RebeccaC Posted April 7, 2017 Report Share Posted April 7, 2017 Hello all. I've been a lurker for a while on this forum. Lots of great folks, and lots of great info! My reason for posting is this: I've acquired a used Paragon kiln, a TNF 243, from a school district. It's seen a fair amount of use, but is not on it's last leg. Best I can gather is it's about 7 years old. Bricks are all still good, elements are testing out just fine as far as we can tell. None of them were bulging, or were broken. It has a digital controller, the Sentry 2.0 12-key, which sort of worked at first, but then went south. The last time I fired it, the controller board had a bit of smoke coming from it. The transformer has been replaced, as have the 3 relays. The wiring has been gone through thoroughly, connections were checked, and it all seems to be in order. The wiring coming in for the power has been done correctly, and is run according to code, so I have the correct 50 amp breaker and plug receptacle for the kiln. So, since I've sunk a considerable amount of money into this kiln on top of what I paid for it, I'm considering replacing the controller box with one of the PID controller kits that I've seen on the internet, and actually first heard of on this forum in another post. Does anyone have any experience with this sort of set-up, and how well does it work? I'm going to have to choose between spending a couple hundred dollars for the PID set up, or buying a new controller board for about $350.00. I really like the idea of a digital controller, and was disappointed when this one failed so spectacularly. Any input/suggestions/help/tips/pros/cons would be greatly appreciated. Hubby thinks the PID controller will work, but is just a bit unsure about wiring in the 3 relays, as the wiring diagram that the seller sent is only showing one relay. Thanks in advance!​Rebecca Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilestrick Posted April 7, 2017 Report Share Posted April 7, 2017 Rather than getting a replacement controller from Paragon, call Bartlett Instruments and buy it directly from them. It'll be a lot cheaper ($219), and you'll have all the benefits of a controller that's made for firing pottery and is easy to install with all the same wiring. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RebeccaC Posted April 7, 2017 Author Report Share Posted April 7, 2017 Neilestrick: Thanks so much for your reply! I knew there had to be another solution that I hadn't learned about yet. It looks like the Bartlett controller will work pretty much like the existing one I have, and hubby (he's a retired civil engineer with an extensive background in electricity/electronics) thinks it will work, also. This is a life-saver, for my kiln, especially. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilestrick Posted April 7, 2017 Report Share Posted April 7, 2017 The Bartlett is a direct swap. If your current controller has the 2 multi-pin connectors like most Paragon kilns have, Bartlett can set up the controller that way so you can just plug them into the new controller. Otherwise you can get it with screw terminals for individual wires. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RebeccaC Posted April 7, 2017 Author Report Share Posted April 7, 2017 Thanks, again. I need all the help I can get! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.