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Our Picks

Top content from across the community, hand-picked by us.

Appliantology Live Dojo, Saturday, 11/23/2024 @10 AM ET

Son of Samurai posted an event in Tech Training, November 12

All Appliantology tech members are invited to join in the conversation for all things Appliantological: bidness, customers, tools, troubleshooting, flavorite brewski, whatever. Webcams and microphones are open and live!

2 replies

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Samurai Appliance Repair Man, November 12

Using Schematics and Wiring Diagrams to Figure out Why the Lights Won't Turn Off on this GE Wall Oven

Son of Samurai posted a blog entry in Appliance Repair Tech Tips, October 2

At one of our recent Live Dojo workshops, a tech shared an interesting problem he had encountered.

10 replies

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Samurai Appliance Repair Man, October 10

R600a starter kit

Koi Guy posted a blog entry in Koi Guy's Amazing Compendium of Timeless Appliantological Wisdom, April 20

About a year ago I was ready to start learning R600a systems. Watched all the vids and decided I was ready to buy.

26 replies

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Samurai Appliance Repair Man, May 7

[Free Full Video] Learn the Secrets of Whirlpool's Hybrid Heat Pump Dryer...

Son of Samurai posted a blog entry in Appliance Repair Tech Tips, April 18

How does a dryer dry without a vent? Why is there a sealed system in this dryer, just like what you would find in a refrigerator? How well does this model dry clothes compared to a conventional dryer?

0 replies

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Samurai Appliance Repair Man, May 7

How to Decipher Schematics like a Pro!

Samurai Appliance Repair Man posted a blog entry in Samurai Appliance Repair Man's Blog, April 3

In this journey to Total Appliance Enlightenment™ in a Live Dojo workshop, we worked on a real-world problem on a Kitchenaid refrigerator posted at Appliantology. We were interested in how the defrost timer motor gets Line and Neutral in both defrost and run modes. Turns out that doing so required that we also understand the rest of the circuit, including the dumbed "PC board". But how? That's what we show you!

1 reply

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Samurai Appliance Repair Man, April 3

WPL Ceiling Mount IM hack

Koi Guy posted a blog entry in Koi Guy's Amazing Compendium of Timeless Appliantological Wisdom, February 23

I’ve seen lots of the WPL build units with the ice maker in the ceiling that get a condition where the fill tube freezes up. I’ve been working on a hack for this and I think I have it dialed in.

13 replies

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Samurai Appliance Repair Man, March 9

WPL dryer timer- intermittent heat

Koi Guy posted a blog entry in Koi Guy's Amazing Compendium of Timeless Appliantological Wisdom, February 8

As you’ve probably seen, the new Whirlpool dryer timers have not been very robust and are prone to several failures. These failures include: no heat, intermittent heat, not advancing the cycle, and not ending the cycle. Here's what I found on a recent service call.

12 replies

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Samurai Appliance Repair Man, March 9

Microwave Madness and Meter Category Demystification Double Feature

Son of Samurai posted a blog entry in Appliance Repair Tech Tips, January 10

This microwave will run with the door open -- lucky for the customer, it also doesn't heat. But why is the turntable able to run with the door open? What do you do when a circuit doesn't work at all the way it's supposed to?

0 replies

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Samurai Appliance Repair Man, January 22

Read Timer Charts with Certainty Using the Timer Chart Cha-Cha

Son of Samurai posted a blog entry in Appliance Repair Tech Tips, December 30, 2023

Timer charts may be for old-skool appliances with mechanical timers, but there are still plenty of old-skool appliances knocking around, so reading timer charts remains a vital troubleshooting skill.

0 replies

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Samurai Appliance Repair Man, January 22

How to Troubleshoot Control Boards with Confidence

Son of Samurai posted a blog entry in Appliance Repair Tech Tips, December 11, 2023

When a control board doesn't seem to behave the way it's supposed to, does that mean it's always time to replace the board? How do you avoid the dreaded callbacks on service calls where you replaced the board because you had no idea what else to replace? Is there a way to reliably troubleshoot computer-controlled appliances and avoid guesswork when it comes to the control board?

0 replies

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Samurai Appliance Repair Man, January 22

Functional Understanding of Circuits: the Key to Reading Unclear Schematics

Son of Samurai posted a blog entry in Appliance Repair Tech Tips, November 30, 2023

Got a fun exercise for you today: let's use our electrical and schematic know-how to figure out how a circuit works in a schematic that leaves out a lot of useful labelling.

9 replies

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Samurai Appliance Repair Man, December 1, 2023

[Video] Demystifying Strip Circuits and Confusing DC Terminology

Son of Samurai posted a blog entry in Appliance Repair Tech Tips, October 6, 2023

What are strip circuits and how do you read them? What purpose do they serve in troubleshooting? Are they better than normal schematics, worse, or just different?

0 replies

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Samurai Appliance Repair Man, December 1, 2023

[Video] How to Never Get Tripped Up By DC Terminology in Schematics Again

Son of Samurai posted a blog entry in Appliance Repair Tech Tips, September 19, 2023

DC power in appliances works the same way no matter the manufacturer, but everyone has their own way they like to talk about it. And if you're not up on the lingo, you'll be left mystified by DC circuits in schematics.

0 replies

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Samurai Appliance Repair Man, December 1, 2023

Quick Tips on How to Troubleshoot Relays, Triacs, and Diodes

Son of Samurai posted a blog entry in Appliance Repair Tech Tips, November 16, 2023

When it comes to switches in appliances, it's hard to think of one more ubiquitous than the relay. It can be used with and without a control board, and it allows a small voltage to control a much larger voltage. But what exactly does that mean, and how do they do that? And what about triacs, the relay's solid-state cousin?

0 replies

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Samurai Appliance Repair Man, December 1, 2023

Schematics vs. Wiring Diagrams -- Do You Know the Difference?

Son of Samurai posted a blog entry in Appliance Repair Tech Tips, November 1, 2023

Schematics and wiring diagrams -- two different kinds of service documents that seem similar, but actually serve completely different purposes. One of them is essential to any electrical troubleshooting and should be consulted on every service call, while the other has much more niche applications. But which is which, and how do you tell them apart?

1 reply

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Samurai Appliance Repair Man, December 1, 2023

[Video] How to Use a Loading Meter to Identify Ghost Voltage AND Watch the Samurai Electrocute Himself!

Son of Samurai posted a blog entry in Appliance Repair Tech Tips, November 9, 2023

Ghost voltage has misled many a green tech during his troubleshooting. How are you supposed to interpret it when the VAC function of your meter tells you that you have 108 volts going to a load? Is your voltage supply bad? Or are you perhaps simply missing your Neutral?

3 replies

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Samurai Appliance Repair Man, December 1, 2023

How Do the High-Voltage Circuit and Magnetron in a Microwave Work?

Son of Samurai posted a blog entry in Appliance Repair Tech Tips, March 9, 2023

We're going to take a dive into what exactly is going on electrically with the high-voltage circuit in a microwave. We'll use this specific schematic as an example, but these principles apply generally.

17 replies

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Samurai Appliance Repair Man, September 18, 2023

Motor Specs Demystified -- and More Sizzling Live Dojo Workshop Discussions!

Son of Samurai posted a blog entry in Appliance Repair Tech Tips, August 18, 2023

How are we as techs supposed to understand the specifications we see on a split-phase motor's label? What's the difference between a motor's output power and its input power, and which of those specs is given on the label? What do acronyms like FLA and LRA mean? All that and more covered in this short video on motor specifications.

1 reply

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Samurai Appliance Repair Man, September 18, 2023

How to Identify DC Power Supplies in Appliance Schematics

Son of Samurai posted a blog entry in Appliance Repair Tech Tips, September 13, 2023

While all appliances use the same fundamental technology, their manufacturers often talk about them using different terms. Let's talk about DC power supplies and how not to get tripped up by the different terminology used there.

2 replies

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Samurai Appliance Repair Man, September 18, 2023

How to Catch Loading Down in DC Power Supplies Before It Catches You

Son of Samurai posted a blog entry in Appliance Repair Tech Tips, July 25, 2023

Loading down is a failure scenario unique to DC power supplies, and if you don't know what to look for, it can leave you scratching your head and eating some expensive parts. How do you identify that you have a potential loading down scenario, and what steps can you take to verify that? That's exactly what we cover in this Master Samurai Tech Workshop.

7 replies

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Samurai Appliance Repair Man, July 29, 2023

Master Samurai Tech Radio, Episode 29: Appliance Repair Triage Tools or Dummy Directions?

Samurai Appliance Repair Man posted a blog entry in Samurai Appliance Repair Man's Blog, June 27, 2023

Triage tools for appliance repair service calls are all the rage today. Whether based on a frequent parts replacement database or more sophisticated database queries and constructs using AI, there's lots of talk about these products. Team Samurai weighs in on this topic to discuss the proper and improper use of these tools.

3 replies

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Samurai Appliance Repair Man, July 1, 2023

[Video] Errors, Omissions, and Dummy Directions in Service Manuals

Son of Samurai posted a blog entry in Appliance Repair Tech Tips, June 23, 2023

What do you do when even the service manual can't be trusted?

In this video, we discuss how to deal with bad or missing information in all kinds of tech docs -- service manuals, tech sheets, schematics, you name it.

1 reply

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Samurai Appliance Repair Man, June 26, 2023

Schematic Basics: LG Wall Oven No Heat

Son of Samurai posted a blog entry in Appliance Repair Tech Tips, June 14, 2023

Got a short and sweet one for you today. Here's the scenario:

11 replies

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Samurai Appliance Repair Man, June 17, 2023

[Video] How High Ambient Temps Affect a Sealed System

Son of Samurai posted a blog entry in Appliance Repair Tech Tips, June 17, 2023

In this video, we give a comprehensive answer to this question: "Why is it that high ambient temps cause high side and low side pressures to rise?"

3 replies

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Samurai Appliance Repair Man, June 17, 2023

Can You Find the Cause of These Four Inop Loads in a Thermador Refrigerator?

Son of Samurai posted a blog entry in Appliance Repair Tech Tips, May 15, 2023

Here's the weird scenario: several different loads aren't working on this Whirlpool-built Thermador refrigerator. The water and ice dispensers, the dispenser light, and the freezer light are all inop. Wow, four different loads all happened to fail at the same time! Crazy, right?

12 replies

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Samurai Appliance Repair Man, June 7, 2023