A Slug fried my HOTPOINT PCB!

[Coley3159]

Hi guys,

Bit of a weird one!

I return home from work last week to find the the kitchen flooded and the circuit breaker tripped. The washing machine would not power up and the fuse and power source were fine. I quickly found the issues and it turns out a slug had worked its way into the PCB housing and managed to fry itself and the PCB in the process!

The model of the washing machine is a HOTPOINT - WMFUG 863G and is about three years old.

I quickly found a replacement PCB on eBay  which was described as in used working order for £20.

Before switching out the damaged PCB for the new one i took photos of all the connections to ensure they went back in the right place. It was easy to switch the boards over but when i powered the unit up at the socket every LED on the display board lit up and you can't turn it on/off via the button on the front of the machine. I removed the Display board and everything looks fine.

Does anyone have a clue why the machine lights stay on and its non responsive?

Do i need to re-set the machine?

Thanks in advance for the Help.

 

 

[Coley3159]

This is how the display pcb looks.

I tried to reset the machine by holding down the power button for 3-5 seconds when it was turned on/off. I also did the same thing but with the play/pause button but to no avail.

any help would be much appreciated.

thanks. 

[Whitegoodshelp (Andy)]

Wow that's a big electrical short. This is a difficult one. It's a good job you didn't spend potentially over a hundred pounds on a new pcb. It's possible the control board was damaged when the pcb shorted out. It may not necessarily have visible damage (although worth checking) but a component could be damaged.

Some of the pcbs need configuring with a special tool or laptop with special software, although that one looks relatively old fashioned. I can't say either way for sure. To be honest if a board shorts out like that I usually advise it's not worth pursuing as you never know what other damage happened. If really determined you could try sending the boards to somewhere like QER electronic repairs for testing.

[Coley3159]

Hi Andy,

I dismantaled the control board and visually inspected the component. It looked like it was in perfect condition but like you said there could be some damage thats not visible. 

The PCB is from the same model washing machine that was working when it was dismantled so I not sure weather it would need re-programming again as I would expect it should be a plug and play component?

Do you know how much it cost to get a board re-programmed?

 

 

[Whitegoodshelp (Andy)]

Hi. If it’s not new it should already be configured as you say so it’s probably not that. Is it possible the connectors are wrong way round or mixed up?

[Coley3159]

I took photos of the connections and replaced exactly how they came off so I don’t think it’s that. I went over it around 5 times 😅

[Whitegoodshelp (Andy)]

Aye sounds like it will be. I’ve known some of them that can fit both ways round, although that would reverse all the individual wires, which would show up when checking against the photo. 
 

Only explanation is that it’s faulty, wired wrong, one or more of connections inside the connector strips isn’t contacting the printed circuit board, or something else is also faulty. 

[Whitegoodshelp (Andy)]

Just double check the motor connector and the carbon brushes in the motor. I’ve just remembered that in some of those machines if the motor is open circuit the machine goes dead but all lights are on. 

[Coley3159]

I did notice some very slight burn marks on a couple of the connector plastic blocks for the main PCB but the contacts looked good. I will double check them tomorrow and clean with electrical contact cleaner.

That's interesting the open circuit motor! I will strip it down and update asap.

Thanks for all the help Andy! 🙂

 

[Whitegoodshelp (Andy)]

2 minutes ago, Coley3159 said:

That's interesting the open circuit motor! I will strip it down and update asap

Should be enough to check the connections and carbon brushes (if fitted) and ideally check continuity with a meter. 

[Coley3159]

Will the contacts look obviously burnt out if there is an issue?

Where is the best place to get replacement parts?

[Whitegoodshelp (Andy)]

If they look burned you may have to replace them. It’s not always easy to ring parts like the connector blocks but try Ransom Spares. 
 

You need to also check none of the individual connectors inside the plastic blocks are bend, gone flat or loose. 

[Coley3159]

I went over the PCB and connectors again and everything looks great.

The only thing I noticed different was a slightly different number on one of the chips on the PCB but the PCB part number (Indesit S.p.A IDD0211.7) is the same:

Original - 164000038.00 / 17363006680

New -  164000038.00 / 17353004023

I am not familiar with these numbers and I don't know if it would make a difference to the running of the machine?

I also took out the motor and I looks like it is a brushless version as there are no carbon contacts, everything looked good with the connector block and tachometer.

Have you got any other suggestions mate?

I feel like might be worth investing in a new unit now, any recommendations for washer dryers?

Thanks again.

 

[Whitegoodshelp (Andy)]

Hello there. Those numbers aren't part numbers. They never put part numbers on actual parts. They are most likely manufacture numbers to identify batches and dates etc. But the washing machine manufacturer always creates their own part number to identify spare parts and they are never printed on the part. So it's not possible to tell whether there should be any difference.

Manufacturers are known to change specifications mid production so it can be a nightmare getting the right part. If the parts look identical you would expect they should be interchangeable but I couldn't say for certain unfortunately.

The problem with open circuit motors was mostly on motor is fitted with carbon brushes but to check a motor is not open circuit you would need to put a continuity test meter across the pins. If the motor is working okay before the incident you would expect it to still be okay. It's usually the other way round in that it's common for motors and other parts to short out and damage to printed circuit boards rather than printed circuit boards damaging other parts. As I said before though you can't rule out damage to the display board because they are connected.

The only thing I can suggest is contacting the washing machine PCB repair company I mentioned before and asking if they can test your boards. They can test them, repair them, or supply recon ones. But at the end of the day I personally think it's not worth the time and effort on such a vital household appliance unless it's a side project.

[Coley3159]

Agreed! 

Thank you for all the help Andy I was worth a go but not looks like this one is destined for the tip.

 

[Whitegoodshelp (Andy)]

Damn that slug.

[Whitegoodshelp (Andy)]

Oh and btw way you are the winner of the best title ever on these forums