manual horno ibero

8/3/2019 Manual Horno IBERO

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Delay (pg 10)From IdLE, press 3.Enter time in hours:minutes.Delays the start of firing.

Program Review (pg 8)From IdLE or duringfiring, press 6.Shows the program that is

loaded in memory and ready tofire, or the one that is firing.

Skip Segment (pg 11)During firing, press 9, theEnter.Skips to the next ramp.Stop/Back (pg 6)

Press during firing orprogramming.Stops a firing. In Options,takes you back to IdLE.During programming,takes you back one stepeach time key is pressed.

Standard Options(pg 13-16)

Calibrate the thermocoupletemperature.

Se-lect Type K, S or R.

Select ventfan or alarm. This is a special op-tion not on all kilns.

Select identi-fication number for output to acomputer.

Set temperature sensitivity oferror codes.

Alarm (pg 11)From IdLE or duringfiring, press 7.Enter a temperature. Whenalarm sounds during firing,press Enter.

Present Status (pg 11)During firing, press 5.Shows the segment that is currently firing.

Add Time (pg 10)During firing, press 2.

Each additional key pressadds five minutes to a hold.

Program (pg 7, 11)From IdLE, press 4.Select stored program (1 - 4).Enter rate, temperature, andhold for each segment.

During firing, press 4.Change the current segment

temperature. Press Enter.Change the hold. Press En-ter. The kiln will continue fir-ing.

Enter/Start (pg 7)Press Enter/Start after each

step in programming a firing.Press Enter/Start once from

to begin the firing.

Check board for overheating.

Make aprogram tamper-proof.

Fortechnicians.

For technicians.

Diagnos-tics tool for checking elements.

Removes thermo-couple offset and returns theboard to factory defaults.

Multiple ZoneOptions (pg 13)

Largesttemperature difference be-tween any two zones.

Change center heat of sometwo-zone kilns.

Shows temperature ofeach zone.

CommonDisplayMessagesFor a detailed list,see pages 20-21.

IdLE = Ready

RA 1 = Rate

F 1 = Targettemperature

Hd 1 = Hold

CPLT = Fired tocompletion

Sentry 2.0Digital TemperatureController

Complete Ramp-Hold Operating Instructions


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2

Introduction

Your Sentry micro processor is our most advanced generation of digital temperature control-lers. It is easy to use provided you read the manual.

The controller display messages are limited to four characters. For this reason, the messagesappear cryptic: IdLE instead of Ready to begin, CPLT instead of Fired successfully tocompletion, RA1 instead of Enter rate for first segment. If at any time you are confused bythese messages, turn to Appendix A: Display Messages on page 20.

The front cover is a quick guide to most of the features on the controller. The back cover is aquick guide to programming the controller, to be used after you have learned the program-ming instructions on page 7.

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

The warranty on your Sentry controller does not cover damage fromoverfiring, regardless of the circumstances. It is the operators responsi-bility to make sure the kiln turns off at the end of the firing.

If you purchased the TnF 2 portable controller, you should find a TnF 2installation instruction sheet in addition to these instructions.

Instructions for multiple-zone kilns are included in this manual on

pages 12 and 13. If you are not sure whether your kiln is multiple-zone, look into the firingchamber. If you see two or three thermocouple tips, your kiln is multiple-zone. If you see onlyone thermocouple, skip multiple-zone instructions.

Once you learn the basic features of the Sentry, you will be able to control every stage of firing.This offers learning opportunities and convenience difficult to imagine

with a manual-controlled kiln.

Do not worry ifyou hear a click-ing noise duringoperation. Me-chanical relaysclick as they turnthe heating ele-ments on and off.

Do not leave thekiln unattended,especially nearthe expectedshut-off time. Be

there to makesure the kilnturns off.


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3

Contents

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

1 Getting Started . . . . . . 5

Room Temperatureand Humidity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Thunder Storms andPower Surges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Time and Temperature Display. . 5

Operations Begin from IdLE . . . . 5

Thermocouple Inspection. . . . . . 5

Theory of Operation . . . . . . . . . . 6

2 Programming. . . . . . . . 6

The Stop/Back Key . . . . . . . . . . . 6Correcting Entries . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Storing User Programs . . . . . . . . 6

Firing a Stored User Program. . . 7

Rate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Programming Steps . . . . . . . . . . 7

Hold. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Repeat Firings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Program Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Programming aCooling Segment . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

CPLT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Temperature Overshoot . . . . . . . 9

AOP Fan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9A Practice Program. . . . . . . . . . . 9

3 Sample FiringPrograms . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Heat Treating a Knife Made fromD-2 High Carbon Steel . . . . . . . 9

Glass Fusing Schedule . . . . . . 9

Glass Slumping Schedule . . . 10

4 Other Features . . . . . 10

The Add Time Key. . . . . . . . . . . 10

Delay Fire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Present Status. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

The Alarm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11Skip Segment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Editing a SegmentDuring Firing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

5 Multiple-Zone Kilns. . 12

An Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Thermocouple FailureIn a Multiple-Zone Kiln . . . . . . . 12

Power Output Lights . . . . . . . . . 12

Testing Multiple-ZoneElements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Zone Temperature

Difference (DIFF) . . . . . . . . . . . 12Two-Zone Kilns: Adjusting Heat inthe Center Section (CAdJ) . . . . 13

Zone TemperatureDisplay (T123) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

6 The Options Key . . . . 13

Thermocouple Offset (TCOS) . . 13

Multiple-ZoneThermocouple Offset . . . . . . . 14

Selecting F or C (CHG-) . . . . . 14

F/C TemperatureConversion Formula. . . . . . . . 14

Thermocouple Type (TC) . . . . . 14AOP Outlet (AOP) . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Computer ID (ID). . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Temperature Deviation (TEDE). 15

Maximum Temperature (SFTY). 15

ElectronicsTemperature (ELEC) . . . . . . . . . 16

Program Lock (LOCK) . . . . . . . 16

Configuration Code (CFG) . . . . 16

Software Version (SOFT) . . . . . 16

Element Test (TEST). . . . . . . . . 16

Reset (RST) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

7 Error Messages. . . . . 17

FTC / Failed to Cool . . . . . . . . . 17FTH / Failed to Heat . . . . . . . . . 17

LTdE / Low TemperatureDeviation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

PF / Power Failure. . . . . . . . . . . 17

BAdP / Bad Programming . . . . 17

ETH / Electronics Too Hot . . . . 17

FAIL / Thermocouple Failure . . 17

FTL / Firing Too Long . . . . . . . . 17

HTdE / High TemperatureDeviation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

PF 2 / Power Failure . . . . . . . . . 18

PF 3 / Power Failure . . . . . . . . . 18

The LId Display . . . . . . . . . . . 18

PLOG Error Codes . . . . . . . . . . 18

TCdE / Uneven Multiple-ZoneTemperatures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

TCR / ThermocoupleLeads Reversed. . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

8 Power Failures . . . . . 19

Using Ceramic Witness ConesAfter an ExtendedPower Failure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

When the Kiln ShutsOff Too Soon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Appendix A:Display Messages . . . . 20

Appendix B:Upgrading Instructions 22

Upgrading the DTC 100, 600, 800& 1000 Series to the Sentry . . . 22

Appendix C:Quick Programming. . . 24


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SafetyThe warranty on your Sentry controller does not cover

damagefrom overfiring, regardless of thecircumstances. Itis the operators responsibility to make sure the kiln turnsoff at the end of the firing.

Follow these safety rules in addition to the ones in your

kiln or furnace manual:When the kiln is not inuse, disconnect the powerand keep the lid or doorclosed. (For larger kilns

with heavy cordsets, werecommend a powerdisconnect box near thekiln.)

Do not leave the kiln unattended, especiallynear the expected shut-off time. Do not leave a

kiln turned on at your studio while you are athome sleeping.

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

Do not touch hot sides of kiln or furnace. Keepunsupervised children away.

Install your kiln or furnace at least 12 inchesfrom any wall or combustible surface. (Seemanufacturers recommendation for yourmodel.)

Do not open lid or door until kiln or furnace hascooled 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 or fur-nace.

DANGEROUSVOLTAGE! Do not touch heat-ing elements with anything. Disconnect kiln orfurnace before servicing.

Do not operate if the controller itself is hotterthan 150F/66C. (See instructions on page 16for checking board temperature.) Never allowthe firing room temperature to exceed110F/43C. (Measure room temperature threefeet from the kiln.)

Stop a firing by pressing the STOP button, notby disconnecting the power. In certain condi-tions, the controller will interpret a power inter-

ruption as a power failure and turn the kilnbackon when you reconnect the power.

Place the kilnonthe stand recommended by themanufacturer. When a kiln is safety tested byUL, the lab fires the kiln on the stand designedfor the kiln. Cinder blocks or bricks can inhibitthe flow of air under the kiln. They can also

change the kilns heating characteristics.

Place the kiln on a non-combustible surface.

Keep the kiln lid or door closed when the kiln isnot in use. This keeps dust out of the kiln. Also,should someone turn on the kiln while you areaway, the closed lid will keep the heat safely in-side the firing chamber.

Never place anything on the kiln lid, even whenthe kiln is idle. If people become accustomed toplacing papers and other objects on the kiln,

they may forget and do that while the kiln is fir-ing.

Remove all tripping hazards from around thekiln. Keepthe kilnssupplycordout of traffic ar-eas.

Avoid extension cords.

Never fire tempered glass inside a kiln. It couldexplode.

Greenware, which is unfired clay, must be bone

dry before firing. Moist greenware can explodeinside 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 shelvescan explode inside a kiln.

If you smell burn-ing plastic, turnthe kiln off. Exam-ine the wall outletand supplycord forsigns of burning.

Never place extrainsulation aroundthe kiln in an attempt to conserve energy. Theextra insulation can cause the wiring and thesteel case to over-heat.

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Chapter 1

Getting StartedRoom Temperature

and HumidityIt is okayto store the Sentryatsub-zero tem-peratures. Butbefore operating, raisetheroomtemperature to at least 32F/0C.

Note: The Sentry will register sub-zero F/Ctemperatures.However, 32F/0Cis the lowestrecommended operating temperature.

The circuit board is rated for 158F/70Cmaximum operating temperature. However,the maximum recommended temperature is125F/52C. Open windows and exhaust hotairfrom theroomto lower temperature.(Seepage

16 to check circuit board temperature.)High humidity will not adverselyaffecttheSentryunless

water condenses on the circuit board. In this case, do notfire the kiln until the moisture has evaporated from theboard.

Thunder Storms andPower Surges

Unplug the kiln when not in use, especially during thun-der storms and in areas with frequent power surges. If thekiln is part way through a firing when a storm begins, it maybe okay to continue the firing. When the kiln shuts off, dis-

connect the power.

CAUTION: When firing the kiln during a storm, donot leave the kiln unattended!

Time and TemperatureDisplayCenter Dot: Time

A center dot appears duringtime display. It separateshoursfrom minutes (i.e. 1 hour, 30minutes displays as 01.30).

During temperature display, the dot disappears.Three DotDisplay

The Sentry turns on theheating elements intermit-tently through relays. Poweroutput lights appear in theright side of the display whenthe Sentry sends a signal to turn on the relay(s).

s When the Sentry sends a signal tothe relays, all three dots appear.

s The top dot indicates a signal to turnon the relay for the top section of the kiln. The bottomdot indicates a signal to power the bottom section. Ig-nore the center dot.

s The top dot indicates a signal to turnon the top section relay, the middle dot to the middlesection, and the bottom dot to the bottom section.

Single Right-Hand Dot: C

When temperature is dis-played in C, a dot appears inthe lower right. In F display, itdisappears. You can choosebetween Fahrenheit andCelsius display. See page 14.

Operations Begin from theIdLE Display

The controller displays when you first apply

power to the kiln. Operations

begin from . You cantfire the kiln until appears.

s Ifyoupress duringa firing, willappear.Toget back to , press .

s If the display shows an error message such as in-stead of , see pages 17 - 18.

s (firing completed) appears at the endof a firing.To make appear, press any key.

Thermocouple InspectionThe small rod protruding into the firing chamber is the

temperature sensor, or thermocouple.CAUTION: Bumping the thermocouple can push it

out of the firingchamber.This could cause an overfire!The controller does not contain an alarm to detect this

type of failure. Bumping the thermocouple could alsocause it to give inaccuratereadings.

Thermocouples come indifferent widths. The widerthe thermocouple, the far-theritshouldextendintothefiring chamber. A -

diameter thermocoupleshould extend into the firingchamber about 1. A 1 8thermocouple should ex-tend into the chamber -5

8. (Do not be concerned ifyour thermocouple extendsinto the firing chamber even further.)

Keep shelves, posts and ware 1 - 1 away from thethermocouple.Keepan extrathermocoupleon hand, espe-cially if you fire hotter than 2000F/1093C.

5

The controller ispacked with fea-tures. Do not letthis intimidate

you. Become fa-

miliar with onlythe features youneed; ignore therest.


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If you are using a portable, separate controller, you willneed to install the thermocouple onto the kiln. See the sep-arate TnF 2 installation instructions.

Theory of OperationThe temperature you are firing to is called the target

temperature. After the Sentry reaches the target tempera-ture, it can also hold that temperature.

The Sentry fires at a controlled heating rate. The rate isfigured in degrees per hour. If you selected a rate of 100per hour, it would take 10 hours for the furnace to reach1000. Rate is similar to miles per hour.

In summary, the Sentry 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 the target temperature.

The Sentry fires in segments, or stages. A segment is agivenheating rate toa targettemperature.Shownabove is asegment with a target temperature of 1250 and a rate of625, with a hold of one hour.

Heating rate is figured in degrees per hour. The recom-mended heating rate for the material you are firing is usu-ally available from your supplier. It also varies dependingon the thickness of the material.

To figure how long a firing segment will take, subtractthe current temperature from the target temperature anddivide the resultant temperature by the heating rate. In the

diagram above, thefiring time is 1250 - 80(roomtempera-ture) = 1170 625 = 1.87 hours.

The Sentry can fire up to 18 segments per firing. Onesegment is often all that is needed, though.

After the Sentry has finished firing the last segment, itwill turn off power to the kiln.

Chapter 2

ProgrammingInstructions

Before using your Sentry, read all of thischapter. Have your controller in front of

you so that you can try out the keys as youread.

The Stop/Back KeyYou can stop a firing by pressing

. (The only time the key doesnot work during a firing is whenthe alarmsounds. Press any key besides toturnoffthe alarm.)

If you enter Options, you do not have to go through allthe prompts to get back out. Press to go to .

Duringprogramming,the key willtakeyouback one step with each key press, so it is easy to make cor-rections.

Correcting EntriesIf youenter thewrongtemperature,rate,etc., while pro-

gramming, enter 0000. Then enter the correct numbers be-fore pressing .

Storing User ProgramsTo program the control-

ler, must appear.From press . Thefirst message you will see is

, meaning Chooseone of your programs or en-ter a new one. The seg-ments you enter will bestored in memory. Segmentsstored in memory are calleda firing schedule, or pro-gram.

The controller can holdfour user programs in

memory. They stay in memory even when the power isturned off. User programs are numbered from 1 through 4.User program #1 can have up to 18 segments. User pro-grams #2 - #4 can have ten segments each. You dont haveto use all the segments availableonly the number neededper firing. Often one segment is all you will need.

When enteringa program forthefirst time, press whenappears. Your first firingwill be storedas User Pro-

gram #1.

6

When USER ap-pears, the con-troller is asking

you to select astored program.If you have nonein memory, press1 and enter yourfirst program.


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Note: In Program Review, a heating rate of 9999 is displayed as . When a kiln is heated at fullpower, it may overshoot the target temperature, espe-cially in the lower range. To avoid this, add an extrasegment with a slower rate for the last 50 degrees oftemperature rise.

CAUTION: The Sentry includes error messages towarn you when the kiln is at the wrong temperature.

Firing the kiln at full rate turns off some of these warn-ings. See Temperature Deviation, page 15.

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

HoldHold means maintain-

ingthetemperatureof a seg-ment for the length of time

you specify. Hold gives thetemperature timeto becomemore even throughout the

kiln. Hold can be used in ei-ther heating-up or cool-ing-down segments.

In programming step #5(see boxed instructions, pre-

vious page), enter hold time. When hold is set to 99.99hours, the Sentry will remain at that temperature indefi-nitely until you press .

When theSentry is in hold during a firing,the display willalternate between time left in hold and the temperature.

Repeat FiringsTo repeat the last firing, press from . The

kiln will begin firing. But first, make sure you are repeatingthe correct firing by using Program Review. For repeat fir-ings that you dont want to inadvertently change, see Pro-gram Lock, page 16.

Program ReviewWhen you press 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

s The program that was fired last, or

s The program that was selected since the last firing.

Start Program Review from , or while firing, bypressing .

Programming aCooling Segment

For controlled cooling, program a segment to a lowertarget temperature than that of the preceding segment.

Example: You fire at a rate of 500F per hour to 1450Fwith your first segment. You want the kiln to cool at a rateof 100F per hour down to 700F. Here is how you wouldprogram 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 secondone is the cooling segment. The controller does not use mi-nusnumbers forcooling.Just entera lower targettempera-ture than that of the previous segment.

If you prop the lid or door for a fast cooling, program afast coolingrate forthat segment. If youlowerthe tempera-ture quickly by propping the lidbut program a slow coolingrate, the controller will just raise the temperature again.

Example:Someglass artistsflash-cool theglass just afterit fuses. They open the door a few inches to remove heat,then close it again. This takes the glass down rapidlythrough 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: Duringfastcooling,donotopen thedoorall theway. Do not force-cool the kiln with a fan.

Note: See Temperature Deviation (TEDE), page 15, for information on error codes that may appear during crash cooling.To turn these codes off,

program a crash coolingrate of 9999. This turns off TEDE error codes

only for that particular segment . The TEDE codes still work on the Hold and the o thersegments.

Suppose youentera cool-ing rate that is faster than the kiln is able to cool? De-pending on the rate you enter, you may get an alarm mes-sage. (Press to turn off the alarm.)

CPLT Message:FiringCompleted

When the firing has successfully completed, the Sentrywill shut offpowerto theelements. Then four messageswillcycle one after the other:

(complete)

Firing time in hours and minutes

8

It is easy to pro-gram a con-trolled cooling.Simply enter atarget tempera-

ture that is lowerthan that of theprevioussegment.

If you repeat thesame firing pro-gram often, useProgram Lock sothat it cannot beinadvertently

changed. Seepage 16.


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The temperature reached during the last segment

The current kiln temperature

Note: If the alarm (see page 11) sounded, and then thekilnfiredto completion, you willsee instead of . Press . will appear.

Temperature OvershootWhen a kiln is heated at too fast a rate, it may overshoot

the target temperature, especially in small kilns at lowertemperatures. To avoid this, add an extra segment to slowthe firing. The segment with the slower rate should beginapproximately 40 - 60 below the target temperature.

AOP FanThe optional AOP (auxiliary output) is a special-order

electrical receptacle mounted in the kilns switch box. Thisreceptacle can powera kiln vent orexternalalarm.(SeeOp-tions, page 15.) During programming, the prompt for the

AOP outlet is , which can be turned on or off for each

segment.

A Practice Program

To practice using the controller, we will enter a programthat includes three segments. The last segment is a coolingsegment.

Using theprogramminginstructionson page 7, enter thethis firing schedule.Then use Program Reviewto check foraccuracy.

USER = 1

RA1 = 250

F 1 = 750

Hd 1 = 00.00

RA2 = 900

F 2 = 1425

Hd 2 = 00.30

RA3 = 150

F 3 = 750

Hd 3 = 00.00

RA4 = 0000

Chapter 3

SampleFiringPrograms

These sample firingschedulesillustratedifferent waystoprogram the Sentry. When designing a firing schedule formaterials you are unfamiliar with, or when using one ofthese schedules, always test-fire samples first.

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

Heat Treating a Knife Made from D-2 HighCarbon Steel

Rate Temp.

Segment F/C F/C Hold

1 9999 1800/982 00.20

2 9999 400/204 00.00

3 9999 500/260 5.00

Wrap theknifebladein heat treatingfoil. (That is to pre-vent carbon scale from forming on the steel.)

Set the alarm to 1800F/982C. Place the knife in thekiln. Heat at FULL rate to 1800F/982C. When the alarmsounds, get ready to remove the knife. After 20 minutes ofhold time, open the furnace door, remove the knife, andleave the door half open.

CAUTION: Wear high temperature heat resistantgloves when removing theknife blade from thefurnace.

Remove the blade from the heat treating foil. Place theknife on knifeholders, which allow air to circulate aroundthe blade. Place a fan several feet from the blade. Point theblade toward the fan so the air flows parallel to the bladelength. Cool the blade rapidly to room temperature.

CAUTION: If the air hits the blades ina sidewaysdi-rection, it increases the chance of warpage.

Leave the kiln door half open until the temperaturedrops to 400F/204C. Place the knife back inside the fur-nace. Segment 3 will heat the kiln to 500F/260C. Leavethe knife in the kiln for 2 hours. Remove the knife. Let itcool to room temperature. Place it back inside the kiln foranother 2 hours. Then remove the knife. Heat treating isfinished.

Glass Fusing Firing ScheduleRate Temp.


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

9

If you fire at avery rapid rate,the kiln may mo-

mentarily over-shoot the pro-grammed targettemperature. Toavoid that, use aslower rate.


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Stained glass, 1 8", 2 layers, full fuse. The fusing tempera-ture will vary depending on the brand of glass, the batch,and even on the color. Vent the lid. Set the alarm to 500F.When the alarm sounds, close the lid from venting positionand insert peephole plugs.

Set the alarm again, thistime to 1350F. When itsounds, check the glass

through the peephole .When the glass fuses to yoursatisfaction, write down thetemperature and hold timefor future firings, and press

, (Skip Segment).

This will advance you tosegment 3, a flash coolingsegment. Lift the kiln lidslightly oropen thedoorajar until thetemperaturedrops to1050 F. Then close the door/lid. The kiln will cool slowlythrough the annealing range, then turn off.

Note: A cooling rate of 9999 (FULL) shuts off thewarning alarm (error message) that sometimessounds during rapid cooling. This turns off the alarmonly for that particular ramp. The alarm codes stillwork on thehold and theother programmed segments.For more details about error messages, see page 17.

Glass Slumping Firing ScheduleRate Temp.


1 250/138 750/398 00.00

2 900/500 1250/676 00.30

3 9999/9999 1050/565 00.00

4 150/83 750/398 00.00

Stained glass, 1 8", 2 fused layers, 12" circular pieces,slumped into a bowl. Set the alarm to 500 F. When thealarm sounds, close the lid from venting position and insertpeephole plugs.

Set the alarm again,thistimeto 1150 F.Whenit sounds,check the glass through the peephole. When the glassslumps into the bowl, write down the temperatureand holdtimefor futurefirings, and press , (Skip Segment).

This will advance you to segment 3, a flash cooling seg-ment. Lift the kiln lid slightly or openthe doorajaruntil thetemperature drops to 1050 F. Then close the door/lid. The

kiln will cool slowly through the annealing range. Then itwill turn off and cool to room temperature.

Note: A cooling rate of 9999 (FULL) shuts off thewarning alarm (error message) that sometimessounds during rapid cooling. This turns off the alarmonly for that particular ramp. The alarm codes stillwork on thehold and theother programmed segments.For more details about error messages, see page 17.

Chapter 4

Other FeaturesThe Add Time Key

This key adds five minutes to a hold. Itis designed for ceramists who watch wit-ness cones, and for glass artists who in-spect the glass near the end of firing.

During a firing, press . , and time in hold,will appear.

Press again. The time shown will increase by 5minutes. In a fewseconds,temperature display willreturn.

Note: Add Time will add 5 minutes to hold even if nohold hadbeen programmed.Afterhold time displays,5minutes are added with each press of the key.

Delay FireThis delays the start of the firing bythe

amount of time entered. Use it to fit a fir-ing into your schedule or to take advan-tage of lower electric rates at night. Delayzeroes out after each firing. Therefore, it must be pro-grammed again for each firing.

Aprogram must bein activememory,readyto fire.

From press . Enter delay time (i.e., 5 hours = 05.30). Press .

To begin Delay, press once from . ADelay count-down timer will appear.

Note: Press during delay to end the delay andbegin the firing. The maximum delay is 99 hours and59 minutes.

CAUTION: For safety,do not leave the kiln aloneduring a delay or a firing.We cannot guarantee

y ou r k il n a ga in stoverfiringeven though the controller is automatic.The operator assumes

full responsibility forshutting the kiln off at theproper time.

10

Your kiln or fur-nace will eventu-ally develop finecracks in thefiring chamber.This is normal.The cracks closeat hightemperatures.

Rate is howmany degrees perhour the kiln will

climb in temper-ature. (Or howfast it coolsduring a con-trolled cooling.)


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Present StatusPress during a firing to display the

current segment that is firing. Either ofthe following messages will appear inPresent Status:

s Ramp and segment number: TheSentry is in theramp part of a segment. See chart, page 6.

s Hold and segment number: The Sentry is in thehold part of a segment.

Present Status is useful when firing a program that con-tains heating and cooling segments. Without Present Sta-tus,itmightbeeasytolosetrackofwhichsegmentisfiring.

The AlarmThe alarm sounds when the kiln

reaches thealarm temperature youenter.Use the alarm to alert you to check thefusingorslumpingof glass orremovea knife bladefrom thefurnace at the end of heat treating.

You can enter only onealarmtemperatureata time.However, after the alarmbeeps, you can set the alarmfor another temperature, asmany times as you want,during the firing. Enteringan alarm temperature auto-matically erases the previ-ous alarm temperature.

Monitoring theAlarmfrom a Distance

Place an inexpensive

baby monitor near the kiln.From another location in your building, you will be able tohear the digital temperature alarm. You will also hear theclickingof therelays, which would indicate that thetemper-ature is still rising in the kiln.

Setting Alarm From IdleFrom , press . will appear alternatingwith the last alarm temperature entered.

Enter alarm temperature. Press . willappear. (Entering will turn the alarm off.)

Note: , as an alarmtemperature,automatically

changes to the maximum temperature rating of yourcontroller.

When the alarm sounds, shut it off by pressing any keyexcept . (The key does not work while an alarmsounds.) If thealarmsoundsassoon asfiringbegins, it is be-cause the alarm was set to a temperature below the currenttemperature.

Setting Alarm During FiringThe alarm beeps while the kiln is firing. Press .

Enter the new temperature.

Press . The kiln will continue firing.

If you touch , enter a new temperature, and forget topress , the controller will merely continue firing

without setting the alarm.

Note: When an alarm sounds, firing to completiondoes not shut the alarm off.

Skip Segment FeatureSkip Segment works only duringfiring.

It jumps from the current segment to thenext one.

To skip a segment, press . willappear, then the current segment. Press

. (If you change your mind anddont want to skip that segment, dont press after

appears. Instead, press again. The firing will con-tinue in the same segment.)

Skip Segment skips totherampof thenextsegment from

either a ramp or hold of the current segment.Skip Segment Example

For additional examples, see Chapter 3.

s You have pro-grammed 1425F forglass fusing, followed by a segmentfor controlled cooling. Watching the glass through thepeephole, you notice that the glass edges have roundednicely. Use Skip Segment to end the firing segment andbegin the one for slow cooling.

Note: Make a note of the temperature at which theglass fused. Program that temperature for the next fir-ing of that type of glass.

Editing a SegmentDuring Firing

While the kiln is firing, you can change the targettemperature and hold timeof the current segment.

During firing, press .

The display will showthe target temperatureof the current segment.

Use the number keys tochange the tempera-ture. Then press

.

The display will thenshow the hold time of the current segment. Changethe time, if needed, and press . The kiln willresume firing.

11

Use the alarm toremind you thatthe kiln is gettingclose to theshut-off tempera-ture. Alwayscheck the kilnbefore it shutsoff.

With the AddTime button, youcan add time to ahold. With theediting feature,

you can change

both target tem-perature andhold.


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Chapter 5

Multiple-ZoneKilnsAn Overview of Multiple-Zone Firing

If you are not sure how many zones your kiln has, lookinto the firing chamber. The number of thermocouple tipsindicates the number of zones.

In single-zone kilns, the Sentry measures temperaturefrom one location. Whenthe controller turns on theheat, all the elements turnon.

Withtwo-andthree-zone

kilns, the Sentry measurestemperature fromeachindi-

vidual zone. It then adjuststhe heat separately for eachzone to improve tempera-ture uniformity.

To maintain even tem-perature, the Sentry calcu-lates not only temperature difference between zones, butalso lengthof time neededto changetemperature.By care-fully timing heat output, it maintains even temperature

with a minimal loss in firing speed.

Note: Multiple-zone kilnsuse thesameprogramminginstructions as single-zone kilns.

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

Thermocouple FailureIn a Multiple-Zone Kiln

In a multiple-zone kiln, if a thermocouplefails, thefiringwill continue as a single-zone kiln so long as one thermo-couplestill operates. willappear, alternating withthethermocouple that failed (i.e. ).

Power Output LightsThe three dots on the right

of thetemperaturedisplay turnon when the controller sends asignal to the relays.

s The topdot shows a signal to the relay for the top section of the

kiln. The bottom dot shows a signal to the bottomsection. Ignore the center dot.

s The top dot indicates a signal to thetop section relay, the middle dot to the middle section,and the bottom dot to the bottom section.

Testing Multiple-ZoneElements

When relays or thermocouples are connected to thewrong controller terminals, zones will show a wide temper-ature difference. To wire the kiln properly, trace the switchbox wiring with the kilns wiring diagram. Also, see Ele-

ment Test, page 16.

Multiple-Zone Options

These options appear only on multiple-zone kilns.

Zone Temperature Difference(DIFF)

View Maximum Temperature SpreadFor a two-zone kiln, this option shows temperature dif-

ference between the zones. For a three-zone kiln, it shows

thehighest temperaturedifference between anytwo zones.If the temperature shown is larger than expected, go to op-tion T 123 to view the temperature of each zone. (See nextpage.)

Press repeatedly until appears.Press .

The maximum difference in temperature betweenany zones will display. (Example: .)

12

Look into thefiring chamber.The number of

thermocoupletips indicates thenumber of zones.

CPLT means thekiln has fired tocompletion andthe heating ele-ments are turnedoff. To makeIdLE appear,press any key.


13/24

Two-Zone Kilns: AdjustingHeat in the Center Section(CAdJ)

The Center Adjust op-t i on a pp ea r s o nl y o ntwo-zone kilns that contain

three relays and three banksof elements. It does not ap-pear on two-zone kilns withtworelays, or on three-zone.Your kilns wiring diagram

will show you the number ofrelays in your kiln.

TheCenterAdjustacts asan infinite control switchthat adjusts heat to the cen-ter section of the kiln. Anumber will display. 100 is the fac-tory default, meaning 100% heat. You can change the set-ting from 0 to 200. The higher the number, the more the

heat in the center section.From , press repeatedly until

appears.

Press . Use any number key to change thenumber that appears.

Press . Press to return to .

Zone Temperature Display(T123)

View Temperature of Each Zone

Press repeatedly until appears.

Press .

Thetemperature foreach zone will display one aftertheother,cycling foroneminute. Then normal tem-perature display will return. For example:

s Top zone:

s Middle zone:

s Bottom zone:

Chapter 6

The Options KeyThe Options key gives you access to a list of features.

With each press of the Options key, you will see the displaycode for the next option.

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

Use the and keys to selectchanges within the op-tion.

After making a selection for an option, press. The display code for the option you just

changed willappear. You are thenready togo to thenext option.

s If you select a change for an option but dont press, the change will not go into effect.

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

:

Press . If you are firing the kiln while in Op-tions, pressing takes you out of Options andbackto the firing display. But itdoesnot stopthe fir-ing.

Donothingfor60 seconds inOptions. You will auto-matically betaken out ofOptions and backto .

Thermocouple Offset (TCOS)Calibrate the Thermocouple(s)

The thermocouple is the rod protruding into the firingchamber. It measures temperature. Thermocouples candrift as they age, causing a shift in temperature readings.Thermocouple Offset calibrates the controller to compen-sate for drift.

Note: The thermocouplemust protrude into thefiringchamber the correct distance: 1 for - -widethermocouples, 12" - 5 8" for 18-wide thermocouples.

Calibrating Thermocouple OffsetWith a Digital Pyrometer

You can calibrate Thermocouple Offset using a cali-brated digital pyrometer. Onewayto calibrateyour pyrom-eter is to takeit to a heat treater or other location that has a

calibrated controller you can trust. Take a reading from afurnace with your pyrometer. Either zero it out to matchthe calibrated controller on the furnace, or write down thetemperature difference between your pyrometer and thereliable source. Store your pyrometer. Use it only for cali-brating controllers. Thus, it remains a reliable calibrationstandard.

Note: The temperature at which you calibrated yourdigital pyrometer should be the same temperature youuse to check the controllers temperature readout. Ex-

13

The warrantydoes not cover

damage fromoverfiring. Pleasecheck the kiln tomake sure itshuts off at theproper time.

If you keep get-ting error codes

such as FTH orFTC, see Tem-perature Devia-tion on page 15.


14/24


15/24


16/24


17/24

Chapter 7

Error Messagess Error messages are accompanied by an alarm.

s Non-interrupting messages do not stop the firing. Ter-

minating error messages do.s FTH, FTC, HTdE and LTdE error messages are based

upon the setting in the Temperature Deviation (TEdE)option (page 15).

Non-InterruptingError Messages

Press tosilencethealarm.(Donotpress tosilence the alarm.) The error message will remain but thekiln will ordinarilycontinue firing. Even thoughthe follow-ing error messagesappear, the kiln will continueits normal

operation. The messages are only to alert you that the kilncould not cool or heat as fast as you had programmed. Butthey will not shut off the kiln or affect the firing.

FTC / Failed to Cools During a cooling-down ramp, the programmed rate is

faster than the kiln can cool. The temperature is abovethe deviation setting. (See Temperature Deviation,page 15.) Program a slower cooling rate.

FTH / Failed to Heats During a heating-up ramp, the programmed rate is

faster than the kiln can heat. The temperature is belowthe deviation setting. (See Temperature Deviation,page 15.)

Program a slower rate. Or check for worn or burned outelements, defective relays, low voltage and defective ther-mocouple.

LTdE / Low TemperatureDeviations During a cooling-downramp or a hold, thetemperature

is below thedeviationsetting. (See TemperatureDevia-tion, page 15.)

Checkfor worn orburnedout elements,defective relays,low voltage and defective thermocouple.

PF / Power Failurealternating with normal display means the power

failedduring firing. After power wasrestored, thefiring re-sumed.

TerminatingErrorMessages

and error messages turn offthe kiln and flash the following:

s Total firing time in hours and minutes

s The kiln shutoff temperature

s The current kiln temperature

BAdP / Bad ProgrammingThis message appears when a program hasbeen entered

with 0 rate in the first segment.

ETH / Electronics Too Hots The circuit board tem-

p er at ur e i s a bo ve153F/85C.

Open windows and use afan to circulate air in theroom before firing the kilnor furnace. If you have morethan one kiln in the room,place them farther apart.Never allow the firing roomtemperature to exceed110F/43C. (Measure roomtemperature threefeetawayfrom the kiln.)

FAIL / Thermocouple Failures Defective Thermocouple

s Disconnected Thermocouple Lead Wires

s Defective Board

s Electrical Noise

FTL / Firing Too Longs Thetemperaturechange is less than 27F/15C per hour

and the firing time is four hours longer than the currentsegment was programmed to fire. This message can ap-pear during heating-upor cooling-down seg-

ments. sometimesappears because thecooling segment wasslower than the kilncould naturally cooldown.

C he ck f or w or n o rburned out elements, defec-tive relays, low voltage anddefective thermocouple.

17

If the thermo-couple burns outduring a firing,the controller

will shut the kilnoff and displayFAIL.

The last programyou fired remainsin active memoryuntil you select adifferentprogram.


18/24

HTdE / High TemperatureDeviations During a heating-up ramp or a hold, the temperature is

above the deviation setting. (See Temperature Devia-tion, page 15.)

This may be caused by a temperature overshoot. Seepage 9.

Check for a stuck relay.

PF 2 / Power Failures The power failed. The kiln temperature was below

212F/100C when the power came back on.

The kiln will not resume firing.

PF 3 / Power FailureThis message appears when two conditions are met:

The power failed during the final segment of a fir-ing and that segments rate was 108F/60C.

The temperature dropped 72F/40C while thepower was off.

The kiln will not resume firing.

The LId DisplayReasons appears in the display:

s The kiln is equipped with the optional lid safety switch.(The switchturns offpowerto theelementswhen thelidor door is open.) appears in the display while thelid is open during firing.

s On the back of the Sentry circuit board, at the top rightside, is a small two-pinterminal. If the connec-tor on that terminal ismissing, will ap-pear in thedisplayduringfiring. The elements willnot turn on. (If thetwo-pin connector ismissing, you can buy an-other from a computersupply store.)

s The safety lid switch isdefective or the safetyswitch wire is broken.

PLOG Error CodesA PLOGerrorcodemeans thecontrollerfailed a self-di-

agnostic test. A chattering,noisy relay, lowvoltage, andthewrong relay type can cause a PLOG error. The controllerwill not operate while a PLOG message appears.

PLOG 11, 12 or 13 Error CodesPLOG 11, 12, and 13 indicate that a thermocouple is

about to fail or that electrical noise is affecting the thermo-couple.

s Try moving the thermocouple lead wires away fromnearby electrical wires and relays.

s Make sure the bare part of the leads extending from thethermocouple are not touching the kiln case.

s Replacingthe thermocouple often clears the PLOG 11,12 or 13 code.

s If your kiln has mercury relays, verify that noise snub-bers (MOVs) are installed.

Clearing PLOG Error CodesClear the PLOG error code by pressing .

If pressing does not clear a PLOG error,turn off power to the kiln for 10 seconds.

If the PLOG error code still appears, turn off thepower. Hold down the and keys at thesame time while you turn the power back on. Thisresets the controller (see Reset option, page 16),so you may need to reselect thermocouple type(see TC option, page 14) and type of temperaturedisplay (see CHG option, page 14).

Aftera PLOGerror clears,it is okayto fire the kilnagain

with close supervision. If you cant clear the PLOG error,return the controller to the factory.

TCdE / Uneven Multiple-ZoneTemperatures

On a multiple zone kiln, usually means thethermocouples and elements are improperly wired.A ther-mocouple is turning ontheelementsto thewrongzone.Forinstance, if the top thermocouple turns on the bottom ele-ments, the kiln will fire out of balance. When zones are outof balance by 180F/100C, will appear in the dis-play.

Visually compare the wiring of the thermocouples, re-lays and elements in your kiln to the kilns wiring diagram.

Also, use the Element Test option shown on page 16.

TCR / Thermocouple LeadsReversed

Check that the thermocouple lead wires are connectedto the correct terminals. See your wiring diagram.

18

If the displayshows errorcodes as the kilnfires, the solu-tion is often toprogram slowerheating and cool-ing rates.


19/24

Chapter 8

Power FailuresThe Sentry handles a power failure in two ways:

After a brief power failure, the controller continues

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

After an extended power failure, orwill appear. The kiln will NOT resume firing.

The kiln wil l remainturned off after a power fail-ure under these conditions:

s The kilnwill remain off ifthe temperature is below212F/100C when thepower comes back on.

s The kilnwill remain off if

the final segment has arate of 108F/60C andthe temperaturedropped 72F/40C ormore.

When the Sentry aborts afiring after a powerfailure, thedisplay will show thefollow-ing:

s or

s Total firing time before power failed

s Temperature at the time of power failure

s

Current kiln temperatureTo resume firing,press . The kiln willbegin firing

again from its present temperature. For example, the kilnreached 1000F/538C when power failed. The tempera-ture is 800F/426C when you turn the kiln back on. Firing

will resume from 800F/426C. You need not cool the kilnto room temperature before starting a ceramic firing overunless you decide to use new witness cones.

When you resume firing by pressing , the control-ler begins firing in the first segment that has a higher targettemperature than the current kiln temperature. However,if the power failed during a ramping down (cooling) seg-ment, the controller will resume firing from the same cool-

ing segment.

Using Ceramic Witness Cones After anExtended Power Failures

Fire the wareagain. It is okay to use the same partially fired witnesscones, even if they cooled back down to room tempera-ture. So long as the cones did not heat to within100F/56C of maturity, they can be used again.

s

Fire the wareagain.If thekiln shuts offwithin100F/56C ofmaturity,and the temperature drops 50F/28C or more after thekiln shuts off, donot dependon the witness cones. Oncethey cool 50F/28C after they have been heated to

within 100F/56C of maturity, they will not bend prop-erly. This is because they form a hard shell.

When the Kiln ShutsOff Too SoonCeramic Firings

If the kiln fires to completion before the pyrometric wit-ness cone bends, you can turn the kiln back onand keep fir-ing. Simply program a hotter temperature. Then from

, press . The kiln will begin firing, taking upwhere it left off.

Note: By looking at thewitness cones through a peep-hole, you will know if the kiln shuts off too soon.

If the kiln shuts off within 100F/56C of maturity, andthe temperature drops 50F/28C or more after the kilnshuts off, do not depend on the witness cones. Once theycool 50F/28C after they have been heated to within100F/55C of maturity, they will not bend properly. This isbecause they form a hard shell.

Wrong Thermocouple TypeIf a Type-K thermocouple is installed on your kiln, but

your controller is set for Type-S, the kiln will continuallyunderfire by a wide margin. See page 14 to check thermo-couple type.

19

Before entering aprogram, plan iton paper. Make agraph and/or alist of the rates,target tempera-tures and holds.

The PF display isusually nothingto worry about. Itmeans the powerfailed at somepoint during

firing.


20/24

20

AppendixA: Display Messages

Abort 5

The firing was stopped.

Alarm 7, 9, 11, 15, 17

ALAR appears either when you are entering an alarm tem-perature or when the alarm is sounding during a firing. Tostop an alarm,press any keyexcept STOP.If the alarmgoesoff when you first begin firing, it is because it was set for alower temperature than the present temperature.

Auxiliary Output 7, 9, 15, 16, 22

TheAOP option is forkilnsequippedwitha special-order kilnswitch box receptacle called the Auxiliary Output.

Bad Programming 17

This message appears when a firing hasbeen programmedwith 0 rate in the first segment.

Center Adjust 13

For two-zone kilns only. This option adjusts the center sec-tion of the kiln.

Configuration Code 16

This is an option that shows the factory configuration codefor your Sentry.Thisis fortechnicians who call the factory forsupport.

Change F / C 14

Choose between operation in degrees F or degrees C.

Completed Firing 5, 7, 8, 12

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 lastsegment; the current kiln temperature.

Delay 7, 10, 16

DELA is a timer that starts the kiln later. Delay time appearsin hours and minutes.

or Target Temperature 7

This prompt is asking for a target temperature. The numberis to remind you which segment the temperature is for.

Temperature Difference 12This option shows the maximum temperature spread be-tween zones in a multiple-zone kiln.

Electronics Temperature 16

The Sentry circuit board is rated for operation at tempera-tures up to 158F/70C. When the circuit board gets hotter,the Sentryshutsoff.The ELEC option shows you how hot thecircuit board is.

Message Definition Page Reference

Electronics Too Hot 17

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

Thermocouple Failed 12, 17

The thermocouple failed. This can be due to a broken ther-mocouple, loose thermocouple connection on the back ofthe Sentry, disconnected thermocouple wire, or a defectivecontroller.

Vent Fan 9, 15

The Fan option, accessed through the OPTIONS key, is forkilns equipped with a special-order kiln switch box recepta-cle called the Auxiliary Output.

Fan 7

Ifyourkilnhas the optional AOP outlet (for a kilnvent),the FNprompt will appear for each segment during programming.

It is asking if you want the vent on or off for that segment.

Failed to Cool 15, 17

The kiln cannot cool as fast as the cooling that you pro-grammed.

Failed to Heat 15, 17

The kiln cannot heat as fast as you programmed.

Firing Too Long 17

The temperature rise is less than 27/15C per hour and thefiring time is four hourslonger than the current segment wasprogrammed.

Full Speed 7, 8, 12

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

Temperature Hold 7, 9

When this message appears during programming, it is ask-ing you if you want to hold, or maintain, the target tempera-ture of that segment. If so, enter the length of hold time inhours and minutes (i.e. 1 hour 20 minutes = 01.20). Thenumber after Hd is the segment number. Each segment in afiring is numbered, starting with 1.

High Tempera-ture Deviation 15, 17, 18

The temperature is abovethe Temperature Devia-tion setting in the TEDEoption.

Computer ID15

The ID option is for con-necting the Sentry to apersonal computer.


A program is aseries of stepscalled segments.Each segmenthas a rate, targettemperature, andan optional holdtime.


21/24

21

Ready to Begin 5

The Sentry must display the IdLE message before you canbegin firing or programming.

Lid is Open 18

When Lid appears, the kiln is equipped with a lid safetyswitch, and the lid (or door) is open during firing. Or a

two-pin connector on the back of the board is missing.

Program Lock 16

With this option activated, a stored program cannot be al-tered or removed from memory.

Low Temperature Deviation 15, 17

This message appears when the ki ln is below thetemperature deviation setting in the TEDE option.

Power Failure 18, 19

The power failed. When power came back on, the tempera-ture was below 212F/100C.


The power failed near the end of a firing.


There wasa power failure during firing. Thekiln continuedfir-ing after power came back on.

Diagnostic Test Failure 18

Rate 7

RA 1, RA 2, RA 3, etc., appears during programming, in Pro-gram Review, and in Present Status. When RA 1, 2, 3, etc.appear during program-

ming, thecontroller is ask-ing you for firing rate foreach segmen t . Ratemeans how fast the firingprogresses, in degrees oftemperature per hour. Ev-ery segment must have afiring rate. The number af-ter RA is the segmentnumber. Each segment ina firing is numbered, start-ing with 1. Program Re-view shows firingrateafterRA 1, 2, 3, etc. In PresentStatus, RA 1, 2, 3, etc.

means the segment that the firing is in at that moment.

Reset 14, 16

TheRST option erases a thermocouple offset,selects F op-eration, erases stored programs, and selects Type-S ther-mocouple. Note that if you use Reset, and your kiln isequippedwitha Type-K thermocouple, you must usethe TCoption to select Type-K. (Reset selects Type-S as a safetyprecaution. If youhada Type-S thermocouple andReset se-lected Type-K, your kiln would overfire. On the other hand, ifyou had a Type-K thermocouple, Type-S selected would


underfire your kiln, which is better than overfiring it. TheK-Type thermocouple is standard on most kilns.)

Safety 15

This is the maximum temperature theSentry is programmedfor your kiln. It can be altered only at the factory.

Skip Segment 9, 11

If you press the Skip Segment key during a firing, SKIP willappear. If you press the key again, the firing will skip to thenext segment.

Software Version 16

This option shows the version of software loaded into yourSentry.

Firing Started 7

This appears when firing begins. Do not be concerned if ittakes a moment for the relays to turn on. The Sentry is pro-cessing data.

Zone Temperatures 13

This option shows temperatures in each zone.

Thermocouple Type 14

Choose between types K, S, or R thermocouple. It is impor-tant to select the correct type, or the controller will not readtemperature accurately.

Uneven Temperature 17

This is an errormessage for multiple zone kilns. It meansthetemperatures of the zones are out of balance by180F/100C. This is usually caused by a miswired kiln or bya defective relay.

Thermocouple Offset 13

Calibrate the controllers temperature. This compensatesfor temperature drift, or aging, of a thermocouple.

Thermocouple Reversed 18

The thermocouple wires are reversed.

Temperature Deviation 8, 15, 16, 17

The Sentry includes error messages to warn youthatthe kilnis not maintaining theprogrammed temperature. The sensi-tivity of the error messages is based on a temperature en-tered in the TEDE option.

Element Test 16

This option is for testing the elements and thermocouples. Ifyou test a thermocouple with a torch, the temperature dis-play responds faster during Test than during IdLE display.

User Program 6, 7, 9

During programming, theUSERprompt is asking you whereyou want to place the program in memory. The Sentry hasfour spaces in memory: 1, 2, 3, 4. Keep a record, on paper,of the programs in memory.


Do not worry ifyou hear a click-ing noise duringoperation. Me-chanical relaysclick as they turnthe heating ele-ments on and off.


22/24

Unplug the kiln or disconnect the power. Removethe4 screwsholding thecontroller faceplateto theswitch box. Gently remove the old controller.

Disconnect the wires from the old controller.

I f y ou r k il n i stop-loading and origi-nally came with aDTC 100 or 600, theheat shield inside theswitch box may needto be moved to givemore clearance forthe new Sentry con-troller. Measure thespace between theheat shield and the

front ofthe box. If thespace is less than 1 , r em ov e t hescrews that hold the bottom of the heat shield.These screws are on the sides near the louvers.Drill new holes in either the box or the heat shield.Movethebottomoftheheatshieldbackandfastenscrews in the new holes.

Thread the Sentry wiring harness intothe switch box by in-serting it in the open-ingwhere thecontrol-ler goes. Let the end

with the plugs hangout of the box.

Remove the switchbox from the kiln byremoving the screwsholding the box to thekiln.

The red wire from theold controller con-nects to the relay(s).The red wire in theSentry wiring harnessgoes to the same relayterminal. (See diagram, facing page.) You will no-tice that the red Sentry wire has 3 push-on connec-tors with jumperwires. If your kiln has3 relays, you

will use all 3 push-on connectors, 1 for each relay.If you have 2 relays, cut off the last terminal and

jumper wire. If your kiln has 1 relay, cut off 2push-on connectors. Cut the wire close to the ter-minal that remains (see next photo).

CAUTION: Cutoff theextra terminal(s) andjumperwire(s) unless they attach to relays. Unconnected wiresthat touch a grounded objectcandamageyourcontroller!

Attach thered wire termi-nal(s) to therelay(s). Fol-low steps 6 and 7 for theblack wire, which alsogoes to the relays.

Note how the white, orange, and blue wires of theold controller are connected to the transformer.Removing and replacing one wire at a time, con-nect theSentry white,orange,andbluewires to thetransformer the same way. (See Transformers,next page. Cut off the extra blue wire terminal if

your transformer doesnt need it.)Remove the old wiring harness from the switchbox. With the thermocouple wires and the Sentryconnection plugs hanging out of the front of theswitchbox, movethe box intoplace onthe kiln. Ar-range the wires so that when the switch box is fas-tened to the kiln, the wires and wire nuts will nottouchanelement connector or thekilncase.Installthe screws that hold the switch box to the kiln.

Straighten the ends of the thermocouple wires.Attach them to thethermocouple terminalson thebottom of theSentry. (Use thecenter connectors if

your kiln has only one thermocouple.) Match thecolor coding. Make sure the thermocouple wires

are t ight and thatthere is no short.

Attach the two plugsto the back of the Sen-try controller. Care-fully insert the Sentryinto the controlleropening on the switchbox. Install the 4 cor-ner screws.

22

Appendix B: Upgrading InstructionsUpgrading the DTC 100, 600, 800 & 1000 Series to the Sentry

The extra wires tied to the harnessare for multiple-zone kilns and theoptional AOP electrical outlet. The

green grounding wire is connectedonly ifyou usea computerinterface.

Lever type connectors: if thewire istoo thick, it will break the lever. Donot force the lever downward.

The button-type thermocoupleconnector: Press down, then insertwires.

Inserting the plugs on the back ofthe Sentry.


23/24

23


24/24

Appendix C:

Sentry Ramp-Hold Shorthand Instructions

After you press the keys in the left column, the message to the right will appear.

KEYS TO PRESS DISPLAY COMMENTS

PROGRAM AND FIRE THE KILN.

Apply power to kiln Press Enter if IdLE does not appear.

4 Enter program number.

1, 2, 3, or 4 Program number appears.

ENTER Enter rate of segment 1.

Rate Rate appears.

ENTER Enter temperature of segment 1.

Temperature Temperature appears.

ENTER Enter hold time.

Hold time (0 if none) Hold time appears.

Repeat for other segments. Enter rate of 0 for 1st segment not needed.

ENTER The kiln is ready to fire.

ENTER Kiln is now firing.

SELECT AND FIRE A STORED USER PROGRAM.

Apply power to kiln Press Enter if IdLE does not appear.

4 Select a program number.

1, 2, 3, or 4 Displays the number you selected.

ENTER

STOP Selected program is ready to fire.

ENTER

The kiln is now firing. Press 6 for Program Review.

manual horno ibero

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