A Ramp-Hold Practice Program; Chapter 4 Customize Your Controller With Options; How To Edit A Program During A Firing - Sentry Xpress 5.0 Instructions For Use Manual

use a rate of Full. This shuts off the heating elements during
that segment, allowing the kiln to cool rapidly.
Note: During fast cooling, do not open the door all
the way. Do not force-cool the kiln with a fan.
Note: See Temperature Deviation (TEDE), page
20, for information on error codes that may appear
during crash cooling. To turn these codes off, pro-
gram a crash cooling rate of Full. This turns off
TEDE error codes only for that particular seg-
ment. The TEDE codes still work on the hold and
the other segments.
Suppose you enter a cooling rate that is faster than the
kiln can cool? Depending on the rate you enter, you may get
an alarm message. (Press the Down Arrow key to turn off
the alarm.) The controller, of course, cannot speed
cooling beyond the kiln's natural cooling rate.
A Ramp-Hold
Practice Program
To practice using the controller, we will enter a program
that includes three segments. The last segment is a cooling
segment.
Use the programming instructions on page 13 to enter
this firing schedule. Then use Program Review (page 5) to
check for accuracy.
PrO1
rA1 = 250
°F 1 = 750
HLd 1 = 00.00
rA2 = 900
°F 2 = 1425
HLd 2 = 00.30
rA3 = 150
°F 3 = 750
HLd 3 = 00.00
rA4 = 0000 (zeroes cancel segments 4-25)
When the Kiln Shuts Off Too Soon
If the kiln shuts off before the pyrometric witness cone
bends, you can turn the kiln back on and keep firing. Simply
program the next hotter cone in Cone-Fire. The kiln will
begin firing, taking up where it left off.
Starting a Firing in a Hot Kiln
If you ever need to begin a firing when the kiln is already
hot, begin the program as you normally would. The Sentry
Xpress will automatically begin firing from the first seg-
ment that matches the current kiln temperature.
Keep the kiln lid or door closed when the kiln is not in use.
Chapter 4
Customize Your
Controller with
Options
In this chapter you will learn to . . .
Activate slow cooling in Cone-Fire
Check the amperage that your kiln pulls
Choose Fahrenheit or Centigrade display
Choose from three types of rates used in pro-
gramming
Set up your controller to give the cost of electricity
Activate Program Lock so you can protect stored
Ramp-Hold programs
Check the circuit board temperature, adjust error
messages, check the software version, and more
The Options give you access to special features and ad-
justments in your Sentry Xpress. With each press of the Up
Arrow key, the controller will display the next option. Press
the Up Arrow either while the kiln is firing or from IDLE.
1
When you find the option you want to use, press the
Start/Stop key again.
2
Use the arrow keys to select changes for that option.
3
After making a selection for an option, press the
Start/Stop key.
There are two ways to get out of Options and back to
[IDLE] :
1
Press the Start/Stop key.
2
Do nothing for 60 seconds while in an option. You
will automatically be taken out of the option and
back to .
[IDLE]
How to Edit a Program
During a Firing
See pages 12-15 for details on ramps, holds, and seg-
ments. While the kiln is firing, you can edit the program in
three ways:
Skip out of a segment and into another segment.
Change the hold time of the current segment.
Change the target temperature of the current segment.
Why would you ever want to edit a program during a fir-
ing? Suppose you have programmed 2167°F for a cone 5
glaze firing, followed by a segment for slow cooling. Watch-
ing the witness cone through a peephole, you notice that
cone 5 is bending at 2150°F, so the kiln doesn't need to fire
15