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Sentry Express Digital Temperature Controller
10
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Display Messages
Abrt
The firing was stopped.
CPLt
Fired to completion. If the kiln is already hot-
ter that the programmed target temperature when
you begin firing,
CPLt
will appear immediately after
you begin firing.
dELA
(Page 3) Delay is a count-down timer that
start the firing when the time runs out.
°
F
or °
C
(and temperature) (Pages 5, 7) The target
temperature (the temperature that the kiln will fire
to). Each segment has a target temperature.
FULL
Full power firing rate. At this setting the kiln
will fire at its fastest rate. There are two ways to
select full power:
1. Select
SPd5
in Single Segment mode.
2. Select a rate of 1799°F/999°C at the
ra _
prompt
in Ramp-Hold mode. A fast way to do this is to
press the
Down Arrow
key once from
0000
.
FULL
will appear.
HLd
(Pages 4, 5, 7) Hold time of a segment, shown
in hours and minutes. (Example: 2 hours and 15
minutes = 02.15)
IdLE
(Pages 3) The controller is ready for you to
enter a program or to begin a repeat firing.
-On-
Firing has begun. A moment after
-On-
appears, you will hear the relay(s) clicking.
PrO1
PrO2
PrO3
PrO4
(Pages 5, 6, 7) These are
Ramp-Hold programs stored in memory.
ProG
(Page 4) These are Ramp-Hold programs
stored in memory.
rA 1
rA 2
etc. (Rate) (Page 7) This appears in Ramp-
Hold programming for each segment. 1, 2, etc. are
segment numbers. Enter the rate of temperature
change for that segment numbers. Enter the rate of
temperature change for that segment. Rate is fig-
ured 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.
SPd1
SPd2
SPd3
SPd4
SPd5
(Page 5) These are
Ramp-Hold programs stored in memory.
SStP
(Skip Step) (Page 7) This message appears
when you press the
Up Arrow
key during a Ramp-
Hold firing. If you press the
Up Arrow
again, the fir-
ing will skip out of a segment into the next segment.
STOP
The firing was stopped by pressing
START/STOP
.
Strt
The “Ready to Start” message appears after
programming a firing. Press
START
to begin firing.
Trouble Shooter
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 volt-
meter or a test light if you are
not sure.
Has the kiln switch box ½
amp fuse blown?
The kiln’s ½ amp fuse is locat-
ed in the kiln switch box. Remove by pressing the fuse
holder and turning counter-clockwise half a turn. Check
the fuse by placing the probes of an ohmmeter 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.
Replacement fuse: AGC ½ A 250V AC
Is the controller receiving power? Test with a power
INPUT connections on the back of the controller with
a voltmeter.
Controller Power Input
Test
Unplug the kiln. Remove the
4 screw 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 the kiln back in. Touch voltmeter 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 connections.
Controller Power Input Test Result: No voltage
UNPLUG kiln. Check the switch box for disconnected
wires between the cord, transformer, and controller. If
wiring 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.
