neilestrick Posted May 4, 2016 Report Share Posted May 4, 2016 It's here! I got my new Bartlett Genesis kiln controller today. I still haven't had a chance to go through all the diagnostics info yet, but I did install it and set it up for a glaze firing with a cooling cycle, which it is firing right now. Out of the box I was disappointed with how small the screen is. I thought it would be bigger. However, after using it for a few minutes it didn't bother me at all. It's plenty big and the 'buttons' are easy to use. The screen and entire panel has some sort of protective overlay that protects it. It feels a little odd since I'm so used to the feel of a phone touch screen, but I get that it needs to be very durable in a studio environment. The screen is very responsive. The system for setting up a firing is a little different than the controllers we've used in the past, but it's still very simple and intuitive. From the home screen you press 'Load' and select which type of firing you want to do, either glaze, bisque, glass or custom. Then from home home screen you push edit to make changes to the program. You have the usual choices of cones and speeds, as well as a cooling cycle. The cooling cycle is full drop to 1900F, then 150 per hour to 1500F. At this point that cooling cycle cannot be changed, but I spoke with Bartlett and they're open to changing that or adding in a piggyback system where one of the 12 custom programs becomes the cooling cycle. They have actually been very receptive to feedback about programming improvements. So for now if you want a custom cooling cycle, you'll have to do it as part of a full custom ramp program. For my firing today I just recreated the fast glaze program to cone 6 in a custom user program, with my own cooling segment added to it. Filling out a custom program is incredibly simple because it shows all of the segments on the screen all at once. You can add and delete steps as needed. Very nice. You can store 12 user programs with up to 32 segments each, so those of you that do super fancy firings (glazenerd, I'm talking to you) can do anything you can dream up. You can also put in a name for each program, so you don't have to keep a list hanging on the wall. During the firing, the screen shows all 3 thermocouple readings as well as the current set point for the ramp. I really like this since before you would have to scroll through each reading separately. Over all, I think it's a really great first version of a touch screen controller, especially for custom programs. Is it worth $329 to replace an old controller? That's for you to decide. Is it worth $125 to upgrade on a new kiln? Absolutely, especially since more features will be added in the future. It's Wi-Fi enabled, so software upgrades can be done easily. Bartlett said there's also talk of a phone app that will communicate with the controller, but there's a lot of liability issues related to that feature that must be dealt with before it become a reality. Currently, if you want external control then you can invest in Bartlett's KISS software. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldlady Posted May 4, 2016 Report Share Posted May 4, 2016 neil, if you don't stop jumping up and down, you might break an ankle.! WOOHOO!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Babs Posted May 5, 2016 Report Share Posted May 5, 2016 Yeh, you can almost here the purring! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilestrick Posted May 5, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 5, 2016 It's Christmas in May! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glazenerd Posted May 6, 2016 Report Share Posted May 6, 2016 Super fancy firings hey?... I'm in. What I really like is naming individual firing programs. I fire copper and iron at one hold temp, cobalt slightly different, manganese a little higher, and rare earth oxides different yet. So naming each cycle as copper, cobalt, etc, etc, is even more appealing to me. Could see this programmed as shino, celadon, temmoku..etc etc. Nerd who glazes with fancy firings. 42F up north I see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilestrick Posted May 6, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 6, 2016 Super fancy firings hey?... I'm in. What I really like is naming individual firing programs. I fire copper and iron at one hold temp, cobalt slightly different, manganese a little higher, and rare earth oxides different yet. So naming each cycle as copper, cobalt, etc, etc, is even more appealing to me. Could see this programmed as shino, celadon, temmoku..etc etc. Nerd who glazes with fancy firings. 42F up north I see. The first firing was a success. I've had a chance to look at more of the functions, and there are some great data pages. The 'last firing' screen gives a ton of info, which will be great for me as a repair person to see exactly what the customer did. Not actually 42 F in my studio. I was playing around with the thermocouple offset when I took the pic. It's actually starting to look like spring here! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glazenerd Posted May 6, 2016 Report Share Posted May 6, 2016 Neil: So did the firing data match the cone pack/s? From what little I have seen and your comments: sounds like a long overdue improvement for controllers. A standard crystalline firing can have 6-8 segments: if you are doing growth rings upwards of 12-14. The popular item in crystalline glaze is strike firing around 1350 to 1450F: that could be added instead of a separate firing: add two more segments. Some are adding an "annealing cycle" to solve grazing issues which are very common with crystalline: add 1-2 more. Some are adding an additional slow cool from 700F down to 300F because of clay/glaze interface checking issues. The maximum on standard controllers was 12 segments: if you addressed every issue in one crystalline firing: 18-22 segments would be needed. Lets say you wanted six growth rings in your crystals: that is a total of 12 segments by itself. I do believe someone at Bartlett was gathering info from some in the crystalline community to come up with a 32 segment firing. So far I am impressed: which is not easily done. Keep us informed please. Nerd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilestrick Posted May 7, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 7, 2016 Neil: So did the firing data match the cone pack/s? From what little I have seen and your comments: sounds like a long overdue improvement for controllers. A standard crystalline firing can have 6-8 segments: if you are doing growth rings upwards of 12-14. The popular item in crystalline glaze is strike firing around 1350 to 1450F: that could be added instead of a separate firing: add two more segments. Some are adding an "annealing cycle" to solve grazing issues which are very common with crystalline: add 1-2 more. Some are adding an additional slow cool from 700F down to 300F because of clay/glaze interface checking issues. The maximum on standard controllers was 12 segments: if you addressed every issue in one crystalline firing: 18-22 segments would be needed. Lets say you wanted six growth rings in your crystals: that is a total of 12 segments by itself. I do believe someone at Bartlett was gathering info from some in the crystalline community to come up with a 32 segment firing. So far I am impressed: which is not easily done. Keep us informed please. Nerd I thought you'd like it. Cones? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pugaboo Posted May 7, 2016 Report Share Posted May 7, 2016 It sounds amazing! Thanks for sharing I will have to putti on the wish list for the future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glazenerd Posted May 7, 2016 Report Share Posted May 7, 2016 Neil: When I replace elements, relays, or the rare occasion a type S thermocouple: I run cones around the kiln. I will run the kiln up to 1350F or so and check it with a hand held pyrometer. If there is a great degree of difference, I switch it off: do a TC offset, and continue the firing. I run it to 2232F with no hold: and when it cools I check the cones to see if they match the program temps. I may tweak it another 10F +/- pending what the cone bend says. Nerd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick White Posted May 8, 2016 Report Share Posted May 8, 2016 Ok, now you did it. You let the horse out of the barn and it ran me over. I have an older manual L&L kiln that I have been upgrading and updating over the years. First a complete ITC coating on the bricks and new 3" lid (put the old one underneath as a double 5" bottom) and some fiber "gaskets" between the sections. Then I was given an ancient wall mounted single-zone controller (so old the user manual was zeroxed pages and a red construction paper cover...) for basic programming. I've fired some nice crystallines, but the programming is rudimentary and the numerals on the display are missing a few elements so I have to guess what the numbers are. Been stewing on this for awhile, have some ITC for the new elements when I do that, but have been trying to figure out whether/how to add a full new control panel. Soooo, with this new controller just hitting the market, I have decided to take the bait. I have a box I can use for the panel, and just ordered all the other stuff I need - high temp wire and a transformer from Amazon, relays and thermocouple wire from McMaster, and a bunch of other parts from my scrap bin. Now, I'll call Bartlett in the morning, and then go crazy waiting. It's all your fault! ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronfire Posted May 8, 2016 Report Share Posted May 8, 2016 Was wondering what size heat resistant wire you are using and what size kiln? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick White Posted May 8, 2016 Report Share Posted May 8, 2016 It's a J230, 23" 3 sections. Total amperage rating is 48A, so each section will be pulling 16A. Even with the NEC 125% rule for heavy draw appliances= 20A, 12 gauge wire is good for up to 20A. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilestrick Posted May 9, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 9, 2016 Neil: When I replace elements, relays, or the rare occasion a type S thermocouple: I run cones around the kiln. I will run the kiln up to 1350F or so and check it with a hand held pyrometer. If there is a great degree of difference, I switch it off: do a TC offset, and continue the firing. I run it to 2232F with no hold: and when it cools I check the cones to see if they match the program temps. I may tweak it another 10F +/- pending what the cone bend says. Nerd I was kidding. I just don't mess with cones. My glazes tell me what's happening just as well, and having cones in there won't prevent an under-or-over firing situation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GAC Girl Posted July 26, 2020 Report Share Posted July 26, 2020 Thanks for the posts and the humor! The controller sound exactly what I need. Yay! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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