I read in sci.electronics.design that Joerg notthisjoergsch@removethisp
acbell.net wrote (in )
about 'Frost free / Auto defrost?', on Mon, 9 Aug 2004:
Hi Ken,

...(the fridge shuts down two or three times a day and turns on a
little electric heater to melt the
ice for a few minutes)

And that is often done with a lowly electro-mechanical timer. Probably
because it is still a few cents cheaper than electronics. After all, a
CD4060 costs north of 10 cents which would put a dent in the profit
margin on a $1000 fridge/freezer :-)

In mine, the heater is just wired across the thermostat contacts: COOL
XOR HEAT at zero cost.
--
Regards, John Woodgate, OOO - Own Opinions Only.
The good news is that nothing is compulsory.
The bad news is that everything is prohibited.
http://www.jmwa.demon.co.uk Also see http://www.isce.org.uk