Getting Started; Safety Rules; Testing And Recording; Room Temperature And Humidity - Paragon DTC 1000 Operation & Maintenance Instructions Manual

Safety Rules

The warranty on your DTC 1000 controller does not cover
damage from overfiring, regardless of the circumstances. It is
the operator's responsibility to make sure the kiln turns off at
the end of the firing. Follow these safety rules in addition to the
ones in your kiln or furnace manual.
When not in use, unplug kiln or furnace or turn off
breaker.
Do not leave the kiln unattended, especially near the
expected shut-off time.
Wear firing safety glasses (available from Paragon)
when looking into peephole of a hot kiln.
Do not touch hot sides of kiln or furnace. Keep un-
supervised children away.
Install your kiln or furnace at least 12 inches from

Getting Started

Do NOT fire your kiln or furnace until you have read this section and "Cone-Fire
Basics" or "Ramp-Hold Basics." To use your controller to its fullest capacity, read the ad-
vanced sections and "Additional Features."

Testing and Recording

You will learn much by testing. How slowly should clay be
heated through quartz inversion? How slowly must you cool
glass through the annealing range? Find out for yourself by
testing. The DTC 1000 can precisely control every stage of fir-
ing, so you can easily experiment and test.
Keep a notebook of firing records. When you fire similar
projects weeks later, after you have forgotten the details of your
previous firing, you will be grateful for your records.

Room Temperature and Humidity

It is okay to store the DTC 1000 at sub-zero temperatures.
But before operating, raise the room temperature to at least
0°F/-18°C.
The circuit board is rated for 155°F/68°C maximum oper-
ating temperature. However, maximum temperature for rated
accuracy is 125°F/52°C. If the board gets hotter, open windows
and exhaust hot air from the room. (See page 13 for instruc-
tions on checking circuit board temperature.)
High humidity will not adversely affect the DTC 1000 un-
less water condenses on the circuit board. If this happens, do
not fire the kiln until the moisture has evaporated from the
board.
4
any wall or combustible surface. (See manufac-
turer's recommendation for your model.)
Do not open lid or door until kiln or furnace has
cooled and all switches are off.
Fire only in a well-ventilated, covered and protected
area away from flammable materials. Keep cordset
away from hot sides of kiln or furnace.
DANGEROUS VOLTAGE! Do not touch heating
elements with anything. Disconnect kiln or furnace
before servicing.
Do not operate if the controller itself is hotter than
150°F/66°C. (See instructions on page 13 for check-
ing board temperature.) Never allow the firing room
temperature to exceed 110°F/43°C. (Measure room
temperature at least three feet away from the kiln.)

IdLE and CPL Messages

The controller displays
Press ENTER . will change to
ErrP
perature. Operations begin from
If the display shows
FAIL
couple is either disconnected or burned out. (See page 18.)
means "completed." The controller will display
CPL
, then , after it performs actions such as changing
CPL IdLE
°F to °C display. may remain for awhile before
CPL
pears. Please be patient—the controller is processing data.

Which Instructions to Use

The DTC 1000 fires in two modes:
1) Ceramic Cone-Fire, based on pyrometric cones.
2) Ramp-Hold, based on firing rates and target tempera-
tures.
Ceramic kilns, usually top-loading, use both Cone-Fire and
Ramp-Hold. Heat treating, glass fusing, and enameling fur-
naces and kilns usually come with Ramp-Hold only.
FAST, MEDIUM, SLOW, CONE-FIRE, and Cone #s
printed on the controller faceplate apply only to
Cone-Fire mode.
when you first apply power.
ErrP
and a flashing tem-
IdLE
.
IdLE
instead of , the thermo-
IdLE
IdLE
ap-