Fuji Aim-kiln controller

[lluviabrito]

I just got my fuji digital controller a little while ago, and I've just now set it up but it doesn't seem to be working correctly. I have an AIM kiln, the controller is an add on unit, Fuji PXV3. I used Mag's cheat sheet to get the set value at 1000 degrees, but the controller is not holding it there.

When I just turn on the controller it only reads room temperature.
When I turn my kiln onto the low setting it stops heating up way before my set point of 1000.
When I turn my kiln up to the high setting it goes way past 1000!

What do I need to do for it to hold at 1000? Should my kiln dial be set anywhere specific? is there something else I need to do because I have a universal dial but no simple on/off switch?

Thanks!

[Emily]

Your infinite switch should be plugged into the digital controller. Turn the knob on the infinite switch to its highest point and leave it there forever. You've put the thermocouple from the digital controller into the kiln, right? If you've set the set value correctly, when you turn on the digital controller, the kiln should start going to 1000 and should sit there, more or less. There will be temperature fluctuations. If the kiln temperature fluctuates too much, run the auto-tune function. Here's a Wetcanvas thread with instructions from Mike Crowley.

Auto-tuning the Fuji PXV3

Whenever you make a significant change in the temperature that you want the kiln to hold, it's a good idea to run the auto-tune at the new temperature. I found that out the hard way by melting a kiln load of PMC. (Firing temp of PMC is 1650. The kiln was used to running at 968, so when I asked it to hold at 1650 for 2 hours, the temp was swinging wildly in both directions, including past the melting temperature of silver. Oops -- expensive mistake. When I remember to run the autotune, it holds the temperature fine.)


It's been ages since I attached my controller, and I'm not home to take a look at it, but I think that's all there is to it. Hope this works!

[beadaholic]

I too have the same controller, it is a AIM digital controller, with a FUJI PXV-3 Set Point & Program Digital Temperature Control Field Kit (from AIM)

I set my infinite knob to 4 (not full blast) and it was way over 1000 when I had set mine to 960 per Mag's instructions. It definetly was not going to do 960 for me....

I am going to try and use the Auto tune you posted and post my results so someone else might benefit from it! Thanks alot!

Laura

[beadaholic]

Ok, so I got this from glass freak: HI EM. IF YOU RUN THE AUTO TUNE WHEN THE KILN IS AT THE TEMP YOU LIKE IT WILL FLUCTUATE ALOT LESS. TO DO THIS TURN THE KILN ON WAIT UNTIL IT GETS TO YOUR SET POINT TEMP THEN HOLD SEL UNTIL YOU SEE ROFF, HIT SEL AGAIN IT WILL SAY A70 (THE 7 IS REALY T Auto Tune)ARROW UP ONCE TO A71, A LITTLE GREEN LIGHT WILL BLINK FOR ABOUT 15 MIN, THEN JUST TURN IT OFF OR MAKE SOME BEADS AS NORMAL AND WATCH THE KILN TO SEE IF THAT HELPED.


This does not seem to work for me, I press Sel when the kiln is set to on, and what happens is that my kiln ramps up so fast that I cannot keep it at 960, it gets way past this point in seconds.....then I never get a ROFF, this is what mine says......first I get ProG or ProC then when I keep holding the button down it goes to SFAF or STAT (the T looks like a backwards 7), then next is d5PI or d5P1, it does not go anywhere past this point, it sits there, if I let up and press it again I get a temp of 245 if I press again it goes back to d5P1...........so please someone tell me how to AUTO TUNE my controller, so it is worth something, right now it swings wildly about from temp to temp.

Dang, these things should come with a book with all the instructions and all the explainations we need! How frustrating!

[beadaholic]

http://www.fic-net.jp/eng/library/ma...PXVPXW-1-E.pdf

I found the manual to the controller for this unit. I have it all programmed, I know mine and LLuvia's is a tad different than others, because they come out with new things and change it some. Anyway, ours do not look exactly the same as the one pictured, my little lights are at the left side instead of on top. Anyway, I can't seem to get my to go to the program, ROFF, I can get to prog and from there I know how to get to A7 or AT (auto tune), and there is LOC as well. I just can't seem to get to Roff to get it to run the program that I was able to program into it, it has it, it has been keeping the temp fine now too now that I did the Auto Tune...I just need to figure out how to make it run the program after I make beads....

Anyone out there got any ideas? What it is that I am doing wrong....because I know it is me.

[Emily]

Once you've turned on the kiln, press the SEL button (the leftmost of the little buttons below the digital display window) until the display reads ROFF. When you see that, stop pressing the SEL button and press the next button (the center button, which is the UP arrow) once. The display will read RRUN. That's it.

(This is what you do on the PXV3, which is what you have. I have the same controller.)

If it's not working, run through the programming steps according to Mag's cheat sheet again. Maybe you didn't get it programmed quite right. If you check, and you're sure that it's programmed correctly, it's possible that when you were trying to make the controller work, you accidentally changed or set something that you didn't mean to change or set.

[shawnette]

https://web.archive.org/web/20040221....com/fuji.html

[shawnette]

http://www.theglasshive.com/kilninst.html