How close does the Sentry Xpress maintain temperature during a hold?
The normal temperature fluctuation during hold is plus or minus 2 degrees C. Ordinarily, the only time the temperature goes beyond the 2-degree fluctuation is a...
How complicated is it to install the thermocouple that comes with a portable digital controller?
The easiest way to install it is through a drilled peephole plug. Or you could drill a thermocouple hole in the wall of the kiln. If you are firing two kilns, o...
How do I alter a digital firing in progress?
There are several ways to override a digital controller, depending on the brand. One method is to just press Stop. Make a change in the program, such as adding...
How do I know when my digital kiln has fired to completion?
CPLT (complete) appears on digital controllers after a kiln has finished firing. If your controller shows a low temperature, the CPLT message assures you that t...
How do you correct a kiln that is firing around 50 degrees too hot?
Make sure the thermocouple extends into the firing chamber by the correct distance. A 1/8" wide thermocouple should extend at least 1/2" into the kiln; a 1/4" w...
How do you program a controlled cooling in a digital controller?
To control the cooling rate, program a segment to a lower target temperature than that of the preceding segment. Most controllers do not use minus numbers for c...
How do you program a cooling cycle
Every segment raises or lowers the firing chamber temperature. Instead of thinking of the segment temperature as either positive (heating) or negative (cooling)...
How do you program a cooling segment that will go fast
If you want a fast temperature drop, program a rate of 9999 in the Sentry 12-key controller (1799 F rate for the 3-key Sentry Xpress controller). The kiln will...
After I open the lid of my kiln for a few seconds
Our digital controllers have a 10-second duty cycle. This means the controller decides whether to send power to the elements every 10 seconds. If you closed the...
Are there charts that convert cones to degrees and times for digital kilns?
If you specialize in jewelry or glass beads, you may enjoy making ceramic jewelry for a change. Clay and ceramic glazes are very inexpensive compared to silver...
Can a digital kiln over-fire?
If the digital kiln gets too hot, the controller is designed to shut off the kiln. This is one reason so few digital kilns over-fire. Nevertheless, over-fires d...
Can the DTC 100, 600, or 800 be upgraded with a new controller?
Yes. The Sentry controller is the same size as our earlier controllers and will fit into the kiln’s switch box using the same four screws. You will need to orde...
Can the Sentry controller’s alarm signal be used to activate a much louder alarm?
Yes, the temperature alarm can activate a louder external alarm through the optional AOP (auxiliary output). The AOP is an extra relay that the Sentry controlle...
Can you use the alarm to detect an over-fired kiln?
The temperature alarm on most digital controllers operates only during a firing. After the kiln fires to completion and begins to cool, the alarm is inactive. H...
Does a digital kiln read out kilowatts used after each firing?
The Paragon Sentry 2.0 controller gives the electrical cost of a firing. In Options, enter the cost that you pay for electricity in kilowatt-hours. (A kilowatt-...
Does a small digital ceramic kiln fire in the same length of time as a large digital kiln?
Cone-Fire mode, which is included with Paragon’s ceramic digital controller, fires to a pyrometric cone in Slow, Medium, or Fast speed. Cone-Fire mode will fire...
Does the HTDE error message on the Sentry controllers have an audible alarm?
Yes. The audible alarm sounds for one minute after HTDE appears. This applies to the 3-key and 12-key controllers.
Does the room temperature affect the accuracy of a digital controller
The Sentry controllers compensate for room temperature as long as you stay within the range of 32°F – 158°F. For instance, if your unheated room is 32°F in the...
Does the Sentry Xpress have an error message for a temperature drop during a hold?
The 3-key Sentry Xpress Orton controller does not have an error message for a temperature drop during a hold. This is because the controller is used on enamelin...
Does the Sentry Xpress have an error message for a temperature drop during a hold?
No. The 3-key Sentry Xpress Orton controller does not have an error message for a temperature drop during a hold, because the controller is used on enameling an...
During a 15 minute soak in my digital kiln
The soak should hold the kiln at a temperature for the length of time that you programmed. The temperature may keep climbing a little, however, at the beginning...
During a controlled cooling, does a digital kiln fire down
During a controlled cooling, a digital kiln turns on the elements intermittently to maintain the programmed firing rate. The slower the programmed rate, the mor...
Every time I turn on my Sentry Xpress prior to programming, I get an E-1 in the display. This
E1 is the software version of your Sentry Xpress 4.0 controller. It is not an error code. Earlier versions of the controller did not show the software version o...
How can you improve heat distribution of a three-zone kiln that fires cooler on the bottom?
This answer is for the Sentry 2.0 controller. Instructions may vary for other brands. The controller has three display lights. They each represent a zone insid...
