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Take a look at the circuit for this electric cooktop element. Notice anything odd about it?
Looks pretty straightforward, right? Well, it certainly is straightforward when the simmer switch isn't closed. Here's what the circuit looks like when it's not running on simmer.
L1 goes through the simmer select board and a temperature-controlled switch, and L2 goes through the relay board and a couple other switches. Standard stuff for one of these elements.
But what's going
Vent hoods are pretty simple appliances -- something you've probably surmised if you've ever looked at the schematic for one. Usually, all they have going on is a blower motor and a couple of lights. When it comes to troubleshooting a hood, there are just two technology-related concepts you need to be familiar with: venting specifications and how multi-speed motors work.
First, venting specs. As with any machine that produces exhaust as part of its operation, vent hoods have certain require
All appliance repair techs should understand the AC split-phase household electrical power supply that they deal with on a daily basis. But the fact is that most do not, and there's a lot of disinformation and "tech myths" out there about these power supplies. But they re easy to understand once you grasp a few fundamental concepts about electricity and split-phase voltage.
And that's exactly what we cover in this webinar recording!
Topics covered include:
How sine waves are us
If you're getting into appliance repair, or even just looking to downsize an overstuffed tool bag, you might be wondering: what are the absolute essentials that you should bring with you on any service call? Well, having my fair share of experience in the field, I'll put forward Team Samurai's list of must-have appliance repair tools. Note that this isn't supposed to be a totally comprehensive list -- just the bare essentials.
Multimeter with a loading/LoZ function
If there's a t
We're taking a step back from our fancy electronics to the good ol' days of simple AC circuits. Well, I say "simple", and that is true -- but engineers back then had to pull out all the stops and do some pretty cool tricks to get the functionality they wanted. This means that, to really understand what's going on in these older circuits, you need to have a firm grasp of both AC circuits and the technology used.
In this webinar, we:
Work through 4 real-world dryer case studies that h
Want to really put your technical know-how to the test? Well, have we got the webinar for you!
This one covers a whole potpourri of circuit puzzles and troubleshooting scenarios, including:
Some pop quizzes about series and parallel circuits
Diodes, how they work, and the surprisingly tricky situations that can arise because of them
Loads in series, how they work, and what they look like in a real refrigerator schematic
A real world troubleshooting scenario invo
Special guest presenter Mark Williams will show you how easy it is to diagnose temperature problems in the newer electronically-controlled refrigerators and how to do it right the first time.
We'll show you examples from Samsung, LG, GE, Whirlpool, and Electrolux. You'll see that they all work the same way.
You'll also see how to accurately test thermistors from the computer control board and you’ll learn the difference between resistance and voltage drop when it comes to testing the
In this short, easily-digestible technical workshop, we dive into some of the wacky things that can happen when a sloppy tech miswires a dryer terminal block. In fact, this dryer looks like it shouldn't be able to run -- the neutral wire isn't even connected! And yet it does run. How, you ask? That's exactly what you'll need to watch and find out.
This and our dozens of other technical training webinar recordings are only viewable by premium tech members at Appliantology.
Topics covere
A lot of techs lose their heads when it comes to control boards. This leads to the classic PCM behavior of "throw a part at it and hope it works." But isn't there a better way of troubleshooting computer-controlled appliances?
Of course there is. With a concrete and logical troubleshooting plan like the Ten-Step Tango, you can troubleshoot any appliance with a control board with confidence. In fact, in many ways, a control board being present makes it easier to do your troubleshooting.
What would happen if you took a 240 VAC outlet and swapped the terminals around? What effects might that have on the machine that's plugged into it?
That might just sound like an interesting thought question, but it's an issue that more than one tech here at Appliantology has had to deal with. So let's pull out a schematic as an example and start drawing some lines!
By the way, the process I'm going to walk you through is something any tech should be able to do: puzzle out how a circui
In this interactive webinar workshop, we explored an LG gas dryer issue that had stumped an Appliantology tech. We performed a forensic analysis on the troubleshoot to figure out how it could have been improved, and then we moved on to thoroughly examine the circuits and understand how they work.
This and our dozens of other technical training webinar recordings are only viewable by premium tech members at Appliantology.
Topics covered include...
DC and AC loads
Compute
I want you to take a look at the door switch I've circled below. Think about it for a minute, then answer one question: what single test could you do to prove beyond a doubt whether or not that door switch is operating within spec?
There's no trickery going on here -- it's just a simple switch. But many techs will test it using a flawed, limited test that has a big chance of leading them to the wrong conclusion. And they'll do a bunch of unnecessary disassembly. Post your answer in th
There are many standard items a CSR should collect from the customer (name, address, contact information, type of appliance, etc.), but I'd like to focus on the key features of a good service ticket that may be overlooked by some. If you make sure to follow these tips, you'll set your techs up for the easiest prediagnosis and best service calls possible.
1. Collect a valid model number
A model number is essential for a tech's prediangosis. Without it, he cannot get the correct in
Here at Appliantology, our primary mission is to support appliance repair techs in performing prediagnosis: the method of performing as much troubleshooting as you possibly can before setting foot in the customer’s home. Prediagnosis is the biggest factor in increasing FCC (First Call Complete) rates, and the higher the FCC rate, the higher your company's profitability.
So how exactly does one prediagnose, and how does Appliantology help with that? Well, let's walk through the journey of an
Whether you were aware of them or not, Hall effect sensors are everywhere. Any time you see a motor on an appliance with any kind of RPM feedback or speed signal, there's a Hall sensor on that motor. As with any ubiquitous appliance technology, it's important for us techs to know how they work. A deeper understanding of the technology means a deeper understanding of how to troubleshoot it.
So: what is a Hall sensor, and how does it work? These are semiconductor devices, so as with most elec
Anytime you work on a refrigerator with a control board, you've got multiple NTC thermistors in play. With how ubiquitous these devices are, it's important to know them inside and out -- especially how to test them. That's why we've made a webinar all about NTC thermistor technology for your viewing pleasure!
In this short excerpt from one of our many technical training webinars, we cover topics like:
What is an NTC thermistor used for and where will you find them?
What does
I've got another scenario for you, taken right from the trials and tribulations of an Appliantology tech. Here's the situation: you're working on a top-load washer, and whenever you try to run a cycle, the tub doesn't move and the motor just hums.
Right away, we have a decision to make: do we go ahead and tear apart the machine to take a look at the wash motor? After all, there are a number of mechanical failures that could cause these symptoms. Maybe we should just go ahead and get our han
You're investigating a refrigerator that's not cooling properly, and you see the following bits of evidence:
Two questions for you to answer:
What (if anything) does the rime ice on the evaporator tell you?
The source of the problem with this refrigerator is present in one of these photos. What is it?
Let us know your answers in the comments, and we'll let you know if you're right!
Want to troubleshoot refrigeration problems like this (and much m
"Ohms lie." It's become a popular phrase in the tech community, but what does it actually mean? Should you never do an ohms measurement? Are they completely worthless? Or is this phrase just another example of tech mythology?
The answer is more complicated than any of that. Let's run through a quick example to demonstrate. This is an old-skool Whirlpool gas dryer, just like they were cranking out left and right in the good old days.
Now, our scenario is a simple one: when we run
Merry Christmas to all the Appliantology Brethren! Here's hoping that this holiday is capping off a great year for your business, and that an even better year is just around the corner.
Our scenario today is a dryer that heats intermittently. Blitzing through the Ten-Step Tango, we select the heating element as our LOI.
But how do we test the heater's power supply? Do we have to start tearing things apart to do our tests?
If you've been around Appliantology long enough or taken our courses over at Master Samurai Tech, then you'll know that the answer is, of course, "no". Instead, we've just got to look at the schematic and pick some clever test points.
All
Everything runs on circuit boards these days, and wherever there are circuit boards, there are semiconductors. But what are semiconductors, exactly? How are they made, and what do they do?
These are exactly the questions we'll answer for you right now in this excerpt from one of our many on-demand technical training webinar recordings. In it, you'll learn the answer to questions like:
What are semiconductors?
What are they made of?
What is "doping" in semiconductors?
Both of the big Korean manufacturers -- LG and Samsung -- have a little trick that they like to use in their schematics. While I think they do it to keep the lines from becoming too much of a tangled mess, it can sometimes be a bit unclear for the uninitiated. Here's an example of an LG refrigerator schematic:
The whole picture is a bit much, but notice all those bubbles popping up around the schematic? Let's pick one of those and focus in on it. Here's one coming off the sub PCB:
I just got back from this year's ASTI a few days ago -- a somewhat unique one, styled as "ASTI Lite". While the conference was shorter than usual, I still had a great time meeting many of the fine techs who hang out here at Appliantology and/or train with us at Master Samurai Tech. Looking forward to seeing all of you again at the next ASTI this January!
When I wasn't putting faces to Appliantology usernames, I was attending the training classes put on by various manufacturers. Ever mindful
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By Samurai Appliance Repair Man in Samurai Appliance Repair Man's Blog1 comment