Bill Kielb

For me I would initially be interested in the following:
a context picture of your control board showing the connections to it , maybe from about two to three feet away so we can see the connections and the wires leading away a context picture of the element connections showing them and the wire that leads to the relays post the element resistance if you can measure them, if not can someone measure them for you so you can post here? So top elements measured resistance =______ ohms, middle section measured resistance = ____ ohms, bottom section measured resistance = ______ ohms. post a picture of the thermocouple itself and the wires leading to where it connects and tell us why you believe it is a type S If you hit the little  + quote  below this message and post the items named above it will be a  direct response to this message

I think there are lots of different reasons people go to pottery classes.
Today they use heat guns, I remember, time constraints and pots thrown onevweek could not be turned the next week so tgey were put infront of the kiln blasting away in the corner of an unvented studio, soun on the wheel infront of a 2 bar strip heater, put on top of the hot kiln SO that everyone finished the course with sthing to take home.
From there a couple a year would pursue ceramics seriously, go down the road of apprentice or whatever and adopt a system which best suits their needs.
Judging others easy to do, that's all.
I'll just away down the street and buy a coffee in my ceramic keep cup and feel religious.

I guess I was thinking along the lines, the only person you can change is yourself.

BOOOOO BOOOOOOOOO! Bad Bill! BAD.

Just some things you might want to double check-
Not familiar with Radix brand. You might want to double check the olympic which very well might have been wired with MG (mica glass 450c). For connection to elements some of the silicon HT wire will char and burn to ash well above 200c. Also might double check the voltage rating (basically insulation thickness) and get 600v rather than 300v. For longevity sake.

@Bill Kielb that was it! Thank you. I haven't had to change one in years so I thought I was doing the installation wrong. Nope it came hooked up wrong. Thanks again!

It's saying the temperature is too low to read. I would try swapping around the wires if you wired the thermocouple plug, or maybe it's a loose connection.

i've had some success with some glazes doing a drop and hold but with other the pinholes still prevail. i just finished matt katz's understanding glazes course and he has a compelling theory that the particle packing in some glazes or clay bodies is the ultimate source of the pinhole problem and that adding a small amount of darvan to help the particles pack better will eliminate the pin holing problem. i have yet to test it on my own but the data and experiments were compelling.

Hi Virginia Murphy Pottery, welcome to the Forum!
Hard to tell if the craters, smaller pits, or both are open all the way to the clay?
Second question, are you seeing any pattern? ...looks like all three pitted/crater pieces have more defects up/away from the foot.
If the glaze layer is consistent, maybe the thicker portions didn't pit/crater as much?
The last ware, with the red glaze, that came out well?
My first guess would be drop and hold*, as Bill mentioned.
Here's a Tony Hansen article on the subject:
Pinholing (digitalfire.com)
Dropping 100°F and then holding for a half hour or more has really helped with multiple issues in my Studio...

Just an add
I have entertained this theory and I think he wanted to call it “packed bed porosity” as I recall. A nice theory that may have value, but I have never been able to confirm with confidence in several trials.

If the only fault is the elements -- and they are run at the correct voltage -- surely they must be drawing the wrong currents. That's all an element does, turn electricity into heat.
So using current-sensing to measure the per-section currents when at full blast gives an end-to-end test of the elements. (Providing that the current sensing is wired correctly.)
If the elements -- when fully powered -- are meeting the design specification for power output, then it looks like their duty-cycles aren't correct for at least part of the firing.  

PS Question for the experts.  Do the solid-state relays switch at a sufficiently high frequency for the current sensing to accurately measure the time-averaged current?

Yes I believe they will be just fine. They are zero crossing so the fastest they can be commanded off or on will need to wait for zero crossing. I think the default for typical heating  controllers would be approximately 200 milliseconds  ( so 2 seconds, something on that order). The default typical fastest for kiln relays (if my memory serves) approximately 10 seconds.  Measuring the amperage of a resistance load by ct ought to be fine especially at maximum output.  I think your idea is fine and reveals the heated resistance as well,  I am a sequential troubleshooter so any data with integrity  is helpful to me. Not everyone troubleshoots in the same way though.
aTo your other point about duty cycles, yes …….. and the controller generally is set to compensate or even things out using the top or bottom element to help the middle. That the kiln actually stalls is very interesting to me. It has potentially symptoms of several faults, yet everything has tested good. My take, I need to know some real values, thermocouple type, wiring sequence ….. something is wrong but without real confirmation I cannot speculate.

Without pictures, real measurements, response to all that’s been asked above, I think this will be difficult to solve.

some of my experience
Thickness will help, but you may be able to design around it depending on what is collapsing. Larger diameters if you will instead of tall and  slender can enhance the strength.  Horizontal shoulders collapse but gradual thickening inside can allow the force to distribute down into the sidewall clay on axis rather than a cantilever shoulder. So when practical select thickening of areas is definitely a thing for me.

Welcome to the Forum botrytis!
I'm not recalling finding detailed documentation on Alpine wheels.
This potters.org thread might be helpful
clayart - thread 'alpine electric wheels' (potters.org)
Alpine may still be responsive?
Alpine Kilns | Contact Us
Pottery Wheel Foot Pedal Stuck To On - Equipment Use and Repair - Ceramic Arts Daily Community
Refers to threads above, AND there are scans of original docs! !!!
A.D. Alpine, Inc Pottery Wheel Repair - Equipment Use and Repair - Ceramic Arts Daily Community
Confirms model designation (DCW-2)
Amaco 1-101 Motor Hums but Wheel does not turn - Equipment Use and Repair - Ceramic Arts Daily Community
Added: Forum internal search feature only returns "open" (UNarchived) threads; to search all, try using an external search engine, and include somewhat like "community.ceramicartsdaily.org" in your search string...

Yep, personally any receptacle located near water, any operating wheel. Fire extinguishers - yes, checked and renewed yearly, for personal use, quite a few life safety additions as well. Good question! My experience if a gfi tripped there was a reason for the leakage I need to figure out.
Commercial
Two fairly large studios I have friendly access to - all have a bit more required commercial health and safety items: GFI’s as described above, both have fire extinguishers located throughout. Many I helped the owner install including code required: extinguishers, tempered hot water to 120 degrees, battery backup exit signage,  emergency lights, night lighting, real ventilation for spraying, real extraction for glaze composition, real designed combustion air and ventilation for occupancy ….. quite a few requirements they benefit from whereas at home one is sort of free to pick and choose. GFI and fire extinguisher probably the minimum though.

I was looking around in the shop the other day, and noticed that the GFCI on my outlets was popped. Checked around and could not find the cause, but the circuit was working fine. Made me wonder how many folks have GFCI's, and then I wondered how many of you have fire extinguishers in your shop areas? I have both.  Got the fire extinguisher after a little grinding fire while sharpening some trimming tools. Easy to put out, just an oily rag, but a ceramic canister with lid was nearby. However, could have been worse so in came a fire extinguisher.
QotW: Do you have a fire extinguisher or a GFCI protector in your shop areas?
 
best,
Pres 

I have a GFCI outlet in my studio and a fire extinguisher next door in my husbands garage.   He restores cars and always has one handy,  we have a CO detector in the basement and a smoke and fire system wired into the house.   The smoke alarm is so loud it can be heard a block away.  Denice

All my outlets in outer kiln area are all GFI  (overhead lights as well in outer area) and I have a few fire extinguishers  around-one in shop one near kilns.
 

I can add, 20 amp generally better than 15 amp rated. If they trip though (not from self test)  there is almost always leakage beyond allowed so is it a nuisance or is it just telling you there is leakage?  Generally the device being powered has a small amount of leakage to ground. All the more reason to make sure the shell of the device is well grounded, GFI or not.

Yep, personally any receptacle located near water, any operating wheel. Fire extinguishers - yes, checked and renewed yearly, for personal use, quite a few life safety additions as well. Good question! My experience if a gfi tripped there was a reason for the leakage I need to figure out.
Commercial
Two fairly large studios I have friendly access to - all have a bit more required commercial health and safety items: GFI’s as described above, both have fire extinguishers located throughout. Many I helped the owner install including code required: extinguishers, tempered hot water to 120 degrees, battery backup exit signage,  emergency lights, night lighting, real ventilation for spraying, real extraction for glaze composition, real designed combustion air and ventilation for occupancy ….. quite a few requirements they benefit from whereas at home one is sort of free to pick and choose. GFI and fire extinguisher probably the minimum though.

I can add, 20 amp generally better than 15 amp rated. If they trip though (not from self test)  there is almost always leakage beyond allowed so is it a nuisance or is it just telling you there is leakage?  Generally the device being powered has a small amount of leakage to ground. All the more reason to make sure the shell of the device is well grounded, GFI or not.

Yep, personally any receptacle located near water, any operating wheel. Fire extinguishers - yes, checked and renewed yearly, for personal use, quite a few life safety additions as well. Good question! My experience if a gfi tripped there was a reason for the leakage I need to figure out.
Commercial
Two fairly large studios I have friendly access to - all have a bit more required commercial health and safety items: GFI’s as described above, both have fire extinguishers located throughout. Many I helped the owner install including code required: extinguishers, tempered hot water to 120 degrees, battery backup exit signage,  emergency lights, night lighting, real ventilation for spraying, real extraction for glaze composition, real designed combustion air and ventilation for occupancy ….. quite a few requirements they benefit from whereas at home one is sort of free to pick and choose. GFI and fire extinguisher probably the minimum though.

If the zones were not connected to the correct thermocouples it would error out right near the beginning of the firing.
I totally had that backwards in my head, thought the center was firing hot! My bad.
I'd still check the resistance, though and make sure you've got the correct elements. Also make sure a center element hasn't burned out.

Sounds like maybe the elements aren't in the proper locations in the kiln. Like Peter said, there are 3 different elements in that kiln, and if they're in the wrong positions the kiln won't fire evenly. Check the element resistance of each section of the kiln. I don't know if your kiln is 240V or 208V so here's both:
1231PK 208V  Top 6.7  Mid 8.5  Bottom 6.7
1231PK 240V  Top 8.9  Mid 11.3  Bottom 8.9
If the resistance measurements in your kiln are not correct, then you've either got the wrong elements or the right elements but in the wrong place. Depending on the condition of the elements, you may be able to pull them out and put them in the correct locations. That would definitely be preferable to buying a new set, given the price of APMs. If you find they are in the wrong locations, you should be able to determine which go where based on the resistance readings of the individual elements.