Fix Your Broken Washer Control Board for CHEAP! How to Use an ESR Meter for Board Repair

Is it possible to repair a washer control board? YES! You may be surprised at the cost of repairing an appliance control board like a refrigerator control board. I want to show you how to use an ESR meter on how to find bad capacitors on a control board. In the video, we test a Whirlpool Washer control Board, and a Samsung Refrigerator Inverter Board with the ESR Meter. This is an introductory video that shows why you'd want to buy an ESR meter.
At the end of the video, I also add in a little about how to find a bad relay on a dryer control board, since I had one available. I hope this video gives you some guidance and ideas on how to deal with the meter and how checking capacitors works.
Product Links -
GME ESR Meter: amzn.to/3oyStdO (similar to the one used in video, more affordable but feedback is great)
BK Precision 881 Meter: amzn.to/3gAouxK (Exact one used in video, we love ours)
BoJack Capacitor Kit: amzn.to/3swYybA
Weller Soldering Station: amzn.to/3oBbdcq (the exact model we use to replace caps)
De-Soldering Gun + Pump: amzn.to/3JdXAIb (similar model to what we use)
Jeweler's Loupe: amzn.to/3Je2Njd
Helping Hands: amzn.to/3uE6Tgz
Tools I use in all videos can be found at my Amazon Idea Page: www.amazon.com/shop/bensappli...
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** Links to external websites and parts may result in me receiving a commission on sales.

[@hullinstruments]

Would be incredible if you did more circuitboard and PCB troubleshooting/faultfinding. You’re such a great teacher and explain her and as someone who works on component level industrial circuit boards full-time… It’s always fun to watch how others approach the task. And see the test equipment or workbench setup that they have.

[@bensappliancesandjunk]

Thanks! I did do a video on a simple board replacement recently as well

[@MidlifeRenaissanceMan]

@@bensappliancesandjunk so what do you use to get the capacitors off the board ? What desoldering techniques do you use ? I’m not so much into appliance repair, but have worked on electronic component level repair on and off for years and still have my Pace rework station. Keeping it running isn’t cheap, but it makes life so much easier for swapping out parts, both through hold and SMD. It was a big big outlay for me 30 years ago, but it paid off pretty quickly, as boards I used to work on were thousand dollars plus in todays money How much support is there for getting these appliance boards repaired, and are there third party controller boards that you can drop in as a replacements ? Would there be a market for those sorts of things ?

[@barrywaddlington1545]

@@MidlifeRenaissanceMan For cheap solutions, we use a $40 de-soldering pump. Techs that do board repair more frequently than us tend to use Hakko FR-301's. 80% of repairs are caps or relays. When it goes beyond those into resistors, triacs or logic boards (especially), techs shy away from them because you get a lot of parts bloat at that point, whereas about 17 types of caps and maybe 20 different relays will fix 80% of appliance failures with first call completes.

[@curiosity2314]

Yes I like the ESR meter, be cautious to those trying to repair a board as those newbies. Larger 200 volt, 400 V capacitors have the ability to send you flying into the next room or kill you. Handle circuit boards with care and discharge the cap by shorting it especially if it is a high voltage cap.

[@SarionFetecuse]

You can discharge capacitors with pliers that are isolated from your hand

[@chrismcclain6518]

Won’t that ruin the capacitor if you short it out?

[@curiosity2314]

@@chrismcclain6518 Nope your OK to short to discharge, normal practice and required practice.

[@eymenvannoord4841]

Lol. Kill you. I dont think 200v kills you. Where i live its 240v and ive gotten shocked so many times handling circuitboards and motors🥲

[@sjn7220]

Component level repair is so rewarding.

[@bensappliancesandjunk]

It is when you find out one small component daisy chains into wrecking a $1000 machine

[@ivotenotocensorship5247]

There really is nothing more rewarding. The excitement of figuring out the puzzle. The euphoria from solving that puzzle makes it all worth it!

[@dainsookdeo7086]

Not all the time it works like that you have to remove the part to test them because you will pick up other circuitry readings

[@Mel-by8hu]

I am thankful for guys like you. I like to fix things myself and your videos help alot.

[@bensappliancesandjunk]

Glad to hear it

[@alexsinclaire1504]

I have an appliance business and just want to say that you are brilliant

[@hullinstruments]

Would love to see more repair and troubleshooting videos regarding test equipment! Wonderful video! 👍

[@hullinstruments]

Holy crap. Is that huge pile of circuit boards in your video yours? Do you plan on trying to fix them or do you just keep them for parts? I would buy them all if you were somewhat close and shipping wasn’t so expensive. Also, the guy who designed the circuit in the ESR meter is named Dave Miga. He’s the owner/operator of electronic design specialists. He invented the “cap analyzer 88a”….. and then his circuit was widely copied. If you get a chance to snag one of those on eBay, or if you purchase the parts kit and build it yourself… I highly suggest it. Another device that he invented and is worth its weight in gold… it’s a device called the “leak seeker“… . Even in my metrology lab sitting on the bench next to High end test equipment that is all NIST traceable/calibrated equipment… I still use both of them almost every day. And find them just as useful then all my fancy metrology equipment. And when troubleshooting they are my go to!

[@adtopkek4826]

Hah I started learning to do this a while ago after watching your other videos. VERY useful and you gave me many good ideas.

[@Andre-tc1wj]

Ben awesome Video I have to pick up these tools. I look forward to some more tips and tricks.

[@laidman2007]

This was VERY informative! Thank you!

[@philiprollins2278]

Awesome video Ben. Keep it up!!

[@jacobburesh8522]

This is awesome thank you for this! very helpful!!

[@guateque1718]

Excellent video, Thank you.

[@johnfortuna8110]

Outstanding, great job!

[@andrewbabich5138]

I love you Ben. Best tech diy videos I ever found on you tube And I watched A LOT of car repair video

[@HylianOverlord]

It would be a good idea to upgrade the caps while you are in there as well w/the poly style caps, they are more expensive but will way outlast a standard electrolytic.

[@DavidLopez-wy6xz]

Gracias, brother

[@adammobley1499]

Vary good info I am 6 months into appliance repair working with a company right now but hopefully go out on my own later

[@bensappliancesandjunk]

Awesome! Its good to learn and make mistakes when someone else is paying you for them. Board repair is a great skill to have, because once you learn, you can fix a board in the customers house for like... $5 in parts and charge $200 and not have to waste gas coming back for a new board.

[@gaelehret7491]

Great video!Thank you

[@HarperandKnowles]

Excellent content , kudos on this one!

[@bensappliancesandjunk]

Much appreciated!

[@lecanas1]

Thank you so much!!!

[@kalehallman]

Another great video! How do you discharge these capacitors?

[@NoName-yr1jv]

Definitely more of these videos ! Thank you 🙏

[@bensappliancesandjunk]

I'll try to make sure I get a few out for soldering and replacing components, as well as a relay tutorial

[@AlistairBremen]

@@bensappliancesandjunk yes please!!

[@5555boneman]

Awesome video Ben!

[@bensappliancesandjunk]

Thanks!

[@tukkus2]

Outstanding

[@bellawilliams4100]

I need the how to change the capacitor video. Hope you have one posted

[@86Ivar]

9:45 thats a very special relay design. Why dont they use standard pcb relays?

[@SeeJulieStamp]

Help! What do I use to replace the staple-like jumps on one of these boards? Neptune Combo Washer Board.

[@ericmichel3857]

Love your video! I was all excited to try and repair the control bd on my GE Harmony washer using this method. Unfortunately I get the module out and find it is emersed in some sort of clear rubber. 😥 The control module is WH12X10282 and even a used one goes for min $150, and this is for an old used part that may not even work! I found this video about removing these coatings, and even with all sorts of fancy specialty tools (that I do not have), it looks like a nightmare. If you are curious just search YT for "PACE Rework and Repair "Conformal Coating Removal". I don't think it is worth putting that kind of money into a machine this old. Sadly, unless someone has an idea, I think I have to buy a new washer.

[@willemtenwolde5826]

I have the same problem with a samsung inverter control board. Its imbedded in a kind of clear gel that also sticks to the bottom of the mounting box. I can not even lift it out to de-solder the bottom of the board! Probably all washers have it because of the water / humid environment!

[@kyleknopp8093]

My Whirlpool Top Load washer keeps failing for the pressure switch that is built into the control board. It just stops but all functions seem to work. If I restart it on rinse or spin it will always finish the job. But from start to finish it almost never finishes in 1 go. Any recommendations on where to start looking on the board? Since it's not really a power issue and everything seems to be working. Ill start by looking for the obvious and then that specific area of course.

[@nestormendez7524]

I have a frigidaire model fgid2466qf9a it power on then cut off. I checked for power and there is. I took off the board but do not notice anything burnt. Any suggestions

[@mauricelinton5867]

Thanks sir! More beneficial tools for the back pocket! Keep it up

[@bensappliancesandjunk]

That dumb lil box has probably saved about 200 boards at our shop so far... And counting!

[@mauricelinton5867]

@@bensappliancesandjunk Very nice, it definitely gives me some inspiration and IDEAS! I binged hours learning how to replace capacitors and relays lol, thanks.

[@tandbappliance]

@@bensappliancesandjunk Ben when you repair these caps on these washer boards what are the symptoms? Thanks the for great content!

[@bensappliancesandjunk]

@@tandbappliance On Whirlpool washers, its usually lid lock issues that are pervasive beyond a lid lock repair, or where the machine won't turn on at all. Or the washer pump runs without aid and there's no suds/flood control mode ongoing, among other issues.

[@bensappliancesandjunk]

Another note, which isnt in this video but in the Frigidaire Stove video: Relays are similar, but can also be different. Relays switch power on/off, so if something isnt getting ANY voltage, its usually a bad relay. Thats far more typical on high-voltage appliances like stoves and dryers not working right. There can be physical evidences too on relays and caps, so we look for that first. Boards follow an 80/20 rule: 80% of your problems have 20% of the solutions, so keep it simple. Another BIG BIG thing is joining a good group that documents these fixes... There are very common failures with electronic boards,and if you know what they are, you canspot them and fix it fast.

[@edrenas7930]

My Maytag Bravos passes all the manual tests, but intermittently stops, changes cycles, just does strange things, wondering if this might be the issue?

[@rubenvaneupen7327]

Can u also just test the AC voltage in and DC voltage out to make sure the board is broken?

[@longbarmillworks8147]

What does the rev mean on the board? Can I use a rev b where a rev a was?

[@barrylink6378]

Great video! I am learning more every day about washer and dryer repair. Do you know anything about the GME professional in-circuit ESR. Is it as good as B&K 881?

[@bensappliancesandjunk]

I do not have any PERSONAL experience with it. But in the board repair tech groups I am in, quite a few use it because its almost $100 less (now) than the BK881 and all I've heard is great feedback about it. My experience is that the GME is the "Minimum" you want for board repair and you should avoid the Chinese cheap-o's out there. The GME is made by a Taiwanese manufacturer, and I believe the build quality is good from what I've seen on the internet from fellow techs.

[@barrylink6378]

@@bensappliancesandjunk Thanks

[@danieldasilva3068]

What would cause the control board to randomly select modes on its own without actually touching any buttons. ? I took the control panel out it and it is not wet. It's like some days the buttons work. Also some days it turns on and starts selecting modes by itself.

[@CarbonGlassMan]

You may have to dig the probes into the solder joint. These boards, at least the one in this video and mine, have a waterproof coating on them. That's what that shiny coating is that you're seeing on the board in this video.

[@brianbanks3044]

is it a defective capacitor or did something cause the capacitor to go bad????....if you put in a new capacitor, will it blow again????

[@sloopycat1954]

Hi Bens appliance and junk and everyone. I want to repair my elderly neighbors Dyson washing digital control board circuit board, the control is only showing 3 words instead 6, the first 3 words on the digital control board are to faded to understand, I don't own a ESR metre but I own a voltage, ohms etc metre, which I cannot remember the name of, can that be used instead of a ESR metre and can anyone please help me out with any tips or advice so I can repair my dear elderly neighbors control board circuit thankyou so much. Great video thankyou.

[@nhrawashervideos6567]

It's funny, I have a maytag bravos xl in the shop for a no draining problem. no power to the pump. Suspecting a control issue. Find your video and quite literally as I'm watching it, the drain pump turns on and hasn't had an issue since. I spent days trying to fix this and it just revived itself

[@Thomas-wn7cl]

👍

[@tasmith1969]

Cheap capacitors fail in everything with a circuit board. A great place to get caps is Mouser Electronics or Digi-key. Use Nichicon or Panasonic caps, they are the top brands. I would stay away from cheap capacitor kits as those are most likely floor sweepings.

[@Workngrind]

Did you do a video on removing the rubbers or plastics on the Lg/Samsung type board?

[@bensappliancesandjunk]

Not yet. It's on my to do list

[@tdilla3818]

Question for you I have replace 3 board on my washer something keeps damaging the boards.can you tell me what will do that...

[@bensappliancesandjunk]

Question is what part on the board went bad. I've seen drain pumps knock out triacs on boards that show the drain pump is bad, and the board gets replaced when it's both board and pump. I'd investigate the board and go from there on why it died vs. Just replacing the board

[@sailingpittsburgh]

Do you know of a repair service I can send my Maytag Sg1000 board to in order for them to fix it? I have tried upfix but they were unable to help. The 'regular' wash button will not start the washer any more. upfix thinks it is the pressure sensitive pad that is the problem.

[@bensappliancesandjunk]

Corecentric is the typical standard

[@sailingpittsburgh]

@@bensappliancesandjunk Thanks, I will give them a try.

[@Andre-tc1wj]

Do you have a video using the GME ESR Meter or more videos using the meter you used in the video

[@bensappliancesandjunk]

No I just put out this video 2 weeks ago. I will likely do more in the future. I don't use a GME but it's almost identical to this one

[@Andre-tc1wj]

@@bensappliancesandjunkOk Thanks I will check it out

[@markgunther2502]

Silly question, but why can't I just use a multimeter on the resistance setting and refer to a table for acceptable values? Why do we need this expensive tool just for a pretty light?

[@monz7951]

Because standard Dmm's only measure DC resistance, which in any capacitor will be over limit. The esr meter measures by sending an ac 100Mhz signal through the cap, effectively measuring the equivalent series resistance. Basically the reason is because Esr and DC resistance are not the same thing

[@Black0psFail]

Did you discharge the capacitors before testing? If so how did you do that? Just short them together on the board? I thought they had to be removed. Great video about to do some testing on a bad board but I’m worried about not discharging them before testing and I thought they had to be removed to discharge

[@bensappliancesandjunk]

No. The whole point of the ESR is you can test without doing anything but using this meter

[@monz7951]

​@@bensappliancesandjunkwell most ESR meters tell you to discharge the cap before testing. Some will be able to discharge themselves usually up to 50v, some have protection diodes between the probes terminals, some will just fry with voltage. No need to desolder the cap but definitely necessary to discharge with an appropriate resistor from + to -

[@blatantmisconception]

Dude. Great vid. Can a multimeter do this?

[@bensappliancesandjunk]

Hi, the answer is "Kind of" Higher-end multimeters can do capacitance/ESR tests. However, they generally CANNOT do it on-board. You'd have to de-solder the capacitor, then test with the multimeter. Even some/most ESR meters can't do on-board testing, either. As far as I know, that technology/ability was basically invented and pioneered by BK Precision and the GME knock-offs, or so I've been told. So sadly, you do need the special meter to hardcore capacitor tests quickly and easily.

[@kirksatterwhite2473]

I was wondering the same thing. He gave a very thorough response. I’m impressed.

[@blatantmisconception]

@@bensappliancesandjunk thank you

[@mikek8250]

Can you fix a Samsung Range control board?

[@bensappliancesandjunk]

Usually, yes. But it varies from board to board.

[@Onemattressatatime]

Great video please start a tech school I will hire your best graduates

[@garym2879]

Hey Ben. I notice at 6:15 you change the ESR Meter setting from ESR to DCR&ECR. Why is this? (Sorry, I'm not a techie.) Also, is this test possible with a typical multimeter?

[@bensappliancesandjunk]

It was on accident. That mode tests DC-related resistance @ 0hz, while the ESR tests AC resistance. There are a few components on the board that DCR would be valuable to use on, such as non-inductive resistors (not caps). I accidently used the DCR (which is automatically employed when needed). I edited that out but it sounded like a tornado siren. That threw me WAY off guard. More or less, its a bonus test mode, but we've never used it to fix anything, and the DCR will just use ESR until there's a non-inductive coil.

[@bensappliancesandjunk]

Here's BK Precision's press release about their 881 we use in the video that explains most of this: news.thomasnet.com/fullstory/capacitor-tester-performs-in-circuit-esr-and-dcr-testing-24783

[@garym2879]

@@bensappliancesandjunk Got it. Thanks for responding so quickly!

[@adampeckham9987]

Hey Ben im.just getting into board repairs and I have about 30 allmost new amana washers I picked up for next to nothing. They just about as soon as I plug them in just start pumping and won't do anything else. Any thoughts on repairing this issue or are the boards shot in this case

[@bensappliancesandjunk]

@@adampeckham9987 thats a flood control mode issue. Let them run for 20min until the board is triggered, then either re-run a wash cycle or more than likely, replace the pump motor.

[@juamal115]

I want to take an online course of appliance repair, can you recommend me an institution?

[@HylianOverlord]

Don't waste your time with a dedicated ESR meter if you are just started out, instead you should get a cheap component tester, such as the BSIDE ESR02 Pro.

[@bensappliancesandjunk]

Does that allow you to test the caps on the board without de soldering?

[@HylianOverlord]

@@bensappliancesandjunk Some of them do, but usually not the cheaper ones though. I didn't consider that angle when I initially wrote my comment, they are good for testing active components which can't be tested in circuit anyway. I still somewhat stand by my original comment because they are great for appliance repair and are cheap as dirt.

[@HylianOverlord]

@@bensappliancesandjunk The Peak ESR70 is a good, cheap, and more compact ESR tester that can do in circuit testing.

[@mthwww]

You don't need to lit Jewelers magnifying glass just use your smart device to take a photo and zoom in.

[@nothingelsematters8217]

Can be done with Multimeter..

[@bensappliancesandjunk]

Can you suggest a multimeter that can do this with the cap still on the board?

[@heavoc9793]

Of course not, a multimeter cannot perform a reliable test with a capacitor soldered onto a circuit ! A simple ESR also cannot. Because this special DCR-ESR made by GME uses a

[@dakotbeastj]

Can't I just do the same thing with a multimeter?

[@bensappliancesandjunk]

Generally, no

[@dakotbeastj]

@@bensappliancesandjunk bummer. Was hoping to save the money, since I already have a multimeter

[@bensappliancesandjunk]

@dakotbeastj multimeter can't test on the board. Generally you'd have to desolder then tesr

[@dakotbeastj]

@@bensappliancesandjunk good to know. Thanks man. I can clearly see a bad relay on my dryer board, so I'm going to start there, if I need to purchase that style meter in the video, I'll do it 👍 Thank you very much for your help

[@edc1569]

Just don’t do this on a fully charged mains filter cap

[@bgregg55]

Let's not kid ourselves, LG uses that ridiculously thick conformal coating to discourage board repairs.

[@someguydino6770]

wow; thank you for NOT making this video about your face!

[@jsc3417]

never buy a LG or Samsung brand. THey are a huge waste of money.