Replacing Skutt Kiln Sitter

[menasco]

My wife has a Skutt KS1027. I want to automate the firings for her so she can start it and not have to visit the Kiln multiple times to turn switches. From my research the Bartlett Genesis Mini would be the ideal controller. 

I do have a question I cannot find the answer to. The kiln has 3 rings, each has a switch with LOW, MED, HIGH. Each ring has 4 elements. The skutt wiring diagram shows that LOW sends power to two elements, MED adds a 3rd element, and HIGH adds a 4th element. 

In reviewing the wiring for the Bartlett it only shows 3 relay's and I would expect 3 per ring to emulate the switches. 

Thanks in advance.

 

Billy

[menasco]

8 minutes ago, menasco said:

I would expect 3 per ring to emulate the switches. 

. After thinking about it I assume the controller holds the temp by regulating all the elements in the rings?

 

Billy

[Bill Kielb]

5 hours ago, menasco said:

After thinking about it I assume the controller holds the temp by regulating all the elements in the rings?

Yep, turns the relays on and off. Everything gets wired as full power and rhe elements just sequence on and off as needed to climb on schedule.

[neilestrick]

There are 2 elements per ring in a Skutt kiln. Each element loops twice. On low the switch sends power through both elements in series, creating 1/4 the available power. On medium it send power through one element, so 1/2 power. On high it turns on both elements in parallel for full power. The controller regulates the temperature by cycling the relays/elements on and off. However you can't just swap the  Sitter with a  controller and put some relays in the box. The existing box is not made to house a digital system. It's not vented well enough and there's no heat baffle. If you want to convert it to a digital system you'll need to build a separate box and mount it to the wall. The kiln plugs into the box and the box plugs into the outlet. Look at the Skutt KM-1 wall mount controller as an option. That type of system uses one big relay to run everything rather than individual relays for each section. Or you can buy a complete new digital box from Skutt, with their controller. For the money I'd replace the whole box so you don't have to deal with having the manual system and the digital system.

[menasco]

Thanks for the explanation. I found the post by Dana Stripe with great step by step details. 

 

Billy

[neilestrick]

15 minutes ago, menasco said:

Thanks for the explanation. I found the post by Dana Stripe with great step by step details. 

 

Billy

Dana's build is really nice, but it doesn't have to be that complex. They used solid state relays, which are sexy, but don't give you any real benefits in terms of firing. SSR's also complicate the build because they have additional cooling requirements. If you're familiar with SSR systems then by all means go for it, but otherwise I would just do a mechanical relay that can handle the amperage of the whole system (usually needs a pilot relay, too), and make a simple single zone setup.