Type Of Thermocouple

[seancisse]

Hello,
I'm French and I bought one a secondhand. It is equiped with IPCO Studio 3000.
Tonight I got a message "OPEN" meaning there's a problem on the thermocouple.
I access with the secret key to the type which should be R, S, K, or N. Unfortunatly, the pictogram shown doesn't correspond to R, S, K or N, see the attached picture.

Thanks whether you can help me.

Jean-Marie

[PeterH]

It may be that the interface you mention is used for setting the thermocouple type, rather than reading what it has been set to.

 

Looking at http://www.kilns.com.au/manuals/IPCOStudio3000Manual.pdf

At the top of page number 4 (the 11th page in the pdf file  ) it states:

At Switch ON
The initial display when you switch ON gives useful information about your controller.
The display is in the form X  N^1.N².N³ where X is a letter and N are numbers.
X is the thermocouple type r, S, n, or k
N¹.N² is the software version (It should be quoted if you contact us with a technical query)
N³ is the model type of your controller;-
1 = Single Program. (ST3SP)
2 = Multi Program. (ST3MP)
3 = Multi Program with linking. (ST3MPL)
4 = MPL with optional event relay (ST3E)
5 = 3 Zone control. (ST3Z)

[neilestrick]

It's really hard to make some letters with that type of display. I think there's a good chance that it's a K. Can you scroll through the four options and decipher what's what by comparing them?

 

The 'Open' message probably means that the controller is unable to read the thermocouple, meaning it's either broken or a wire has come loose, not that you need to set which type is being used. Most kilns use type K.

[PeterH]

Neil: The 'Open' message probably means that the controller is unable to read the thermocouple, meaning it's either broken or a wire has come loose, not that you need to set which type is being used.

 

... and here is chapter and verse, from page number 10 (right hand page on 14th page of pdf file) http://www.kilns.com.au/manuals/IPCOStudio3000Manual.pdf

The controller displays     OPEN
1    The Thermocouple, or the wires between it and the controller, are damaged.
For a quick check;-
Switch OFF, Short + and - on the instrument T/C input, Switch ON. Display should show aprox 20ºC

 

[seancisse]

Hi, my responses:

- PeterH: I have the manual and, as you can see on the picture I gave, there's nothing related to the R, S, K, or N

- Neil: I also think to K, but I cannot scroll, why ??? no idea

[PeterH]

>PeterH: I have the manual and, as you can see on the picture I gave, there's nothing related to the R, S, K, or N

.

You said that the picture you posted was from a display generated using the secret key.

 

I was suggesting you looked at a different display, the one occurring during normal switch-on (no secret key), which

the manual claims does display "the thermocouple type r, S, n, or k", as well as software version and controller type.

 

Still seems worth trying.

[neilestrick]

You shouldn't need to do anything with the controller. To test if the thermocouple is bad, remove the thermocouple wires from the thermocouple block and twist the end together and see if that gives you a reading.

[seancisse]

>PeterH: I have the manual and, as you can see on the picture I gave, there's nothing related to the R, S, K, or N

.

You said that the picture you posted was from a display generated using the secret key.

 

I was suggesting you looked at a different display, the one occurring during normal switch-on (no secret key), which

the manual claims does display "the thermocouple type r, S, n, or k", as well as software version and controller type.

 

Still seems worth trying.

 

Peter, please see the attached, I'll see it's the same pictogramme when I switch on normally.

Strange character

[PeterH]

Right thanks, I found the pictogram displayed so confusing that I wanted to confirm that is wasn't some sort of "?" in the setting dialogue.

 

As Neil has already suggested, that pictogram seems to being used for K.

[see the suggested 7-segment alphabet in https://erictb.wordpress.com/2013/07/09/7-segment-display-extended-to-all-26-letters/]

 

Pedantically (forgive me, I'm an ex-programmer) this probably simply means that somebody has set the thermocouple type to K, not that this is true.

 

Everybody (you, Neil, and the manual) seems to agree that "OPEN" indicates that you have thermocouple-related problems.

 

Neil and the manual suggest that the next thing to do is to is:

The controller displays     OPEN
1    The Thermocouple, or the wires between it and the controller, are damaged.
For a quick check;-
Switch OFF, Short + and - on the instrument T/C input, Switch ON. Display should show aprox 20ºC

... to differentiate between thermocouple and wiring problems.

 

Regards, Peter

 

[seancisse]

PerterH, you were right, it was a K thermocouple, which, by the way, appears to be indequate.

Fortunatly, I could reprogram the regulation to install a S type.

Anyway, thanks for your help.

[neilestrick]

Type K are used by most kiln manufacturers. It will work fine unless you require a degree of precision that most potters don't, or you're doing the types of firings that wear them out more quickly, like crystalline work.