All of our brands of kilns are now available with ‘Wi-Fi’, ‘downloadable apps for phones’ and have related software for PC and Mac. These all will reveal the data from the controller of the firings you will be doing.
The smartphone apps are ‘Rohde MyKiln’, ‘MyNabertherm’, and Kilncare has ‘Gateway’. The desktop applications are ‘Rohdegraph’, 'NTedit & NTgraph’, and ‘Gateway’.
The controller apps are portals for viewing the firing as it is happening, creating and seeing firing programs, and for various updates from the manufacturer.
The desktop applications are really for analysis and will give minute-by-minute data that will give accurate information. This can then be converted to a graph, which will show the data in a more presentable way. Really, these are useful for the technical teams at each manufacturer who can look at the minutiae of the data and advise on troubleshooting.
Each controller has a USB slot. Nabertherm’s is easy to see on the front, but Kilncare’s and Rohde’s are under a little plastic aerial that you pull out to reveal the slot. We sell USBs that are compatible with all, but Rohde supply one with their controller.
When you put the memory stick into the USB slot, the light on Rohde and Kilncare’s controller will go green if acceptable. You will need to leave it in throughout the firing, as this will record data as the controller is firing. The Nabertherm’s, by contrast, can be downloaded at any time and will ask (by screen prompt) if you want an ‘archive’ or ‘service export’; you will want a ‘service export’ for the technical team at Nabertherm.
These downloaded files can be put onto the desktop applications/website for further analysis. But there can be problems. Both Rohde and Nabertherm’s when trying to convert the CSV file to be seen in the applications, might react with Windows and cause a macro script error, which may need a little IT to get it to work.
But in all, the latter will help the manufacturer as it will enable them to see if anything is amiss with the kiln, power or firing program you have inputted.
For the most part, the phone apps will give you as much information as you need, but these will work in conjunction with a Wi-Fi signal. A Wi-Fi signal must be available wherever the kiln is sited, which again can cause problems, as kilns often are down the garden, and a signal can be weak. In these cases, Wi-Fi repeaters for signal amplification can be used. We have encountered issues with customers relying on their smartphones telling them they have a good signal, but be aware that the kiln’s signal might be blocked by your own internet provider’s security, and you will have to contact them to resolve.
In the last few years, there has been increased and progressive development in the software related to the kilns and their controllers. We will endeavour to keep you informed, and if you have further questions, don’t hesitate to contact us.
Useful Links:
(explained in section 10.1.6 of the ST411 manual and in section 8.3.7 of the ST310 manual)
(download instructions explained in page 41 and 42)
