Has Anyone Here Used a Donut Probe?

[alan802]

I had zero experience in using one before yesterday and spent several hours playing around with one and the laser temp gun. 
I used the probe in several different ways and by the instructions.  The problem I had was I was not able to get the temp
up to anywhere close to 320 when putting the probe into the ink film.  No matter how hot I got the dryer and how slow
I had the belt moving, the absolute hottest I got the temp to was 315.  The dryer settings to reach that 315 temp is not feasable
for normal production and the ink was curing at much lower temps and higher belt speeds.  If you put the probe in the dryer
by itself then the temp would read whatever temp I had the dryer set to, within a couple degrees so I know there is nothing
wrong with the probe itself. 

Using the laser temp gun and the stretch test I had the dryer set to properly cure a fairly thick film of ink.  For example, I had
the dryer set to 350 and the belt speed at 24 and according to the laser gun, the outer ink film was reaching 360, but the donut
probe would only get up to 285 or so when used according to the instructions.  The ink is cured with those settings and I took
the shirts home and washed them last night to make sure.  If you put the probe on top of an already cured print, it will read really
close to the laser gun readings.  Everything I've ever read was that the donut probe was the ultimate in knowing if your ink
was cured but after using one, I'd be blasphemous in saying this, but the laser temp gun seemed much more accurate in telling
me if the ink was cured.  If I would have used the readings I got from the donut probe, then I would have thought that I wasn't reaching
cure temp but I know that I was.  When I'd change the settings to not get an ink cure, then the laser temp gun would read 320-340
and the probe would read 250-260. 

Does anyone here have any decent experience with the atkins donut probe?  What kind of readings were you getting and did
you check the readings with another device or even the good old stretch test? 

What the hell is wrong with the layout of the post?  Something got screwed up with the updates.

[blue moon]

What the hell is wrong with the layout of the post?  Something got screwed up with the updates.

huh? everything seems the same to me! What are you seeing that changed?

pierre

[Frog]

What the hell is wrong with the layout of the post?  Something got screwed up with the updates.

huh? everything seems the same to me! What are you seeing that changed?

pierre

Perhaps he's getting that wide screen version for which you gave the F5 fix

[alan802]

What the hell is wrong with the layout of the post?  Something got screwed up with the updates.

huh? everything seems the same to me! What are you seeing that changed?

pierre

Perhaps he's getting that wide screen version for which you gave the F5 fix

Yeah, it's the wide or infinity screen and when I post it looks like it does above, all broken up.

[Frog]

Yeah, it's the wide or infinity screen and when I post it looks like it does above, all broken up.

Except that to us, your posts look fine. We were getting wide posting windows during the upgrades and a brief trip to the F5 key (I think it was) did the trick.
Or the tech guys fixed it.

If it's something else that displays differently on your end than on ours, take a screen shot and post it

[Denis Kolar]

I got the wide window only once, but I have been getting a lot of codes 500 last 2 days

[Orion]

Could care less less about the display

 I just got a quote on the Atkins probe...$475. If there is a problem with it I too would like to know. Anyone know the cost of replacing the crosshair wires. The Atkins probes are factory calibrated so obviously that is not the problem Alan is having?

[mk162]

I've used one before ours broke.  I wouldn't jam it into the film, I would set it on top.  And usually the shirt was cured already.

I would go off wash tests and calibrate your results to that.

[alan802]

I think it's calibrated right and the probe is good, but I'm just doing something wrong.  I've changed the temp on the dryer and put the probe in when doing so and it's changed right along with those dryer changes and it's within 10 degrees of the setting.  It's just when I put it on a wet print that I cannot get a decent temperature reading.  Or at least a reading that I think is correct to what is actually going on inside the dryer.

[Scobey Peterman]

Is this a NEW probe or a used one???  If used, have the wires been replaced??  If so were they put on properly??

I can't remember if the red goes on top of the yellow or the other way around.

You just got a New M&R dryer???  When I got mine, it came with a probe hooked up to the dryer.  It is very cool.

If gives you a reading on the control panel.

You can put the probe in boiling water and see if you get 212 degrees.

[Orion]

Wilflex instructions are at the top of the page.

http://www.theshirtboard.com/index.php?topic=672.15

[alan802]

It's a brand new one that came with the dryer.  The sprint international has that built into the computer control panel and I can read the temp on the control panel while the probe is inside the chamber.  It's sweet. 

[Scobey Peterman]

Make sure the wires are down IN the ink on the shirts.

[alan802]

I performed the testing exactly like the wilfex instruction which are the same as the M&R.  The problem is I'm not getting anywhere near 320 within the probe but the ink outside the donut will be fully cured.  I just thought this donut probe thing was ultimate in testing for ink cure, and according to my experiments, it's not even close.

[aauusa]

well my experience with mine which I have had 2 years is this:   I did it your way by the book and had the same issues.  But now I lay it on the shirt and watch the temp from there.  I know this is not by the book but it worked for me.  when I did my initial test i did left side , right side, and middle down the tunnel and used a paper to track temp changes.  I have this same test done for different speeds of the belt and with different garment types.  This way I know what to set my speed for each garment type with out changing the temp for the dryer itself.  Hope this helps a little.