Rio Grande Digital Temperature Controller User Manual

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Page 1

Rio Grande

Digital Temperature Controller

°F

°C

Temperature Display

Tempera

ture display is in °F.

Temper

ature display is in °C. See page 9 for instructions on

selecting °F and °C.

Display Dot

Time Display

: Separates hours from minutes. Example: Display shown above is 1 hour and 2 minutes

Indicator Lights

On during

programming.

On during

program review.

Blinks dur-

ing firing.

START/STOP Key

Starts and

stops a firing.

Press after each programming step.

Up Arrow Key

From press .Press

to select a program.

During a User Defined firing, press the

. will appear. Press . The current segment ramp or hold number will appear. To skip, press again. Page 6

At the display, press

. will appear. Use arrow keys to calibrate the con troller to fire hotter or cooler. Press to return to . Page 9

During a User Defined firing, press

repeatedly until appears. Press .Eachtime you press the , the hold time for the current segment will increase by 5 minutes. Then press .Page6

During a User Defined firing, press repeatedly until appears. Press . Use the arrow keys to change the target temperature for the cur rent segment. Then press .Page6

During a firing, press repeatedly until appears. Press . Use the arrow keys to change the alarm temperature. Press .Tosilencethealarm,press any key. Page 7

Down Arrow Key

From press

. The program you have selected will appear one step at a time. When ap pears, press .Page3

press .

Enter delay time. Press

.Page3

During firing, press

. The program you entered will appear one step at a time. Page 3

From

Page 2

Contents

Safety

General Guidelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Time and Temperature Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Operation Begins from the

Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Thermocouple Inspection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

A Rapid Way to Scroll Numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Program Review & Repeat Firing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Delay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Power Failures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Selecting and Firing a PMC Program . . . . . . 4

Message: Firing Completed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Thunder Storms and Power Surges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Selecting a Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

PMC Programs Stored in Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Rate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Hold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Temperature Over-Shoot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

User Defined Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Theory of Operation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Advanced Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Skip Segment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Add Hold Time. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Editing the Current Segment Target Temperature

During Firing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

The Alarm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Lost Wax Burnout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Error Messages. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

/ Bad Programming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

/ Electronics Too Hot. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

/ Thermocouple Failure. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

/ Thermocouple Reversed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

/ Fired Too Long . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

/ Power Failure. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

/ Power Failure. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

/ Thermocouple Failure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

/ Thermocouple Lag. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Calibrating the Controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Selecting °F or °C Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Display Messages. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Trouble Shooter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Problem: Controller display is blank. No heat in kiln.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Problem: Controller display turns on.

No heat in kiln. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Problem: Kiln switch box ½ amp fuses keep blowing.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Shorthand Instructions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

The warranty on your Rio Grande 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 proper time.

When the kiln is not in use, disconnect the power.

Do not leave the kiln unattended, especially near the expected shut-off time.

Wear firing safety glasses when looking into the firing chamber of a hot kiln.

Do not touch hot sides of kiln. Keep unsuper vised children away.

Install your kiln at least 12 inches from any wall or combustible surface.

Do notopen lid ordooruntil kiln hascooled and all switches are off.

Fire only in a well-ventilated, covered and protected area away from combustible materials.

Keep cordset away from hot sides of kiln or furnace.

DANGEROUSVOLTAGE!Donottouchheating elements with anything. Disconnect before servicing.

Which Instructions Apply to Your Controller

When you first connect the power, thecontrollerwill dis

play these messages, one after the other:

or a software code

If your controller shows instead of a software code before appears, then thecontrollerincludes only Skip Segment from "Advanced Features" on pages 6 - 7. If your controller shows asoftwarecode before appears, then the controller has all the features in this manual.

2 /

Page 3

General Guidelines

Time and Temperature Display

Center Dot: Time

A centerdotappears during time display. It separates hours from minutes.(Example: 1 hour,30 minutes displays as 01.30.) During temperature display, the dot disappears.

Single Right-Hand Dot: °C

When temperatureis displayed in °C, a dot appears in the lower right. In °F display, it disappears. You can choose between Fahr enheit and Celsius dis play. See page 9.

Operation Begins from the IdLE Display

must appear before you can fire the kiln.

If , , or other message appears instead of

when thekiln is first turned on, pressthe

key (the key with the circular arrow). will appear.

If youpress during afiring, will appear. To get back to , press again.

If the display shows an error message such as instead of , see page 8.

(firing completed) appears at the end of a firing.

To make appear, press .

Thermocouple Inspection

The small rod protruding into the firing chamber is the temperature sensor, or thermocouple.

Caution: Bumping the thermocouple can push it out of the firing chamber. This could cause an overfire!

A 1/8”diameterthermocouple shouldextend intothefir ing chamber ½” -

A ¼” diameter thermocouple should extend into the fir ing chamber 1” or more.

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

”.

A Rapid Way to Scroll Numbers

During programming, hold an arrow key down several seconds,andnumbers willbegin toscroll rapidly.Ordinarily, you would press to raise a number and

to lower it. But sometimes it is faster to press the

°F

°C

opposite key.This is becausethenumbers scroll below0000 to the highest number, and vice versa. Examples:

To program a 99.59 hour Hold when the display shows

00.00, press the once.

To program a FULL rate when the display shows 0000, press the once.

To program a temperature of 200°F when the display shows 1800°F, press the . That is fasterthan pressing the .

Program Review & Repeat Firing

Program Review lets you checkthat the information pro grammed into the controller is correct. Program Review shows thevalues forthe programinactive memory.Use Pro gram Review from to repeat the last program you fired.

key. The rate, temperature, hold, etc.

will display one after the other. Firing will continue.

Press the key. Afterrate, temper ature, hold, etc., will appear. Press . will appear,and thekilnwill beginfiring theprogram just reviewed.

Delay

Delay isa count-down timer.The kiln beginsfiring when the timer runs outof time. Use Delayto fit afiring into your schedule.

Caution: Forsafety,do not leavethe kiln aloneduring adelayor afiring. Wecannotguarantee yourkiln against overfiring even though the controller is automatic.

After you have selected a program and the controller is ready to begin firing, will appear.

Press the key once. will ap pear, alternating with .

Use thearrowkeystoenterdelaytime. (The decimal separates hours and minutes. Example: 1 hour 10 minutes = 01.10) Then press twice. will appear, alternating with time left until the firing

begins.

Note: Press during delay to end the delay and begin the firing. The maximum delay is 99 hours and 59 minutes.

Power Failures

After a power failure, the controller will continue firing provided that:

The kiln temperature is above 212°F/100°C when the power comes back on.

The temperature dropped no more than 180°F/100°C while the power was off.

Press the

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Page 4

Power Failure Messages

The power failed during a cooling segment, and the kiln cooled past the target temperature while the power was off.

The power failed during firing and kiln tempera

turewasbelow 212°F/ 100°Cwhen thepower cameback on.

The power failed during firing and temperature dropped more than 180°F / 100°C by the time the power came back on.

CPLT Message: Firing Completed

When the firing has success fully completed, the controller will shutoff power tothe elementsand sound analarm for30 seconds.Thenthree messageswill cycleone afterthe other:

(complete) Firing time in hours and minutes The current kiln temperature

Thunder Storms and Power Surges

Unplug the kiln or disconnect the power when the kiln is not in use, especially during thunder storms and in areas with frequent power surges. If the kiln is part way through a firing when a storm begins, it is probably okay to continue the firing with close supervision. Do not leave the kiln unattended.

Selecting a Program

PMC Programs Stored in Memory

Five PMC programs are stored in memory. You can also program custom firings. Shown below are the heating rate, temperature, and temperature hold time for each stored program. (See “Theory of Operation,” next page, to learn more about rate, temperature, and hold.)

Program 1: PMC Plus Fast

Heating rate per hour: Full Temperature: 1650°F Hold: 10 minutes

Program 2: PMC Plus Slow

Heating rate per hour: 1500°F Temperature: 1470°F Hold: 30 minutes

Program 3: PMC3 Slow

Heating rate per hour: 1500°F Temperature: 1110°F Hold: 45 minutes

Program 4: PMC Original

Heating rate per hour: Full Temperature: 1650°F Hold: 2 hours

Program 5: PMC Gold

Heating rate per hour: Full Temperature: 1830°F Hold: 2 hours

Program 6: User Defined program

Program custom rates, temperatures, and hold times.

Selecting and Firing a PMC Program

From , press .

Press the key (not the

). Each time you press the , a dif

ferent program will appear:

PMC Plus Fast PMC Plus Slow PMC3 Slow PMC Original PMC Gold User Defined custom programming

When the PMC program you want appears, press

. will appear. Press to begin firing. will appear and theRunindicator light with begin blinking. The kiln is now firing.

To stop a firing before completion, press .

will appear, alternating with kiln temperature.

Note: Do not be concerned if your kiln makes a clicking sound during firing. Kilns use relays to power theelements. Therelays clickeach timetheir electrical contacts come together.

Note: The kiln’s actual firing rate may be less than the rate you programmed, depending on the kiln model, available voltage, and density of load you are firing.

When the kiln fires to completion, it will beep for 30 sec

onds. The display will show the following:

Firing time

Present temperature

To return to , press .

(fired to completion)

4 /

Page 5

User Defined Programs

Theory of Operation

The temperatureyou arefiringto iscalled thetarget tem perature. After the controller reaches the target tempera ture, it can also hold that temperature.

The controller fires at acontrolledheating 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, the controller does three basic tasks:

1) Itfires at acontrolledheating rate, or speed, measured

in degrees of temperature change per hour.

2) It fires to a target temperature.

3) It can hold the target temperature.

Rate

Each segment must include a rate, which is degrees of

temperature change per hour.

Thekilnwillfireatfullpowerwhentherateis

1799°F/999°C. Full power displays as .

Note: To enter full power from , press the

key once.

Hold

Hold is thelengthof time thatyou want thekilnto remain at the target temperature. Hold is also called soak or dwell time. Hold maintains a steady temperature for the length of time you specify. You can use Hold in both heating up and cooling down segments.

When Hold is set to 99.59 hours, the controller will remain atthattemperatureindefinitely,until you press . To enter a 99.59 hour Hold, press the once from 00.00 during programming.

The controllerfires insegments, orstages. Asegment isa given heating rate to a target temperature. Shown above is a segment with a target temperature of 1250° and a rate of 625°, with a hold of one hour.

Heating rate is figured in degrees per hour. The recom mended heating rateforthematerial you are firingisusually available from your supplier. It also varies depending on the thickness of the material.

To figurehow longa firingsegment willtake, subtractthe current temperaturefromthe target temperatureanddivide the resultanttemperature bythe heatingrate. Inthe diagram above, the firing time is 1250° - 80° (room temperature) = 1170 ÷625 = 1.87 hours.

The controller can fire up to 8 segments per firing in a User Defined program. One segment is often all that is needed, though.

After thecontrollerhas finished firingthe last segmentof a User Defined program, it will turn off power to the kiln.

Note: If you enter a rate of 0000 in segment 1, or if the target temperature in segment 1 is lower than the current temperature, will appear in the display.

Note: During firing, the display shows Hold temperature and time left in Hold.

Temperature Over-Shoot

When akilnis heated toofast, it mayover-shootthe target temperature, especiallyin small kilnsat lower temperatures. To avoid this, add an extra segment in a User Defined pro

gram to slow the firing.

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Page 6

User Defined

Advanced

Programming Instructions

Note: You haveup to 8segments available in a User Defined program. If you don’t need all 8, zero out the unused segments. See step 6 below.

From , press .

Press the key (not the

). When appears, press . (Ig

nore - .)

will appear. Enter firing rate (temperature change perhour)for segment1. (1° = slowest rate. 1799°F/999°C = full power.) Then press .

or and the target temperature from the last firingwillappear.Usethearrowkeystochange the temperature. Then press .

andthehold timefrom thelast firingwill ap pear (Example: 1 hour 10 minutes = 01.10). Use the arrow keys to change the hold time. Then press

. (No hold = 00.00.)

Continue entering values for the segmentsneeded. When appears for the next segment that you don’t need, select 0000. Then press . This will zero out the remaining segments. (Example: You needonly1 segment.When appears, enter 0000.)

will appear. Press to begin firing.

will appear and the Run indicator light with

begin blinking. The kiln is now firing.

To stop a firing before completion, press .

will appear, alternating with kiln temperature.

Note: Do not be concerned if your kiln makes a clicking sound during firing. Kilns use relays to power theelements. Therelays clickeach timetheir electrical contacts come together.

Note: The kiln’s actual firing rate may be less than the rate you programmed, depending on the kiln model, available voltage, and density of load you are firing.

When the kiln fires to completion, it will beep for 30 sec

onds. The display will show the following:

Firing time

Present temperature

To return to , press .

= Fired to completion

Features

Note: All thefeatures in thissectionare available in a User Defined program. Thealarm is the only fea ture in this section that is available in a PMC pro gram. This is because PMC programs cannot be altered.

Skip Segment

Skip Segmentworks only duringaUserDefinedfiring. It

jumps the firing from the current segment to the next one.

During firing, press the .

will appear.

Press . The current segment ramp or hold number will appear.

Press again. (If you change your mind and don’t wantto skip that segment,don’t press after appears. Thefiringwillcontinue in the same segment and the temperature will appear af ter one minute.)

Skip Segmentskips totheramp of thenextsegment from either arampor holdofthe currentsegment.(Skip Segment does nothingduring the final segment.Toend the finalsegment, press .)

Skip Segment Example

You have programmed 1425°F for glass fusing, followed by a segment for controlledcooling.Watching theglass throughthe peephole, you notice that the glass edges haveroundednicelyat 1315°. Use SkipSegment toend thefiring segmentand tobegin the one for slow cooling.

Note: Make a note of the temperature at which the glass fused. Program that temperature for the next firing of that type of glass.

AddHoldTime

Add Hold Time works onlyduring a User Definedfiring. It adds 5 minutes to a hold. It is designed for ceramists who watch witness cones and for glass artists who inspect the glass near the end of firing.

During a firing, press the repeatedly

until appears.

Press . The hold time for the current seg

ment will appear. Press the . Each time you press the

, the hold time will increase by 5 minutes.

Press . Thenormal temperaturewill appear.

Note: Add Timewilladd 5 minutestoaholdevenif no hold had been programmed.

6 /

Page 7

Editing the Current Segment Target Temperature During Firing

While the kiln is firing a User Defined program, you can change the target temperature of the current segment. You can edit only the segment that is firing. So if the first seg ment is the current one, you can edit only the first segment. To edit othersegments, wait untilthe firing has progressed to those segments.

Even if the current segment has already started its hold time,youcan stilledit thesegment's targettemperature. You can raiseor lowerthe targettemperature. Thecontroller will go back out of holdand fire to thenewtargettemperatureat the original rate. (You cannot edit the rate, however.)

During a firing, pressthe repeatedly un

til appears.

Press . Thetarget temperaturefor thecurrent

segment will appear.

Usethearrow keysto changethe targettemperature.

Press . The normal kiln temperature will ap pear.

The Alarm

The alarm works in both PMC and User Defined programs.

While the kiln is firing, you can set the alarm, which sounds when the kiln reaches the alarm temperature. Use the alarm to alert you to check the fusing or slumping of glass.

You canenter onlyone alarmtemperatureat atime. However, afterthe alarm beeps,you can set the alarmforanother temperature, as many times as you want, during the firing. Enteringanalarm temperatureautomatically erasesthe previous alarm temperature.

Note: The alarm temperature that you set during a firing must be higher than the current display temperature.

During a firing, pressthe repeatedly un

til appears.

Press . The current alarm temperature will

appear.

Usethearrow keysto changethe alarmtemperature.

Press . The normal kiln temperature will ap

pear. To silence the alarm, press any key. Analarmtemperature of32°F /0°C willturn offthe alarm.

Lost Wax Burnout

Caution: Only kilns with vent holes are designed

for lost wax burnout. However, you can use a kiln without the vent hole provided that you open the door ½” during venting.

Caution: Always use a wax tray. Note: Theseinstructions applyto injectionwax that

melts at 200°F, not pattern waxes and plastics that melt athighertemperatures.If smoke appears dur ing wax elimination, turn off the kiln. Smoking wax means the kiln fired hotter than 300°/148°C.

Overview

Lost wax casting is the process of carving a shape in wax, making a mold, and then casting that shape in metal. After the wax has been carved, a mold is made of the wax shape. The mold is a negative image of the wax. The wax is later melted out of the mold through hollow channels called sprues.

Lost wax burnout is the process of preparing a casting mold for the melted metal that will be poured into it. The steps in lost wax burnout:

Melt the wax from the mold. Remove waxfromthekiln before raisingthetemper-

ature higher than 300°F/148°C. Harden the mold at high temperature. Maintain themold atthecasting temperaturerecom-

mended for the type of metalthat will be poured into the mold.

Caution: Prevent wax or carbon from contacting the kiln’s walls and elements. Carbon build-up in side akiln ruins the interior.Carbonconducts elec tricity andcauses elementsto shortcircuit. Damage to elements from contact with foreign materials is not covered by warranty.

A Sample Program

Rate Temp.

Segment °F/°C °F/°C Hold

1 500/277 300/148 01.00 2 500/277 1350/732 01.00 3 450/250 800/426 02.00

Segment 1 heats the wax to 300°F/148°C and holds it for one hour, allowing it to drip from the mold.

Segment 2 hardens the mold.

Segment 3 lowers temperature to 800°F/426°C, the typi cal castingtemperature for silver.(Mosttypesof gold castat 900°F/482°C.)

Note: Casting temperature depends on the size of the mold. The temperatures above are only a guide.

/ 7

Page 8

See your jewelry supply dealer for temperature recommendations.

Error Messages

Burnout Instructions

Place a metal tray inside the kiln on three½” posts. Place the mold on a wire mesh screen on top of the tray. The mold’s sprue hole should be down. The tray willcatch meltingwax asit dripsfrom thesprue hole.

Keep the kiln’sventhole(s), if any, openduringwax elimination. If the kiln has no vent hole, leave the door open½”. Thisallows fumesto escapefrom the kiln. Heatthe kiln to300°F/148°Cand hold it atthat temperature for at least one hour.

Note: Do NOT heat the wax above 300°F/148°C. Hold at 300°F/148°C for at least one hour. During this hour, the wax will melt from the mold and drip into the tray. If the kiln gets hotter than 300°F/148°C, the wax may smoke and deposit car bon inside your kiln, causing expensive damage.

After one hour at 300°F/148°C, open the kiln. Re move the mold andwax tray. Pour thewax from the tray and leave the tray outof the kiln until your next waxelimination.(Do notleave thetray inthe kiln!)

Heat themold tothetemperature recommended by your jewelers’ supply house where you purchased the mold material. This is usually around 1350°F/732°C.

Lower the temperature to the casting temperature of the metal. Hold at that temperature until youare ready tobegin casting.Remove themold withtongs. Wear protective gloves and safety glasses.

Saving a Carbon-Damaged Kiln

If you followthe above directions, yourkiln should besafe from wax damage. In some cases, a small amount of carbon may formon thewalls overa periodof time.This isdue tothe burning ofwax residuethat wasleft inthe mold.For thisrea son we recommend that you periodically fire the kiln to 1500°F/815°C as follows:

Open the vent cover(s) or leave the door ajar ½”.

Fire the kiln empty to 1500°F/815°C at a rate of

300°F/166°C with a one hour hold (01.00).

bAdP / Bad Programming

The kiln will not fire the because the User Defined pro gram justentered has1) arateof 0000in segment1, or2) the target temperature in segment 1 is lower than the current temperature.

EtH / Electronics Too Hot

The temperature of the electronic circuit board is above 185°F/85°C. This could damage the controller, so the firing has been stopped. To prevent this, keep the firing room cooler. Use better ventilation.

FaIL / Thermocouple Failure

The thermocouple, or temperature sensor, failed during firing. Causes:

Defective thermocouple or disconnected/loose wires

Defective controller

Electrical noise

Thermocouple Paperclip Test

Check the thermocouple wire connections. (See your kiln instruction manual.) If connections are tight, perform this test:

UNPLUG the kiln or disconnect the power. Remove thecontroller. Remove thetwothermocouple wires from the back of the controller.

Cut a thin paperclip in half. Insert a U-shaped paperclip piece, or other piece of thin wire, where you removed the thermocouple wires.

Plug inthekiln. Ifthecontroller displaysroomtem

perature, replace the thermocouple. If it shows

, replace the controller.

tCR / Thermocouple Reversed

Thermocouple lead wires are reversed. Check that the thermocouple leadwiresare connected tothecorrect termi nals. See your kiln's wiring diagram.

FtL / Fired Too Long

This message appears whenboth of the following condi tions are met:

The temperature rise is less than 27°F/15°C per hour

The firing is 2 hours longer than programmed

See “Controller turns on. No heat in kiln,” page 11.

8 /

PF 1 / Power Failure

The power failed during a cooling segment, and the kiln cooled past the target temperature while the power was off. The kiln will not resume firing. To return to the dis play, press any key.

Page 9

PF 2 / Power Failure

The power failed during firing and kiln temperature was below 72°F / 40°C when the power came back on. The kiln will not resume firing. To returnto the display, press any key.

PF 3 / Power Failure

The power failed during firing and temperature dropped morethan180°F /100°C bythe timethe powercame backon. The kiln will not resume firing. To return to the dis play, press any key.

tC / Thermocouple Failure

The thermocouple failed during the display. See the "paperclip" test under "FaIL," page 8.

tCL / Thermocouple Lag

The heatingrateis slower than9°F/ 5°C perhourand the kiln temperature is more than 100°F / 56°C away from the programmed temperature. To return to the display, press any key. Causes:

On kilnsthat use aportablecontroller, the thermocouple fell out of the firing chamber.

A barespot onthethermocouple leadwires hastouched a grounded object inside the kiln switch box causing the thermocouple to short out.

low voltage and defective thermocouple.

will flash if you program a cooling segment tem-

perature that is below room temperature.

Check for worn or burned out elements, defective relays,

Selecting °F or °C Display

The controllercandisplay temperature ineither°F or °C. If yourcontroller shows asmall display dotin the lower right corner of the display, the temperature shown is °C. No dot means °F. To change temperature display:

UNPLUG kiln or disconnect power.

Remove thefour screwsthat holdthe controllerto the frontofthe kiln.Carefully removethe controllerfrom the kiln. Leave wires attached to the controller.

Look at the back of the controller. You will find a set of connector pins near the bottom labeled “C/F.” When a jumper is placed on the C/F pins, thedisplay reads °F. When the jumper is removed, displayreads °C. Removeorinsert the jumperasdesired. (You can purchase thejumper from acomputersupply store if necessary.)

Install the controller being careful not to jar compo nents on the back of the controller against the kiln case.

Calibrating the Controller

You can calibrate the controller to fire up to 20°F/11°C

hotter or cooler than the zero factory setting.

From , press the key. After

rate, temperature, hold, etc., will appear. With shown in the display, press the

key.

willappear.Press thearrow keysto changethe controller temperature. (Lower numbers include a "-".)

Press the key to return to the display.

To fire the controller, press . will ap pear. Or to return to , press two more times.

The C/F jumper terminal is on the back of the controller, circled above.

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Page 10

Display Messages

Trouble Shooter

The firing was stopped.

(Page 7) Readyfor you to enteran alarm temperature.

When the kiln reaches that temperature, the alarm will sound.

During a User Defined firing, you can change the tar get temperature of a segment without having to first stop the firing.

Fired tocompletion. Ifthe kilnis alreadyhotterthan the programmed targettemperature when you begin firing, will appear immediately after you begin firing.

(page 3) Delay is a count-down timer that starts the

kiln when the time runs out.

or (and temperature) (page 6) The target temperature (thetemperature thatthe kilnwill fireto). Eachseg ment in a User Defined program has a target temperature.

Full power firing rate. At this setting the kiln will fire at its fastest rate. To select Full power, select a rate of 1799°F/999°Catthe promptin aUser Definedprogram. A fast way to do this is to press the key once from

. will appear.

(pages 5 & 6) Hold time of a segment, shown in hours

and minutes. (i.e. 2 hours 15 minutes = 02.15.)

(Page 7) During a User Defined firing, you can extend

the holdtime toa segmentwithout havingto firststop thefiring.

(page 3) The controller is ready for you to enter a pro-

gram or to begin a repeat firing.

Firing has begun. A moment after appears, you

will hear the relay(s) clicking.

, , , , (page 4)

These are PMC programs stored in memory.

(User Defined Program) (page 5) Select this option to

program a custom firing.

, , etc. (Rate) (page 6) This appears in User Defined programming foreach segment. 1,2, etc. aresegment numbers. Enter the rate of temperature change for that seg ment. Rate is figured in degrees of temperature change per hour. Example:

A temperature rise of 100° in two hours = 50° rate. A temperature drop of 200° in one hour = 200° rate.

(Skip Step)(page 5) This messageappears when you press the key duringa UserDefined firing.If youpress the key again,the firingwill skipto thenext segment.

The firing was stopped by pressing .

The "Ready to Start" message appears after program ming afiring. Press to beginfiring. ControllerCalibration (press the ) and Delay (press the ) are accessed from the message.

(Page 9) Calibrate the controller to fire hotter or

cooler.

Problem: Controller display is blank. No heat in kiln.

Is the kiln connected to the power?

Has the circuit breaker tripped or fuse blown?

Is power reaching the wall receptacle? Test with a voltmeter or test light if you are not sure.

Has the kiln switch box ½ amp fuse blown?

The kiln’s ½ amp fuse is lo

cated in the kiln switch box. Re

move bypressingthefuseholder and turning counter-clockwise half a turn. Check the fuse by placing theprobes of an ohmme

ter on the ends of the fuse. If the ohmmeter reads less than an ohm (digital meter) or reads 0 ohms (analog meter), the fuse is okay. If the reading is OPEN (digital meter) or infinity/no needle movement (analog meter), the fuse is bad. Replace ment fuse:

AGC 1/2 A 250V AC

Is the controller receiving power? Test the power INPUT connections on the back of the controller with a voltmeter.

Controller Power Input Test

Unplug thekiln. Removethe 4 screws holding the controller faceplate to the switch box. Lift faceplate out of box and let the board hang on the box with the back of the board facing you. Plug thekiln backin. Touchvolt

meter probes (in AC mode) to both INPUT connections (the white and orange wires).

Caution: Do not let the back of the board touch a grounded object. Make sure the voltmeter is in the AC mode when placing the probes on INPUT con nections.

Controller Power Input Test Result: No voltage

UNPLUG kiln. Check the switch box for disconnected wires between the cord, transformer, and controller. If wir ing is okay, replace the transformer.

Controller Power Input Test Result: 20 - 24 volts AC

Correct current is reaching the board from the trans former. But since the board is not lighting up, it is probably defective. Return the controller for repair or replacement.

Controller Power Input Test Result: less than 20 volts

Did you recently replace the transformer? It may be the wrong voltage. The voltage is below 20, which is not enough

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power forthecontroller. Tofind outthecause oflow voltage, continue below:

Controller Input Test #2

The back of the board is still facing you and the kiln is plugged in. Remove the IN PUT plug, which is the white, orange, and blue wires, from the back of the controller.Toucha voltmeter probe to the white wire and the other probe to theorange wire.

Input Test #2 Result: Less than 20 Volts AC

There aretwopossible reasons: 1)Low voltage atthe wall receptacle; 2) defective transformer. If wall receptacle volt age is correct, replace the transformer.

Input Test #2 Result: 20 - 24 Volts AC

Thetransformeris sendingcorrect voltageto thecontrol ler. Yetwhen the INPUTplugwas connected tothecontrol ler, voltage was less than 20. This means the controller is draining the voltage and may be defective. Return the con troller for repair or replacement.

Problem: Controller display turns on. No heat in kiln.

Is the relay making its normal clicking sound?

Yes, the relay is clicking.

Test the elements with an ohmmeter:

Element Resistance Test

UNPLUG kiln/disconnect the power. Open the kiln’s switchbox. Makesure thewires connectingthe relay to the elements are secure. If connections are okay, continue to step 2:

Touch the ohmmeter leads to the two element con nectors of each element. A no-needle-movement reading onan analogmeter, orOPENon adigitalme ter, indicates a broken element.

If the elements check out okay, replace the relay.

Note: To replace relay, see your kiln’s instruction and service manual.

No, the relay is not clicking.

We know the controller is receiving voltage, because the display islit. Butthe voltagefrom thetransformer maybe too low to power the relays. Perform the “Controller Power In put Test,” page 10. If your controller passes the input test, perform the “Controller Power Output Test”:

Controller Power Output Test

Is thecontrollersendingvoltagetotherelay? Test OUT

PUT with a voltmeter:

UNPLUG the kiln/disconnect the power. Remove

the 4 screws holding the controller faceplate to the

switch box. Lift faceplate out of box and let the con troller hang ontheoutside of theboxwith the backof the boardfacing you.Thenplug thekiln backin.Pro gram the controllerto fire to 1000°F at FULL rate in User Defined program mode. Press .

Put the voltmeter in DC mode. (It must be in DC mode when testing OUTPUT voltage.) Touch probes to the red wire and black wire connections. Measure voltage when the relay clicks on.

Output Test Result: No voltage at red and black wires

The controller is not sending power to the relay. Return

the controller for repair or replacement.

Output Test Result: 10 - 14 v. at red and black wires

The controller is sending correct power to the relay. Un

plug kiln/disconnect power. Remove the kiln switch box.

Look for disconnected wires between the controller, relay

and elements.Checkthe wiringdiagramto besurewires are connected to the correct terminals.Be sure connections are

tight. If the wiring is okay, replace the relay.

Note: To replace relay, see your kiln’s instruction and service manual.

Problem: Kiln switch box ½ amp fuses keep blowing.

What size fuse are you using? Correct fuse: AGC ½ A 250V AC.

Ifthefuse isthe correctsize, performthe followingtest:

Kiln Switch Box ½ Amp Fuse Power Test

UNPLUG the kiln/disconnect the power. Remove the 4 screwsholdingthe controllerboardfaceplate to the switch box. Lift faceplate out of box and let the board hangontheoutsideoftheboxwiththeback of the boardfacing you.Thenplug thekiln backin.Dis connect both wire plugs from the back ofthe con troller. Apply power to kiln. If fuse blows, re place thetransformer.(If the fuse does not blow, the problem is a board or relay. Go to step 2.)

Connect the INPUT plug (orange, blue, and white wires) to the board again. Leave off the OUTPUT wire plug (the one with the red, green and black wires). Program the controller to fire to 1000°F at

FULL rate in User Defined firing mode. Press

. If the fuse blows, replace or service the board. (If the fuse does not blow, the problem is causedbya shortin thecoil ofa relay.Go tostep 3.)

UNPLUG kiln/disconnect power. Reconnect the OUTPUT wire plug. Reinstall the board in the switch box. Replace the relay.

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Page 12

Shorthand Instructions

To avoid confusion,readthe manual beforeusing these quickshorthandinstructions. After pressingthekeys in theleftcol

umn, the message in the center will appear.

Selecting a Stored PMC Program

Keys to Press Shown in the Display

through

(Not Down Arrow) (SelectProgram1,2,3,4,or5)

The kiln is now firing.

The User Defined Program

Keys to Press Display

(Not Down Arrow) Select PrO6

Enter Segment 1 Rate (Sample rate)

Enter Temperature (Sample temperature)

Enter Hold Time (Or hold time)

First segment not needed: enter a rate of 0000.

through

The kiln is now firing.

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