7
Rate Temp.
Segment °F/°C °F/°C Hold
1 500/277 1450/788 00.00
2 100/55 700/371 00.00
The first segment is the heating segment. The second
oneis the cooling segment. The controller does not use mi-
nusnumbers for cooling. Just enter alower target tempera-
ture than that of the previous segment.
If you propthe lid or door for a fast cooling, program a
fastcooling rate for that segment. If you lower the tempera-
turequickly by propping the lid but program a slow cooling
rate, the controller will just raise the temperature again.
Example:Some glass artists flash-cool the glass just after
it fuses. They open the door a few inches to remove heat,
then close it again. This takes the glass down rapidly
throughthe devitrification range. To program a flash-cool,
usemaximum rate. This shuts off the heating elementsdur-
ing 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:You may get an FTL error message (page12) if
you program a cool-down target temperature that is
close to room temperature. This is because the kiln
coolsmore slowly as it approaches room temperature,
causing the error code.

A Ramp-Hold

Practice Program

Topractice using the controller, we will enter a program
thatincludes three segments. The last segment is a cooling
segment.
Using the programming instructions on the next page,
enterthis firing schedule. Then use Program Review (page
4) to check for accuracy.
PrO1
rA1 = 250
°F1=750
HLd 1 = 00.00
rA2 = 900
°F 2 = 1425
HLd 2 = 00.30
rA3 = 150
°F3=750
HLd 3 = 00.00
rA4 = 0000 (zeroes cancel segments 4-8)
Makea simple chart like the one above when planning a fir-
ing program.
Ramp-HoldMode
Youcan make your own firing programs and store them
in the controller’s memory. A firing program tells the kiln
howfast to fire, and to what temperature. The simplest pro-
gram is one segment. You can use up to 8 segments with
your controller in Ramp-Hold mode.
Eachsegment includes a firing rate and firing tempera-
ture.You can also soak, or hold, the temperature for a spec-
ified period.
The Parts of a Segment
IRate (temperature change in degrees per hour)
ITarget temperature
IHold at the target temperature (not always used)
Thecontroller can retain four programs in memory even
when power is turned off. Programs are numbered Pro1 -
Pro4.
Thefirst message to appear after you plug in your Sentry
Xpressis .Press .Then use the key
to scroll through these messages: .
To use Ramp-Hold mode for the first time, select
.You do that by pressing the keyafter
appears. Then follow the boxed instructions on page 8 to
enter temperature, heating rate, etc.
is Program 1. When you fire the kiln again, you
can repeat Program 1 by selecting . (See page 4.)
When you are ready to fire a different program, select
,which is Program 2. Then entertemperatures, heat-
ing rates, etc. Select Program 3 and 4 the same way.
Aprogram can have up to 8 segments, but you don’t have
touse all 8 segments. Use only the number needed per fir-
ing.Often one segment is all you will need. Zero out the un-
used segments. The instructions on page 8 explain how to
do that.
To over-write a program, select it and enter new rates
andtemperatures. This automatically over-writes theprevi-
ousprogram. Write down your programs in a notebook and
record firing results for all firings.

Programming a

Cooling Segment

For controlled cooling, program a segment to a lower
target temperature than that of the preceding segment.
Example:You fire at a rate of 500°F per hour to 1450°F
withyour first segment. You want the kiln to cool at a rate
of 100°F per hour down to 700°F. Here is how you would
program the two segments: