I have had a problem with the PC communicating with the controller.
The software loads fine but cannot
communicate to the controller or ports even when the pc sees them and finds them.
Take a look at the REMOTE_modepage. If you are not in remote mode you can see the controller and
read various parameters however you can not write a command to the controller.
How do I test my switch to make sure it is working?
How_to_test_Solid_State_Relays-SSR
Will I need anything else to make this work on my two 17 cress kilns?
This is one of the most common questions asked. There are a few things to consider before buying one of these kits.
1) While the thermocouple and rs-232 to rs-422 converter are listed as "options" in the ebay listing you should
be aware that they are optional to buy with the kit but are in fact mandatory from an operational standpoint.
In order for temperature to be sensed you must have a thermocouple. In order for your computer to talk to
the temperature controller you must have a rs-232 to rs-422 converter( see RS-232_Converters. They are
listed as optional to buy because many persons depending on previous work already have one or both of these.
Therefore if you do not have these items then you should probably consider buying them with your kit.
Good reasons for this include:
a) you are sure you will get the correct parts
b) they will be wired up and tested before being shipped to you
c) The converter is powered by an added jumper wire in the controller so you avoid bulky
external power supplies.
d) The converter comes with the correct cable to connect to a 9 pin D serial port connector on your
computer.
2) When you purchase a kit you get the electronics required to control the temperature of your kiln or other
thermal device. You should keep in mind that you will need to package up your controller. This serves 2
purposes
a) mounts all the essential parts so the wiring will not get jerked around.
b) The power switch that controls the AC power into your kiln must be mounted on a Heat_Sink
3) Depending on how much current your kiln requires you may need to get a higher current switch. You can
read more about this at Power_Switches
One other note is that the Omron E5AX will only control a single kiln at any given time. Therefore it will only
control one of the above kilns at a time. You can control both similtaneously with the same computer but in
order to do this you will need to buy an additional kit. Also you will need to do a slightly different software
install for the second control system.
My temp controller is working great but just this week when ever the power is turned off to the computer the
controller defaults to a temp of 1,118 deg . OUCH ! Any one know how to get it back to 70 deg. for a default temp.
I'll have to get a photo of my rig , it is MUCH smaller than what is shown on the site . -- Ron K.
A1) It sounds like your nonvolatile memory must have gotten a setting of 1118 degrees stored into it. Parameter
storage into the nonvolatile memory occurs during certain operations. When you manually set the set temperature
of the Omron E5AX the value is stored off to nonvolatile memory. The program does not set the nonvolatilve
memory by design choice due to the fact that this type of memory can wear out and cease to function. Since during
the course of a temperature run you can get literally thousands of temperature sets it would be a very poor choice
to update this memory.
Steps to manually set the temperature.
1)Check to see if you controller is in REMOTE mode. Do this by looking at the RMT led.
If it is lit then you are in REMOTE mode. Press and hold the RMT button until the
RMT led is no longer lit.
2)Use the DOWN Arrow key to set the controller temperature to 70 degrees.
3)Unplug the controller and plug it back in. You should now see that the controller
has remembered the last MANUAL set that you put in. This is because all manual
settings are stored off in nonvolatile memory. This is so the device remembers its
users SETUP commands.
4)Put the controller back into REMOTE mode by pressing and holding the RMT key.
If you do not put it back in remote mode your computer will not be able to
modify any temperature settings
Well I’ll now running a first actual heating run, the kiln is heating up, but I get the following error messages:
Control timer loop error.
Temperature logging routine
Error number 0
This message just keeps repeating, it’s like the program is trying to clear it’s buffers (if it has them?) but
can’t or something. I’ll note that the kiln is heating at the expected rate at this point, but I’m only 0.4hrs
into the sequence. Cheers, Thomas.
It sounds like everything is operational except something in the logfile recording module is not happy.
Did you specify a logfile? Have you checked the logfile to see if its recording data in it ?
Your run should progress normally but you probably will not record the data from the run.
Let me know what you see when you go into
c:program filessinglekilncontrollogfilesYOURLOGFILE.txt
where YOURLOGFILE is the name of the logfile you specified.
My kiln has only a pryometer. Will this work with only the pryometer or will I need to buy something more then your item.
Pyrometer is a term that is used by people for many different things. I would need to know more about it.
1) -----Specifically:
- a) Is it a thermocouple?
- b) If it is a thermcouple: what type is it ?
- c) .... if it is thermocouple does it have thermocouple extension wire on it already ?
2) If you have not done temperature control before you will probably need to buy the rs-232 to rs-422 converter. Its an additional 15 USD and comes with the correct 9 pin D cable.
The kit is wired up and tested to the fullest extent possible given what you buy.
3) You will need to package up your controller kit. Easy example method: junction box from Home Depot
How do I change the display?
I would like to be able to change the display from F to C and back again! Where can I look to see the appropriate dip switch configuration? And Thanks!