Hey there everyone,

So my controller board on my fridge which has 5 temperature settings which are displayed by leds on the front of the fridge has decided to only work on setting 1, 2 or 3, switching it to 4 or 5 causes the lights to flash and the fan kicks in and goes off repeatedly, i have phoned somebody who had the same problem and has told me to replace the 2 yellow capacitors, from what i see these are EPCOS Capacitors, 1u 250v & u47 250v, Model number : B32669.
It seems like the board isnt worth alot of money but down here where im staying they want to charge 250$ for it..

Datasheet : http://pdf1.alldatasheet.com/datasheet-pdf/view/227112/EPCOS/B32669.html

This company is local to my country and i was wondering if any if these capacitors listed would be applicable :

http://za.rs-online.com/web/c/passi...9673&applied-dimensions=4292123264,4294464783

http://za.rs-online.com/web/c/passi...5859&applied-dimensions=4293323766,4294464783

it needs about 5 seconds to load the filters i added.

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

 

Hey there everyone,

So my controller board on my fridge which has 5 temperature settings which are displayed by leds on the front of the fridge has decided to only work on setting 1, 2 or 3, switching it to 4 or 5 causes the lights to flash and the fan kicks in and goes off repeatedly, i have phoned somebody who had the same problem and has told me to replace the 2 yellow capacitors, from what i see these are EPCOS Capacitors, 1u 250v & u47 250v, Model number : B32669.
It seems like the board isnt worth alot of money but down here where im staying they want to charge 250$ for it..

Datasheet : http://pdf1.alldatasheet.com/datasheet-pdf/view/227112/EPCOS/B32669.html

This company is local to my country and i was wondering if any if these capacitors listed would be applicable :

http://za.rs-online.com/web/c/passive-components/capacitors/polypropylene-film-capacitors/?cm_mmc=ZA-PPC-_-google-_-1_ZA_EN_G_Capacitors_Phrase-_-Polypropylene_Film_Capacitors&mkwid=sSUa98xUr_dc|pcrid|72979660127|pkw|polypropylene capacitors|pmt|p|prd|#esid=4294959673&applied-dimensions=4292123264,4294464783

http://za.rs-online.com/web/c/passi...5859&applied-dimensions=4293323766,4294464783

it needs about 5 seconds to load the filters i added.

Those should work.
But having said that, I doubt they are bad. Usually quite reliable.
Any help will be greatly appreciated.[/QUOTE]

 

You should look for X-rated capacitors, that means they are rated for continuous connection across the mains supply.

 

Those should work.
But having said that, I doubt they are bad. Usually quite reliable.
Any help will be greatly appreciated.

[/QUOTE]

Mmm, ive heard they are reliable but im sure they do have a lifespan ? doubt they last forever though ? These have been working 14 years non stop, that is reliable but i mean eventually it does get to its end ?

 

You should look for X-rated capacitors, that means they are rated for continuous connection across the mains supply.

Hey man thanks for the post, im not really sure what that means, im trying to find something locally otherwise ill have to import it.

 

Hey man thanks for the post, im not really sure what that means, im trying to find something locally otherwise ill have to import it.

I've had a look on that RS site from your links and they don't mention the X-rating at all that I could find. However, look for self-healing or suitable for across-the-line. One I found says it is not for across-the-line so avoid that.

 

Mmm, ive heard they are reliable but im sure they do have a lifespan ? doubt they last forever though ? These have been working 14 years non stop, that is reliable but i mean eventually it does get to its end ?[/QUOTE]
It's worth a try, especially if you have a tip that it worked for someone else.
It doesn't look like your originals are across the line rated, so I'm not sure, without a schematic, if that's a problem or not.

 

I've had a look on that RS site from your links and they don't mention the X-rating at all that I could find. However, look for self-healing or suitable for across-the-line. One I found says it is not for across-the-line so avoid that.

Im confused man, on the datasheet for the epcos b32669 capacitor which is the one that is already on the board and needs replacing, it says on the datasheet not suitable for across the line applications ?

http://pdf1.alldatasheet.com/datasheet-pdf/view/227112/EPCOS/B32669.html

 

Mmm, ive heard they are reliable but im sure they do have a lifespan ? doubt they last forever though ? These have been working 14 years non stop, that is reliable but i mean eventually it does get to its end ?

It's worth a try, especially if you have a tip that it worked for someone else.
It doesn't look like your originals are across the line rated, so I'm not sure, without a schematic, if that's a problem or not.[/QUOTE]

Yeah man, probably worth a try, i doubt they are across the line rated, on the datasheet for the capacitors that are currently on the board it says not suitable for across the line.

 

Do your multimeter have a capacitance range? Can you check their capacitance?

 

Hello,

You might want to have a look here about the safety codes of the capacitors:
http://www.justradios.com/safetytips.html

Bertus

 

Do your multimeter have a capacitance range? Can you check their capacitance?

Sorry for the late reply man, my multimeter unfortunately doesnt have a capicitance range, i have been looking at getting one though, i wanted to also ask you, did you see my post where i mentioned that the datasheet for the capacitors that are currently on the board are not rated for across the line applications ? If so then i take it there would be no need looking for X rated capacitors ? Thanks man

 

Hello,

You might want to have a look here about the safety codes of the capacitors:
http://www.justradios.com/safetytips.html

Bertus

Ill take a look at his, thank you !

 

Sorry for the late reply man, my multimeter unfortunately doesnt have a capicitance range, i have been looking at getting one though, i wanted to also ask you, did you see my post where i mentioned that the datasheet for the capacitors that are currently on the board are not rated for across the line applications ? If so then i take it there would be no need looking for X rated capacitors ? Thanks man

I did see that, but I suspect that is how they are being used. Can you show us a photograph of the whole board?
Does it have a mains transformer on it? If not then these two capacitors are being used to get a low voltage supply from the mains as C1 is being used below:

 

I did see that, but I suspect that is how they are being used. Can you show us a photograph of the whole board?
Does it have a mains transformer on it? If not then these two capacitors are being used to get a low voltage supply from the mains as C1 is being used below:

Hey there Albert,

I took a better pic of the board here it is

Schematics i found at the back, i dont think this has to do with the pc board ?

Model numbers etc :

 

I found these capacitors on a local website, do you guys think this will be suitable ?

http://za.rs-online.com/web/p/polypropylene-film-capacitors/1908450/
http://za.rs-online.com/web/p/polypropylene-film-capacitors/1908573/

Thank you !!!!

 

There is no transformer on the board or on the circuit diagram of the off-board components so the low voltage supply for the chip and the LEDs is supplied through those two capacitors which means that they are (effectively) connected across the line.

The two capacitors in your link are intended for pulse applications. The datasheet includes graphs of permissible AC voltage against frequency which do not go below 1kHz. They are clearly not intended for your kind of application. I have found possible X2 replacements from ZA/RS as below. Do check that the sizes will fit your board.

1uF:
http://za.rs-online.com/web/p/polyester-film-capacitors/6225075/
http://za.rs-online.com/web/p/polyester-film-capacitors/1096466/

0.47uF
http://za.rs-online.com/web/p/polyester-film-capacitors/6225069/
http://za.rs-online.com/web/p/polyester-film-capacitors/1096465/

 

I found these capacitors on a local website, do you guys think this will be suitable ?

http://za.rs-online.com/web/p/polypropylene-film-capacitors/1908450/
http://za.rs-online.com/web/p/polypropylene-film-capacitors/1908573/

Thank you !!!!

There is no transformer on the board or on the circuit diagram of the off-board components so the low voltage supply for the chip and the LEDs is supplied through those two capacitors which means that they are (effectively) connected across the line.

The two capacitors in your link are intended for pulse applications. The datasheet includes graphs of permissible AC voltage against frequency which do not go below 1kHz. They are clearly not intended for your kind of application. I have found possible X2 replacements from ZA/RS as below. Do check that the sizes will fit your board.

1uF:
http://za.rs-online.com/web/p/polyester-film-capacitors/6225075/
http://za.rs-online.com/web/p/polyester-film-capacitors/1096466/

0.47uF
http://za.rs-online.com/web/p/polyester-film-capacitors/6225069/
http://za.rs-online.com/web/p/polyester-film-capacitors/1096465/

Much appreciated Albert, i understand what you mean now, so whirlpool kinda put the epcos capacitors there cause they knew it would fail sooner than anything else ?

The replacements you linked look good, sizes are definitely within ranges in the pcbs enclosure, i will make an order out, was thinking if i should order anything else that needs replacing though ? Definitely going to replace the other 2 smaller caps aswell , maybe the relay ? Thanks again Albert !

 

The fault does sound like the sort of thing those capacitors cause. The capacitance falls and so the available current also falls and then the circuit 'sort of' works. Hence my suggestion of measuring the values which would confirm the problem but I think the capacitors may well be the cause of the problem. I would replace them first before worrying about any other components.

 

You sumed it up perfectly, it also sounds to me that they are sort of "half" working, you switch it to a higher setting and the available capacitance needed just isnt there, i managed to get hold of someone on a fixya post and he also explained that the capacitors were worn and couldnt take up the extra voltage needed. Im going to order the two film caps and other two elec caps and let you know how it goes ! Holding thumbs man, this would be an epic repair for me, cause with the price of a new board i might aswell buy another brand new unit. Once again many thanks for the help Albert !