-Fire / Ramp-Hold Do not leave your kiln unattended during operation.

Note: If you are using a ventfan, such as the Orton Vent Master, leave the fan on during Pre-Heat. The fan will help to remove moisture. (Kilns equipped with the AOP Fan: see the Fan option, page 21.)

How to Use Pre-Heat When Kiln is Already Above 200°F/93°C at Beginning of Firing

If you begin firing with Pre-Heat in a kiln that is already hotter than the Pre-Heat temperature, the kiln will skip Pre-Heat and begin firing to the cone. There are two ways to use Pre-Heat in this situation:

Wait until thekiln cools below 200°F / 93°C before start ing the firing. This is the preferred method.

Load the kiln and start the firing, but include enough time in Delay for the kiln to cool below 200°F / 93°C be fore Pre-Heat begins.

Temperature Hold [HOLD]

Cone-Fire Hold heat-soaksthe wareat thecone temper ature. Without Hold, the kiln shuts off after it reaches the cone temperature. Hold maintains the cone temperature for the period you specify. Hold helps even out the temper ature throughout the kiln. It also helpsthe heat to penetrate completely into the clay. (Rapid firing is like cooking: the turkey will be done on the outside but not always on the inside.) Hold helps glaze absorb china paint for saturated colors. It may heal glaze defects such as bubbles. A little hold time can yield dramatic results.

Pointer: Too much hold time can overfire your ware and burn out colors. Be sure to experiment with hold before firing a fullload of ware withhold.

One way to addHold timewithout over-firing isto fireto one cone cooler than needed. Then add enough hold time to bend the next hotter cone. As a rule of thumb, roughly20 minutes of hold = one cone of heat work.

Example: to fireto cone 05, programCone-Fire for06

and add about 20 minutes of hold time.

Watch the pyrometricwitness conesthrough a peephole. Press STOP when the correct witness cone bends, noting how much Holdtime was needed. Program that much Hold time the next time you fire the same type of ware. (During Hold, the temperature will alternate with time left in Hold. Subtract that amount from the total Hold time entered.)

When Hold is setto 99.59hours orhigher, theSentry will remain at that temperature indefinitely, until you press STOP.

Slow Cooling [COOL]

Slow cooling, also called downfiring, enhances the qual ity of some ceramicglazes andmay healglaze bubbles.Slow cooling encourages crystal develoment, deeper gloss, and sometimes startling color shifts. Iron red glazes seem to re spond well to slow cooling.

The COOL prompt does not appear in the display dur ing programming until you activate Slow Cooling with the Options key. See page 21.

The Sentry’s Slow Cooling begins after the cone firing and ends at 1500°F / 815°C.

When [COOL ] appears inCone-Fire programming,en ter a cooling rate between 1°F - 180°F / 1°C - 82°C per hour. A good starting point is a rate of 90°F / 50°C.

Enter a rate of 0 to turn Slow Cooling off.

Pointer: If the kiln seems to take forever to shut

off, press 5 for Present Status. Check the Slow Cooling rate. The firing time can extend for many hours if the cooling rate is too slow.

When the Kiln Shuts Off Too Soon

If the kiln shuts off before the pyrometric witness cone bends, you canturn the kiln back on and keep firing. Simply program the next hotter cone in Cone-Fire. Then from

[IDLE] , press START. The kiln will begin firing, taking up

where it left off.

Note: Look at the witness cones through a peep hole to know if the kiln shuts off too soon.

If the kiln shuts off within 100°F/55°C of maturity, and the temperature drops 50°F/28°C or more after the kiln shuts off, do not depend on the witness cones. Once they cool 50°F/28°C after they have been heated to within 100°F/55°C of maturity, they will not bend properly. This is because they form a hard shell.

Wrong Thermocouple Type

If a Type-K thermocouple is installed on your kiln, but your controller is set for Type-S, the kiln will underfire. See the TC option, page 21, to check the thermocouple type.

For Kilns with the AOP Outlet

The AOP(auxiliary output) is an optional receptacle, or socket, mounted on the kiln. Plug a kiln vent into the recep tacle, and use your controller to turn on the vent automati cally. That is done through the Fan option.

But before must enter a Cone-Fire program in active memory and (2) you must select (See page 22 for instructions on selecting

1 From [IDLE], press OPTIONS repeatedly until

[FAN] appears.

2 Press ENTER. Use the 1 and 2 keys to select one of

these settings:

[ON] The vent is on during Pre-Heat, the cone firing,

and Slow Cooling. It turns off at 212°F/100°C.

[OPT] The vent is on during Pre-Heat and the cone fir

ing. It is off during Slow Cooling.

[OFF] The vent is off all the time.

3 After selecting one of the above, press ENTER.

Press STOP to return to

[FAN] will appear in the Options list, (1) you

[VFAN] in the [AOP1] or [AOP2] option.

[VFAN].)

[IDLE] .

Keep the kiln lid or door closed when the kiln is not in use. 13

Chapter 4

Ramp-Hold

In this chapter you will learn to . . .

Program a Ramp-Hold firing

Store programs in memory

Turn a vent fan on or off throughout the firing

Control the cooling rates for down firing

Before using Ramp-Hold, read all of this chapter with your controller in front of yousoyoucanpressthekeysasyouread.

Theory of Ramp-Hold Operation

The temperature you are firing to in Ramp-Hold is called the target temperature. After the Sentry reaches the target temperature, it canhold, or soak,the kilnat that tem perature for the length of time that you program.

The Sentry fires at a controlled heating rate. The rate is figured in degrees per hour. If you selected a rate of 100° per hour, it would take 10 hours for the kiln to reach 1000°. Rate is similar to miles per hour.

In summary, Ramp-Hold mode does three basic tasks:

1) It fires at a controlled heating rate, or speed, mea-

sured in degrees of temperature change per hour.

2) It fires to a target temperature.

3) It can hold, or soak, the target temperature for a pe-

riod of time.

The Sentry fires in segments, or stages. A segment is a controlled heating rate to a target temperature. A segment can also have a hold. Shown in the chart below is a segment with a target temperature of1250°, arate of625°, anda hold of one hour.

A segment has two parts:

Ramp: The temperature changes.

Hold: The temperature remains the same.

The heating rate is figured in degrees per hour. The rec ommended heating rate for the material you are firing is usually available from 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 that way instead of at a rate per hour, see the Rate option, page 23.

A segment can have only one ramp and only one hold. Therefore, if you need more than one hold, add more seg ments to the firing. Firing to a temperature at a single rate would need only one segment. Reasons to add more seg ments:

To change the heating rate

To add a hold somewhere below the shut-off tempera ture

To control the cooling rate.

The diagram below showsa 3segment firing.Segments 1 and 2 were used on the way up in temperature. Segment 3

was added to control the cooling rate.

To figure how many hours a segment will take to fire, subtract the current temperature from the target temperature and divide the result bythe heating rate. Inthe diagram in the left column, the firing time is 1250° - 80° (room temperature) = 1170 ÷ 625 = 1.87 hours.

After the Sentry has finished firing the last segment, it will turn off the heating elements.

Here is asimple 3-segment program. Segments 1and 2 each havea hold. Segment 3 is a controlled cooling segment.

Storing “USER” Programs

To program the controller in Ramp-Hold, [IDLE] must appear. From controller is ready for you to choose a stored program or to enter a new one. (See next page for programming instruc tions.)

The controller can hold 35 programs in memory. They stay in memory even when the power is turned off. Stored programs are numbered 1 - 35. Each program can have up to 20 segments. You don’t have to use all the segments

This segment will reach the target temperature of 1250° in 2 hours, then hold that temperature for 1 hour.

available—use only the number needed. Sometimes one segment is all you will need.

14 Cone-Fire / Ramp-Hold Do not leave your kiln unattended during operation.

[IDLE] press 4. [USER] will appear. The

Step 7 of Ramp-Hold Programming in the red box at right shows you how to zero out the segments you don’t need. (Entering a rate of 0 for the first segment you don’t need zeroes out the rest of the segments.)

When entering a Ramp-Hold program for the first time, press 1 after will be stored as Program 1. (See Step 2 at right.)

Each time you storeanother program,select thenext available number, such as 2, at the lecting a number for a new program over-writes (erases) any program stored there. Write down your user programs for quick reference. (Copy the blank forms on page 37 and keep them in a 3-ring binder.)

Pointer: For repeat firings that you don’t want to inadvertently change, see Program Lock, page 25.

[USER] appears. Your first firing

[USER] prompt. Se

Firing a Stored User Program

After you entera newprogram andthe displayshows

[IDLE], the new program is inmemory and ready to fire.

Selecting a different stored program takes only sec onds:

1 From [IDLE] press 4. 2 [USER] will appear. Enter the program number (1

- 35).

3 If there are no changes to the program, press

STOP. to fire your selected program. To begin firing, press ENTER once.

Pointer: Use Program Review to be sure you are firing the correct program! From after the firing has started, press 6. The values for the program will appear.

[IDLE] will appear. The controller is ready

[IDLE] or even

Rate as Degrees Per Hour

Ramp-Hold Programming

Use these instructions for your first firings. Later you may prefer “Ramp-Hold Shorthand Instructions,” inside back cover.

As you follow these steps, you will see values (tempera tures, rates, etc.) from the last firing. To use these again, press ENTER. To program a controlled cooling, set the

segment to a lowertarget temperaturethan thatof thepre vious segment.

To fire without Alarm or Delay: Follow steps 1 through 7. Then press START once.

1 Apply power to the kiln. [8888] then [IDLE] will

appear. (Press ENTER if

[IDLE] does not appear.)

2 Press 4. [USER]will appear. Entera program num

ber from 1 to 35.

3 Press ENTER. [RA 1]will appear. Enter firing rate

for segment 1 (temperature change per hour: from

1° to 9999°).

Note: If you have selected Time in the Rate op tion, enter the time needed to reach the target temperature for that segment. (See next page.)

4 Press ENTER. [°F 1] (or [°C 1]) will appear. Enter

the target temperature of segment 1.

5 Press ENTER. [HD 1]will appear. Enter segment 1

hold time in hours / minutes (e.g. 12 hours, 30 minutes = 12.30). No hold = 00.00.

6 Press ENTER.If[FN 1] appears, and you have an

AOP receptacle on your kiln, use the 1 or 2 key to select ON or OFF. Press ENTER. (For more details on AOP, see next page.)

7 Continue entering values for the segments needed.

When

[RA _] appears for the first segment you

don’t need, press 0 then ENTER. pear. The kiln is ready to fire.

[IDLE] will ap

Each segmentmust include a rate, which is the firing speed of that segment. We measure rate as degrees per hour. This issimilar tomiles perhour; just replace miles with degrees. During programming,enter the rate when

[RA] appears. ([RA]will alsoinclude thesegment num

[RA 1] [RA 2] etc.)

ber:

Keep the kiln lid or door closed when the kiln is not in use. 15

8 To setAlarm: press 7. [ALAR] willappear. Enter

alarm temperature. (Enter 0 to turn alarm off.) Then press ENTER.

[IDLE] will appear.

9 To set Delay: press 3. [DELA] will appear. Enter

delay time (i.e. 12hours, 30 minutes =12.30). Then press ENTER. out after each completed firing.)

[IDLE] will appear. (Delay zeroes

10 To start program: From [IDLE] press ENTER

once.

[-ON-] will appear, then kiln temperature. If

a delay was programmed, time remaining until start. To stop the firing at any time, press STOP.

We recommend using Program Review (page 8) before

firing. When the program fires to completion,

appear and the controller will beep. PressENTER. will appear.

[DELA] will appear, then

[CPLT] will

[IDLE]

The diagram at the bottom of the previous page shows three rates. A rate of 1000° per hour will reach 1000° in 1 hour. A rate of 500° will reach 1000° in 2 hours. A rate of 333° will reach 1000° in 3 hours.

If you want the kiln to fire at full speed, enter a rate of

9999. See step 3, inside the red box on the previous page.

Note: In Program Review, a heating rate of 9999 is displayed as power, it may overshoot the target temperature, especially in the lower range. To avoid this, add an extra segment with a slower rate for the last 50 de grees of temperature rise.

CAUTION: The Sentry includes error messages to warn you when the kiln is at the wrong tempera ture. Firing the kiln at full rate turns off some of these warnings. See TEDE, Temperature Devia tion, and HTDE, High Temperature Deviation, page 24.

If you are not sure how fast to fire, remember an old fir ing adage: When in doubt, slow it down.

Note: In the Rate option, page 23, you can set up your controller to calculate rate in one of three ways: 1) degrees of temperature change per hour

2) degrees of temperaturechange per minute,or 3) elapsed time needed to reach a temperature. The normal setting is degrees per hour. If you are having problems entering rate, check the RATE option to be sure your controller isset for degrees per hour.

[FULL]. When a kiln is heated at full

Rate as Time Needed to Reach the Target Temperature

After selecting [TIME] in the RATE option, program the amount of time that each segment should take to reach its targettemperature. 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-per-hour rate explained above:

For aFull rate, or the fastest thatthe 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 segments. To do this, select a rate of 99.00 hours.

Hold (HD #)

Hold is the length of time that you want the kiln to re main at the target temperature. Hold is also called soak or dwell time. Hold helps even out the temperature through out the kiln. Hold can be used in either heating or cooling segments.

In programming step 5, previous page, enter the hold time. When hold is setto 99.99 hours,the Sentrywill remain at that temperature indefinitely until you press STOP.

Ceramics: Watch the pyrometric witness cones through a peephole. Press STOP when the correct witness

cone bends, noting how much Hold time was needed. Pro gram that much Hold time the next time you fire the same type of ware. (During Hold, the temperature will alternate with time left in Hold. Subtract that amount from the total Hold time entered.)

AOP: Turn on a Fan, Light, or Alarm

The AOP (auxiliary output) is an optional receptacle, or socket, mounted on the kiln. Plug a kiln vent, light, or bell into the receptacle, and use your controller to turn the re ceptacle on or off for each segment.

If your kiln has the AOP receptacle and you want to use it, see the AOP1, AOP2 option on page 22. Follow the in structions to activate the AOP.

During programming,

[FN 1] [FN 2][FN 3] etc.). Use the 1 and2 keys tose

ment ( lect On orOff foreach segment. AOP has been activated in the AOP1 or AOP2 Option.

[FN] will appear for each seg

[FN] will appearonly ifthe

Programming a Cooling Segment

For controlled cooling, program a segment to a lower target temperature than that of the previous segment.

Example: You fire at a rate of 500°F per hour to 1450°F with your first segment. Then you want the kiln to cool at a rate of 100°F per hour down to 700°F. Here is how you would program the two segments:

Rate Temp.

Segment °F/°C °F/°C Hold

1 500 / 277 1450 / 788 00.00

2 100 / 55 700 / 371 00.00

The first segment is the heating segment. The second one is the cooling segment. The controller does not use minus numbers for cooling. Just enter a lowertarget temperature than that of the previous segment.

Pointer: If you prop the lid or door of the kiln for a fast cooling, program a fast cooling rate for that segment. If you lower the temperature quickly by propping the lid but program a slow cooling rate, the controller will just raise thetemperature again.

Example: Some glass artistsflash-cool theglass just after it fuses. They open the door a few inches to remove heat, then close it again. This takes the glass down rapidly through the devitrification range. To program a flash-cool, use a rate of 9999. This shuts off the heating elements dur ing 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 24, forinformation on error codes that may appear during crash cooling. To turn these codes off, pro gram a crash cooling rate of 9999. This turns off TEDE error codes only for that particular seg ment. The TEDE codes still work on the hold and the other segments.

16 Cone-Fire / Ramp-Hold Do not leave your kiln unattended during operation.

Suppose you enter a cooling rate that is faster than the

kiln can cool? Depending on therate you enter,you may get an alarm message. (Press ENTER to turn off the alarm.)

The controller, of course, cannot speed cooling beyond the kiln’s natural cooling rate.

Temperature Overshoot

When a kiln is heated too fast, it may overshoot the tar get temperature, especially in small kilns at lower tempera tures. Toavoid this, add an extra segment to slow the firing. The segment with the slower rate should begin about 40° 60° below the target temperatureof the following segment.

A Practice Program

To practiceusing the controller, we will enter a program

that includes three segments. The last segment is a cooling segment.

Using the instructions in the red box on page 15, enter this firingschedule. Then use Program Review to check for accuracy.

USER = 1 RA1 = 250 °F1=750 HD 1 = 00.00 RA2 = 900 °F 2 = 1425 HD 2 = 00.30 RA3 = 150 °F3=750 HD 3 = 00.00 RA4 = 0

Note: Enter 0for therate insegment 4.This zeroes out all the segments past segment 3.

Sample Firing Schedules

These sample firing schedules illustratedifferent ways to program the Sentry. When designing a firing schedule for materials you are unfamiliar with, or when using one of these schedules, always test-fire samples first. This is be cause these generalized schedules may not suit the clay or glass that you use.

For practice, you might want to enter these programs even though you may never actually use them.

Cone-Fire Program Customized in Ramp-Hold

This is the cone 04 Cone-Fire schedule at standard (Medium) speed with an added slow-cooling segment. (See Cone-Fire schedules on pages 32 - 33.)

Rate Temp.

Segment °F/°C °F/°C Hold

1 324/180 1022/550 00.00

2 153/85 1112/600 00.00

3 180/100 1837/1003 00.00

4 108/60 1945/1063 00.00

5 150/83 1000/537 00.00

In this schedule,the kilnwill coolat 150°F/83°C per hour to 1000°F/537°C. Some ceramists use slow cooling to enhance certain glazes.

Sculptured Stoneware Bisque Firing Schedule, Cone 04

Rate Temp.

Segment °F/°C °F/°C Hold

1 60/33 200/93 03.00

2 80/44 700/371 02.00

3 80/44 1100/593 00.00

4 108/60 1945/1062 00.00

5 150/83 1400/760 00.00

This slow firing is forthick stoneware. Change the target temperature in segment 4 when firing to a different pyrometric cone. The wareshould be bonedry. Test samplesuntil you are sure the schedule works for your ware.

If you are not using a kiln vent, leave peephole plugs out and prop the lid in the vented position. Set the alarm to 1000°F/537°C. When the alarm sounds, close the lid from the venting position.

Set the alarm again, thistime to 1850°F/1010°C. When it sounds, check the witness cone through a peephole. When the cone bends to six o’clock, write down the temperature. (Use that temperature in segment 4 on your next firing of the same type of ware.) Then press 9, ENTER (Skip Seg ment).

This will advance you to segment 5, a slow cooling seg ment. Do not open the lid until the kiln has cooled to room temperature.

Glass Fusing Firing Schedule

Segment °F / °C °F / °C Hold

1 250 / 138 750 / 398 00.00

2 900 / 500 1425 / 773 00.30

3 9999 / 9999 1050 / 565 00.00

4 150 / 83 750 / 398 00.00

Stained glass, ture will vary depending on the brand of glass, the batch,

Rate Temp.

", 2 layers, full fuse. The fusing tempera

Keep the kiln lid or door closed when the kiln is not in use. 17

and even the color. Vent the lid. Set the alarm to 500°F/260°C. When thealarm sounds, closethe lidfrom the venting position and insert the peephole plugs.

Set the alarm again, this time to 1350°F/732°C. When it sounds, check the glass through the peephole or kiln window. When the glass fuses to your satisfaction, write down the temperature and hold time for future firings, and press 9, then ENTER (Skip Segment).

This will advance the kiln to segment 3, a flash cooling segment. Lift the kiln lid slightly or open the door ajar until the temperature drops to 1050°F/565°C. Then close the door / lid. The kiln will cool slowly through the annealing range, then turn off.

Note: A cooling rate of 9999 (FULL) shuts off the warning alarm (error message) that sometimes sounds during rapid cooling. This turns off the alarm only for that particular ramp. The alarm codes still work on the hold and the other pro grammed segments. For details about error mes sages, see pages 27 - 29.

Starting a Firing in a Hot Kiln

Sometimes afiring begins in a hot kiln after a power fail ure or other interruption. In this case, the Sentry will begin firing from the first segment that matches the current temperature. See Power Failures, page 29.

When the Kiln Shuts Off Too Soon

Ceramic Firings

If the kiln fires to completion before the pyrometric witness conebends, you can turnthe kiln back on and keep firing. First, program a hotter temperature. Then from

[IDLE], press START. The kiln will begin firing, taking up

where it left off.

Note: By looking at the witness cones through a peephole, you will know if the kiln shuts off too soon.

Wrong Thermocouple Type

If a Type-K thermocouple is installed on your kiln, but Type-S is selected in Options, the kiln will continually underfire by a wide margin. (The kiln willoverfire if Type-S is installed and Type-K is selected.) See page 21 to check the thermocouple type selected in Options.

Chapter 5

Multiple Zone Kilns

In this chapter you will learn to . . .

Understand multi-zone kilns

Know when one of the thermocouples fails

Understand which zone is turning on

Test the elements

Note: See also Multiple Zone Options, page 26.

An Overview of Multiple-Zone Firing

If you are not sure how many zones your kiln has, look into the firing chamber. The number of thermocouple tips indicates the number of zones.

In single-zone kilns, the Sentry measures the tempera ture from one location. In the standard single-zone design, when the controller turns on the heat, all the elements turn on at the same time.

With two- and three-zone kilns, the Sentrymeasures the temperature from each individual zone. It then adjusts the heat separately for each zone to improve temperature uniformity.

To maintain eventemperature, the Sentry calculates not only the temperature difference between zones, but also the length of time needed to adjust the temperature of the zones. By carefully timing heat output, it maintains even temperature with a minimal loss in firing speed.

Note: Multiple-zone kilns use the same Cone-Fire and Ramp- Hold programming instructions as single-zone kilns.

Note: Firing a Ramp-Hold program at FULL rate (9999) shuts off multiple-zone control for that fir ing. The kiln then fires as a single-zone kiln.

Thermocouple Failure In a Multiple-Zone Kiln

In a multiple-zonekiln, ifa thermocouplefails, thefiring will continue as a single-zone kiln so long as one thermo couple still operates. indicating which thermocouple(s) failed. (See page 27 for multiple-zone thermocouple error messages.)

[TC 1] [TC 2] or [TC 3] will appear,

Power Output Lights

The three lights on the right of the temperature display turn on when the controller sends a signal to the relays.

Single-Zone Kiln When the Sentry sends a signal to the relays, these lights appear:

Kilns with 1 relay: middle light only

Kilns with 2 relays: top and bottom lights

Kilns with 3 relays: all 3 lights

18 Cone-Fire / Ramp-Hold Do not leave your kiln unattended during operation.

Two-Zone Kiln The top light indicates power to the top section of the kiln. The bottom light indicates power to the bottom section. Ignore the center light.

Three-Zone Kiln The top light indicates power to the top section, the middle light is power to the middle sec tion, and the bottom light is power to the bottom sec tion.

When a zone temperature is too low, its indicator light will flash rapidly. The heating elementsin that zone willstay on continuously, and the controller will attempt to balance the heat in the other two zones.

Checking Multiple-Zone Elements and RelaysforProperWiring

When relays or thermocouples are connected to the wrong controller terminals, the zones will show a wide tem perature difference. To make sure the thermocouples are wired to the correctrelays, trace theswitch box wires,one at a time, and compare them with the kiln’s wiring diagram.

Also, see “Element Test,” page 26.

Chapter 6

The Options Key

In this chapter you will learn to . . .

Activate slow cooling in Cone-Fire

Check the amperage that your kiln pulls

Display temperature inFahrenheit orCentigrade

Choose from three types of rates used in programming

Set up yourcontroller togive thecost of electricity

Activate Program Lock so you can protect stored

Ramp-Hold programs

Check the circuit board temperature, adjust error messages, check the software version, and more

The Options key gives you access to a list of special fea tures and adjustments in your Sentry. With each press of the Options key, the controller will displaythe next option.

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

ENTER.

If you are not surehow many zones your kilnhas, look insideand countthe thermocouples. The kiln has a zone for each thermocouple. In this photo, the kiln is single-zone because it has only one thermocouple.

2 Use the 1 and 3 keys to select changes for that op-

tion.

3 After making a selection for an option, press

ENTER. The display code for the option you just changed will appear.You are then ready to go tothe next option.

In Cone-Fire mode, you will see more options than in Ramp-Hold mode.

If you select a change for an option but don’t press ENTER, the change will not go into effect.

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

[IDLE]:

1 Press STOP.

2 Do nothing for 90 seconds in Options. You will au

tomatically be taken out of the Options display and back to

Note: If you are firing the kiln while in Options, pressing STOP takes you out of Options and back to the firing display. But it doesnot stop the firing.

[IDLE].

Cone-Fire Options

These options appear only if a Cone-Fire program has been selected. If your controller has Ramp-Hold mode only, skip to General Options, page 21.

SPD / Cone-Fire Speed

Adjust Cone-Fire Speed Beyond Slow, Medium & Fast

There are two ways to adjust the speed of a cone fire:

Keep the kiln lid or door closed when the kiln is not in use. 19

1 Select Fast (1), Medium (2),or Slow (3) when pro

gramming a firing.

2 Alter a speed in the Speed [SPD] option.

Every cone has a standard firing schedule, shown on pages 32 - 33. Select Medium speed (the 2 key) during Cone-Fire programming, and the cone will fire to the stan dard schedule. Select Fast (1), and the standard schedule will speed up by 20%. Select Slow (3), and the standard schedule will slow down by 20%.

In the Speed option, you canfurther adjust the speed ofa standard schedule 10 - 40% slower or faster:

1 First, program a Cone-Fire. 2 After programming a Cone-Fire, [IDLE]] will ap

pear. From appears.

[ IDLE] , press OPTIONS until[SPD]

3 Press ENTER. Use the 1 or 3 key to scroll through

this selection:

[STD] Same as Medium in cone programming

[F10] 10% faster than standard

[F20] Same as Fast in cone programming

[F30] 30% faster than standard

[F40] 40% faster than standard

[S40] 40% slower than standard

[S30] 30% slower than standard

[S20] Same as Slow in cone programming

[S10] 10% slower than standard

When the speed of choice appears, press ENTER.

4 To go back to [IDLE] , press STOP.

The kiln is now ready to fire with the new speed.

Note: SPD settings do not affect the final ramp segment of the cone program.

Pointer: If youare notsure whetherthe Cone-Fire speeds have been altered, check by going to the SPD option and pressing Enter.

OFST / Cone Offset

Calibrate Cone-Fire to a Witness Cone

Sometimes the pyrometric cones programmed in Cone-Fire do not match the bending of the witness cones. Cone Offset will adjust Cone-Fire to bend the cones.

Note: Thermocouple Offset (see page 22) adjusts all temperature readings. Cone Offset changes only the last heating segment of the cone firings. In the earlier Sentry 2.0 controller, Cone Offset ad justed one particular temperature range of cones. Cone Offset in the Sentry 3.0 adjusts all the cones instead of only a range of cones.

Follow these guidelinesbefore decidingthat youneed to use Cone Offset:

The thermocouple must protrude into the firing cham ber the correct distance: about ¾” for ¼” wide thermocouples, ½” - 5/8” for 1/8”wide thermocouples.

Keep shelves 1”-1½”away from the thermocouple.

Keep witness cones at least 2” away from heating ele

ments.

Place witness cones in several locations in the kiln.

How to Use Cone Offset

Cone Offset changes the shut-off pointof the cone by the

degrees of temperature shown in the chart below.

1 First, program a Cone-Fire. 2 From [IDLE] , press OPTIONS until [OFST] ap

pears.

3 Press ENTER. The current Cone Offset adjust

ment number will appear.

4 Using the 1 and 3 keys, select a new adjustment

number (see chart below). Then press ENTER.

[OFST] will appear. To return to [IDLE], press

STOP.

Cone Offset Settings

Note: select a cone in Cone-Fire before changing Cone Offset.

°F Setting °C Setting Result

0 0 No adjustment

5 3 Kiln will fire hotter

10 6 Kiln will fire hotter

15 8 Kiln will fire hotter

20 11 Kiln will fire hotter

-5 -3 Kiln will fire cooler

-10 -6 Kiln will fire cooler

-15 -8 Kiln will fire cooler

-20 -11 Kiln will fire cooler

A cone offset remains in memory unless you use the Re

set option (page 26).

Interpreting Cone Bending

Position the witness cones in the kiln accordingto the in

structions on page 11.

The cone bent to 6 o’clock: No calibration in Cone Offsetneeded. The self-supporting cone has fired to maturity when the tip is close to even with the cone base asshown.

Theconedidnotbendfar enough: Use a positive Cone Off set number fora hotterfiring, such as 10 (°F).

20 Cone-Fire / Ramp-Hold Do not leave your kiln unattended during operation.

The cone bent too far: Use a negative Cone Offset for a cooler firing, such as -10 (°F).

Note: Do not be overly con cerned with achieving an ex act 6 o’clock bend. The differ ence between a 3 o’clock and a 6 o’clock bend is only a few degrees of temperature.

When Cone Temperature Is Off More Than 20°F/11°C

The maximum amount that Cone Offset can change the temperature is 20°F/11°C. When the temperature is off more than that amount, correct with Thermocouple Offset.

COOL / Slow Cooling for Glazes

Add Slow Cooling to Cone-Fire Programming

Slowing down the cooling rate in Cone-Fire mode can totally change the appearance of many glazes. Copper red glaze, for instance, is enhanced by cooling slowly at around 1750°F / 954°C.

For the full benefit of slow cooling, you can bring the temperature back up several times as the glaze cools using Ramp-Hold mode.

You can also slow the cooling in Cone-Fire mode by turning on the Slow Cooling feature. It will appear as the

[COOL] prompt during Cone-Fire programming.

1 From [IDLE], press OPTIONS until [COOL] ap-

pears.

2 Press ENTER. Using the 1 key, select [YES] or

[NO]]. Then press ENTER. [COOL] will appear.

3 To return to [IDLE], press STOP.

FAN / Kiln Vent Control

Control the Optional AOP Receptacle in Cone-Fire

The AOP (auxiliaryoutput) is aspecial-order kilnswitch box receptacle. The Sentry controls the power to the AOP receptacle. The AOPis usually used to power akiln vent. In the Fan option, select when an AOP-powered kiln vent will turn on during Cone-Fire.

Before the Fan optionwill appear onthe Options list, (1) you must enter a Cone-Fire program in active memory and (2) you must select (See next page for instructions on selecting

1 From [IDLE], press OPTIONS repeatedly until

[FAN] appears.

2 Press ENTER. Use the 1 and 2keys to selectone of

these settings:

[ON] The vent is on during Pre-Heat, the cone firing,

and Slow Cooling. It turns off at 212°F/100°C.

[OPT] The vent is on during Pre-Heat and the cone fir

ing. Then it shuts off. (It is off during Slow Cooling.)

[OFF] The vent is off all the time.

[VFAN] in the AOP1 or AOP2 option.

[VFAN].)

3 After selecting one of the three settings, press

ENTER. Press STOP to return to

[IDLE].

General Options

General options are available on all Sentry controllers.

DIAG / Amperage Test

Check Your Kiln’s Amperage

If you are wondering why your kiln is taking so long to reach temperature, you can check the amperage that the kiln is pulling. The DIAG option turns the kiln on for 10 seconds.

Compare the amperage reading with the amps listed on the kiln’s electrical data plate. (For most models, the data plate, or label, is on the side of the kiln’s switch box.)

Note: Low voltage can cause a low amperageread ing. Before deciding that the elements are worn out, also check the voltage.

Note: To use the Diagnostics option, your kiln must be equipped with an amperage sensor.

Check the Amperage During IDLE or While Firing

During the amperage test, the three display dots on the right side of the display window will light up. When the test is finished, the dots will turnoff and the reading willappear.

1 From [IDLE], press OPTIONS until [DIAG] ap-

pears.

2 Press ENTER. [AMPS] will appear, alternating

with the amperage that the kiln is pulling.

If your kiln has morethan one relay,the display will show the amperage for the elements connected to each relay, with these codes:

TC / Choose Thermocouple Type

Select Type-K, -N, -S or -R Thermocouple

The Sentry can use Type-K, -N, -S or -R thermocouples. If you specializein firings above 2200°F / 1204°C, you might consider obtaining the Type-S or -R. Type-K is best suited for temperatures below 2200°F / 1204°C.

The controller cannot detect the type of thermocouple installed in your kiln. So if you change the thermocouple to a different type, be sure to select the new thermocouple type in the TC option.

Note: Ask your kiln supplier if you are not sure about the type of thermocouple in your kiln.

CAUTION: Be careful about changing the ther mocouple type! If youselect Type-Sor -R,but your

kiln is wired witha Type-K, your kilnwill underfire. If you select Type-K and your kiln is wired with a Type-S or -R, your kilnwill OVERFIRE. After us ing the Reset (RST) option (page 26), use the TC option to select the correct thermocouple. Reset

[AMP1] [AMP2] [AMP3].

Keep the kiln lid or door closed when the kiln is not in use. 21

ting the controller changes the thermocouple se lection to Type-S.

1 From [IDLE], press OPTIONS repeatedly until

[TCOS] appears.

1 From [IDLE], press OPTIONS repeatedly until

[TC] appears.

2 Press ENTER. Use the 1 or 3 key to select [K],

[N], [R]or [S].

3 After selecting one of the above, press ENTER. Press

STOP to return to

[IDLE].

F/C / Selecting Between °F and °C Temperature Display

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], press OPTIONS repeatedly until

[F/C] appears.

2 Press ENTER. Use the1 or 3key to select [F]or

[C.].

2 Press ENTER. [O], or a Thermocouple Offset,

will appear.

3 Using the 1and 3 keys, enter the new offset. Press

ENTER. press STOP.

[TCOS] will appear. To returnto [IDLE],

Thermocouple Offset Settings

°F Setting °C Setting Result

0 0 No adjustment H 1-45 H 1-25 Kiln will fire hotter C 1-45 C 1-25 Kiln will fire cooler

Thermocouple Offset Examples

Setting Result

H 1 Kiln will fire 1° hotter H 17 Kiln will fire 17° hotter C 12 Kiln will fire 12° cooler

Multiple-Zone Thermocouple Offset

1 From [IDLE], press OPTIONS repeatedly until

3 After selecting one of the above, press ENTER.

Press STOP to return to

[IDLE].

[TCOS] appears.

2 Press ENTER. [TC1] (top thermocouple) will ap-

°F/°C Temperature Conversion Formulas

Below are formulas for converting temperture between °F and °C. Converting a firing rate requires a different formula than converting a firing temperature:

Firing to a Temperature

(i.e. “Fire to 1600°F.” 1600°F = 871°C)

(°C x 1.8) +32 = °F

(°F - 32) ÷ 1.8 = °C

Firing Rate or Temperature Change

(i.e. “Fire at 200°F per hour” or “Fire 200°F hotter.” 200°F = 111°C)

°Cx1.8=°F

°F÷1.8=°C

pear.

3 While [TC1]displays, press OPTIONS. The other

thermocouple(s), then each press of the OPTIONS key.

3 zone kilns: 2 zone kilns: [TC 1] [TC3] [TCOS]

[TC1] [TC2] [TC3] [TCOS]

4 When the correct thermocouple appears, press

ENTER.

5 Using the 1 and 2 keys, enter the new offset. (See

charts above.) Press ENTER. The thermocouple you adjusted (i.e. other thermocouple, if necessary, or return to

[IDLE] by pressing STOP.

AOP1, AOP2 / Auxiliary Outputs

TCOS / Thermocouple Offset

Calibrate the Thermocouple(s)

The thermocouple is the rod protruding into the firing chamber. It measures temperature.K-Type thermocouples can “drift” as they age, causing a gradual shift in tempera ture readings. Thermocouple Offset calibrates the control ler to compensate for drift.

Note: The thermocouple must protrude into the firing chamber the correct distance: about ¾” for ¼” wide thermocouples, ½” - 5/8” for 1/8” wide thermocouples.

Setting Thermocouple Offset

You can enter a temperature change up to 45°F/25°C higher or lower than the zero factory setting.

22 Cone-Fire / Ramp-Hold Do not leave your kiln unattended during operation.

Select Vent Fan or Alarm for the Auxiliary Outputs

[AOP1] and [AOP2] (Auxiliary Outputs)are forre

The ceptacles (called sockets in England) mounted on the kiln switch box. The outlets can power a kiln vent or an external alarm, such as a bell. (An AOP outlet is optional and might

not be included on your kiln.)

The choices in the

[VFAN] Kiln Vent or Gas Outlet: This option adds a

display prompt for fan ( Ramp-Hold programming (page 15).

[CPT] When the kiln fires to completion, and [CPTL]

appears in the display, the controller will turn on power to the AOP outlet. Plug a bell or other alarm into the AOP outlet to notify you that the firing is done.

[ALRM] Alarm: This choice sends power to the AOP

receptacle whenever the alarm sounds. (See Tempera

[TCOS], will appear with

[TC1]) will appear. Select an

[AOP1] and [AOP2] options:

[FN]) to each segment during

ture Alarm, page 8.) Plug in a loud bell to alert you that the kiln has reached the alarm temperature.

[NONE] None: Use this setting if your kiln does not

have the AOP outlet.

[SAFE] This is for an optional safety relay and is used

with the temperature that you want for your kiln. If the kiln is 1 degree hotter than that temperature, the kiln will shut off. See page 25.

[LIM] option. In [LIM], program the maximum

1 From [IDLE], press OPTIONS repeatedly until

[AOP1] or [AOP2] appears.

2 Press ENTER. Usethe 1or 3key toselect oneof the

above options.

3 Press ENTER. Press STOP to return to [IDLE].

RATE / Select Preferred Type of Rate

Choose 1) Rate Per Hour, 2) Rate Per Minute, or 3) Elapsed Time to Temperature

Rate is how fast the kiln heats or cools. Rate as degrees of temperature change per hour is the most widely used rate system in America.

Some brands of controllers, though, measure the rate as an amount of time needed to reach a temperature. If you are accustomed to that type of programming, you can continue toprogram with that method.Change the type of rate in the

[TIME]setting. You then won’t have to change your firing

schedules to degrees per hour rate.

most common rate method in use)

How to Program in Ramp-Hold with TIME Selected in Rate

the amount of time that each segment should take to reach its target temperature. Hours and minutes areseparated by the center display dot. For example, 1 hour and 30 minutes is programmed in rate as 01.30.

the standard degrees of temperature per hour rate:

[RATE] option of your Sentry controller to the

1 From [IDLE], press OPTIONS repeatedly until

[RATE] appears.

2 Press ENTER. Use the 1 or 3 key to select the type

of rate that you prefer:

[HOUR] (Degrees of temperature change per hour; the

[MIN ] (Degrees of temperature change per minute)

[TIME] (Elapsed time needed to reach a temperature)

3 Press ENTER. Press STOP to return to [IDLE].

After selecting [TIME] in the RATE option, program

The Time mode in some ways is different and opposite

For aFull rate, or the fastest thatthe 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 segments. 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) thecost ofelectricity fromyour electricbill and

2) thewattage 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 below.)

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 yourbill bythe number of kilowatt-hours on your bill.

Electric bills can get complicated. The rates can vary by time ofday or the day of the week. On an electricbill, this is called peak andoff-peak rates.You maybe payingless than the above calculation if you fire your kiln during off-peak periods.

1 From [IDLE], press OPTIONS repeatedly until

[CENT] appears. Press ENTER.

2 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 ENTER.

3 Press STOP to return to [IDLE].

Pointer: You canenter the costin 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 theKuwait fil, dividethe costby 10. Example: Enter 140 as 00.14. Then multiply by 10 the cost of a firing shownin 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:

Keep the kiln lid or door closed when the kiln is not in use. 23

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.

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 kilowatt-hours. A kilowatt is 1,000 watts. A kilowatt-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 controlleris 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 pears. They wonder if something is wrong with the kiln

[FTH], [FTC] or [LTDE] ap

when in many cases there isn’t. Here are four ways to stop the alarm messages from appearing during routinefirings:

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 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 turnsoff thisalarm for thesegment 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.

[TEDE] option. The higher the number, the

1 From [IDLE], press OPTIONS repeatedly until

[TEDE] appears.

2 Press ENTER. Change the deviation temperature.

The higher the number, the less likelyyou will acti vate the alarms.

3 Press ENTER. Press STOP to return to [IDLE].

Note: The factory default 56°C.

Example: The Fail to Heat code

a firing when the kiln cannot heat as fast as programmed. The Temperature Deviation 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

[TEDE] setting is 100°F /

[FTH] appears during

[TEDE] is set to 100°F / 56°C.

Deviation

Change The High Temperature Shutoff Setting

can exceed the programmed temperature before the kiln shuts off. The factory adjustment range is 18°F - 200°F / 10°C - 111°C.

[HTDE] setting is the amount that the temperature

The

[HTDE] setting is 100°F / 65°C. The

1 From [IDLE], press OPTIONS repeatedly until

[HTDE] appears.

24 Cone-Fire / Ramp-Hold Do not leave your kiln unattended during operation.

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 adjustment range is 18°F - 200°F / 10°C 111°C. The most sensitive setting is 18°F / 10°C. The higher the number, the looser the setting. Use a lower number when you want the kiln to shut off if it can’t keep up with your program. Use a high number if the kiln shuts off when you don’t want it to, such as when the lid is vented or a bead door is open when you load a bead rod.

SFTY / Maximum Temperature

View the Kiln’s Maximum Operating Temperature

[IDLE], press OPTIONS repeatedly until [SFTY]

From appears. Press ENTER. The temperature displayed is the maximum operating temperature programmed in the Sen try for your kiln. (This temperature is also shown on the kiln’s electrical data plate.) It can be altered only atthe fac tory. The controller will not fire hotter than that tempera ture. Press ENTER. Press STOP to return to

[IDLE].

LIM / Set Maximum Temperature

Set a Maximum Temperture for Your Kiln

You can set a maximumtemperature for yourkiln if your AOP1 or AOP2 option has a safety relay. When the kiln goes 1 degree over the temperature that you set in the kiln will shut off.

The adjustment range is from 32°F / to the temperature rating listed on the safety data plate of your kiln.

[LIM],

1 From [IDLE], press OPTIONS repeatedly until

[LIM] appears.

2 Press ENTER. Change the maximumtemperature. 3 Press ENTER. Press STOP to return to [IDLE].

ELEC / Electronics Temperature

Check the Circuit Board Temperature

High temperatures in the switch box can damage the controller circuit board, which is rated for 176°F / 80°C maximum operating temperature. To lower board temper ature, use a fan toblow air across thekiln switch box into the louvers. (But do not blow air into the kiln’s peepholes.) When firing several kilns, position them at least three feet apart to allow adequate air circulation.

[IDLE] or while firing, press OPTIONS repeat

From edly until ture of the circuit board will appear. Press ENTER. Press

STOP to return to

[ELEC] appears. Press ENTER. The tempera

[IDLE].

CAUTION: Do not operate the kiln if the ELEC display is above 158°F / 70°C.

LOCK / Program Lock

Tamper-Proof Individual Programs

By default, Program Lock is inactive. When it has been activated, a stored Cone-Fire or Ramp-Hold program can not be altered or removed from memory unless you enter a passcode. Use Program Lock for repeat firings that you don’t want to inadvertently change.

The pre-installed passcode is the number 3. You can change the passcode to any number combination of one to four digits.

If you forget your passcode, you can reset the controller back to the factory settings using the page. The passcode will then go back to the number 3.

Note: Program Lock does not save a Delaysetting. While a program is locked, you can enter a new Delay.

How to Activate the Lock Option

1 From [IDLE], press OPTIONS repeatedly until

[LOCK] appears.

2 Press ENTER. [PASS] will appear. 3 Press 3. Then press ENTER. (If you use the wrong

passcode, the display will return to

4 Use the 1 or 3 button to select [SET]. Then press

ENTER.

5 Enter anew passcode of oneto four numbers. Ifyou

want to use the number 3, then enter 3. Press ENTER. Press STOP to return to

How to Lock Individual Programs

After you haveactivated the

[SET], you will be ableto lockthe Cone-Fire programin ac-

tive memory, or any Ramp-Hold program. Each Ramp-Hold program can be individually locked or left un locked.

[LOCK] option byselecting

1 [LOCK] will appear at the end of Cone-Fire and

Ramp-Hold programming.

2 To lock a program, enter the passcode using the 1

and 3 keys. Then press ENTER. (To leave the pro gram unlocked, do not enter your passcode. Just

press ENTER when

How to Unlock and Edit a Program

You have locked a program and would like to edit it. Go into programming (see pages 11 and 15). The first prompt you will see is 3 keys. Then press ENTER and edit the program. (If you don’t enter the passcode, you will not be able to edit the program, but you can still fire the kiln with it.)

Note: If your kiln is used in a classroom, you may want to lock only the programs that you don’t want students to change.

Note: Even though you cannot edit a locked pro gram, you can still see the settings in Program Review.

[UNLO]. Enter your passcode with the 1 and

[LOCK] appears.)

[RST] option, next

[IDLE].)

[IDLE].

Keep the kiln lid or door closed when the kiln is not in use. 25

CFG / Configuration Code

From [IDLE], press OPTIONS repeatedly until [CFG] appears. Press ENTER.The factoryconfiguration codewill appear. Press ENTER. Press STOP to return to The configuration code can be changedonly at the factory.

[IDLE].

SOFT / Software Version

From [IDLE], press OPTIONS repeatedly until [SOFT] appears. Press ENTER. The software version will appear. Press ENTER. Press STOP to return to ware version can be changed only at the factory.

[IDLE]. The soft

TEST / Element Test

Test the Heating Elements and Relays

This test is useful when measuring the wall receptacle voltage under load, and amperage with an ammeter. On a multiple-zone kiln, the test helps determine if the relays and thermocouples are wired to the correct zones. If you test thermocouples with a cigarette lighter or other heat source, use this option.

Pointer: Raising the thermocouple temperature fast with a lighter or propane torch may cause an

[FE4] error. This will not harm the controller,

though. See page 28.

Single-Zone Kiln

1 From [IDLE], press OPTIONS repeatedly until

[TEST] appears.

2 Press ENTER. [POWR] will appear, alternating

with kiln temperature. The elements will turn on for two minutes. Press any key to abort the test.

Multiple-Zone Kiln

1 From [IDLE] press OPTIONS repeatedly until

[TEST] appears.

2 Press ENTER. [TOP]will appear, alternating with

the temperature of the top zone. The elements will turn on for two minutes. Then with temperature for the middle zone, and with temperature for the bottom zone. (A two-zone kiln shows only temperatures.)

[MID] will appear,

[BOT]

[TOP] and [BOT]

3 During the two-minute test, press any key to end a

zone test. The controller will then begin to test the next zone.

AOP Outlet

After the above test, kilns equipped withthe AOP outlet will display outlet. If your kiln has 2 AOP outlets, the second AOP will turn on after the first.

[J3-3] for two minutesto test powerto the AOP

RST / Reset

Reset the Controller to Most Factory Defaults

Reset the controller to a known state in case the control ler locks up, the memory is corrupted, or you have made many changes and would like to clear your settings.

Reset does the following:

Resets the LOCK passcode to 3.

Selects Type-S thermocouple.

Selects °F.

Erases a cone offset.

Erases a thermocouple offset.

Erases Ramp-Hold User programs stored in memory.

Changes Temperature Deviation [TEDE]] back to the factory setting of 100°F / 56°C.

CAUTION: If your kiln uses a Type-K thermo couple, the Sentry will underfire after a reset! Use the Thermocouple Option (page 21) to select Type-K again.

1 From [IDLE], press OPTIONS repeatedly until

[RST] appears.

2 Press ENTER. Use the 1or 2 key to select [NO] or

[YES].

3 After selecting [YES]],press ENTER. [WAIT] will

appear, then

[IDLE].

4 After doing a reset, check the [TC] and [F / C] op-

tions to be sureyour controlleris setfor thecorrect thermocouple type and fahrenheit or celcius.

Multiple-Zone Options

These options appear only on multiple-zone kilns.

DIFF / Zone Temperature Difference

View Maximum Temperature Spread

For a 2-zone or 3-zone kiln, this option shows tempera ture difference between the top and bottom zones. If the temperature shown is larger than expected, go to option T123 to view the temperature of each zone.

1 Press OPTIONS repeatedly until [DIFF] appears.

Press ENTER.

2 The maximum difference in temperature between

the top and bottom zones will display. (Example:

[-003] = 3°)

T123 / Zone Temperature Display

View Temperature of Each Zone

1 Press OPTIONS repeatedly until [T123] appears.

Press ENTER.

2 The temperature for each zone will display one af

ter the other, cycling for one minute. Then normal temperature display will return. For example:

Top zone: [TC 1] [1250]

Middle zone: [TC 2] [1251]

Bottom zone: [TC 3] [1249]

26 Cone-Fire / Ramp-Hold Do not leave your kiln unattended during operation.

Chapter 7

Error Messages

Error messages are accompanied by an alarm.

Non-interrupting messages do not stop the firing. Ter minating error messages do.

[FTH], [FTC], and [LTDE] error messages are based

upon the adjustable setting in the Temperature Devia

[TEDE] option (page 24).

tion

Non-Interrupting Error Messages

Press ENTERto silence the alarm. (Do not press STOP

to silence thealarm.) Theerror messagewill remainbut the kiln will continue firing. Even though the following error messages appear, the kiln will continue its normal opera tion. The messages are only to alert you that the kiln could not cool or heat as fast as you had programmed. But they will not shut off the kiln or affect the firing in any way.

Definition of “Set Point”

The temperature that the controller is tryingto 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.

FTC / Failed to Cool

During a cooling-down ramp, the programmed rate is faster than the kiln can cool. The temperature is above the set point temperature by more than the deviation setting. (See Temperature Deviation, page 24.) Pro gram a slower cooling rate.

Note: Use Present Status to compare the actual rate of the current Ramp-Hold segment with the rate you programmed. (See page 8.)

Note: In Ramp-Hold, use a FULL rate to turn off the FTC alarm for that particular segment.

FTH / Failed to Heat

During a heating-up ramp, the programmed rate is faster than the kiln can heat. The temperature is below the set point temperature by more than the deviation setting. (See Temperature Deviation, page 24.)

Program a slower rate. Or check for a bad relay, worn or burned out elements, low voltage, or a defective thermo couple.

Note: Use Present Status to compare the actual rate of the current Ramp-Hold segment with the rate you programmed. (See page 8.)

Note: In Ramp-Hold, use a FULL rate to turn off the FTH alarm for that particular segment.

LTDE / Low Temperature Deviation

During a cooling-down ramp or a hold, the temperature is below the set point temperature by more than the de viation setting. (See Temperature Deviation, page 24.) Check for a bad relay, worn or burned out elements, low voltage or a defective thermocouple.

Pointer: During a firing, Present Status shows the actual firing rate of the current Ramp-Hold seg ment instead of the rate you programmed. If you think your kiln is heating or cooling too slowly, compare the rate shown in Present Status with the rate you programmed for that segment. This is an other reason you should always keep a written re cord of your firing programs.

Note: Using a FULL rate will turn off the LTDE alarm for that particular segment.

PF/PowerFailure

[PF] alternating with normal display means the power

failed duringfiring. After power was restored, the firing re

sumed.

TC and 1, 2, or 3 / Multiple-Zone Kiln Thermocouple Failure

If a thermocouple fails in a multi-zone kiln, the kiln will continue to fire as long as at least one thermocouple is working. The thermocouple(s) that failed will alternate with the kiln temperature as follows:

[TC1] Top thermocouple failed

[TC2] Middle thermocouple failed

[TC3] Bottom thermocouple failed

[TC1] / [TC2] Top and middle thermocouples failed

[TC2] / [TC3] Middle and bottomthermocouples failed

[TC1] / [TC3] Top and bottom thermocouples failed

Terminating Error Messages

[HTDE] [ETH] [FAIL] [FTL] and [TCDE] error mes

sages turn off the kiln and flash the following:

Total firing time in hours and minutes

The kiln shutoff temperature

The current kiln temperature

----/NoThermocouple

After the controller was plugged in, it could not detect a

thermocouple.

BADP / Bad Programming

Causes:

When you press START, allprogrammed temperatures are below the current kiln temperature of aRamp-Hold firing.

Keep the kiln lid or door closed when the kiln is not in use. 27

ETH / Electronics Too Hot

The circuit board temperature is above 176°F / 80°C.

To lower board temperature, use a fan to blow air across the kiln switch box into the louvers. (But do not blow air into the kiln’s peepholes.) If you have more than one kilnin the room, place them farther apart. Never allow the firing room temperature to exceed 110°F / 43°C. (Measure room temperature 3 feet away from the kiln.)

FAIL / Thermocouple Failure

The controller is no longer receiving voltage from the thermocouple. Causes:

Defective thermocouple

Disconnected thermocouple lead wires

Defective circuit board

FE 1 / Failed to Read/Write To Memory

1 Press any key to clear the [FE 1] message.

2 Turn off the powerto the controller for10 seconds.

Then restart.

If the

[FE 1] error persists, return the controller to the

factory for evaluation.

FE 4 / Unstable Analog-to-Digital Conversion; Errors Detecting Thermocouple Signal

The Sentry controller checks the temperature every second. If the temperature changes by more than 80°F / 26°C during a 10-second period, Reasons:

A failed component on the circuit board

You have checked the thermocouple with a propane torch or match, raising the temperature very fast.

[FE 4] will appearin thedisplay.

1 Press any key to clear the [FE 4] message.

2 Turn off the powerto the controller for10 seconds.

Then restart.

If the

[FE 4] error persists, return the controller to the

factory for evaluation.

FTL / Firing Too Long

The temperature change is less than 27°F / 15°C per hour and the firingtime is twohours longerthan the cur rent segment wasprogrammed to fire. This message can appear during heating-up segments.

[FTL] has been disabled for cooling segments.

A FULL rate doesn’t shut off the [FTL] code.

Check for worn or burnedout elements, defectiverelays, low voltage and defective thermocouple. Reprogram a slower rate in heating-up and cooling-down segments.

Note: To avoid slower rate.

[FTL] messages, fire the kiln at a

Pointer: During a Ramp-Hold firing, Present Sta tus shows the actual firing rate of the current seg ment instead of the rate you programmed. If you think your kiln is heating or cooling too slowly, compare the rate shown in Present Status with the rate you programmed for that segment. This is an other reason you should always keep a written re cord of your firing programs.

HTDE / High Temperature Deviation

[HTDE] appears alongwith acontinuous beepingalarm.

Causes:

During a heating-up ramp or a hold, the temperature is 100°F / 56°C above the programmed temperature.

During a cooling-down segment, the temperature is 100°F / 56°C abovethe segment’s starting temperature.

A fast rate caused the controller to overshoot the target temperature.

A relay is stuck in the closed position, sending power to the elements.

See “Power Failures,” next page.

Note: You can disable the HTdE alarm for a seg ment by programminga FULL rate(9999°). HTdE will continue to operate during the hold and in all other segments that have slower rates.

LAG / Thermocouple Lag

The heating rate is slowerthan 9°F /5°C per hourand the kiln temperature is more than 100°F / 56°C away from the programmed temperature. The LAG error is inactive above 500°F/260°C.

Causes:

On kilns that use a portable controller, the thermocouple fell out of the firing chamber.

A bare spoton the thermocouplelead wireshas touched a grounded object inside the kiln switch box causing the thermocouple to short out.

Note: Check for worn or burned out elements, de fective relays, low voltage and defective thermocouple.

LID / Safety Switch

Reasons [LID] appears in the display:

The kiln is equipped with a safety switch, which turns off power to the elements when the lid or door is open.

[LID] appears while the lid is open during firing.

The safety lid switch is out of adjustment and has shut off the elements even though the lid is closed.

On the back of the Sentry circuit board, at the top right side, is a small two-pinterminal. If the connectorplug on that terminal is missing, during firing. The elements will not turn on. (If the two-pin connector plug is missing, you can buy another from a computer supply store. See photo, next page.)

[LID] will appear in the display

28 Cone-Fire / Ramp-Hold Do not leave your kiln unattended during operation.

The safety lid switch is broken, or a wire con nected to the safety switch has come loose.

OTL / Over Temperature Limit

The kiln has shut off be cause the temperature is hot ter than the one that was setin

[LIM] option. See page 25.

the

PF1 / Power Failure

The power failed during a controlled cooling segment. The kiln temperature was be low the last active cooling segment temperature when the power came back on. The kiln will not resume firing. See “Power Failures,” next column.

The lid switch two-pin terminal is on the back of the circuit board in the upper right corner.

PF 2 / Power Failure

The power failed, and the kiln temperature was below 212°F / 100°C when the power came back on. The kiln will not resume firing. See “Power Failures,” next column.

PF 3 / Power Failure

The power failed, and the temperature dropped 72°F / 40°C while the power was off. The kiln will not resume firing. See “Power Failures,” next column.

Check for a loose wire between the transformer and the controller.

TC 2 / Thermocouple Failure

The thermocouple of a single-zone kiln or the middle thermocouple for a multi-zonekiln failedwhile thecontroller was at

[IDLE].

TCDE / Uneven Multiple-Zone Temperatures

The zones of a multiple-zone kiln are firing unevenly. Causes:

A burned out relay or element.

The thermocouples and elements are improperly wired. A thermocouple is turning on the elementsto the wrong zone. For instance, if the top thermocouple turns on the bottom elements, the kiln will fire way out of balance. When zones are out of balance by 180°F / 100°C,

[TCDE] will appear in the display.

Visually compare the wiring of the thermocouples, re lays and elements in your kiln to the kiln’s wiring diagram. Also, use the Element Test option shown on page 26.

1 After a brief power failure, the controller continues

firing as before. It shows a normal temperature dis play alternating with

[PF].

2 After an extended power failure, [PF 1] [PF 2] ]or

[PF3] will appear. The kiln willNOT resume firing.

The kiln will remain turned off after a power failure if the temperatureis below 212°F / 100°C when the power co mes back on or if the temperature drops 72°F / 40°C or more while the power is off.

When the Sentryaborts afiring after a power failure, the display will show the following:

[PF 1] [PF 2] or [PF 3]

Total firing time before power failed

Temperature at the time of power failure

Current kiln temperature

To resume firing, select the program again and press ENTER. The kiln will begin firing again from its present temperature. For example, the kiln reached 1000°F / 538°C when the power failed. The temperature is 800°F / 426°C when you turn the kiln back on. Firing will resume from 800°F /426°C. You need not cool the kilnto room tempera ture before starting a ceramic firing over unless you decide to use new witness cones.

When you resume firing by pressing ENTER, the controller will begin firing in the firstsegment that has a higher target temperature than the current kiln temperature. However, if the power failed during a ramping down (cooling) segment, the controller will resume firing from the same cooling segment.

Using Ceramic Witness (Shelf) Cones After an Extended Power Failure

The firing was interrupted more than 100°F/56°C from the cone temperature: Fire the ware again. It

is okay to use the same partially fired witness cones, even if they cooled back down to room temperature. So long as the cones did not heat to within 100°F/56°C of maturity, they can be used again.

The firing was interrupted less than 100°F/56°C from the cone temperature: Fire the ware again. If

the kiln shuts offwithin 100°F/ 55°Cof maturity,and the temperature drops 50°F / 28°C or more after the kiln shuts off, donot depend onthe witness cones.Once they cool 50°F / 28°C after they have been heated to within

100°F / 55°C of maturity, they will not bend properly. This is because they form a hard shell.

TCR / Thermocouple Leads Reversed

Check that the thermocouple lead wires are connected

to the correct terminals.

Power Failures

The Sentry handles a power failure in two ways:

Keep the kiln lid or door closed when the kiln is not in use. 29

Appendix A: Display Messages

Message Definition Page Reference

[ABRT] Abort 6

The firing was stopped.

[ALAR] Alarm 6,8,9,11,15

ALAR appears either when you are entering an alarm temperature or when the alarm is sounding during a firing. To stop an alarm, press anykey except STOP. If the alarm goes off when you first be gin firing, it is because it was set for a lower temperature than the present temperature.

[AOP1] [AOP2] Auxiliary Output 2, 13, 16, 21- 23, 25

The AOP option is for kilns equipped with a special-order kiln switch box receptacle called the Auxiliary Output.

[BADP] Bad Programming 27

This message appears when a Ramp-Hold firing has been pro grammed with 0 rate in the first segment or when all target temper atures are lower than the current kiln temperature.

[CENT] Electrical Rate 8, 23

Enter the electric rate shown on your electric bill. Example: 9.25 cents per KWh is entered as 00.09.

[CFG] Configuration Code 2, 26

This isan option that shows the factory configuration code for your Sentry.Thisisfortechnicianswhocallthefactoryforsupport.

[CONE] Cone-Fire 11

The Sentry is ready for you to enter a cone number.

[COOL] Slow Cooling 11, 13, 21

In Cone-Fire programming, Slow Cooling is shown as COOL. To program a slow cooling,enter thecooling ratein degreesper hour. Leave the setting at 0 if you do not want a slow cooling.

[CPLT] Completed Firing 6, 9, 11, 15, 24

This means the firing completed normally as programmed. These three messages will also cycle one after the other: firing time in hours and minutes, the temperature of the last segment, and the current kiln temperature.

[DIAG] Amperage Check 21

Check the amperage that your kiln is drawing.

[DELA] Delay 7, 11, 15

DELA is a timer thatstarts the kiln later. Delaytime appears in hours and minutes.

[DIFF] Temperature Difference 26

This option shows the maximum temperature spread between zones in a multiple zone kiln.

[ELEC] Electronics Temperature 25

The Sentry circuit board is ratedfor operation at temperatures upto 176°F/80°C. When the circuit board gets hotter, the Sentry shuts off. The ELEC option shows you the temperature of the circuit board.

[ETH] Electronics Too Hot 27, 28

The Sentry circuit board is too hot, so the kiln shut off.

[F / C] Change °F / °C 22

Choose between operation in degrees F or degrees C.

Message Definition Page Reference

[°F 1] or [°C 1] Target Temperature 15

This prompt, whichappears in Ramp-Hold programming,is asking for a target temperature. The number is the segment of the pro gram.

[F 20] Fast Speed 20

Cone-Fire fast speed shows in Program Review as F 20. This is also how Fast Speed is listed in the SPD Speed option.

[FAIL] Thermocouple Failed 28

The thermocouple failed. This can be due to a broken thermocou ple, loose thermocoupleconnectiononthebackoftheSentry,dis connected thermocouple wire, or a defective controller.

[FAN] Vent Fan 13, 16, 21

The Fan option, accessed through the OPTIONS key, is for kilns equipped with aspecial-order kiln switch box receptacle called the Auxiliary Output.

[FAST] Fast Speed 11

In Cone-Fire programming, if you press ENTER when FAST ap pears, the kiln will program to fire at fast speed.

[FE 1] & [FE 4] Failed Component 28

These codes may mean a circuit board component has failed. But sometimes the problem can be cleared by turning the power off and restarting the controller.

[FN 1] Fan 15, 16, 22

If your kiln has the optional AOP outlet (for a kiln vent), the FN prompt will appear for each segment during Ramp-Hold programming.Itisaskingifyouwanttheventonoroffforthatsegment.

[FTC] Failed to Cool 24, 27

This error message means the kiln cannot cool as fast as the cool ing that you programmed.

[FTH] Failed to Heat 24, 27

Thekilncannotheatasfastasyouprogrammed.

[FTL] Firing Too Long 27, 28

The temperature rise is less than 27° /15°C per hour and the firing time is two hours longer than the current segment was pro grammed.

[FULL] Full Speed 16, 18, 24, 27, 28

The rate, or temperature change per hour, is maximum.

[HD 1] Temperature Hold 15, 16

When this message appears duringRamp-Hold programming, it is asking you if you want to hold, or maintain, the target temperature of that segment. If so, enter the length of hold time in hours and minutes (i.e. 1 hour 20 minutes = 01.20). The number after HD is the segment number.

[HOLD] Temperature Hold 11, 13

When this message appears during Cone-Fire programming, it is asking you if you want to hold,or maintain, the cone temperature at theendofthefiring.Ifso,enterthelengthofholdtimeinhoursand minutes (i.e. 1 hour 20 minutes = 01.20).

[HTDE] High Temperature Deviation 16, 24, 27, 28

During a heating-up ramp or a hold, the temperature is 100°F / 56°C above the programmed temperature.

30 Cone-Fire / Ramp-Hold Do not leave your kiln unattended during operation.

Message Definition Page Reference

[IDLE] Ready to Begin 11, 15

The Sentry must display the IDLE message before you can begin firing or programming.

[KW] Kilowatts 9, 23

The controller can figure the cost to fire your kiln if you supply your kiln’s wattage. (See the data plate on the switch box.) Divide watt age by 1000 to get kilowatts. Enter that amount: 10,800 watts ÷ 1000 = 10.8.

[LAG] Temperature Lag 28

The heating rate is slower than 9°F / 5°C per hour and the kiln tem perature is more than 100°F / 56°C away from the programmed temperature.

[LID] Lid/Door is Open 6, 28

When LID appears,either a lid or door switchis out ofadjustment or a two-pin connector on the back of the board is missing.

[LOCK] Program Lock 25

With this option activated, a stored program cannot be altered or removed from memory.

[LTDE] Low Temperature Deviation 24, 27

This message appearswhen thekiln is below the Temperature De viation setting in the TEdE option.

[OFST] Cone Offset 20

Adjust a Cone-Fire program to bend the matching witness cone on the kiln shelf.

[-ON-] Firing Started 11, 15

This appears when firing begins. Do not be concerned if it takes a moment for the relays to turn on. The Sentry is processing data.

[PF 1] Power Failure 29

The power failed during a controlled cooling segment. The kiln temperature was below the last active cooling segment temperature when the power came back on.

[PF 2] Power Failure 29

The power failed. When power came backon, the temperature was below 212°F / 100°C.

[PF 3] Power Failure 29

The power failed and the temperature dropped 72°F/ 40°C.

[PF] Power Failure 27

There was a power failure during firing. The kiln continued firing af ter the power came back on.

[PRHT] Pre-Heat 8, 11, 12

In a Cone-Fire program, Pre-Heat heats the ware slowly to 200°F / 93°C for the length of time you specify. Pre-Heat is designed to re move moisture safely from greenware.

[RA 1] Rate 15

RA 1, RA 2, RA 3, etc., appear in Ramp-Hold programming, Pro gram Review, and Present Status. When RA 1, 2, 3, etc. appear during programming, the controller is asking you for firing rate for each segment. Rate means how fast the firing progresses, in de grees of temperature per hour. Every segment must have a firing rate. The number after RA is the segment number.

[RST] Reset 26

The RST option erases cone and thermocouple offsets, selects °F operation, erases stored programs in Ramp-Hold, and selects Type-S thermocouple. Note that if you use Reset, and your kiln is equipped with a Type-K thermocouple,you must use the TCoption to select Type-K. (Reset selects Type-S as a safety precaution. If you had a Type-S thermocouple and Reset selected Type-K, your kiln would overfire. On the other hand, if you had a Type-K thermo

Keep the kiln lid or door closed when the kiln is not in use. 31

Message Definition Page Reference

couple, Type-S selected would underfire your kiln, which is better than overfiring it. The K-Type thermocouple is standard on most kilns.)

[S 20] Slow Speed 20

Cone-Fire slow speed shows in Program Review as S 20. This is

also how slow speed is listed in the SPD Speed option.

[SFTY] Safety 25

This is the maximum temperature the Sentry is programmed for your kiln. It can be altered only at the factory.

[SKIP] Skip Segment 9, 10, 12

If you press the Skip Segment key during a firing, SKIP will appear. If you pressthe key again, the firing will skip to the next segment. In Cone-Fire, Skip Segment takes you only out of Pre-Heat or Hold.

[SLOW] Slow Speed 11

In Cone-Fire programming, if you press ENTER when SLOW ap pears, the kiln will program to fire at slow speed.

[SOFT] Software Version 26

This option gives the version of software loaded into your Sentry.

[SPD] Speed 11, 19

The SPD message appears during Cone-Fire programming and in

Options. 1) In the SPD option, accessed through the option key, change the speed of a Cone-Fire program beyond the standard fast, medium or slow. 2) While programming a firing for Cone-Fire, choose slow, medium or fast speed at the SPD prompt.

[STD] Standard Speed 11, 20

Cone-Fire medium speed appears in the Sentry as STD, or Standard. This is because medium speed is the standard firing program used in Cone-Fire. Fast and Slow speeds alter the standard firing program.

[T123] Zone Temperatures 26

This option shows temperatures in each zone.

[TC] Thermocouple Type 21, 26

Choose between types K, S, or R thermocouple. It is important to select the correct type, or the controller will not read temperature accurately.

[TCDE] Uneven Temperature 27, 29

This is an error message for multiple-zone kilns. It means the tem peratures of the zones are out of balance by 180°F / 100°C. This is

usually caused by a miswired kiln or by a defective relay.

[TCOS] Thermocouple Offset 22

Adjust the controller’s temperature to compensate for temperature drift, or aging, of a thermocouple.

[TCR] Thermocouple Reversed 29

Thethermocouplewiresarereversed.

[TEDE] Temperature Deviation 24

The Sentry includes error messages to warn you that the kiln is not maintaining the programmed temperature. The sensitivityof the er ror messages is based on a temperature entered in the TEDE op tion.

[TEST] Element Test 26

This option is for testing the elements and thermocouples. If you test a thermocouple with a lighter, the temperature display re sponds faster during Test than during IDLE display.

[USER] User Program 15

In Ramp-Hold programming, the USER prompt is asking you where you want to place the program in memory. The Sentry has 9

spaces in memory. Keep a written record of the programs 1 - 9 in memory.

Appendix B: Preset Cone-Fire Programs - °F

These are the firing schedules programmed in Cone-Fire mode. Tocustomize a schedule, write down your

changes. Then load your new schedule into Ramp-Hold.

Low Fire Cones °F

Segment 1 Segment 2

Cone Rate 1 Temp. 1 Rate 2 Temp. 2

022 396 979 108 1087 021 396 1004 108 1112 020 396 1051 108 1159 019 396 1144 108 1252 018 396 1211 108 1319 017 396 1252 108 1360 016 396 1314 108 1422 015 396 1348 108 1456 014 396 1377 108 1485 013 396 1431 108 1539 012 396 1474 108 1582 011 396 1499 108 1607

Medium Fire Cones °F

Segment 1 Segment 2 Segment 3 Segment 4

Cone Rate 1 Temp. 1 Rate 2 Temp. 2 Rate 3 Temp. 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 1720 108 1828 05 324 1022 153 1112 180 1780 108 1888 04 324 1022 153 1112 180 1837 108 1945 03 324 1022 153 1112 180 1879 108 1987 02 324 1022 153 1112 180 1908 108 2016 01 324 1022 153 1112 180 1938 108 2046

High Fire Cones °F

Segment 1 Segment 2 Segment 3 Segment 4

Cone Rate 1 Temp. 1 Rate 2 Temp. 2 Rate 3 Temp. 3 Rate 4 Temp. 4

1 324 1022 153 1112 162 1863 108 2079 2 324 1022 153 1112 162 1872 108 2088 3 324 1022 153 1112 162 1890 108 2106 4 324 1022 153 1112 162 1908 108 2124 5 324 1022 153 1112 162 1951 108 2167 6 324 1022 153 1112 162 2016 108 2232 7 324 1022 153 1112 162 2046 108 2262 8 324 1022 153 1112 162 2064 108 2280 9 324 1022 153 1112 162 2084 108 2300

10 324 1022 153 1112 162 2129 108 2345

32 Cone-Fire / Ramp-Hold Do not leave your kiln unattended during operation.

Appendix B: Preset Cone-Fire Programs - °C

These are the firing schedules programmed in Cone-Fire mode. To customize a schedule, write down your

changes. Then load your new schedule into Ramp-Hold.

Low Fire Cones °C

Segment 1 Segment 2

Cone Rate 1 Temp. 1 Rate 2 Temp. 2

022 220 526 60 586 021 220 540 60 600 020 220 566 60 626 019 220 618 60 678 018 220 655 60 715 017 220 678 60 738 016 220 712 60 772 015 220 731 60 791 014 220 747 60 807 013 220 777 60 837 012 220 801 60 861 011 220 815 60 875

Medium Fire Cones °C

Segment 1 Segment 2 Segment 3 Segment 4

Cone Rate 1 Temp. 1 Rate 2 Temp. 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 05 180 550 85 600 100 971 60 1031 04 180 550 85 600 100 1003 60 1063 03 180 550 85 600 100 1026 60 1086 02 180 550 85 600 100 1042 60 1102 01 180 550 85 600 100 1059 60 1119

High Fire Cones °C

Segment 1 Segment 2 Segment 3 Segment 4

Cone Rate 1 Temp. 1 Rate 2 Temp. 2 Rate 3 Temp. 3 Rate 4 Temp. 4

1 180 550 100 600 90 1017 60 1137 2 180 550 100 600 90 1022 60 1142 3 180 550 100 600 90 1032 60 1152 4 180 550 100 600 90 1042 60 1162 5 180 550 100 600 90 1066 60 1186 6 180 550 100 600 90 1102 60 1222 7 180 550 100 600 90 1119 60 1239 8 180 550 100 600 90 1129 60 1249 9 180 550 100 600 90 1140 60 1260

10 180 550 100 600 90 1165 60 1285

Keep the kiln lid or door closed when the kiln is not in use. 33

Appendix C: Upgrading Instructions

Upgrading the DTC 100, 600, 800 & 1000 Series to the Sentry

1 Unplug the kiln or disconnect the power. Remove

the 4 screws holding the controller faceplate to the switch box. Gently remove the old controller.

2 Disconnect the wires from the old controller.

3 If your kiln is

top-loading and origi nally came with a DTC 100 or 600, the heat shield inside the switch box may need to be moved to give more clearance for the new Sentry con troller. Measure the space between the heat shield and the front of thebox. If the spaceislessthan1 ¾”, remove the screws that hold the bottom of the heat shield. These screws are on the sides near thelouvers. Drill new holes in the switch box next to the bottom 2 holes used for the heat shield. Move the bottom of the heat shield back and fasten screws in the new holes.

4 Thread the Sentry

wiring harness into the switch box by in serting it in the open ing where thecontrol ler goes. Let the end with the plugs hang out of the box.

5 Remove the switch

box from the kiln by removing the screws holding the box to the kiln.

6 The red wire from the

old controller con nects to the relay(s). The red wire in the Sentry wiring harness goes to the same relay terminal. (See diagram, facing page.) You will notice that the red Sentry wire has 3 push-on connectors with jumper wires. If your kiln has 3 relays, you will use all 3 push-on connec tors, 1 for each relay. If you have 2 relays, cut off the last terminaland jumper wire. If your kiln has 1 relay, cutoff two push-on connectors. Cut the wire close to the terminal that remains (seenext photo).

The extra wires tied to the harness are for multiple zone kilns and the optional AOP electrical outlet. The

green grounding wire is connected only if youuse a computer interface.

CAUTION: Cut off the extra terminal(s) and jumper wire(s) unless they attach to relays. Uncon nected wires that touch a grounded object can dam age your controller!

7 Attach the red wire ter

minal(s) to the relay(s). Follow steps 6 and 7 for the black wire, which also goes to the relays.

8 Note how the white, orange, and blue wires of the

old controller are connected to the transformer. Removing and replacing one wire at a time, con nect the Sentry white,orange, and bluewires tothe transformer the same way. (See Transformers, next page. Cut off the extra blue wire terminal if your transformer doesn’t need it.)

9 Remove the old wiring harness from the switch

box. With the thermocouple wires and the Sentry connection plugs hanging out of the front of the switch box, movethe boxinto placeon the kiln. Arrange the wires so that when the switch box is fastened to the kiln, the wires and wire nuts will not touch an element connector or thekiln case. Install the screws that hold the switch box to the kiln.

10 Straighten the

ends of the thermocouple wires. Attach them to the thermocouple terminals on the bottom of the Sen try. (Use the cen ter connectors if your kiln has only one thermocou ple.) Make sure the thermocouple wires are tight.

11 Attach the two

plugs to the back of the Sentry con troller. Carefully insert the Sentry into the controller opening on the switch box. Install 4 corner screws.

34 Cone-Fire / Ramp-Hold Do not leave your kiln unattended during operation.

Tighten the thermocouple wires with a small slotted screwdriver. Toavoid dam aging the connection block, do not over-tighten the screws.

Inserting the plugs on the back of the Sentry.

Transformer

Relay

Thermocouple

Fuse

A digital kiln or furnace uses only six basic parts to control heat. Understanding how they work simplifies trouble-shooting.

Helps protect the controller from power surges.1. Fuse:

Reduces the power to 24 volts AC, which2. Transformer:

operates the controller.

Controls temperature and rate.3. Digital controller:

Senses temperature. The tip protrudes4. Thermocouple:

into the firing chamber.

Turns the heating elements on and off.5. Relay:

Receives a signal from the controller.

6. Heating elements

Located in the switch box. AGC ½ amp, 250 v. AC.

Two wires of dissimilar metal join together in the thermocouple tip. When heated, the wires produce a small voltage, which the controller interprets as a temperature.

Power flows to the elements when the relay turns on.

Reduces power to 24 volts AC, which operates the controller.

Orange

Blue

White

Heating

Element

The relay is a switch, which is triggered by the controller. A 12 volt signal from the controller energizes an electromagnet inside the relay. This closes the switch, sending power to the elements.

Black

Red

Orange

Blue

White

From power supply

Fused leg

120 Volt

Orange

Blue

White

From power supply

Fused leg

208 & 240 Volt

Orange

Blue

White

From power supply

Fused leg

120 Volt

Orange

Blue

White

From power supply

Fused leg

120 Volt

Orange

Blue

White

From power supply

Fused leg

208 & 240 Volt

New

Style

Old

Style

Using a transformer of the wrong voltage or connecting the wrong wires to the transformer terminals can damage the controller and cause the relays to chatter. Always make sure your new transformer is the correct voltage before installing. You can tell by looking at the jumper wires attached to the terminals.

Red

Black

The red wire and black wire contain extra push-on terminals for kilns with three relays. If your kiln has one or two relays, cut off the extra terminal(s) and wire(s). Spare terminals or wires that touch a grounded object could damage your controller!

Wiring Single & Multiple Relays

Transformers

How to Wire the Sentry

Kilns with one thermocouple: use center terminals. Observe color coding.

Kiln with 1 relay: cut here

Kiln with 2 relays: cut here

Sentry Controller

Green (grounding wire)

RED

YEL

Top of Board

YEL

VIO RED BRN BLK

GRN BLU WHT ORG

USB

relays

power

thermocouples

P14

P13

P17

P11

P10

Factory ISP

Factory UART

Amp

Sensor

Lid

Switch

Keep the kiln lid or door closed when the kiln is not in use. 35

Appendix D: Temperature Equivalents

For Orton Self-Supporting Pyrometric Cones

°F

Cone Self-Supporting Cones Pre-Fire

Number Color

Heated at: 27° F 108° F 270° F

Per Hour* Per Hour* Per Hour*

022 — 1087 1094 Green 021 — 1112 1143 Fuschia 020 — 1159 1180 Orange 019 1213 1252 1283 Yellow 018 1267 1319 1353 White 017 1301 1360 1405 Pink 016 1368 1422 1465 Light Blue 015 1382 1456 1504 Violet 014 1395 1485 1540 Gray 013 1485 1539 1582 Green 012 1549 1582 1620 Fuschia 011 1575 1607 1641 Orange 010 1636 1657 1679 Dark Red 09 1665 1688 1706 Dark Red 08 1692 1728 1753 Dark Red 07 1764 1789 1809 Dark Red 06 1798 1828 1855 Dark Red 05 1/2 1839 1859 1877 Dark Red 05 1870 1888 1911 Dark Red 04 1915 1945 1971 Dark Red 03 1960 1987 2019 Dark Red 02 1972 2016 2052 Dark Red 01 1999 2046 2080 Dark Red

1 2028 2079 2109 Dark Red 2 2034 2088 2127 Dark Red 3 2039 2106 2138 Dark Red 4 2086 2124 2161 Gray 5 2118 2167 2205 Green 5 1/2 2133 2197 2237 White 6 2165 2232 2269 Fuchsia 7 2194 2262 2295 Orange 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 Foundation.

°C

Cone Self-Supporting Cones Pre-Fire

Number Color

Heated at: 15° C 60° C 150° C

Per Hour* Per Hour* Per Hour*

022 — 586 590 Green 021 — 600 617 Fuschia 020 — 626 638 Orange 019 656 678 695 Yellow 018 686 715 734 White 017 705 738 763 Pink 016 742 772 796 Light Blue 015 750 791 818 Violet 014 757 807 838 Gray 013 807 837 861 Green 012 843 861 882 Fuschia 011 857 875 894 Orange 010 891 903 915 Dark Red 09 907 920 930 Dark Red 08 922 942 956 Dark Red 07 962 976 987 Dark Red 06 981 998 1013 Dark Red 05 1/2 1004 1015 1025 Dark Red 05 1021 1031 1044 Dark Red 04 1046 1063 1077 Dark Red 03 1071 1086 1104 Dark Red 02 1078 1102 1122 Dark Red 01 1093 1119 1138 Dark Red

1 1109 1137 1154 Dark Red 2 1112 1142 1164 Dark Red 3 1115 1152 1170 Dark Red 4 1141 1162 1183 Gray 5 1159 1186 1207 Green 5 1/2 1167 1203 1225 White 6 1185 1222 1243 Fuchsia 7 1201 1239 1257 Orange 8 1211 1249 1271 Yellow 9 1224 1260 1280 White

10 1251 1285 1305 Pink

*Rate of temperature increase during last 90 - 120 minutes of firing. Tables by courtesy of the Edward Orton, Jr. Ceramic Foundation.

36 Cone-Fire / Ramp-Hold Do not leave your kiln unattended during operation.

Appendix E: Ramp-Hold Firing Records

Date_______________________________

User Program ______

Rate

°/Hour

RA1 1 Hd1 .

RA2 2 Hd2 .

RA3 3 Hd3 .

RA4 4 Hd4 .

RA5 5 Hd5 .

RA6 6 Hd6 .

RA7 7 Hd7 .

RA8 8 Hd8 .

RA9 9 Hd9 .

RA10 10 Hd10 .

RA11 11 Hd11 .

RA12 12 Hd12 .

RA13 13 Hd13 .

RA14 14 Hd14 .

RA15 15 Hd15 .

RA16 16 Hd16 .

RA17 17 Hd17 .

RA18 18 Hd18 .

RA19 19 Hd19 .

RA20 20 Hd20 .

Target

Temperature

Hold Time

Hours.Mins

Optional FanOn/

Off

Date_______________________________

User Program ______

Rate

°/Hour

RA1 1 Hd1 .

RA2 2 Hd2 .

RA3 3 Hd3 .

RA4 4 Hd4 .

RA5 5 Hd5 .

RA6 6 Hd6 .

RA7 7 Hd7 .

RA8 8 Hd8 .

RA9 9 Hd9 .

RA10 10 Hd10 .

RA11 11 Hd11 .

RA12 12 Hd12 .

RA13 13 Hd13 .

RA14 14 Hd14 .

RA15 15 Hd15 .

RA16 16 Hd16 .

RA17 17 Hd17 .

RA18 18 Hd18 .

RA19 19 Hd19 .

RA20 20 Hd20 .

Target

Temperature

Hold Time

Hours.Mins

Optional FanOn/

Off

Type of firing:

Firing results:

Recommendations for the next firing of this type:

Keep the kiln lid or door closed when the kiln is not in use. 37

Type of firing:

Firing results:

Recommendations for the next firing of this type:

Index

ABRT, 6

Add Time, 7

ALAR, 8, 11, 15

Alarm, 6, 8, 10, 15, 17, 22, 24, 28

AOP, 13, 15 - 16, 22, 25

Auxiliary Output, 22

baby monitor, 6, 8

BADP, 27

Celsius, 5, 22

CFG, 1, 25

CHG-,1,22

clicking,2,8

Cone Offset, 20

Cone Table, 8

Cone-Fire, 6, 10 - 11

controlled cooling, 15 - 16

COOL, 7, 11, 13

COST, 1, 8, 23

CPLT,5,23

DELA, 11, 15

Delay, 7

DIFF, 25

ELEC, 1, 24

electricalcost,2,8,23

Element Test, 1, 25

Enter/Start, 9

ETH, 27

Fahrenheit,5,22

FAIL, 5, 18, 27

FAN, 21

firing schedule, 17

FN, 16

FTC, 24, 26

FTH, 24, 26

FTL, 27

FULL, 16, 18, 24

glass, 8, 16 - 17

hold, 7, 11, 13, 14, 16

HTDE, 27

humidity, 5

ID,1,24

IDLE, 5

kilowatt-hour, 23

KW,1,8,23

LID, 27

LOCK,1,24

LTDE, 24, 26

memory, 14

multiple-zone, 18, 25

OFST, 20

Options Key, 9

overfire, 2, 4, 6, 18

overshoot, 16

peephole, 17

PF, 26 - 27

powerfailure,4,27-28

power output light, 5,18

Present Status, 7, 10, 26 - 27

PRHT,7,11-12

Program Lock, 15, 24

Program Review, 7,17

pyrometric cone, 10, 20, 29

RA 1, RA 2, 15

Ramp-Hold, 7, 15

rate, 1,15 - 16, 23 - 24, 26 - 27, 29

Reset, 1

RST, 1, 25

safety, 4

segment, 1, 14, 16 - 17

set point, 24, 26

SFTY,1,24

SKIP, 9

Skip Segment, 8

SOFT,1-2,25

software version, 2

SPD, 12, 19

STOP,4,8,9,16,19

T123, 25

target temperature, 7, 14, 16

TC,1,22

TCDE, 27 - 28

TCL, 27

TCOS, 21

TCR, 28

TEDE, 24

Temperature Deviation, 1, 16, 24

TEST,1,25

thermocouple, 1, 6, 13, 22, 25 - 27

Thermocouple Offset, 1

USER, 14 - 15

venting, 12

VFAN, 13, 21 - 23

38 Cone-Fire / Ramp-Hold Do not leave your kiln unattended during operation.

Appendix F:

Sentry Ramp-Hold Shorthand Instructions

After you press the keys in the left column, the message to the right will appear. (See also page 15.)

KEYS TO PRESS DISPLAY COMMENTS

PROGRAM AND FIRE THE KILN.

Apply power to kiln IDLE Press Enter if IDLE does not appear.

4 USER Enter program number.

A number from 1 to 35 1 Program number appears.35

ENTER RA 1 Enter rate of segment 1.

Rate 0200 Rate appears.

ENTER °F 1 Enter temperature of segment 1.

Temperature 2000 Temperature appears.

ENTER HD 1 Next, enter hold time.

Hold time (0 if none) 00.00 Hold time appears.

Repeat for other segments. Enter rate of 0 for 1st segment not needed.

ENTER IDLE The kiln is ready to fire. ENTER -ON- Kiln is now firing.

SELECT AND FIRE A STORED USER PROGRAM.

Apply power to kiln IDLE Press Enter if IDLE does not appear.

4 USER Select a program number.

A number from 1 to 35 1 Displays the number you selected.

ENTER RA1 STOP, STOP IDLE Selected program is ready to fire. ENTER -ON-

Kiln is now firing. (Use Program Review by pressing 6.)

Keep the kiln lid or door closed when the kiln is not in use. 39

Appendix G:

Sentry Cone-Fire Shorthand Programming

After you press the key(s)in the left column,the message to theright will appear. Press 1from [IDLE]. Ifthe 1 key doesnot

respond, your controller does not have Cone-Fire. (See also page 11.)

KEYS TO PRESS DISPLAY COMMENTS

Apply power to kiln IDLE Press Enter if IDLE doesn’t appear. 1 CONE Enter the cone number. Cone # (i.e. 05) 05 ENTER SPD Enter the firing speed. 1(Fast), 2 (Med.), or 3 (Slow) FAST The firing speed appears. ENTER PRHT Enter Pre-heat time. Pre-Heat time (0 if none) 00.00 Pre-heat time appears. ENTER HOLD Enter hold time. Hold time (0 if none) 00.00 Hold time appears. ENTER COOL Enter slow cooling rate.* Slow cooling rate (0 if none) 0000 Shows degrees per hour. ENTER IDLE Kiln is ready to fire. ENTER -ON- Kiln is now firing. Press 6 for

Program Review.

The kiln is now firing to the cone you selected.

*The COOL prompt appears only after you have turned on the Slow Cooling option. See page 21.

40 Cone-Fire / Ramp-Hold Do not leave your kiln unattended during operation.

Paragon Sentry 3.0 Instructions Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual

Before You Begin

Safety Rules

Basic Pointers

Cone-Fire

Ramp-Hold

Error Messages

Appendix A: Display Messages

Index