Cone Fire/Ramp-Hold Version Sentry Xpress Digital Temperature Controller °F °C Program Hr./Min. When Lit Temperature Display Temperature display is in °C. See page 13 for instructions on selecting °F and °C. Run °F When Off °C When Lit START/ STOP Enter Program HIGHER Skip Seg. Add Hold Change Temp. T/C Offset Alarm LOWER SENTRY Xpress4.0 MICRO PROCESSOR : Separates hours from minutes. Example: Display shown above is 1 hour and 30 minutes. Light blinks during firing.
Introduction Thank you for buying the Sentry Xpress micro processor. We appreciate your business. When you first connect the power, the controller will display these messages, one after the other: or a software code (such as 3F-1) If your controller shows instead of a software code before appears, then the controller includes only Skip Segment from the “Advanced Features” on page 10.
Safety The warranty on your Sentry Xpress 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 green #3 firing safety glasses when looking into the firing chamber of a hot kiln. Do not touch hot sides of kiln. Keep unsupervised children away.
Scrolling Numbers Rapidly During programming, hold an arrow key down several seconds, and numbers will begin to scroll rapidly. Ordinarily, you would press to raise a number and to lower it. But sometimes it is faster to press the opposite key. This is because the numbers scroll below 0000 to the highest number, and vice versa. Examples: I To program a 99.59 hour Hold when the display shows 00.00, press the once. I To program a FULL rate when the display shows 0000, press the once.
Two Firing Modes: Cone-Fire and Ramp-Hold To give you greater flexibility, your controller has two firing modes: Cone-Fire and Ramp-Hold. Cone-Fire Mode (see below) Cone-Fire mode fires the ware to a pyrometric cone number using the Orton cone tables on page 17. This mode is for ceramics, pottery, stoneware, and glazes. Your supplier can tell you which cone number to program. Ramp-Hold Mode (see page 7) Use Ramp-Hold mode to create custom firings.
I If the kiln still does not fire hot enough, then fire to the next hotter cone number, without hold time. I Adjust the Thermocouple Offset. See page 13. I Customize the firing in Ramp-Hold. See the next page. I If firing to the next cooler cone number results in under-firing, add hold time. I Adjust the Thermocouple Offset. See page 13. I Customize the firing in Ramp-Hold. See the next page. Compensating for an Over-Fired Cone I Fire to the next cooler cone number.
When the Kiln Shuts Off Too Soon If the kiln shuts off before the pyrometric witness cone bends, you can turn the hot kiln back on and keep firing. Press From Cone-Fire. twice. , program the next hotter cone in will appear. To begin firing, press . will appear and the Run indicator light will begin blinking. The hot kiln will begin firing, taking up where it left off. How to Customize Cone-Fire Ramp-Hold Mode Theory of Operation The temperature you are firing to is called the target temperature.
Storing Programs The controller can retain four Ramp-Hold programs in memory even when power is turned off. Programs are numbered 1 - 4. Ramp-Hold Programming Instructions Note: You have up to 8 segments available in Ramp-Hold. If you don’t need all 8, zero out the unused segments. See step 6 below. The first message to appear after you plug in your Sentry Xpress is a software code and then . Press . Then use the key to scroll through these messages: . From (the left button).
Hold Hold is the length of time that you want the kiln to 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 at that temperature indefinitely, until you press . To enter a 99.59 hour Hold, press the once from 00.00 during programming.
Advanced Features Editing the Target Temperature Skip Segment and Temperature Edit work only in Ramp-Hold firings. Add Hold Time and Alarm work in both Cone-Fire and Ramp-Hold firings. Skip Segment Skip Segment jumps the firing from the current segment to the next one. During a Ramp-Hold 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 want to skip that segment, don’t press after appears.
Lost Wax Burnout Segment 3 lowers temperature to 800°F / 426°C, the typical casting temperature for silver. (Most types of gold cast at 900°F / 482°C.) 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: These instructions apply to injection wax that melts at 200°F, not pattern waxes and plastics that melt at higher temperatures.
Error Messages To return to from an FE code Try pressing any key. If that doesn’t work, turn the power off for 10 seconds. Call the factory if the error message remains when you turn the power back on. bAdP / Bad Programming The kiln will not fire because a) the Ramp-Hold program just entered has a rate of 0000 in segment 1, or b) the target temperature in segment 1 of Ramp-Hold is lower than the current temperature. EtH / Electronics Too Hot The circuit board temperature is above 176°F / 80°C.
PF 3 / Power Failure The power failed during firing and temperature dropped more than 72°F / 40°C by the time the power came back on. The kiln will not resume firing. To return to the display, press any key. tC / Thermocouple Failure The thermocouple failed during the the "paperclip" test under "FaIL," page 12. display. See tCL / Thermocouple Lag The heating rate is slower than 9°F / 5°C per hour and the actual kiln temperature is more than 100°F / 56°C away from the programmed temperature.
Cone-Fire Schedules - °F Selecting a Fast speed in Cone-Fire increases the segment rates shown in this chart by 20%. Selecting a Slow speed decreases the segment rates by 20%. (However, the rate shown in this chart for the last segment remains the same whether you select Fast, Medium, and Slow speeds.) Note: Your controller accepts only cone numbers that fall within the kiln’s maximum temperature range. Low Fire Cones °F Cone 022 021 020 019 018 017 016 015 014 013 012 011 Segment 1 Rate 1 Temp.
Cone-Fire Schedules - °C Selecting a Fast speed in Cone-Fire increases the segment rates shown in this chart by 20%. Selecting a Slow speed decreases the segment rates by 20%. (However, the rate shown in this chart for the last segment remains the same whether you select Fast, Medium, and Slow speeds.) Note: Your controller accepts only cone numbers that fall within the kiln’s maximum temperature range. Low Fire Cones °C Cone 022 021 020 019 018 017 016 015 014 013 012 011 Segment 1 Rate 1 Temp.
Temperature Equivalents For Orton Self-Supporting Pyrometric Cones °F Cone Self-Supporting Cones Num-ber Heated at: 022 021 020 27° F 108° F 270° F Per Hour* Per Hour* Per Hour* — 1087 1094 — 1159 1180 — 019 1213 017 1301 018 016 015 014 013 012 011 010 09 08 07 06 05 1/2 1267 1368 1382 1395 1485 1549 1575 1636 1665 1692 1764 1798 1839 1112 1252 1319 1360 1422 1456 1485 1539 1582 1607 1657 1688 1728 1789 1828 1859 Pre-Fire Color Cone Number Green 022 Orange 020 1143 Fuschia 12
Display Messages A temperature rise of 100° in two hours = 50° rate. A temperature drop of 200° in one hour = 200° rate. (Skip Step) (page 10) This message appears when you press the key during a Ramp-Hold firing. You can skip out of a segment into the next segment. The firing was stopped. (Page 10) Ready for you to enter an alarm temperature. When the kiln reaches that temperature, the alarm will sound.
facing you. Plug the kiln back in. Touch voltmeter probes (in AC mode) to both INPUT connections (the white and orange wires). reading on an analog meter, or OPEN on a digital meter, indicates a broken element. If the elements check out okay, replace the relay. 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 connections. Controller Power Input Test Result: No voltage UNPLUG kiln.
and let the board hang on the outside of the box with the back of the board facing you. Disconnect both wire plugs from the back of the controller. Then plug the kiln back in. Apply power to kiln. If fuse blows, replace the transformer. (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 and black wires).
Shorthand Instructions These instructions may be confusing until you have read more detailed instructions on Cone-Fire, page 6, or Ramp-Hold, page 8. Read the safety guidelines, page 3. After pressing the keys in the left column, the message in the center will appear. Cone-Fire Keys to Press Display - (Not Down Arrow) Select COnE / (Last cone fired) Select cone number / (Sample cone) Select speed (Sample speed) Enter Hold Time (Or hold time) The kiln is now firing.
