Montefusco Controller

Image numbers match original photos and are in lower right of image. An added letter indicates portion of larger image.
This image shows the basic kiln with the original controller box which has been detached to show the connections.
Kiln maker and address. The max temperature given indicates the kiln if for glass fusing or for ceramic firing below cone 03. This is mostly a limit of the element material used - probably nichrome. Label shows unit draws 8 amps at 120 volts.
This slightly blurry picture shows the pyrometer dial face and the knob for the infinite control (more below) The meter is a sensitive voltmeter with a new labeled face that shows the approximate temperature. A table like this one (link) gives the exact volts of the thermocouple but a careful exam would show the volts/degrees is not exactly linear, which doesn't matter much because reading the dial closer than 25 degrees is difficult. The controller below uses software to be more precise.
This section from 57 above shows side view of terminals through wall of kiln and wires coming from inside control box shown above. Straight view next
This section cropped from much larger view show the three porcelain tubes that take wires through the kiln wall, the band clamps that hold the shiny kiln covering in place and a portion of the ventilated control box (the bracket to right is actually a reflection in the kiln covering.) This shows us that the two elements visible in 57 are actually connected together as one so one end of the upper loop comes out to the brass connector upper right and the end of the lower loop comes out lower left. The heavy black wires are high temperature insulated power wire as the brass connector and nichrome end get up near or over 1000F during operation. The red and yellow wires are the color coded leads of the K type thermocouple. Yellow is plus (link)
Power cable exiting control box and plug at end shows unit is intended to plug into a 15 amp wall outlet. 53 shows rating 8 amp.
Power cord exiting box plus color coded thermocouple wires to pyrometer
Power cord connection to "infinite" switch inside control box. Bolt to right is ground connection.
Overall view into control box showing back of pyrometer on lower left and power switch on right. Thin wires to round white object in upper right center go to power indicator light on face.
Inside kiln showing end of thermocouple tube and element in groove in wall of insulating fire brick.
Kit of parts for new thermocouple [TC] with controller. Plug seems to have round connectors (miniplug - more common - has flat connectors) Round unit is terminal block to connect black wire spade ends to thermocouple bare ends. Color coding of cable appears to match that of thermocouple (red-black) and BLK label on TC insulator which is not standard for K-type. No jack seems to be provided for round connection at controller. Long white plastic units with bolts are assumed to be mounting hardware.
SSR Relay. Main power supply wire is connected across upper (OUTPUT) terminals - could be done by cutting the hot lead or just by using wire from wall and another wire to unit.. Control is done with very light wire to bottom screws, matching polarity (+-) to control unit (5&3 in diagram below) Red dot is LED that will show when control signal is applied.
SSR Heatsink. SSR bolts to flat surface at bottom with heat conductive grease while top is used for mounting to surface. The kiln is only rated 8 amps from 120 while the SSR above is rated at 40 amps from 240 which matches size of heatsink. The heat sink is wild over kill for this installation and a lighter one could be used or this one without the heatsink grease.
The controller face - too blurry to read brand.
Blurry picture of back of control unit. Note only one row of terminals. Two rows shown in diagram below include terminals for optional features that would be installed along upper edge as these are on lower edge. Terminals should be number coded on side of case or just above terminals, not visible in blurred image. Locating 1&2 is most important for high voltage power attachment.

email notes 1. Did you get a programming manual for the controller? 2. Can you find identifying numbers on controller for terminals? 3. Did you get a jack/connector with round holes to match the plug on the thermocouple cable?	Wiring diagram shows wire through thermal cutout switch which this unit does not have. Different wiring required.
4a. Do you wish to build a unit to use the controller while leaving the connections in place on the kiln or 4b. disconnect the guts of the unit and use parts of the existing unit?	This would involve buying a power cord, wiring it to an outlet to plug in the existing unit and connecting the pieces. The alternative is to undo connections inside the existing box and figuring how to mount the controller safely.

2011-09-24 Phase I	Attaching power cord, thermocouple and SSR
Housing the controller away from the kiln and SSR	Design for controller sitting on desk/bench many feet away from kiln with SSR next to kiln.
You will need to have a light weight power cord, several feet of SSR connector wire, and thermocouple connector wire (on hand) You may need a connector socket.	Details below
Buy a lightweight power cord (like a lamp cord) with a 2 prong plug. About 5-6' long. Or make a longer one from lamp wire (18 gauge is smaller and better here) and a plug.	Does not have to connect to kiln site, just to nearest AC outlet or power strip.
Strip off about 5/8" of insulation and connect to screw terminals 1 & 2 on controller	Order on terminals does not matter. Make sure little strands of wire do not touch.
Test the controller under power by plugging in the plug while the controller sits on insulated (wood or plastic) surface. The controller should do a power on check, flashing the display segments and then settling down, probably with an error code due to lack of thermocouple.	Check that wires do not touch metal or fingers.
Unplug the power.
Connect the thermocouple.	Either cut off the connector supplied on your wire or buy socket http://www.omega.com/pptst/SMPW-CC.html If you buy this, before doing the next step, cut off about a foot of the bare end to use with the connector.
Feed the ends through the white plastic disk supplied (58) and tighten 'set screws'. Mark on white surface which is Black and which Red. Place the spade terminals of connector wire under the 'terminal screws' matching the color of insulation. If you removed the connector from the supplied thermocouple connector cable, strip the ends about 1/2" and wire to terminals 10 & 11 on the controller. If you bought a female/socket for the K-type to keep the plug in, you will need to salvage a foot or so of the bare wire at the other end to use between the connector and the controller. Open the connector and wire the two small screws and connect the other ends to 10&11 on the controller. Plug in the long wire.
Test the thermocouple. Plug the controller in again. If everything is okay, the display will settle down and show the room temperature in F (about 75F) or C (about 24) If numbers are really odd, try exchanging the thermocouple wires (unplug the controller) If display seems okay, try holding end of thermocouple in warm fingers - the temp should go up. If it goes down, exchange the wires.	If these simple tests do not produce a good reading, it is very hard to remotely direct fixing.
Note the amount of thermocouple showing inside the kiln it seems to be about an inch. Gently work the thermocouple now installed in the kiln out and push the new unit into place with about the same projection showing.
Now for connecting the SSR. My preference is to install the SSR as close to the kiln as possible without screwing it to the wall of the kiln - which gets too hot for electronics at least some of the time. In your case, I would suggest keeping the heavy black wires shown in the picture (54a) and undoing the other end at the infinite control. (NEXT)
We have a very blurry close up of the control (69) but it is shown clearly to the right of the image on the right (55) [The round black is the pyrometer dial, which will have to be disconnected if the hole for the current thermocouple is reused.] Undo the power line leads to the infinite control. On the other side of the case (52) pull the knob (which may have a set screw) and remove the mounting screws or nuts for the control to pull it out the back.
The high rating of the SSR you have (63) and the low power usage of the kiln means you could function without the massive heat sink provided (64) if you mount it to metal that does not get hot. You could mount it to the gray sides of the case shown in 55 or to the panels with holes. You will have to decide how to fit the heatsink in if you use it.
The SSR (right) only needs two bolts to mount. The plastic cover snaps off - note how to route the wires to get the heavy ones through the provided notches. It is useful to be able to see the red LED that comes on when an ON signal is applied which may affect the mounting. Unless you have inquisitive kids, it is safe to mount the SSR on the outside of the case as long as no bare power wires are exposed to touch. The control connections are very light wire to the bottom terminals - 3&4 - It really helps if the light wire has color coded insulation or colored leads (like silver and copper in speaker wire) or a ridge down one side of the insulation so you can connect more easily. The 3 wire (+) on the SSR goes to the 5 terminal on the controller while the 4 (-) wire on the SSR goes to the 3 terminal on the controller (above and below) The two lines that were connected to the infinite control can be connected to the two screws (terminals 1 & 2) in either order. Strip a rather short amount of wire or trim a longer exposed wire from that used on the infinite control and open the screw terminal to allow pushing the wires right up to the insulation before screwing down.
The SSR can be tested separately by plugging in the kiln and applying terminals of a 9 volt battery to the wires going to the controller before the controller is connected. + terminal on the battery is marked - the LED should light and the element start to heat.	Be appropriately cautious of the live terminals depending on how good you have hidden the wires.
Setup the kiln and controller as you wish. If you have not done so, cover the power terminals (1&2) with soft 100% silicone adhesive and caulk to insulate them from shock - it can be cut away later if you need to access the screws.	When finally set up, the kiln must be 6" to a foot away from the walls and raised off the floor/bench to allow air under it.
Now you will have to work on programming the controller. The most basic settings should be easy - set the temp on the display and watch the kiln come on and rise up to the temp. Setting it so it ramps and has other timing controls will depend on your unit. Good luck.