Sentry Sentry 2.0 manual

1 Sentry 2.0 Digital Temperature Controller Complete Operating Instructions See pages 28-29 for instructions on upgrading your DTC 100, 600, 800 or 1000 series board to the Sentry. Delay (pg 6) From IdLE, press 3. Enter time in hours:minutes. Delays the start of firing. Program Review (pg 6) From IdLE or during firing, press 6. Shows the program th[...]

2 Introduction Thank you for purchasing the Sentry micro processor, our most advanced generation of digi - tal temperature controllers. The easiest way to learn to operate the Sentry is to sit down in front of it with these instructions and play with it. Spend time understanding the controller before you begin to use it. Damage caused by failure to[...]

3 Contents Basic Pointers . . . . . . . . . . 4 Which Instructions Apply to Your Controller . . . . . . . . . . 4 Room Temperature and Humidity . . . 4 Thunder Storms and Power Surges . 4 Display Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 How to Get IdLE to Display . . . . . . . . 5 Firing Completion Message . . . . . . . 5 Repeat Firings . . . .[...]

Safety The warranty on your Sentry 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 the kiln is not in use, disconnect the power and [...]

Display Lights Single Center Light: Time A lower center dot appears during time display. It sepa - rates hours from minutes (i.e. 1 hour, 30 minutes displays as 01.30). During temperature display, the dot disappears. Power Output Lights The Sentry turns on the heating elements intermittently through relays. The power output lights in the right side[...]

Chapter 2 The Keys Correcting Entries If you enter the wrong temperature, cone, time, etc., while programming, enter 0000. Then enter the correct numbers before pressing ENTER . See also the Stop/Back Key, page 7. 1 / Cone Fire Cone-Fire is a method of firing ceramics to a pyrometric cone. See Chapter 3, page 8, for details. To find out if your Sen[...]

Setting Alarm From Idle 1 From IdLE , press 7 . ALAR will appear alternating with the last alarm temperature entered. 2 Enter alarm temperature. Press ENTER . IdLE will appear. (Enter 0000 to turn alarm off.) Note: 9999 , as an alarm temperature, automati - cally changes to the maximum temperature rating of your controller. When the alarm sounds, s[...]

Chapter 3 Cone-Fire Cone-Fire mode is based on pyrometric cones. It is not designed for heat treating, glass fusing and enameling. For these firings, see “Ramp-Hold,” page 12. Use Ramp-Hold to fire ceramic pieces that require a custom firing schedule, such as some types of stone - ware sculpture or crystalline glaze. Pyrometric Witness Cones Th[...]

Low Fire Cones 022 - 011 This range includes decals, over-decorations, lusters, and golds. The firing can be fast. Good venting is important, because oils and other organics burn off. Do not close the lid from the vented position until all odor has disappeared. Low Fire Cones 022 - 011 Firing Schedule Segment Rate Per Hour Time in Segment 1 396°F/[...]

Mirror Test This test will help you de - termine how much Pre-Heat to use. Occasionally during Pre-Heat, hold a mirror near the top peephole. (Be careful to avoid burns.) The mirror must be at room tempera - ture, not hot, so hold it near the peephole for only several seconds. If the mirror fogs, mois - ture is still escaping from the ware. When th[...]

Watch the pyrometric witness cones through the peep - hole. Press STOP when the correct witness cone bends, not - ing how much Hold time was needed. Program that much Hold time the next time you fire the same type of ware loaded to the same capacity. Note: During Hold, the display temperature will alternate with time left in Hold. To figure hold ti[...]

Chapter 4 Ramp-Hold Definition of a Segment Ramp-Hold fires in segments. Every segment must have a target temperature and a heating rate to reach that temper - ature. Shown in diagram A is a segment with a temperature of 750°. Rate is figured in degrees per hour. In Diagram A above, the temperature takes two hours to reach 750°. The rate is 750 ?[...]

User Programs (USER) When you enter Ramp-Hold mode, the first prompt to ap - pear is USER , meaning, “Select one of your programs.” You, the user, can make your own firing schedules and store them in memory. A firing schedule, or program, is the seg - ments needed for a firing. To make a segment, you will need three facts: I rate (how fast temp[...]

Firing a Stored User Program To use a stored program, press 4 from IdLE. Enter the program number at the USER prompt. Press ENTER .I f there are no changes to the program, press STOP . IdLE will appear. The controller is ready to fire your selected program. To begin firing, press ENTER once. (Use “Program Re - view,” page 6, before firing. See [...]

If you are not using a kiln vent, leave peephole plugs out and vent the lid. Set the alarm to 1000°F. When the alarm sounds, close the lid from venting position. Set the alarm again, this time to 1850° F. When it sounds, check the witness cone through the peephole. When the cone bends to six o’clock, write down the temperature. (Use that temper[...]

Chapter 5 Multiple Zone Kilns Note: See also Multiple Zone Options, page 21. An Overview of Multiple Zone Firing If you are not sure how many zones your kiln has, look into the firing chamber. The number of thermocouple tips indi - cates the number of zones. In single-zone kilns, the Sentry measures temperature from one location. When the controlle[...]

Chapter 6 Options The Options key gives you access to a list of features. With each press of the Options key, you will see the display code for the next option. 1 When you find the option you want to use, press ENTER . 2 Use the 1 and 2 keys to select changes within the op - tion. 3 After making a selection for an option, press ENTER . The display [...]

I Place witness cones in several locations in the kiln. How to Use Cone Offset Cone Offset changes the shut-off point of the cone by the degrees of temperature shown in the chart below. 1 From IdLE , press OPTIONS until OFST appears. 2 Press ENTER . The current Cone Offset adjustment number will appear. 3 Using the 1 and 2 keys, select a new adjust[...]

Calibrating Thermocouple Offset With a Digital Pyrometer You can calibrate Thermocouple Offset using a cali - brated digital pyrometer. One way to calibrate your pyrome - ter is to take it to a heat treater or other location that has a cal - ibrated controller you can trust. Take a reading from a furnace with your pyrometer. Either zero it out to m[...]

AOP Outlet (AOP) Select Vent Fan or Alarm for the Auxiliary Output The optional “AOP” (Auxiliary Output) is an electrical receptacle mounted in the kiln’s switch box. This outlet can power a kiln vent or an external alarm, such as a bell. The AOP is a special-order option that might not be on your kiln. The choices in the AOP option: I ALAR A[...]

Configuration Code (CFG) Information for Technicians From IdLE , press OPTIONS repeatedly until CFG ap - pears. Press ENTER . The factory configuration code will ap - pear. Press ENTER . Press STOP to return to IdLE . The configuration code can be changed only at the factory. Software Version (SOFT) Information for Technicians From IdLE , press OPT[...]

Chapter 7 Error Messages I Error messages are accompanied by an alarm. I Non-interrupting messages do not stop the firing. Ter - minating error messages do. I FTC, FTH, LTdE, and HTdE error messages are based upon the setting in the Temperature Deviation (TEdE) option. See page 20. For detailed diagnostics and maintenance, see “Sentry Trouble Sho[...]

How the Sentry Handles Power Failures The Sentry handles a power failure in two ways: 1 After a brief power failure, the controller continues firing as before. It shows a normal temperature dis - play alternating with PF . 2 After an extended power failure, PF 2 or PF 3 will appear. The kiln will NOT resume firing. The controller will resume the fi[...]

24 Appendix A: Display Messages AbRT Abort 6 The firing was stopped. ALAR Alarm 6, 10, 13 - 15, 20, 22 ALAR appears either when you are entering an alarm tempera - ture or when the alarm is sounding during a firing. To stop an alarm, press any key except STOP. If the alarm goes off when you first begin firing, it is because it was set for a lower t[...]

25 IdLE Ready to Begin 5 The Sentry must display the IdLE message before you can begin firing or programming. LId Lid is Open 5 When LId appears, the kiln is equipped with a lid safety switch, and the lid (or door) is open during firing. Or a two-pin connector on the back of the board is missing. LOCK Program Lock 20 With this option activated, a s[...]

26 Appendix B: Preset Standard Cone-Fire Schedules - °F These are the firing schedules programmed in Cone-Fire mode. To customize a schedule, write down your changes. Then load your new schedule into Ramp-Hold. Low Fire Cones °F Segment 1 Segment 2 Cone Rate 1 Temp. 1 Rate 2 Temp. 2 022 396 979 108 1087 021 396 1004 108 1112 020 396 1051 108 1159[...]

27 Appendix B: Preset Standard Cone-Fire Schedules - °C These are the firing schedules programmed in Cone-Fire mode. To customize a schedule, write down your changes. Then load your new schedule into Ramp-Hold. Low Fire Cones °C Segment 1 Segment 2 Cone Rate 1 Temp. 1 Rate 2 Temp. 2 022 220 526 60 586 021 220 540 60 600 020 220 566 60 626 019 220[...]

1 Unplug the kiln or disconnect the power. Remove the 4 screws holding the controller faceplate to the switch box. Gently remove the old controller. 2 Disconnect the wires from the old controller. 3 If your kiln is top-load - ing and originally came with a DTC 100 or 600, the heat shield inside the switch box may need to be moved to give more clear[...]

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30 Appendix D: Temperature Equivalents For Orton Self-Supporting Pyrometric Cones °F Cone Self-Supporting Cones Pre-Fire Number Color Heated at: 27° F 108° F 270° F Per Hour* Per Hour* Per Hour* 022 — 1087 1094 Green 021 — 1112 1143 Fuschia 020 — 1159 1180 Orange 019 1213 1252 1283 Yellow 018 1267 1319 1353 White 017 1301 1360 1405 Pink 0[...]

31 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 IdLE Press Enter if IdLE does not appear. 4 USER Enter program number. 1, 2, 3, or 4 1 Program number appears. ENTER RA 1 Enter rate of segment 1.[...]

32 Sentry Cone-Fire Shorthand Programming After you press the key(s) in the left column, the message to the right will appear. Press 1 from IdLE .I ft h e 1 key does not re - spond, your controller does not have Cone-Fire. KEYS TO PRESS DISPLAY COMMENTS Apply power to kiln IdLE Press Enter if IdLE doesn’t appear. 1 CONE Enter the cone number . Co[...]