Temperature Control for Research and Industry

Model 150 &

150/Timer
Manual
For Serial Number
 Warranty
J-KEM Scientific, Inc. warrants this unit to be free of defects in materials and workmanship and to
give satisfactory service for a period of 12 months from date of purchase. If the unit should
malfunction, it must be returned to the factory for evaluation. If the unit is found to be defective upon
examination by J-KEM, it will be repaired or replaced at no charge. However, this WARRANTY is
VOID if the unit shows evidence of having been tampered with or shows evidence of being damaged
as a result of excessive current, heat, moisture, vibration, corrosive materials, or misuse. This
WARRANTY is VOID if devices other than those specified in Section 3.2 are powered by the
controller. Components which wear or are damaged by misuse are not warranted. This includes
contact points, fuses and solid state relays.

THERE ARE NO WARRANTIES EXCEPT AS STATED HEREIN. THERE ARE NO OTHER

WARRANTIES, EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE
IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND OF FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR
PURPOSE. IN NO EVENT SHALL J-KEM SCIENTIFIC, INC. BE LIABLE FOR
CONSEQUENTIAL, INCIDENTAL OR SPECIAL DAMAGES. THE BUYER'S SOLE REMEDY
FOR ANY BREACH OF THIS AGREEMENT BY J-KEM SCIENTIFIC, INC. OR ANY BREACH
OF ANY WARRANTY BY J-KEM SCIENTIFIC, INC. SHALL NOT EXCEED THE PURCHASE
PRICE PAID BY THE PURCHASER TO J-KEM SCIENTIFIC, INC. FOR THE UNIT OR UNITS
OF EQUIPMENT DIRECTLY AFFECTED BY SUCH BREACH.

Service
J-KEM Scientific maintains its own service facility and technical staff to service all parts of the
controller, usually in 24 hours. For service, contact:

J-KEM Scientific, Inc.

6970 Olive Boulevard
St. Louis, MO 63130
(314) 863-5536
Fax (314) 863-6070
Web site & On-Line Catalog: www.jkem.com
E-Mail: jkem911@jkem.com

This manual contains parameters specific to this controller.

When calling with a technical question, please have the controller’s serial number available.

You’ve purchased the most versatile controller available to the research community. We’re
confident it can regulate ANY heating/cooling situation you’ll ever encounter. If the information in this
manual isn’t adequate to make your application work, call our Engineering Department for assistance.

2
 INDEX
SECTION PAGE

1. QUICK OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

2. ADJUSTING THE CONTROLLER FOR STABLE

CONTROL WITH VARIOUS HEATERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
2.1 How to Tune the Controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
2.2 Auto-Tuning Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
2.3 Tuning for Heating Mantles: A Special Case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
2.4 Sensor Placement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

3. OPERATIONS GUIDE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
3.1 Front Panel Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
3.2 Heater Restrictions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
3.3 Over Temperature Protection Circuit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
3.4 Timer Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
3.5 Temperature Sensor Input . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
3.6 Do's and Don'ts When Using Your Controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
3.7 Resetting the Controller for Use With Heating Mantles.
Restoring Factory Defaults. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
3.8 Changing between PID and ON/OFF Operating Modes . . . . . .. . . . . . . . 14
3.9 Using the Temperature Ramp Feature . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
3.10 Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

TABLE 1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

APPENDIX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
19
I. Using the Controller With an Oil Bath (Application Note 1) . . . . . . . . . 19
II. Safety Considerations and Accurate Temperature Control. . . . . . . . . . . . 20
IIII. How to Set Up a Reaction Using J-KEM’s Digital Controller. . . . . . . . . . 21
VI. Resetting the Controller to Original Factory Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

WARNING: Adhere to the restrictions of SECTION 3.2. Failure to do so may create a

significant safety hazard and will void the warranty.

3
Section 1: Quick Operating Instructions
The four steps below are the basics of using your temperature controller. The User’s Manual is a
reference that explains the controller more fully as well as some of its more sophisticated features. It’s
recommended that new users unfamiliar with process controllers read the entire manual carefully. The
controller is preprogrammed for use with heating mantles fitted to round bottomed flasks
running “typical” organic reactions (i.e., non-polymeric reactions in solvents such as THF,
toluene, DMF, etc.). If the controller is used with this type of reaction, the 4 steps below will help you
get started.

For a primer on how to set up a reaction with your temperature controller: See Appendix III.
To use heaters other than heating mantles: See Section 2.
Do not use the controller to heat oil baths: See Section 3.2 & Appendix I.
For polymer synthesis, atypical, expensive, or safety critical reactions: See Appendix II.

1 Use with appropriately sized equipment. The Model 150 can be used with most common
laboratory heaters including heating mantles larger than 100 ml in size, but is not suited for
small-scale reactions (see Section 3.2). For small-scale equipment, J-KEM’s 200 Series
controller, which are capable of heating any application or any volume (1ml - 100L) to ± 0.1 o C
are recommended.

2 Place the thermocouple in the solution being heated. Place at least the first 1/4” of the
thermocouple directly in the solution being heated. Thermocouples can be bent without harming
them. If you’re heating a corrosive liquid, use Teflon coated thermocouples.

3 Enter the setpoint (i.e., the desired

temperature). Hold in the * button and 8 0. 0
simultaneously press the  key to increase or *
the  key to decrease the setpoint. The
setpoint can be seen at anytime by holding in
the * button, the setpoint appears as a blinking
number in the display.

4 Set the timer.

For units with digital
timers, the timer turns
the heating outlet OFF
or ON depending on the
position of the timer
switch and whether any
time is present in the
display

4
Section 2: Adjusting The Controller For
Stable Control With Various Heaters
2.1 What is Tuning. The controller's most powerful feature is its ability to regulate virtually any heater
with stable temperature control. But what's required for stable control is that the controller be tuned to
the heater being used. Tuning is the process that matches the control characteristics of the controller to
the heating characteristics of the heater. The controller is said to be tuned to the heater when its memory
is programmed with values telling it how fast the heater warms up, cools off, and how efficiently it
transfers heat. For example, consider the difference between a heat lamp and a hot plate. When
electricity is applied to a heat lamp it begins to heat instantaneously, and when it's turned off it stops
heating instantaneously. In contrast, a hot plate may take several minutes to begin heating when
electricity is applied and even longer to start cooling when electricity is turned off. Your controller can
regulate both a heat lamp and a hot plate to 1o C. But, to do this it must be programmed with the time
constants describing how fast the heater heats when electricity is turned on and how fast it begins to cool
when it's turned off. These time constants are called the tuning parameters.
Every type of heater has its own unique set of tuning parameters. For the controller to heat with
stability, it must have programmed with the tuning parameters for the heater currently being used. Prior
to shipment, tuning parameters were programmed into the controller that maximize heating performance
for laboratory heating mantles since these are the most common heaters used in research. Tuning is
regulated by 5 of the temperature meter’s user programmable functions. The correct value for these 5
functions can be calculated and loaded by the user manually, or the controller can do it automatically
with its autotune feature.

When Should the Controller be Tuned? If the controller is tuned to one type of heater, heating
mantles for example, heating mantle (>= 100 ml) can be used without the need to retune. When
changing from mantles to a different type of heater, an oven for example, the controller should be
tuned with values describing the oven’s heating characteristics. The effect of tuning is seen below.
When the controller is tuned for heating mantles, using it with a heating mantle yields stable
temperature control (Plot 1), but poor control results when the same tuning parameters are used with
an oven (Plot 2, Curve 1). However, after tuning the controller to the oven, stable temperature
control results (Plot 2, Curve 2).

Plot 1 Plot 2
80 80

70 70

Curve 2: Controller loaded with

60 60 tuning parameters for
Temp. Temp. drying oven
oC oC
50 Conditions: 400 ml Toluene 50
500 ml Round bottomed flask
500 ml Heating mantle Curve 1: Controller loaded with
40 40 tuning parameters for
heating mantles
30 30

20 20
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 0 10 20 30 40 50 60
Time (min) Time (min)

5
 It’s important to understand that this controller isn’t a simple ON/OFF type controller (i.e. ON when
below the set point, OFF when above [though it can be made to work this way, see Section 3.8]). Rather
it’s a predictive controller. Based on the shape (slope) of the heating curve, the controller predicts
(calculates) the percent of power to apply to the heater now to control the shape of the heating curve
minutes in advance. The importance of the tuning parameters is that they are constants in the equation
the temperature meter uses to perform its predictive calculations. If the temperature meter is
programmed with tuning parameters that incorrectly describe the heater being used, poor temperature
control will result. But, when the correct values are loaded, temperature regulation of ± 1 o is typically
achieved.

Manual Tuning. Manual tuning is when the values of the 5 tuning parameters are determined
manually then entered into the temperature meter via the push buttons on the front of the controller.
Experienced users might prefer to manually tune the controller since this allows customization of the
heating process.

Autotune. Autotune is a feature built into the temperature meter that automatically calculates the
tuning parameters (i.e. delay times, heating efficiency, etc.) for any type of heater. After the autotune
procedure is complete and the tuning parameters are determined, the controller loads them into its
memory for current and future use. Heating mantles are a special case and are covered in a separate
paragraph (Section 2.3).

2.2 Autotuning Procedure.

This procedure is not recommended for heating mantles (see Section 2.3).
In most cases if the over temperature protection circuit is active, it must be inactivated before starting this
procedure (see Section 3.3).

1. Set the equipment up in the exact configuration it will be used. For example, to tune to a vacuum
oven, place the thermocouple in the room temperature oven and plug the oven into the controller. If
the oven (or heater) has its own thermostat or power control, turn both as high as they’ll go.
2. Turn the controller and heater on. For Model 150/Timer units, make sure the timer switch is set so
that heating is on (i.e., LED 11 is lit; see Section 3.4). Enter the desired set point temperature. If the
set point isn’t at least 30o C above ambient, skip this procedure and go to the next procedure,
“Autotuning the Controller for Very Fine Control”
3. Press and hold in both the  and  buttons (for 3 seconds) on the front of the temperature meter
until the word “tunE” appears in the display then release both buttons.
4. Press the  button (5 times) until “CyC.t” appears in the display (if you go past this setting, press
the  button until you get back to it).
5. First, hold in the ‘*’ button, while holding in the ‘*’ button press the  button. Continue to hold
both buttons in until the display reads “A --”, or “A ##” where “##” is some number.
6. Release the ‘*’ button and press the  button until “tunE” once again appears in the display.
7. Press and hold the ‘*’ button and “tunE” will change to “off” to indicate that autotune is currently
off.
8. While holding in the ‘*’ button, press the  button to change the display to “on”, then release both
buttons.
9. Press and hold both the  and  buttons (for 3 seconds) until the temperature appears in the display.
The controller is now in its autotune mode. While in autotune the display alternates between “tunE”
(for autotune) and the process temperature. When the autotune sequence is done (this may take in
excess of an hour) the controller stops displaying “tunE” and only displays the process temperature.
[To abort autotune manually, repeat steps 3, 8 and 9 except in step 8, press the  button until “off” is
displayed].

6
 Temp New tuning
values loaded
into memory
Set
Point
Heat to set point
after entering The autotune sequence.
new parameters
During autotune the controller heats
75% of
OS1 OS2 to 75% of the set point temperature,
set point where it oscillates for several cycles
US before loading the new tuning
parameters. After the tuning
parameters are loaded it heats to the
set point temperature. Tuning
Start T1 T2 T3 T4
AT During T1 - 4 the controller below the set point prevents any
measures heating delays and Quarter cycle times damage that might occur from
rates of heating and cooling
Time overheating.

Autotuning the Controller for Very Fine Control.

This procedure is not recommended for heating mantles (see Section 2.3).

In the majority of cases, the procedure above results in stable temperature control with any heater. A
second version of the autotune routine is available and can be used when the heater is already at or
close to the set point, is being tuned at a temperature close to room temperature, or for very fine
control in demanding situations. If stable temperature control doesn’t result after performing the first
autotune routine, the procedure below should be performed. Before performing the ‘fine tune’
autotune procedure, the ‘regular’ autotune procedure that precedes this should normally be
performed.
In most cases if the over temperature protection circuit is active, it must be inactivated before starting
this procedure (see Section 3.3).

1. Set the equipment up in the exact configuration it will be used. If the heater has its own
thermostat or power controls, turn both as high as they’ll go. With this procedure it’s not
necessary for the equipment to start at room temperature. This procedure can be performed at
any time and any temperature.
2. Turn the controller and heater on. For Model 150/Timer units, make sure the timer switch is
set so that heating is on (i.e., LED 11 is lit; see Section 3.4). Enter the desired set point
temperature.
3. Press and hold in both the  and  buttons (for 3 seconds) on the front of the temperature
meter until the word “tunE” appears in the display then release both buttons.
4. Press the  button (5 times) until “CyC.t” appears in the display (if you go past this setting,
press the  button until you get back to it).
5. First hold in the ‘*’ button, while holding in the ‘*’ button press the  button. Continue to
hold both buttons in until the display reads “A --”, or “A ##” where “##” is some number.
6. Release the ‘*’ button and press the  button until “tunE” once again appears in the display.
7. Press and hold the ‘*’ button and “tunE” will change to “off” to indicate that autotune is
currently off.
8. While holding in the ‘*’ button, press the  button to change the display to “At.SP”, and
release both buttons.
9. Press and hold both the  and  buttons (for 3 seconds) until the temperature appears in the
display. The controller is now in its autotune mode. While in autotune the display alternates
between “tunE” (for autotune) and the process temperature. When the autotune sequence is
done (this may take in excess of an hour) the controller stops displaying “tunE” and only
displays the process temperature. [To abort autotune manually, repeat steps 3, 8 and 9 except
in step 8, press the  button until “off” is displayed].

7
 Autotune Errors. The most frequent reason for autotune errors is that the over temperature protection
circuit turns heating off during autotune which results in a “tunE” “FAiL” message in the
temperature meter. During autotune it’s not unusual for the reaction temperature to exceed the set
point by enough to trigger the over temperature protection circuit. In this case, the over temperature
protection circuit must be inactivated before the autotune procedure is tried again (see Section 3.3).
If the autotune sequence failed due to the over temperature protection circuit the timer display will
show the word “help”. If the word “help” is not showing in the timer window, autotune must have
failed for a different reason. To remove the “tunE” “FAiL” message turn the controller off for 10
seconds. Try the procedure titled “Autotuning the Controller for Very Fine Control” above. If
autotune fails again, call and discuss your application with one of our engineers. A common problem
when tuning at high temperatures or with large volumes is for the heater to be under powered. A
more powerful heater may be needed (contact J-KEM for assistance).

2.3 Tuning for Heating Mantles: A Special Case. This section gives special consideration to heating
mantles, since they’re the most commonly used heaters in research. Every heating mantle size has its
own optimum set of tuning parameters and if you wanted, the controller could be tuned (or autotuned)
every time a different size was used. However, this is cumbersome and is also unnecessary. Factory
tests show that there’s one set of tuning parameters that delivers good performance for all heating mantle
sizes. These tuning parameters were loaded into the controller at the factory prior to your receiving it. If
you’re using a heating mantle and none of the parameters have been changed or the controller hasn’t been
autotuned since you’ve received it, you’re ready to go. If the tuning parameters have been changed or the
controller has been autotuned and you want to go back to using heating mantles, J-KEM recommends
that the tuning parameters for heating mantles be loaded manually (i.e., don’t autotune to the heating
mantle) by following the step-by-step instructions given in Procedure 1 of Section 3.7.

2.4 Sensor Placement. Placement of the sensor is basically common sense. The sensor should be
positioned to sense the average temperature of the medium being heated. That means the thermocouple
should be shielded from direct exposure to the heater but not so distant that rise in temperature isn’t
sensed by the controller within a reasonable period of time. Several examples follow that show the type
of consideration that should be given to sensor placement.

Use With:
Place the sensor in the solution. Stir vigorously so that heat is homogeneously mixed
Solutions throughout the solution.
Tape a thin wire thermocouple directly to the HPLC column. Place several layers of
HPLC column heated paper over the thermocouple to insulate it from the heating tape (the thermocouple
with a heating tape should sense the column temperature, not the heater temperature). Wrap the HPLC
column completely with heating tape.
The thermocouple needs to be shielded from transient hot and cold air currents. Don’t
Oven place the thermocouple near the heating coil or an air vent. A small thermocouple
(1/16” or 1/8” thermocouple) that responds rapidly to changes in air temperature is
better than a larger one.

8
Section 3: Operations Guide

3.1 Front Panel Description.

Fr o n t Ba c k
1 J -KEM ®
S cie n tifi c J-KEM® Scientific, Inc.
Instruments for Science from Scientists
St. Louis, Missouri
2 1 2: 3 5
oC
3
8 0. 0 OFF ON
120 Vac; 60 Hz
10 amps; 1200 watts
When time = 0
* turn outlet:

4
OFF ON
Mo d e l 150/Tim e r
5

6 7 8 9 10 11 13 12
Figure 1

1. Temperature Display. Shows temperature of the process as the default display. Shows set point
temperature (i.e. desired temperature) when ‘*’ button is held in.
2. Shows state of the heating outlet. Indicates outlet #13 is on when light is lit (conditional on the
state of the timer switch 7, see Section 3.4).
3. Control Key. When held in, the display shows the set point temperature. To decrease or increase
the set point, press the  key (4) or  key (5), while simultaneously holding in the control key.
The set point appears as a blinking number in the display.
4. Lowers set point when ‘*’ button (3) is simultaneously pressed.
5. Raises set point when ‘*’ button (3) is simultaneously pressed.
6. Controller On/Off switch. WARNING: Due to the nature of solid state relays, a small amount of
output power (7.5 mA @ 120 VAC; 0.9 watts) is present at outlet 13 even when the controller is
turned off. Take appropriate precautions to avoid electrical shock.
7. Timer Switch. This switch, in conjunction with the timer, determines if power is present at outlet
(13). See Section 3.4. The label ‘When time = 0 turn outlet:’ has reference to the time remaining
in the display (8).
8. Displays the time remaining in the timer in the format of ‘Hr:Min’.
9. Increases the time remaining in the timer when pressed.
10. Decreases the time remaining in the timer when pressed.
11. Indicates whether the timer section will allow power to be ON or OFF at outlet (13). This LED is
lit when the timer section will allow power to be present at outlet (13) and off when the timer
section has turned power off at outlet (13).
12. Temperature Sensor Input. Use the same type of sensor probe as the sensor plug installed on the
controller (see Section 3.2). The correct sensor type will have the same color plug as the receptacle
(12) on the front of the controller.
13. Power Outlet. Plug only 120 VAC devices into this outlet (see Section 3.2).

9
3.2 Heater Restrictions. The controller delivers 10 amps of current at 120 VAC into resistive loads
(heating mantles, hot plates, ovens, etc.). Use only resistive loads that are safely operated at 120 VAC
and require less than 10 amps or damage to the controller and a safety hazard may result.

• Do not plug oil baths into your controller. Oil baths are not 120 VAC devices and
become a fire hazard unless properly connected to the controller. (See Appendix for an
application note describing the use of oil baths with this controller).

• Devices other than resistive loads can be used with your controller but certain restrictions
apply.

Device Type Restrictions

Incandescent lamps ≤ 700 watts
Infrared heaters
Inductive loads: ≤ 4 amps; 480 watts
* solenoids
* transformers
* motors

The Model 150/Timer can be used with any 120 volt heater such as heating mantles, hot plates,
ovens, etc. but with small equipment (heating mantels less than 100 ml in size) or equipment that heats
up and cools down slowly (some hot plates) a large amount of over shoot of the entered temperature may
result during initial warm up. The problem is not with the controller (which has the best heating
algorithm in the industry), it’s with the over-powered heaters some pieces of equipment have. A simple
example will clarify this point.
Consider the example of trying to control the temperature of a pot of water at 80 o C on a simple
electric stove by manually turning it “ON” and “OFF”. This is the way the Model 150 controls
temperature by rapidly turning “ON” and “OFF” the heater for just the right amount of time to maintain
the reaction at the desired temperature. Now in the first case, if you were heating 4 liters of water in a
large pan, the stove would do a pretty reasonable job because the amount of heat the stove generates is
appropriate for the amount of water being heated. Now imagine you attempted to use the same stove to
regulate the temperature of a teaspoon (1 ml) of water. You would have predictably disastrous
temperature control because the heater (the stove) has substantially more power than is needed to heat a
teaspoon of water. This is the case with most heaters used in research. Large heaters tend to be powered
appropriately for their intended heating applications, but small heaters are generally highly over powered.
For example, a 5-liter heating mantle has 0.12 watts per ml, while a 5 ml heating mantle has 9.6 watts per
ml, a 80-fold greater amount of power. To heat small applications with reliable temperature control,
power needs to be adjusted to the heater with millisecond precision. The Model 150 lacks this
sophistication, which is present only in J-KEM’s 200 Series controllers. To compensate for the excess
power small heaters tend to have, J-KEM’s 200 Series controllers have a patented power control
computer that adjusts power to the heater 2048 times per second. The Model 150 should give
outstanding results with larger pieces of equipment where heating power and heat required are closely
matched.

The Model 150 is the second best controller in the industry the very best is J-KEM’s 200 series, which
has none of the limitations listed above. If the Model 150 doesn’t deliver the performance you need for a
particular application, call J-KEM and inquire about upgrading your current controller to a 200 Series
unit.

10
3.3 Over-Temperature Protection Circuit

Note: This controller is shipped with the over temperature protection circuit option turned ON.
If you want to turn this option off follow the procedure below.

The temperature controller is equipped with an over-temperature protection circuit that turns off
heating any time the temperature of the reaction goes 10 o C above the entered setpoint. When the
temperature of the reaction cools below 10 o C above the setpoint the circuit is reset and the controller
begins to operate normally. An over temperature condition is indicated by the display blinking the
message ’-AL-’. The over temperature feature acts to prevent accidents in situations where something
has gone wrong or when the Model 150 is used in an application that it’s not capable of controlling. For
applications requiring more versatile and accurate temperature regulation, consider J-KEM’s 200 series
controllers (read the last paragraph of Section 3.2 for a comparison of J-KEM’s 150-Series and 200-
Series controllers).

There may be situations where it’s desirable to disable the over temperature protection circuit (for
example, if the controller is often used as a digital thermometer). The two procedures below give
directions on disabling and re-enabling the over temperature circuit. In reality, the over-temperature
alarm can’t be turned off because it’s hard-wired in the controller, but what you can do is program an
over-temperature condition so high (i.e., 999.9 o C) that it has the effect of disabling the alarm. What
you’ll do in the procedure to deactivate the over temperature circuit is enter the number of degrees that
the reaction temperature must exceed the set point to cause the over-temperature circuit to come on. If
you enter a small number such as 10o C (which is the factory default) the alarm will turn off heating when
the reaction exceeds the set point by 10o C. If you enter a large number such as 999.9 o C you’ll, for all
practical purposes, turn the over-temperature circuit off since with this setting the reaction must exceed
the set point by 999.9o C before the alarm would come on.

Procedure to DEACTIVATE Over Temp Alarm Procedure to RE-ACTIVATE Over Temp Alarm
1 Press and hold in both the  and  keys on the front 1 Press and hold in both the  and  keys on the front
of the temperature meter until the word “tunE” of the temperature meter until the word “tunE”
appears in the display, then release both keys. This appears in the display, then release both keys. This
places the controller in programming mode. places the controller in programming mode.
2 Press the  key until “SEt.2“ appears in the display, 2 Press the  key until “SEt.2“ appears in the display,
and release all keys. then release all keys.
3 Press and hold in the * key. When the * key is held 3 Press and hold in the * key. While holding in the *
in, the display shows the number of degrees that the key, press the  key until the display shows 10.0,
set point must be exceeded by to cause the over- then release both keys.
temperature alarm to activate. To effectively disable
the over-temperature alarm, while holding in the ‘*’
key, press the  key until a very large value, like
100, is entered.. When you’re done, let go of all the
keys. Whatever number you entered at this point is
the number of degrees that the reaction temperature
must exceed the set point before the alarm comes on.
4 To return to normal temperature display, press and 4 To return to normal temperature display, press and
hold in both the  and  keys (about 3 seconds) hold in both the  and ▲ keys (about 3 seconds)
until the temperature appears in the display. until the temperature appears in the display.

11
3.4 Timer Controls (Model 150/Timers only). The timer section turns outlet 13 either ON or OFF in an
unattended operation when the time in the timer counts to zero. To adjust the time in the timer press the
[UP arrow] or [DOWN arrow] buttons (9 & 10) to increase or decrease the displayed time. The format of
the display is ‘Hr : Min’. A simple way to know whether outlet 13 is on or off is by the state of LED 11
which is lit when the outlets are on and not lit when they’re off. The position of switch 7 determines
whether outlet 13 is ON or OFF depending on whether there is any time present in the timer. To
understand the effect of switch 7, take the example where switch 7 is set to the OFF position. In this case
its effect would be “When time = 0 (zero), turn outlet: OFF”. If there is time present in timer 8 then
outlet 13 would be ON, since time  0. When the timer counts down to zero then outlet 13 would go
OFF because this fills the requirements of the position of switch 7 (i.e., ‘When time = 0, turn outlet:
OFF). When not using the timer, the normal position of switch 7 is the ON position with no time in the
timer window 8. If switch 7 is set to “When time = 0, turn outlets: ON”, outlet 13 is on since the time
does equal zero. The effect of the position of switch 7 on outlet 13 is summarized in the table below.

Switch 7 Time Remaining Outlet 13 LED 11

Position in Timer is: is Comment
[When time =
0 Zero OFF OFF
turn outlet:]
Outlet 13 will remain ON until the
OFF >Zero ON ON timer counts down to zero, at which
point the outlet will turn OFF and
stay off indefinitely.
[When time =
0 Zero ON ON
turn outlet:]
Outlet 13 will remain OFF until the
ON > Zero OFF OFF timer counts down to zero, at which
point the outlet will turn ON and
stay on indefinitely.

WARNING: A potential danger exists when using the timer to turn outlet 13 ON when the timer
counts to zero. During a power failure, the time remaining in the timer is lost. When the power comes
back on the timer resets to zero that turns outlet 13 ON. Therefore, only processes that pose no danger
when heated indefinitely should be set up to turn on when the timer counts to zero.

3.5 Temperature Sensor Input. Each controller is fitted with a specific type of temperature sensor input
and can only be used with a temperature sensor of the same type (thermocouple or RTD). For the correct
temperature to be displayed, the thermocouple type must match the receptacle type on the front of the
controller (Figure 1; #12). All thermocouples are color coded to show their type (Blue = type T; Yellow
= type K; Black = type J). The color of the thermocouple plug must match the color of the receptacle on
the front of the controller. If the temperature sensor is broken or becomes unplugged, the error message
“FAiL” “inPt” appears in the display and the controller stops heating.

12
3.6 Do's and Don'ts When Using Your Controller. The controller, heater and thermocouple form a
closed loop feedback system. When the controller is connected to a heater, the feedback loop should not
be broken at any point.

Don't remove either the thermocouple or heater from the solution without lowering the set point.
With the thermocouple or heater separated from the solution, as the thermocouple cools the
controller turns the heater on. Since this heat is never fed back to the controller it heats
continuously. If the thermocouple or heater is removed from solution, unplug the heater or
preferably lower the set point below the room temperature so no heat is called for.
Don't use the controller to regulate an exothermic process.
The controller has no capacity for cooling. If an exotherm is expected, it must be controlled in
another manner.
Do use an appropriate size flask and heater for the volume being heated.
Use the smallest flask and heating mantle that accommodates the reaction. This ensures that
the heating power of the heating mantle closely matches the volume being heated. This also
allows the solution to radiate excess heat to minimize temperature overshoots.
Do place the thermocouple directly in the solution.
Place at least the first 1/4” of the thermocouple directly into the solution. If a corrosive mixture
is heated, use a Teflon-coated thermocouple.
Do avoid exposure of the controller to corrosive gases and liquids.
The atmosphere of a research hood is corrosive to all electronics. Place the controller outside
the hood away from corrosive gases.

3.7 Resetting the Controller for Use With Heating Mantles. Restoring Factory Defaults.

If you want to use your controller with heating mantles after it’s been tuned for a different style heater,
rather than autotuning the controller with the heating mantle, J-KEM recommends that the controller be
manually tuned by following the procedure below.

Procedure 1. Perform when using heating mantles.

[This procedure takes about 2 minutes to perform]
1. Press and hold in both the  and  keys on the front of the temperature meter until the word “tunE” appears
in the display, then release both keys.
2. Press the  key once and the word “bAnd” will appear in the display.
First hold in the ‘*’ key, then while holding in the *’ key press the  or  key until the value “10” appears
in the display, then let go of all the keys.
3. Press the  key once and the word “int.t” will appear in the display.
First hold in the ‘*’ key, then while holding in the *’ key press the  or  key until the value “10” appears
in the display, then let go of all the keys.
4. Press the  key once and the word “dEr.t” will appear in the display.
First hold in the ‘*’ key, then while holding in the *’ key press the  or  key until the value “50” appears
in the display, then let go of all the keys.
5. Press the  key once and the word “dAC” will appear in the display.
First hold in the ‘*’ key, then while holding in the *’ key press the  or  key until the value “5.0” appears
in the display, then let go of all the keys.
6. Press the  key once and the word “CyC.t” will appear in the display.
First hold in the ‘*’ key, then while holding in the *’ key press the  or  key until the value “30” appears
in the display, then let go of all the keys.
7. Press and hold in both the  and  keys until the temperature appears in the display, then release both keys.

13
3.8 Changing Between PID and ON/OFF Operating Modes. The controller can heat in either of 2
operating modes, PID (Proportional, Integral, Derivative) or ON/OFF mode. The difference between
them is the way they supply power to the heater.
In ON/OFF mode (the simplest heating mode),
the controller is ON when it’s below the set point
and OFF when above. The disadvantage of this
mode is a large over shoot of the set point
(5 - 30o) on initial warm up and oscillation of
temperature around the set point thereafter. The
reason for the overshoot is because the heater
turns off only after crossing the set point and
until the heater cools down the temperature
continues to rise. This method works well for
heaters that transfer heat rapidly (such as heat
o
lamps), it’s acceptable for heaters such as heating mantles (≈. 5 overshoot), but it’s terrible for heaters
that transfer heat slowly (vacuum ovens, heating blocks, etc.).
In PID mode the controller monitors the shape
of the heating curve during initial warm up and
decreases power to the heater before the set
point is reached so that the solution reaches the
set point with minimal over shoot. [Notice that
the heater turns off for varying periods of time
before the set point temperature is reached].
The second feature of PID mode is that it adjusts
the percent of time the heater is on so that the
set point is maintained precisely. The advantage
of PID mode is that it delivers stable
temperature control with any heater from heat
lamps to
vacuum ovens. The disadvantage is that the controller must be properly tuned to the heater being used,
whereas ON/OFF mode requires no tuning. Since both heating modes have their advantages (simplicity
vs. accuracy), instructions to change the controller to ON/OFF mode are given below (though PID mode
will probably give better results 95% of the time). The controller can be set back to PID mode by
following Procedure 1 in Section 3.7.

1. Press and hold in both the  and  keys on the front of the temperature Procedure to change
meter until the word “tunE” appears in the display, then let go of the controller to ON/OFF mode
buttons.
2. Press  until the word “CyC.t” appears in the display. The controller can be set
3. While holding in the ‘*’ key, press the  key until the word “on.of” back to PID control by
appears in the display. NOTE: if the display shows the letter “A” when the
following Procedure 1 in
‘*’ keys is held in, press the  key until “on.of” is in the display, then let
go of all the keys. Section 3.7. To
4. Press the  key until the word “bAnd” appears in the display. While completely reset the
holding in the ‘*’ key, press the  key until the value “0.1” appears in the controller to original
display, then let go of all the keys. factory settings, follow the
5. Press and hold in both the  and  keys on the front of the controller until procedure in the
the temperature is displayed, then release both keys. Appendix, Section II.

14
3.9 Ramp-to-Setpoint & Soak Feature. A new feature of J-KEM’s controllers called ‘Ramp-To-
Setpoint’ allows you to enter a specific heating rate (e.g., heat to 120 o C at a rate of 5o C/Hour), a second
feature called ‘Soak’ then lets you specify how long to stay at that temperature before turning off.

Examples of Program Ramps

.

Soak

Temperature
Ramp
Setpoint
Temperature

Power Off
Ramp Soak
Setpoint
Power Off

Time Time

The controller is shipped with the Ramp-to-Setpoint feature OFF, the user must specifically turn Ramp-
to-Setpoint ON. When Ramp-to-Setpoint is OFF, the controller heats to the entered setpoint at the fastest
rate possible. When Ramp-to-Setpoint is ON, the controller heats at the user entered ramp rate.
The Ramp-to-Setpoint feature and its associated parameters are turned on and set in the controller’s
programming mode. The parameters of importance are:

SPrr SetPoint Ramp Rate. Allowable Values: 0 to 9990 deg/Hr.

This specifies the desired rate of heating (cooling). Note, this parameter specifies the desired rate of
heating (cooling), but in cases of extremely high ramp rates the reaction will not actually heat faster than
the power of the heater will allow.

SPrn SetPoint Ramp Run. Allowable Values: ON, OFF, Hold

This parameter turns the Ramp-to-Setpoint feature ON or OFF. During an active run, if this parameter is
set to ‘Hold’, the setpoint ramp stops and holds at its’ current value. This continues until the parameter is
set to ON or OFF. When set to OFF, the values in SetPoint Ramp Rate and Soak Time are ignored.

SoAK Soak Time. Allowable Values: “- -”, 0 to 1440 min.

This specifies the amount of time to soak at the setpoint after the setpoint temperature ramp is complete.
A setting of “- -” causes the controller to remain at the final setpoint indefinitely. A numeric value
causes the controller to stay at the setpoint for the entered time and then turn power to the heater off after
the time expires.

Important Points to Know

1. While the Ramp-to-Setpoint feature is activated, the display alternates between the current reaction
temperature and the word “SPr” to indicate that a “SetPoint Ramp” is active.

2. If this controller is equipped with a digital 100-hour timer, the digital timer and the Ramp-to-
Setpoint feature are completely independent of each other. For example, if the digital timer is set to
turn heating OFF after 5 hours, heating is turned off even if a ramp step is in progress. Likewise, if
a Soak time turns heating off after 3 hours and the digital timer is set to turn heating off after 10
hours, the digital timer has no effect since the expired Soak time already has turned heating off.

15
 3. Once the Ramp-to-Setpoint feature is activated in programming mode, it remains on until it’s
deactivated in programming mode. The Ramp-to-Setpoint feature remains activated even when
power is turned off, and then turned back on.

4. Setting a ramp rate in the digital controller does not guarantee that the reaction itself will ramp at the
entered value, since the rate of heating is dependent on the power of the heater. Setting a ramp rate
in the controller only guarantees that the controller’s setpoint will be changed at the entered rate.
For the reaction temperature to increase temperature at the specified rate, the heater must have
sufficient power to heat at the entered rate. This is a critically important point, the user must
understand that the electronic setpoint in the controller will ramp at the entered rate, but the
controller cannot force a heater to heat a reaction faster than it’s capable of doing. For example, see
the plots below.

Plot 1 – This plot uses a heating mantle to ramp temperature in reaction from 20 to 80C in 60 minutes.
The reaction temperature closely matches the setpoint of the controller because heating mantles have
enough power to heat a typical reaction at the modest heating rate of 1 degree per minute.

Plot 2 – In this example, the ramp rate is set to 600 C/ hour, or 10 C per minute. The controller ramps
the setpoint at the requested rate, but the reaction temperature does not match the ramp, because the
heater does not have enough power to heat the reaction as such a high rate. Every time the reaction
temperature does not match the entered ramp rate, it’s because the heater has insufficient power to heat at
the requested rate. The only solution to this situation is 1) use a more powerful heater, or 2) lower the
ramp rate to a value that does not exceed the heaters maximum heating rate. The controller has no
influence over a heater that has insufficient power to heat at the entered ramp rate.

Plot 1 Plot 2
Controller Setpoint

300
80
Reaction Temperature

200
Reaction Temperature
40
Controller Setpoint
100

0 0
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 1.2 0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 1.2
Hours Hours

This plot shows actual data.

The green line is the temperature profile
when ramping is not used and the reaction
heats to the setpoint as normally. The red
and blue lines are the result of a ramp run.
Ramp runs typically over-shoot The red line is the setpoint being ramped at
the setpoint by a greater amount a rate of 2C/min.
than standard runs do. The blue line is the reaction temperature
that results from this ramp.
Two features of this plot are characteristics
of ramp runs. 1) At the start of a run, the
Reaction temperature exceeds reaction temperature almost always exceeds
the value of the ramped setpoint. the temperature of the ramped setpoint, and
2) ramp runs overshoot the final setpoint
value by 4-5 C.

16
Activating & Programming the Ramp-to-Setpoint Feature
tunE bAnd int.t der.t dAC CyC.t oFSt sp.lk SPrr SPrn Soak SEt.2 bnd.2 CyC.2
This is the order of controller parameters on Level 1 of the controller, when the controller is placed into programming mode (Step 1)
below.
1. Before starting a new ramp, the controller must have the ramping feature turned off. Verify that the ramping feature is
turned off by entering programming mode and checking verifying this before continuing.
To enter programming mode, press and hold in both the ▲ and ▼ keys on the front of the temperature meter until the
word “tunE” appears in the display, then release both keys.
Now press the ▲ key (9 times) until the word “SPrn” appears in the display, then release all keys. The display on the
controller will alternate between “SPrn” and the word ON or OFF. If the word OFF is displayed, then exit programming
mode and proceed to Step 2. If the work ON is displayed, then hold in the ‘*’ key and press the ▼ key once to change
the display from ON to OFF, then release all keys. To exit programming mode, press and hold in both the ▲ and ▼
keys until the temperature appears in the display, then release both keys.
2. Note the current reaction temperature displayed by the temperature controller. Enter this temperature into the controller
as a new setpoint. For example, if the current reaction temperature is 22.5 C, then set the controller’s setpoint to 22.5 C.
3. Press and hold in both the ▲ and ▼ keys on the front of the temperature meter until the word “tunE” appears in the
display, then release both keys.
4. Press the ▲ key (8 times) until the word “SPrr” appears in the display.
This is where the ramp rate in units of degrees/hour is entered. First hold in the ‘*’ key, then while holding in the
*’ key press the ▼ or ▲ key until the desired ramp rate appears in the display, then let go of all the keys. Units are
in degrees/hour, so if you want a ramp rate of 2C/min, then enter a value of 120.
5. Press the▲ key once and the word “SPrn” will appear in the display.
This function turns the ramping feature ON or OFF. First hold in the ‘*’ key, then while holding in the *’ key press
the ▼ or ▲ key until the display shows ON (to start a ramp) or OFF (to terminate a ramp), then let go of all the
keys.
6. Press the ▲ key once and the word “SoaK” will appear in the display.
This is where the soak time is entered in units of minutes. A soak time of ‘ -- ‘ means to ‘soak forever’ (this setting
is one below ‘0’). First hold in the ‘*’ key, then while holding in the *’ key press the ▼ or ▲ key until the desired
time appears in the display, then let go of all the keys. If a soak time is set, the controller display will alternate
between showing the current reaction temperature and the word “StoP” when the soak time has expired to indicate
that power has been turned off.
7. To exit programming mode, press and hold in both the ▼ and ▲ keys until the temperature appears in the display, then
release both keys.

Deactivating the Ramp-to-Setpoint Feature

1. Press and hold in both the ▲ and ▼ keys on the front of the temperature meter until the word “tunE” appears in the
display, then release both keys.
2. Press the ▲ key (9 times) until the word “SPrn” appears in the display.
This function turns the ramping feature ON and OFF. First hold in the ‘*’ key, then while holding in the *’ key
press the ▼ or ▲ key until OFF appears in the display, then let go of all the keys.
3. To exit programming mode, press and hold in both the ▲ and ▼ keys until the temperature appears in the display, then
release both keys.

17
3.10 Troubleshooting.

Corrective
Problem Cause Action
Large over shoot of the set Controller is not tuned for process Tune the controller as outlined in Section 2.
point being heated.
(> 3o) during initial warm-up or
unstable temperature control.
The process heats too slowly. The heater doesn’t have enough Replace with a more powerful heater. For assistance contact J-
power. KEM.
The controller does not come Internal 2 amp fuse has blown. Not user serviceable. Have qualified electrician replace.
on.
Circuit breaker on back has tripped. Allow to cool, then reset circuit breaker.
The controller comes on, but The heater is broken. To verify that the controller is functioning properly, enter a set
does not heat. point of 100o C. Plug a light into the outlet of the controller, then
wait 1 minute. If the light comes on the controller is working
properly.
The timer controls are set Change the position of switch 7 or enter a time into the timer. See
incorrectly. Section 3.4
Controller blinks:
The temperature sensor is Clean or replace broken sensor.
“inPt” “FAiL”
unplugged, excessively corroded or
broken.
“-AL-” The process temperature is hotter Correct the over temperature condition.
than the alarm temperature.
“PArk” Controller has been placed in 1. Hold in both the  and  keys on the front of the J-KEM
“Park” mode. temperature meter until ”tunE” appears in the display.
2. First hold in the “*” key, then while holding in the “*” key press
the  key until “oFF” appears.
3. Hold in the  and  keys until the temperature appears in the
display.
“tunE” “FAiL” Autotune routine failed. Turn off controller for 10 seconds. See Section 2.2.
Displayed temperature is The controller has not warmed-up. The display temperature reads low when the controller is first
incorrect. turned on, but will self-correct as it warms up. The controller can
be used immediately since it will warm up during the initial stages
[Note: Types ‘K’ & ‘J’ of heating.
Thermocouples display Wrong type of thermocouple is Thermocouples are color-coded. Thermocouple plug and
negative temperatures, but are plugged into controller. thermocouple receptacle must be the same color (see Section 3.2).
not calibrated for them]
Corroded thermocouple Clean plug on thermocouple and receptacle on controller with
connections. sandpaper or steel wool.
Corroded thermocouple. If the temperature-measuring end of the thermocouple is corroded,
discard thermocouple.
Temperature display offset needed. Call J-KEM for assistance.

Table 1 Tuning Parameters for Various Heaters

Fill in values determined for your equipment for quick reference.
Proportional Integral Time Derivative Time Derivative
Band (Reset) (Rate) Approach Cont. Cycle Time
Instrument “bAnd” “int.t” “dEr.t” “dAC” “CyC.t”
Heating Mantles
(Factory Default) 10 10 50 5 30
Heat Lamp
Oven
Vacuum Oven
Hot Plate

18
 Appendix

I. Using the Controller With an Oil Bath

Application Note #1

Using your controller with an oil bath is usually not recommended, but can be done safely if the instructions in
this application note are followed. An alternative to oil baths is outlined in Point 2 below.

1. The following procedure allows your controller to regulate the temperature of an oil bath.
A. Place the thermocouple in the oil bath (not too close to the heating coil).
B. Plug a variac into the heating receptacle of the controller and connect the oil bath to the variac.
C. Adjust the variac to deliver a voltage slightly above the voltage you normally would use to heat
the oil bath.
D. Enter the desired temperature into the controller. The controller will now regulate the
temperature of the oil bath.
In some unusual cases, the controller may need to be autotuned for the oil bath (see User’s Manual) but
this is discouraged unless you’ll be using the oil bath frequently.

2. If the reason for using an oil bath is that a small volume is being heated, you have a second option. Your
Model 150 controller can be upgraded to a J-KEM 200 series which can heat volumes as small as 1 ml in
a 5 ml round bottomed flask using a 5 ml heating mantle. Contact J-KEM for upgrade information the
advantage of this option is that it eliminates the mess and safety hazards associated with oil baths.
Accessories for regulating the temperature of small volumes are available from J-KEM including small
volume heating mantles and micro thermocouples.

Call if you have any concerns or would like to discuss your application with a technical representative.

Accessories for Heating Small Volumes Available From J-KEM

Heating Mantles All sizes from 5 ml to 50 L.

Teflon Coated Micro-scale Thermocouples See Catalog.
Thermocouples hermetically sealed in various See Catalog
size hypodermic needles

19
II. Safety Considerations and Accurate Temperature Control

For safety critical and non-typical organic reactions (especially polymeric reactions) or for
use with heaters other than heating mantles the user must either 1) monitor the reaction closely to
verify the tuning parameters are appropriate for the current application, or 2) autotune the
controller for the application. For any safety critical or high value reaction, call J-KEM to
discuss your application with an engineer prior to beginning.

Your J-KEM controller is capable of regulating virtually any application to ± 0.1 o C if the controller is
tuned to the application being heated. Since it’s possible that the tuning parameters are not set correctly for your
application, the user must monitor a new reaction to verify the controllers operation. A short primmer on tuning
is presented below, a more detailed explanation is presented in Sections 2.1 and 4.1.

Tuning is the process that matches the control characteristics of the controller to the heating
characteristics of the process being controlled. The controller uses a PID (Proportional, Integral, Derivative)
algorithm to regulate heating. Each of the terms in the PID equation has a constant that scales the equation to the
process being heating. These constants (plus two other related terms) are collectively known as the ‘tuning
constants’ and for the most part they are expressed in units of time, since they represent delay times, rate of heat
transfer times, and rate of error accumulation. The relative value of each constant depends on the physical
characteristics of the process being heated. For example, for the same amount of input power, the rate of heat
transfer is twice as high for hexane as compared to water, since the coefficient of heat for hexane is 0.54
calories/g/o C and water is 1.0 calorie/gram/o C. That means that 1000 watt-seconds of input power will raise the
temperature of 10 g of hexane 44o C while the same amount of power causes a 24o C rise in water. In theory, the
tuning constants needed to heat hexane are different from those to heat water. Fortunately, your J-KEM
controller is self-adaptive and is able to adapt it’s heating characteristics for different solvents such as hexane and
water. Even with the controller’s self-adaptive algorithms, the tuning constants have to be reasonably close to a
proper set or the controller will not produce stable temperature control (see Section 2.1).

When a controller is shipped, the default set of tuning constants loaded into the controller are those
appropriate for heating typical organic reactions (i.e., small molecule chemistry in low boiling
(< 160o C) organic solvents) using heating mantles, since this is the most common application for
J-KEM controllers. Since it’s impossible for J-KEM to predict the application the controller will be used
for, the researcher must be aware of the possibility that the tuning constants loaded into the controller
may not be a set that results in stable temperature control. It’s the researcher’s responsibility to monitor
the temperature regulation of a reaction. If you encounter a process that your J-KEM controller does not heat
with stability, you have two resources.

Autotune Feature. Your controller has and autotune feature that when turned on (see Sections 2.1 & 2.2)
automatically determines the proper tuning constants for your application and then loads them into memory
for future use.

J-KEM Technical Assistance. If you have an application you wish to discuss, call us, we’re always
anxious to help our users.

For an additional description of the PID algorithm and the concept of tuning, see Sections 2 and 4.1.

20
III. How to Set Up a Reaction with J-KEM Scientific’s
Digital Temperature Controller

This application note shows how to set up a typical heated reaction using J-KEM Scientific’s digital
temperature controller. For this example, the Model Gemini controller is used, but the application note
applies equally well to all J-KEM temperature controller models. If you have questions about specific
models of temperature controllers, or any safety related question, please feel free to contact J-KEM
Scientific. This application note does not supercede any information in the Controllers actual User
manual. The User manual for each model is always the reference for that model.

The Model Gemini is a dual channel controller that allows two independent reactions to be run on the
same controller, one reaction on Channel 1 and the second on Channel 2. In this example, we will only
use channel 1.

Gemini Dual Channel

Thermocouple
Temperature Controller
receptacle

Channel 1 has a 100 hour

to turn heating On (Off)
at a user set time.

Channel 2 does
not have a timer

Thermocouple
Thermocouple extension
cord

21
Thermocouples – Thermocouples are color coded. When the plastic connector on the end of the
thermocouple is blue, it is a type T thermocouple, when it is yellow it is a type K, and when it is black it
is a type J. The color of the thermocouple, the thermocouple extension cord, and the thermocouple
receptacle on the face of the controller must all be the same color (i.e., thermocouple type) or the
controller will not read the correct temperature. Thermocouples are available in many different styles.
As long as the thermocouple has the same color connector as the connector on the controller, they are
100% compatible.
Stainless steel,
no Teflon coating 12 inch length, Teflon coated

Bend

6 inch length, Teflon coated Temperature sensitive end

Teflon coated
hypodermic needle of the thermocouple

When a thermocouple is placed in solution, often it is desirable to bend the thermocouple slightly so that
more of the tip extends into the solution. It does not hurt a thermocouple to be bent slightly.
The temperature sensitive portion of a thermocouple is the first ¼” of the tip. It’s good for the first ½”
to be is solution, but the first ¼” must be in solution to read the temperature correctly.

Heaters – Your J-KEM controller works with virtually any 120 volt (or 230 volt heaters outside of the
USA) heater, including any size heating mantle, 120 vac oil baths, hot plates, ovens, and many other
style heaters. If you have questions about the compatibility of specific heaters, please contact j-KEM.

1 liter heating mantle

10 ml heating mantle Oil bath

22
Classes of J-KEM Scientific Temperature Controllers

J-KEM’s 200-Series, Apollo, and Gemini controllers are compatible with any size heating mantle from
5 ml to 50 liter, and any 120 Vac oil bath (do not use with oil baths rated less than 120 Vac).

J-KEM’s 150-Series economy controllers are compatible with 500 ml heating mantles and larger, and
120 Vac oil baths (do not use with oil baths rated less than 120 Vac).

J-KEM’s 230 Vac controllers are compatible with any 230 Vac heating mantle 100ml and larger. They
are not compatible with any size oil bath.

Shown is a typical set up for a solution phase reaction.

1. Place the reaction flask in the appropriate size heating mantle., then plug the power cord from the
mantle directly into the power outlet of the temperature controller.
2. Place a stirring bar inside of the flask, in the solution. Place the flask on a magnetic stirrer and stir
the reaction for good heat transfer.
3. Place a thermocouple in solution and make sure that at least the first ¼” (1/2” is better) is covered
by the fluid in the reaction flask.

Thermocouple 100 ml Heating

in solution mantle

Heater power cord

23
4. Enter the temperature that you want to heat the reaction to (i.e., the Setpoint) into the digital meter.

To enter the setpoint temperature (i.e., the

temperature to heat to) into the controller:
1. Hold in the Star button on the face of the
digital meter.
2. While holding in the Star button, press the
Up arrow to increase, and the Down arrow to Star button Up (to increase) and
Down (to decrease) arrows
decrease the setpoint temperature.
When the desired setpoint temperature is showing in the display, release the star button to load the
setpoint. When no buttons are pressed on the controller, the controller shows the temperature
sensed by the thermocouple. When the Star button is pressed, the setpoint appears as a blinking
number.

5. Set the correct Power Control Level. Your J-KEM controller has a built in Power Control
Computer PCC) that precisely regulates power to the heater. For the computer to work correctly,
it must know the volume of solution that is being heated. It’s important to understand that the
PCC is set to the Volume of solution being heated, not the size of the heater or the size of the flask.

15 ml of solution in a 100 ml flask 75 ml of solution in a 100 ml flask

If the flask above is placed in a The power control computer is If the flask above is placed in a
100 ml heating mantle, the always set to the Volume of 100 ml heating mantle, the
power control input should be solution being heated, not the power control input should be
set to the “10-100 ml” setting. size of the flask or heater. set to the “50-500 ml” setting.

When the power control computer is

set to the correct power level, your
controller can regulate virtually any
heater to +-0.1o C with less than 1o C
overshoot on initial warming.

For a detailed explanation of the Power Control Computer, see Section Two in the controller’s
User manual.

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VI. Resetting the Controller to Original Factory Settings

J-KEM manufactures the most technically advanced temperature controller available and should give you
consistently flawless control. If you have difficulty with your controller, a good place to start to correct the
problem is by loading the original factory settings. If you still have difficulty with your controller, our
Engineering department will help you resolve the problem. The factory settings of a J-KEM controller are: 0.1 o
C resolution, PID control with tuning parameters for a heating mantle, thermocouple type to match the
thermocouple originally installed on the controller, high temperature alarm turned on, and a thermocouple offset
entered at the time of original calibration.

1. Press and hold in both the  and  keys on the front of the temperature meter until the word “tunE” appears in the display, then release
both keys.
2. Press the  key until “LEVL” appears in the display. Next, hold in the ‘*’ key, then while holding in the ‘*’ key press the  key until “3”
appears in the display. Let go of all the keys.
3. Press the  key until “rSEt” appears in the display. Next, hold in the ‘*’ key, then while holding in the ‘*’ key press the  key until the
word “All” appears in the display. Let go of all the keys.
4. Press and hold in both the  and  keys until the word “inPt” appears in the display, then release both keys.
The value that needs to be entered depends of the type of thermocouple receptacle your controller was shipped with.
Determine the thermocouple type below.
Color of thermocouple receptacle (Fig 1; # 7) Value to enter:
Blue (type T) “tc ”
Yellow (type K) “tc ”
Black (type J) “tc ”

First hold in the ‘*’ key, then while holding in the ‘*’ key press the  key until the value from the table above appears in the display. Let
go of all the keys. NOTE: Many of the patterns for this parameter look similar, be careful to select the exact pattern shown above.
5. Press the  key once and “unit” will appear in the display. Next, hold in the ‘*’ key, then while holding in the ‘*’ key press the  key
until the value “o C” appears in the display,. Let go of all the keys.
6. Press the  key once and the word “SP1.d” appears in the display. Next, hold in the ‘*’ key, then while holding in the ‘*’ key press the 
key until the value “SSd” appears in the display. Let go of all the keys.
7. Press in both the  and  keys until the temperature appears in the display (the word “PArk” also appears), and release both keys.
8. Press and hold in both the  and  keys on the front of the temperature meter until the word “tunE” appears in the display, then release
both keys.
9. Press the  key once and the word “bAnd” will appear in the display. Next, hold in the ‘*’ key, then while holding in the ‘*’ key press the
 key until the value “10” appears in the display. Let go of all the keys.
10. Press the  key once and the word “int.t” will appear in the display. Next, hold in the ‘*’ key, then while holding in the ‘*’ key press the
 key until the value “10” appears in the display. Let go of all the keys.
11. Press the  key once and the word “dEr.t” will appear in the display.
Next, hold in the ‘*’ key, then while holding in the ‘*’ key press the  key until the value “50” appears in the display. Let go of all the
keys.
12. Press the  key once and the word “dAC” will appear in the display. Next, hold in the ‘*’ key, then while holding in the ‘*’ key press the
 key until the value “3.0” appears in the display. Let go of all the keys.
13. Press the  key once and the word “CyC.t” will appear in the display. Next, hold in the ‘*’ key, then while holding in the ‘*’ key press
the  key until the value “30” appears in the display. Let go of all the keys.
14. Press the  key until the word “LEVL” appears in the display.
15. First hold in the ‘*’ key, then while holding in the ‘*’ key press the  key until “2” appears in the display. Let go of all the keys.
16. Press the  key until “SP2.A” appears in the display. Next, hold in the ‘*’ key, then while holding in the ‘*’ key press the  key until the
word “Dvhi” appears in the display. Let go of all the keys.
17. Press the  key until “diSP” appears in the display. Next, hold in the ‘*’ key, then while holding in the ‘*’ key press the  or  key until
the value “0.1o” appears in the display. Let go of all the keys.
18. Press the  key until “Lo.SC” appears in the display. Next, hold in the ‘*’ key, then while holding in the ‘*’ key hold in the  key until
the number in the display stops changing (this will be “0” or “-50” or “-199.9” depending on thermocouple type). Let go of all the keys.
19. Press the  key until the word “LEVL” appears in the display.
20. First hold in the ‘*’ key, then while holding in the ‘*’ key press the  key until “3” appears in the display. Let go of all the keys.
21. Press the  key until “ZEro” appears in the display. Next, hold in the ‘*’ key, then while holding in the ‘*’ key press the  or  key

until the value ________________ appears in the display. Let go of all the keys.
22. Press the  key until the word “LEVL” appears in the display.
23. First hold in the ‘*’ key, then while holding in the ‘*’ key press the  key until “1” appears in the display. Let go of all the keys.
24. Press the  key until “SEt.2” appears in the display. Next, hold in the ‘*’ key, then while holding in the ‘*’ key press the  or  keys
until the value 10.0 is entered.
25. Press and hold in both the  and  keys until the temperature appears in the display, then release both keys. The word “PArk” in the
display will go away when a set point is entered.

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