On Sun, 06 Dec 2015 11:51:17 -0800, Larry Jaques
wrote:

On Sun, 06 Dec 2015 12:27:54 -0600, Jon Elson
wrote:

Larry Jaques wrote:


I might expect one relay for each water temp, one for motor start, and
maybe one for switching into spin mode, but 12? What the hell does
your washer DO, besides wash clothes? Iron, fold, and stack, too?

No, no no! This thing is a computer video game with a washing machine
grafted on the side for grins!

OK, yes, there is cold and hot water main inlet. Then, the incoming water
can go straight into the tub, or it can be diverted into the softener tank,
the detergent tank or the bleach tank, to deliver some of that product into
the tub. Then, when the recirculate pump is on, it has valves to select
where that water goes. It has two pumps (recirculate and drain) and a VFD
to run the drum motor. There is a spline coupling between the motor and the
basket. When the tub is filled to a certain level, an air chamber floats
the basket up to disconnect the spin coupling, and then the motor is rocked
back and forth for the agitate function. When draining, the basket lands on
the coupling, and then the motor tweaks back and forth gently until the
basket seats the coupling onto the shaft before starting the spin cycle, so
as not to tear up the coupling.

The pump motors look kind of like giant photograph motors, so apparently
they are 120 V shaded pole motors, but have magnets in the rotor. The
recirculate motor starts smoothly, but the larger drain motor rattles and
vibrates for a while until the rotor falls into sync. Quite a strange way
to do things. So, I think two of the big relays are for the pump motors.
Another big relay must be for the heater, but I think our actual machine
does NOT have a heater installed in the tub.

I was able to download the service manual for the thing, by pressing certain
buttons, you can activate multiple diagnostic and test procedures that
exercise and partially self-test verious parts of the machine.

Sheesh, what a bunch of complexity, to do what used to be done with some
smooth rocks down at the riverside!

Praps y'all should pursue these 2 less technical devices?
http://tinyurl.com/ngmuzox and http://tinyurl.com/q57xduk

They sure beat rocks. (Well, a bit.)

I have a concrete laundry tub like that in my house (two sinks instead
of three) and one side has a built-in washboard made of sheet zinc.
The house was built in 1924 and the sink probably was installed at the
time.

I always liked the solution that John Steinbeck described in _Travels
with Charlie_. He had a custom-made pickup camper that he drove across
the country. In the shower stall he suspended a small plastic garbage
can on bungee cords. He'd fill it with clothes, soap and water. He
said clothes were clean in about 50 miles of driving.

--
Ed Huntress