Kiln Controller Bartlett Genesis LT-3140

[Norm Stuart]

I just installed the new Bartlett Genesis LT-3140 kiln controller in our kiln and are validating the first firing with "witness cones".

If anyone has any questions on the Genesis Cone Fire controller I've played with it enough to know what it can do.   The Genesis is a pretty impressive advance over the Bartlett V6-CF controller, let alone more primitive controllers like the RTC-1000 or the 3-key Model 3K.

Fortunately our kiln controller in our outdoor kiln died one week ago after 7 years of use, which was a Cress modified V6-CF. This provided us the opportunity to upgrade to the new Genesis controller for $329

Bartlett Genesis Website

The Genesis is pictured with "Novice Mode" off. In Novice Mode the "Edit" button becomes "View".

We also purchased this $34 amperage detector from Bartlett which is a tiny circuit board you connect to the kiln controller and has two white leads connecting to a ferrite ring.

You thread one 220 volt power lines from each relay to the heating elements through the ferrite ring, which measures the power being consumed.  This allows the controller to compare your current power draw to the original power draw when you installed the elements or in our case when we installed the controller.

The controller tests the elements for about 60 seconds prior to each firing.  A decline in amperage used is charted to determine your element aging and any sudden decline indicates the failure of an element.

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The Genesis controller also has an attached WiFi card to download new operating system updates from the Bartlett website adding new capabilities to the controller. We don't have WiFi at our studio so I  set-up a hotspot on a mobile phone and connect the Genesis controller to the hotspot - the WiFi password is usually your mobile phone number.

Dave Bartlett told me the first update will add copy and paste to program entry, the second update will give you the ability to choose any slow-cool program to a cone fire. Currently the slow-cool option is 150 F per hour between 1,800 and 1,500 F as suggested in "Mastering Cone 6 Glazes".

All programs are editable with "Novice Mode" off. Switching to "Novice Mode On" makes it very easy for less experienced people to fire the kiln perfectly without much more than 60 seconds of training. The limitation is you cannot change the hold time or slow-cool for a firing in Novice mode, it remains what it was the last time you saved that program with Novice mode off. In Novice mode you can add pre-heat time and also fire now or delayed.

If you're familiar with previous "Custom User Programs", to load them you had to tediously press Enter as each step was displayed, leaving you pressing enter 26 or 36 times until the kiln was in ready mode. With Genesis you click load, choose the program name, then fire. You can give each of your custom firings their own name, rather than "User 32" which happens to be is the maximum number of custom programs you can store.

[David Woodin]

I am still having problems with the Genesis controller.  Dave Bartlett is going to send me info on how to get some files off the controller and send to him and he also is interested in the chart recordings I will send him.  In the meantime I thought I would try Factory config and typing 935 save.  The first time around I got an error 5 The next time, it said success and filename LT3K0319.BFW version 3.18.9 at this point I decided I didn't know what I was doing so I didn't install it.  Basically what is going on with the controller is it follows the first 3 segments very closely but when I get into seg 4 which is a 80 ramp for 250 degrees F to 2261 F The Temperature gets higher than the setpoint and also for the last hour one zone becomes quite noisey in its recording in fact I doubt that the temperature could respond that fast. It looks to me like the output was so high before getting to the last ramp that it was not dropping fast enough to prevent a good 25  deg F overshoot so I am getting into the next cone down range 

David

[Norm Stuart]

I assume beta version 3.18.9 solves the problem you're experiencing as it did for us.

I haven't see the PID software code, but from the kiln power adjustments it called for, it was clear the potential variations in power output every 30 seconds were too constrained in version 3.18 which forfeits heat accuracy. There might be an engineering reason to limit power fluctuations but the cost in accuracy isn't worth It.  Allowing a high degree of power change automatically adapts to each type of kiln, load status and other factors.

If your software version is up to date it is 3.18 - while 3.18.9 is a well tested beta which I assume is a release candidate for a 3.19 or a 4.0 depending on how many other features Dave Bartlett ultimately adds this cycle.

I suggest you use Chrome to download the files as Firefox allows you to request a second file before the first file is saved, which doesn't work out in reality.

I think you'll get a kick out of the CSV log files you download, which can be opened in any spreadsheet program like Excel or Sheets.  Let me know what Dave tells you about our new toy.

David Woodin said:

I am still having problems with the Genesis controller.  Dave Bartlett is going to send me info on how to get some files off the controller and send to him and he also is interested in the chart recordings I will send him.  In the meantime I thought I would try Factory config and typing 935 save.  The first time around I got an error 5 The next time, it said success and filename LT3K0319.BFW version 3.18.9 at this point I decided I didn't know what I was doing so I didn't install it.  Basically what is going on with the controller is it follows the first 3 segments very closely but when I get into seg 4 which is a 80 ramp for 250 degrees F to 2261 F The Temperature gets higher than the setpoint and also for the last hour one zone becomes quite noisey in its recording in fact I doubt that the temperature could respond that fast. It looks to me like the output was so high before getting to the last ramp that it was not dropping fast enough to prevent a good 25 deg F overshoot so I am getting into the next cone down range 

David

[David Woodin]

Thanks for your information Norm.  Dave Bartlett said the 935 download is for their experimental firmware and the 3.18.9 is a good software for my controller.  I installed it and am firing a kiln with shelves and posts and self supporting cones now to cone 6.

David

[David Woodin]

The latest 3.18.9 software seems to have solved my problem with the controller.

David

[Norm Stuart]

I'm glad to hear software version 3.18.9 solved your firing accuracy problems as it did ours.

The 3.18.9 version also added a "Copy and Paste" feature to make custom programming easier. Load a cone program or a custom program and you'll notice a new "Copy" button. I can then load a Custom User Number and push the new "Paste" button. We can then edit the pasted program and add or delete ramps.

I really like being able to specify a cone rather than a peak temperature prior to a slow-cool or macro-crystalline firing in a custom program, which wasn't possible with our prior controller.

Version 3.18.9 also added a couple of features in "Novice Mode" which is essential at our studio where many who fire the kiln know little about firing kilns or kiln software.

With each new new downloadable update via WiFi, the Genesis controller will continue to have additional features which I'm looking forward to.

For future use you'll notice the Beta software download also requires a different menu selection:

"Menu / Factory-Config / 935 / Save" which gives you the option to download the newest Beta Software or cancel.

vs.

"Menu / Configuration / Download-Firmware" to download and install the current firmware release, 3.18.0

(The unlock code for other options in the "hidden" Factory-Config menu is 443 as it is for all Bartlett controllers)

David Woodin said:

The latest 3.18.9 software seems to have solved my problem with the controller.

David

[David Woodin]

Have you had any problems with stray coming in on the thermocouple, around 1500 F and causing controller problems.

David

[Norm Stuart]

I know from experience it's very important to use a shielded lead wire with the lower-voltage Type S thermocouples to avoid picking up stray interference from the heating elements. Years ago we initially used the leads for the Type-K thermocouple for the new type S causing the older controller to Err out. A bit more reading led me to buy the correct lead cable wrapped in foil.

I'd be interested to see your Temperature Log and Error Log files just so I can learn more about the Genesis beyond its use in our kiln. I assume you're describing your Temperature Log showing a kiln temperature fluctuation around 1,500 F?

[Marty P]

I am attempting to retrofit an old Duncan LX990.  I can find a schematic for the controller, but nothing with the spade connectors and descriptions.  Anyone know the pinouts on the duncan controller?

[Joseph Fireborn]

My kilns controller died this past week. After only 300 firings. I can't say what caused it, maybe constant changes in humidity and temp, or maybe just a bad board. Either way, I have ordered a replacement genesis controller and I will be installing it this week. I am very excited!

[Norm Stuart]

I'd call Bartlett, 319-372-8366,  as they make all of these kiln controllers and the kiln makers have Bartlett put their name on the front. Or email Steve Isaacson the photo you posted  [e-mail]

If the control board is wired like most, like this photo of our Genesis controller, the bottom spade connector and the third one up are the 12 or 24 volt AC in from the transformer. The second spade connector up is the Red common connector for the relay control and down-draft fan. The top connector in your photo should be the other relay connection.

In multi-zone kiln controllers that top spade connector in you photo becomes three connectors with the middle one, Input #2, becomes the one used to fire a one-zone kiln in combination with the red common connector.

There is usually also another spade connector on the top of the board to power a down-draft fan in combination with the common-connector, the red common second spade connector up from the bottom.

In my photo you cannot see the bottom spade connector the bottom 24-volt-input wire is plugged into as it's hidden by another wire.

Marty P said:

I am attempting to retrofit an old Duncan LX990.  I can find a schematic for the controller, but nothing with the spade connectors and descriptions.  Anyone know the pinouts on the duncan controller?

[Marty P]

Contacted Bartlett and they have been incredibly helpful!  Just about have it installed.

[Joseph Fireborn]

Has anyone had luck syncing their genesis controller to their phone? When I enter the information into the app and hit Add My Kiln it just locks up and does nothing. I emailed bartlett about it today.