I just lost a whole days work.

[FoggyMountain]

So i don't know who has already had this problem but heads up!

I have an AIM kiln. So i set my program last night before i left my shop. However even though the kilns program ends after 3 hours my kiln is still on (so to speak) even though it is crashing. The power went out, and then back on right away at 8:00am this morning, therefore ending my crash and resetting my kiln to 980. So i go to work this morning and see my kiln is still at 980 and now i have to go back home for the day because i have to wait for my kiln to cool down for 12 hours before i can open and unload yesterdays work.

I was pissed.:wes::tantrum:

My solution is to hook up a mechanical timer that shuts all power to the kiln at around 5am. That way i can work up to 2am if i need to without interrupting my ramp/soak program.

I wish my controller had a battery back up. That would be much easier.

Just a heads up to people who haven't had this problem yet. And if anyone has an easier, better, cheaper, faster solution please let me know.

[skip]

Why didn't you just work around it? No need to go home. If it wasn't totally full you could always add to it through the day. You could crash cool it then anneal it again at a later time. Are you making marbles? Because 12 hours is a long time to ramp down on things like hollow work.

That same thing has happened to me a few times. I know the frustration.

[michaeL25]

Not really a solution, more of an FYI, I have a Jen Ken kiln and if the power goes out, it just picks up where it left off. it does not reset like that.

You'd need to wire the battery backup only to the some parts of the digi pyrometer (you'd need a killer battery if you intended to run the heating element), which would likely involve risks of taking your machine apart and breaking something. might be best to contact AIM and see what their solution to this problem would be.

[jjglass]

Hmmmmm, might be easier to use an uninterruptable power supply (like those puppies for computers.) Should keep enough juice to last 15 minutes or so so if the power comes back on during that time, it will just continue on.

[Swampy]

Can't you programme it to tell the controller what to do in the case of a power out?

Like either reset to original programme (as yours has here) or end programme and stop.

[lava flow]

And what have you got in there that needs to cool for twelve hours anyway?

[smutboy420]

Can't you programme it to tell the controller what to do in the case of a power out?

Like either reset to original programme (as yours has here) or end programme and stop.

It all depends on if the controller has power fault options. So you can also tell it to do some thing coleatly difrent if the power fails and goes out. Like to restart were it left off or at the beginning or even an emergancy program that would let it go threw a drfent cycle if needed.

[Dale M.]

IF you have lots of power problems... Just add a "lock out" relay... If you want to operate kiln, you have to energies relay to supply power to kiln and controller, "Lock out" relay is held operated through its own contacts, if power fails, relay drops off, disconnecting power to kiln, and if power comes back on "lock out" relay will not power up because it has to be physically activated by a push button switch...

There was some kiln controller plans on internet that showed how to do this... I believer it it was a standalone controller plans.... Internet "search" may turn up these plans...

Also some controllers have a function that if it receives a power interrupt, it will not recycle and restart. It stays off.... You might want to investigate program in controller and see if this feature exists.

Dale

[michaeL25]

Hmmmmm, might be easier to use an uninterruptable power supply (like those puppies for computers.) Should keep enough juice to last 15 minutes or so so if the power comes back on during that time, it will just continue on.

You're going to need something decent to power something like a 10-15amp kiln for 15 minutes. You can go to APCs site and enter the load you have, it will then display units and how much time each will support for that load

[jiminyrootkit]

why not just push it all to the back, run up to your garage temp, work today, pack it in there, and ramp down tonight?
-f

[Big Jay]

can't you just go in and pull the power feeding the controller and put it on its on 110v cord? then run that through an UPC and leave the kiln plugged into its regular socket? It wouldn't take much of a UPC to run something as small as a controller for several hours.

[HOSS]

why not just push it all to the back, run up to your garage temp, work today, pack it in there, and ramp down tonight?
-f

Because then he couldn't take the day off without feeling guilty? :D

12 hour ramp down.. hope those are like 4 inch marbles! :twitch:

[newmexicomagma]

lol seriously, a couple days ago me and a friend collabed on a piece, i really wanted to try it out so i crashed the kiln and was able to take it out within an hour. not proper i know but i was excited. (and have done it before so i knew it wouldnt crack or anything.) anyways like someone else said, figure out a way to work around it.

[Greymatter Glass]

can't you just go in and pull the power feeding the controller and put it on its on 110v cord? then run that through an UPC and leave the kiln plugged into its regular socket? It wouldn't take much of a UPC to run something as small as a controller for several hours.

Bingo!

Also, most controllers can operate on 9-18v DC and have an option of a back up battery built in.

the Orton, Digitry, Fuiji, and Bartlett controls can all be rigged on a back uop battery quite easily if you have some electrical skills.

[THAT Guy]

Bummer, man. If it ever happens again, you could always make pendants and batch anneal them later. I've had very few crack on me while doing this, just don't make them too thick.

[FoggyMountain]

Bingo!

Also, most controllers can operate on 9-18v DC and have an option of a back up battery built in.

the Orton, Digitry, Fuiji, and Bartlett controls can all be rigged on a back up battery quite easily if you have some electrical skills.



Sweet this is what i wanted to know. My aim was installed with a FUJI controller. Has anyone modified a FUJI to have a battery backup.

As far as it goes. I have a big 1.5" thick shelf in my kiln that holds the heat quite well. Also the kiln was stacked pretty full, but not all the way i must admit. Partially i wanted to take the day off with out feeling completely guilty :D

I work pretty much 5-6 days a week. Every night i leave about 6-8pm and I set the program. At 10am the next day my kiln is about 115-130F still! If it is full top and bottom that is. At that point i do prep work and leave the doors open to speed the cooling up so i can start the day.

[Dom]

I doubt you stacked it to the brim yesterday, I would just turn it on and stack todays glass on top of yesterdays.

[gotglass?]

at 100 - 130 degrees you should be able to pull that shit out ...its well below the strain point..... i've seen a spoon pulled out at like 600 and thrown in water cup and it didn't crack probably a freak occurence or annealed very well

[jr23]

I don't even blink a eye at pulling out anywhere under 250-300 with my bare hands! But I don't even look at the kiln tell the next morning if I have a multi section piece in the kiln. But never loose a day you could have done some line incase tube pulls then made re-balls or stringers latty and all kinds of stuff you only lost some work time. Really the way its worded I was thinking it was going to be a slumping story. Peace

[Mr. Whale dick]

yeah...


i wipe my ass with 130 degrees

[Big Jay]

yeah...


i wipe my ass with 130 degrees

bet you don't clean the mouthpieces off either. This is special glass it gives anything smoked out of it a special nutty flavor.

[ALIEN!]

same thing happened to me years ago, I always turn the setpoint down to 250 before I run my program. Also, 12 hour ramp? That might be good for large marbles and such. I used to have a fancy ramp down programmed till I met Devin Summerville. He said for stuff thats not incredibly thick its OK just to soak at annealing temp (1050 for me) then just let it crash. It works especially well for me since my kiln is mostly ceramic blanket. I run program at 3:30 pm, I usually take my stuff out at 10pm @ about 4-500 deg. I crack the door open at about 650-700 deg. around 8:30- 9 pm. Thats a typical day for me. Never had a problem since I started doing this. Thickest i've done this with is about 1-1/2" marble. Thats getting about to the limit of my puny 8m anyway. Anyway, guess you get to blow this weekend too:) Cheers!

[FoggyMountain]

LOL.

Well after a full day with a full kiln it seems to want to cool down a lot slower. And i have had problems with pieces cracking before on the cool down. With temps less then 200. Right in my hands while i watched.

But............... I must add that was before when i didn't know what i was doing, i used to have my kiln set at 1225 and because of that i would not be able to use lots of colors. Until i talked to some other glass blowers that told me to turn it way down. So maybe that was the reason.

So anyone battery backup their FUJI controller ?

[FoggyMountain]

Sorry i didn't read page 2 before i posted:puzzled:

Snake: Brilliant and easy and cheap. Just reset the running temp before i run my program. 10 thumbs up for the quickest easiest solution!!!!!!!

And no it isn't a 12 hour ramp so to speak. It just takes 12 hours to get to room temp before i usually empty the kiln. As far as cracking the door about 600 I might try but my partner would be against it. He just had the bottom of a nice bub crack and he blames it on the little door swinging open sometime during the cool down. Our hinge is broken, now we prop up a kiln block to keep it from opening on us.

I don't know if that is the reason it cracked, he seems to have a lot more problems with cracking then i do. At least with special colors like unobtanium and greens and such.

[Dom]

He just had the bottom of a nice bub crack and he blames it on the little door swinging open sometime during the cool down. .

lol, yea blame it on the door swinging open right...

[FoggyMountain]

I know... I keep telling him. ' I don't know, those colors worked for me? ' :tongue:

[smutboy420]

lol, yea blame it on the door swinging open right...

So does that mean ones that opens to the left are better?

[Mr. Whale dick]

if a piece cracks in your hands at under 200


it is a color compatibility issue ...

and it would have cracked anyway...even if you took it out way higher or lower..