Has anyone ever made any software for a kiln controller? it would be nice to have arduino automate a fine annealing schedule for thick borosilicate mirror blanks! ;D
Seems like a pretty straight forward application for an Arduino. Solid state relay is typically used to control the AC power to the heating element(s). You would have to select the temperature sensor(s) and their proper placement in the oven. A real time clock would be nice for tracking time, but simple millis() function might also work.
Work on the input and output hardware first using simple software routine to test with and when that's working well working on the annealing profiles.
Lefty
Sounds a lot like a reflow oven controller (SMT soldering with a toaster oven). It's been done, but I'm not sure if it's been done with an arduino.
-j
right now the cheapest ramp/ soak controllers on ebay are around 100 bucks. an arduino version would be a godsend
How large are the mirror blanks you want to deal with? Buying a used larger toaster oven from a thrift or charity store might be a good starting point.
Lefty
right now the cheapest ramp/ soak controllers on ebay are around 100 bucks. an arduino version would be a godsend
I hope it is a hobby project. $100 is chump change in any important manufacturing process.
$100 is chump change in any important manufacturing process.
Except when it came around for yearly pay raises. 
Lefty
Except when it came around for yearly pay raises.
Maybe for filling burger/fry orders, but with pay scales for qualified technicians running between ~$25-75/hr for gizmo development, an immediate fix for $100 is a deal.
of course its a hobby right now, but in the future who knows?
20-24 inch mirrors are what im after. would need max temps around 2150f (borosilicate glass) and annealing could take up to 2 weeks (3 inches thick, with uneven cooling to account for)
fall semester im taking a programing in c course, so hopefully by spring i should be able to come up with something :
basically all i need is something to read a temperature, then decide to turn on the elements or not. there are pleanty of great algorithms out there already. they would just need to be formatted to run on an arduino.
I am trying to make one of these... still tinkering.
Sorry to interrupt, but a 3 inch thick glass mirror?
Sorry to interrupt, but a 3 inch thick glass mirror?
Yes indeed, mirrors used in telescopes need to be very stable unless some form of adaptive optics correction is used. I think an old rule of thumb was that thickness/diameter ratio should be on the older of 1:6.
Lefty
Ah.. telescopes... makes sense now
Hi all
I know this is an older post but was wondering if any one had started a kiln controller. Could use some pointers or a start.
I am new to Arduino(first post), I plan to use it to control a stepper motor.
But got to thinking that it would also work perfect to control a kiln.
Would be a honey do for the misses we are looking for a older small kiln. She is getting into fusing glass and currently she is using a 27" kiln that I had converted to a programmable control. I bought the control for that conversion and don't want to spend that kind of money again if I don't have to.
Besides gives me a reason to play in something new to me.
I have the thermo coupler and bought a maxim6675 from McLaughlin Engineering as well as some spare SSRs from the previous conversion.
Found the PID Loops library and have been doing tons of reading in this forum the two weeks.
My background is in manufacturing engineering but spend most of my time now writing Gcode or VB code that creates Gcode. I built my own 4'x8' router table(purchase electronics) and do some PLC programming when I have to as well. I have not written in C in a long time but I am sure it will come back.
Thanks
Glenn
Hi Glenn,
Have you had any success with kiln/oven? I'm also investigating if a practical oven controller could be designed using arduino, and if so... how.
Thanks a lot,
N
Nash
I did finished it up on Sunday. My wife loves it
I am not a EE or anything so dont have a schematics.
I used the MAX6675 from here http://ryanjmclaughlin.com/store/featured/nulzg.html with his library. I was able to wire in my switches and a transistor to run the SSR using that shield.
In the code I ended up using the PID beta6 library. The code follows the system96 glass fusing specs and does a decent job of doing it.
The final fused glass products look good.
Glenn
Nice work Glen...
I'm still tinkering with mine.
Hi Glenn, any chance you would share the code? My mother has a Kiln that needs a new controller, and progress is slow due to lack of time...
I will I am not a great code writer. Probably better ways of doing then what I did.
Where be the appropriate place to put the code?
I never wrote a parts list or made a schematic.
The SSR that I used is a Potter & BrumField T92P7D52-12 which is what was recommended by the company I got the original control mentioned in my first post.
Reasonably price at Digikey.
Glenn
Pwillard thanks for the kudos.
The little misses was interested in getting it done NOW so not much choice on tinkering.
I wanted to change the case that is cracked but was warned on threat of death that I will not take it apart.
Once again thank you