My GE Profile (I think… model WPRE8150H1WT) washer decided to stop spinning out the load. Otherwise, it would work correctly. After checking for obvious stuff (unbalanced/heavy load, pump failure, etc), I looked into it and ultimately fixed it for free.

Troubleshooting Steps

Obviously, with some of the below steps, checking after is necessary.

1. Unplug the Washer for a Minute
   This is effectively a reboot. It has a microcontroller or something on it to tell it what to do, and the first step is to reboot.
2. Reset the Motor Controller
   According to GE on YouTube, you can reset the motor controller by doing a reboot (unplug for a minute) and then open/close the lid 6 times in 30 seconds.
3. Check the Motor
   The motor is front-center-low on the washer. You can remove the front panel by using a putty knife to disengage some clips at the top and it tilts out. The motor has a light on it that should be flashing in a regular pattern. If it is not, it will blink a pattern and repeat it every six seconds. Check the service manual (do a web search for it) for what the pattern means.
4. Enter Field Service Mode to Check Things
   This is done by holding down the button and turning the mode switch half a turn (don’t go too fast, it needs to register each click) and releasing the button. You did it correctly if the display goes to 88 with all mode LEDs lit on the time-remaining display.
   Turn the switch clockwise one position, it should go to a model code. The following position is a diagnostics position. Mine showed something interesting here related to a slow pump fault. According to the service manual, this can be due to the pressure switch not resetting.
   Turn the switch a few more positions, and H or C should display on the display. This SHOULD activate the hot or cold valve (as appropriate) UNLESS the Rinse LED is on (see the image below), which indicates that the tub is full. In my case, there was no water in the tub.
5. Use Field Service Mode to Test The Motor and Mode Shifter
   Since my washer wasn’t spinning, I turned the dial to P to activate the pump (it works!), then to SP for spin (for several minutes), and then to AL and AH each for a few minutes. Since it began to spin on spin and agitate on the AL and AH modes, I decided that the motor and mode shifter (like a transmission) were probably not the problem. I also lifted the lid while the tub was in spin mode, which activates the brake – it stopped well short of seven seconds (the standard used in the service manual).
   

Resolution

Since signs were pointing to the float switch, I removed the front control panel (four 1/4″ bolts on the back, tilt forward, and then slide the panel to the right) and test the switch. The switch should be normally-closed. My tester indicated it was open. Prior to buying a $30 switch, I removed the tube and blew into it – something was in the tube blocking it making the unit think there was water in the tub when there wasn’t. I tested the switch again, which was now closed. I reassembled the washer and tested the spin cycle that now works.

Conclusion

Troubleshooting is pretty important – in this case, not only did I save money and time by fixing my washer (a new comparable washer is around $600), but even if I replaced the pressure switch it wouldn’t have fixed the problem because the problem was in the tube.

Prevention is pretty important, too. Many people (including me) do not clean washers. I guess we assume that since it looks clean inside that it is. Occasionally, we should run a large load of hot water (only) with some Oxyclean to clean it out. I’m not sure if that would have prevented this, but there’s a chance it would have.

So here it is in 2019, a week past Hamvention. I decided to check on this blog and install updates and look at the list of posts… this one was sitting in draft for some unknown reason. It’s been a while. It’s been a busy several months for me (new VERY BUSY job working from home, which means a basement office build… sprinkle in life with older vehicles and other things, I was a busy!)

Year #2 at Xenia, and the first year I had to deal with rain at Hamvention. It was full of all the stuff we complain about on Reddit: mud and “hamabouts” (motorized wheelchairs).

I came home with only a few things – a book, a pile of free serial cables (these were for work), and an MD-380.

The book is an RSGB book Building a Transceiver. I bought it because the one thing I really want to do right now in amateur radio (and really in electronics in general) is build a few radios – and my first goal is VHF or UHF, so I’m thinking 6 meters. I hadn’t seen it before I saw it on the RSGB table, otherwise I would have probably already owned it. I’ve read the intro and the first chapter, and it already seems like a good book that will teach me a lot.

The pile of free serial cables is because I’ve been doing a lot of work with RS-232 and RS-485 devices. We tend not to have the correct cables in the office and government purchasing processes make it an hour-long process to order a cable. I wish I was exaggerating, but I’m not. In fact, I’ve bought small stuff with my own money to use in the office to avoid the mess.

The MD-380 was the most interesting radio I’ve purchased so far. I was going to buy a new one from MTC Radio, but they had a line and I talked myself out of it (“it’s $90 and the only two DMR repeaters in the area are in Hyde Park and Springdale and I probably can’t hit them on UHF and they’re DMR not Brandmeister and I don’t know what those mean and why they’re important”). Then, I saw one on a used table with an extra antenna, extra battery, and all the bells and whistles (except I later found out the programming cable was forgotten).

I also picked up a few things – a flyer, a Ham Radio 360 sticker (it was great seeing KF7IJZ again and meeting KR6ZY in person), and a neat little thing from Great Scott Gadgets – a Throwing Star LAN Tap (the history of this little device is pretty interesting).

In terms of success, this ranks up pretty high.  I wheeled-and-dealed on everything, and I feel like I made out like a bandit!  I didn’t stay very long at Hamvention – I arrived around 8:30 AM and I was gone by around 1:30 PM.

Astron VS-20 Power Supply

It works. I needed a power supply for my bench, and everything new was either adjustable (but not powerful and expensive) or powerful and expensive.  This is better than I thought I’d end up with.

VS-20M Power Supply

RF Millivolt Meter

This is one of those pieces of equipment that I never thought I’d have because they’re fairly specialized.  I saw a few, and after finding the power supply, I looked for one I had already found.  I found this one (with the probe, not pictured) instead.

Millivolt Meter

Percent Explosive Meter

I’m surprised someone else didn’t get this first!  I couldn’t resist it.  This is going to find a place in my basement near a blinking red light.  I’m not sure what it will otherwise be connected to (if anything other than a random/semirandom/not-random time controller), though.

Percent Explosive!!!

Anderson Powerpoles

I’m standardizing on these expensive AF things.  I needed some.

Powerpoles.

Hands On Radio Experiments books

After reading N0AX’s articles in the last few QSTs, the method of teaching has really grown on me.  When I saw experiment #161 in the June 2016 QST, which referred back to a common emitter amplifier, I not only read with interest but also decided to attempt the experiment.  I started looking for all of the experiments and saw that the ARRL prints them in a book.  I found the books at W0TOK books and wheeled-and-dealed to both for $30.  DEAL!

Not from Hamvention: Etherkit Si5351 Breakout

I ordered an Si5351 Breakout Board from Jason/Etherkit a few days before Hamvention and got it on Friday after I returned from Hamvention.  I got one on the kickstarter campaign, but SEE THE UPDATE BELOW! but for some reason it refuses to work despite some troubleshooting.  My guess is that I damaged the chip somehow since I THINK (operative word!) that the two MOSFETs work correctly but my Bus Pirate won’t show an available address .  For whatever idiotic reason, each time I get something from Etherkit, I try to hot-air solder it, and it’s all been without the right stuff (either without a proper hot air rework station or solder paste).  I’ve been set straight thanks to the Twitterverse, and someday will replace damn near every component on my CRX1 and get it to work properly.  And I will always remember the sign in my dad’s auto shop: “Don’t be a fool, use the right tool!”… I’ll also remember Dr. Miller (photography teacher at my high school): “Do not use any equipment for which you have not been trained” (in other words, make sure I know how to set the jumpers before setting power!).

EDIT: I typed all this before testing the new breakout board.  The new breakout board was throwing errors, and I found that the new oscillator pulls more current than the Bus Pirate seems to want to provide.  After finding this, nothing could be found with the I2C search.  I looked back on this blog and found “the CLK pin on the Bus Pirate gets connected to the SCL pin on the demo board and the MOSI pin on the Bus Pirate gets connected to the SDA pin on the demo board.”  I now have two functioning breakout boards! 🙂

Etherkit Si5351 Breakout

That’s it! 73!

Maybe it’ll be a good day! From WHIO TV 5/16/16

I’m going to Hamvention on Friday.  My shopping list consists of a handful of needs:

• A power supply (preferably a linear supply capable of >=20 amps continuous, but I’d go down to 10 amps switching if needbe)
• Powerpoles
• An NMO mount or two
• Variable resistors: 500 ohm, 50k, probably a few in between
• Something to make a 100Mhz or 125Mhz oscillator
• Probably a few other parts
• Some MOSFETS… particularly an MPF-102 for this

I’ll probably come home with other stuff too…

-73-

Hamvention is at a busy time for me, and I didn’t know if I was going to attempt to go or not.  I think I’m going to go, though, because I need stuff.

1. New NMO mobile antenna setup
   My current mobile antenna is a few years old and not only is it showing it’s age – the coax is pulling out from the magnet and I can see braid – it probably took damage when I wrecked my truck last October.  The truck is repaired, but the antenna currently has a VSWR of 3:1.  Not good.  I’m going to completely replace the antenna setup with a better one.
2. Parts
   I’m not looking for any real radio equipment other than parts.  I have some specific needs (linear-taper variable resistors, etc), but nothing out of the ordinary.
3. Arduino/Raspberry Pi/Beaglebone Black stuff
   Because you can’t have too much!
4. Test Equipment
   Generally, another scope or a spectrum analyzer is out of my price range, but if I happen to find one…

So I’ll probably be at any Reddit or WATwitter meetups, and I’d assume the same location as last year.

WifE8P was complaining that her Shark Steam mop was not producing a lot of steam.  That’s really the only way we clean the dining room, kitchen, and entry floors, so it’s pretty important for it to work.

The steam would act like it was operating, but would put out little steam.

-73-

This is two out of four for me.  I’m too busy.

So last year I had a number of things I wanted to do.  Then my radio went kaput and I still haven’t fixed it.  Other things happened, too.

This year I am definitely going to fix… or pay someone to fix my IC-706.  I will probably get into FreeDV and maybe another digital voice mode.  I want to build a receiver, too, and not from a kit.

I know there will be a lot more Arduino stuff going here, and there will be some FPGA stuff, too.  I also have some electronics-but-not-ham stuff coming (some of which has no other blog of mine to go to, and some will be cross-posted from another one of my blogs).

I’ve been somewhat silent out here, but that shall change soon.

-73-

This is one of those “I keep needing this, so I bet it will help someone else” things.

A few months ago I purchased a “Basic Electronics Parts Kit” from Radio Shack (I’d have linked to it right there if I could find it, but sadly I cannot… it’s part number 09A12, which no longer shows up on Radio Shack’s website).  In said part assortment is a handful of ICs, but it appears that they are only for those that have the important parts of the 4000 and 74LS series of ICs memorized.  Since I am not one of those people, I looked up each one.  Here’s the list and what they are:

LM386: Op Amp
NE555N: single timer
UA741CN: Op Amp
CD4013BD: Dual D-Type Flip-Flop (similar to 74LS74)
CD4017BD: Decade counter
UTC7805: 5V Linear Regulator
LM7812: 12V Linear Regulator
HD74LS00P: Quad 2-input NAND Gates
HD74LS02P: Quad 2-input NOR Gates
HD74LS08P: Quad 2-input AND Gates
HD74LS10P: Triple 3-input NAND Gates
HD74LS74AP: Dual Flip-Flop, D Type w/Set Reset
HD74LS86P: Quad 2-input XOR Gates

-73-

Yesterday I tore into a Keurig machine that I saved from a landfill.  The machine no longer worked and I don’t really even recall what, but I have another Keurig that collects dust (I use a drip coffee maker), so why not.

Thoughts:

• This could be the beginning of something, I’m not sure what though
• I now have two check valves and three pumps.  One of those pumps works (the other two, I’m not so sure).  These are not self-priming pumps.  Two of the pumps and the aerator are marked at 100 mA, which is nice and low but still too much to be driven directly from an Arduino pin.
• The tank can be pretty useful.  It has a thermocouple and overheat switch on the side, a heating element at the bottom, and several probes on the top.
• This is dangerous work.  Lots of sharp plastic.  I’m fairly certain these were made to be assembled only.

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