Countertop Icemaker Circuit

Thread Starter

jspring111

Joined Oct 20, 2020
11
I have a defective Countertop Icemaker made in China for Frigidaire. It quit working after less than a year. The problem is the "Ice Full" light comes on and it won't cycle. I believe it has an LED on one side and a Light Detecting Resistor on the other side. When the tray fills up, it blocks the light beam, stopping the cycle.

At first i was able to shine another light source on the sensor and it would work. Now it doesn't. I tried jumping across the sensor wires on the circuit board but that didn't work. Since it's apparently had 2 different problems already I think the problem is it's just poorly made Chinese crap.

Anyway I thought it might be a fun project to design my own circuit using an arduino Nano and relays. It has a compressor, pump, fan, a motor that rotates the ice shovel and 2 limit switches that stop the ice shovel at both ends of it's travel. There is also a sensor that tells it when it's out of water and a solenoid valve on the refrigerant line.

I think I can work through most of this but I don't know what purpose the refrigeration solenoid valve serves. I don't know when it should activate. I think the compressor and fan should come on together but should the solenoid valve operate at the same time or at a different time?

Anyone know what the solenoid valve does and when it should cycle?
 
I agree.

How does it know the water has frozen? Time?

Cube fill: Time?

Are there temperature sensors for anything?

I'd hate the thing to dump water when it's at room temperature.
 

Thread Starter

jspring111

Joined Oct 20, 2020
11
The only temperature sensor seems like a thermistor in the cabinet in case the unit overheats? There is also a metal probe with a single wire extending into the very top of the icemaking area but it's higher than the maximum height water could ever reach. I have no idea what that does.

I'm guessing the cycle is timed, not temperature dependent. Seems like the first pieses of ice are smaller when it starts up then the later cycles which would make sense since the unit is warmer when it first starts up. There's no chance for it to spill water outside the water tank. Everything drains into the tank.

debe, thanks for your suggestion. That makes a lot of sense.
 
There is also a metal probe with a single wire extending into the very top of the icemaking area but it's higher than the maximum height water could ever reach. I have no idea what that does.
I would think you would need interior temperature. Ni point in trying to make ice if the interior is 25C (75F).

So, it looks like you have water valve timed for fill and ice making time timed and maybe some sort of protection if it tries to move a jammed motor.
 

Thread Starter

jspring111

Joined Oct 20, 2020
11
I got it to cycle, it takes 8 minutes:

The motor rotates the ice shovel
Pump fills the shovel for 30 seconds (excess water overflows back into the reservoir)
Compressor and Fan come on
Ice forms over the next 7-1/2 minutes
Ice shovel moves dumping unfrozen water
Solenoid Valve comes on for 8 seconds heating up the rods inside the ice to make it fall off into the shovel
Shovel rotates dumping the ice into the basket
Cycle repeats

Apparently this machine has a known defect of thinking the ice basket is full and shutting down. You can bypass the ice full sensor by holding down the selection button for 10 seconds. So the Chinese manufacturer knows there is a defect but doesn't fix it and keeps making them. We were fools to ever trade with a communist country.
 

Thread Starter

jspring111

Joined Oct 20, 2020
11
Mustiel fixed one of these. I don't know whether yours is the same.
Yes, mine is exactly the same except Frigidaire brand. The comments below the video are helpful. His problem is different than mine, I think my problem was a bad led. In the end it's a poorly built unit, designed to sell and then rust up or otherwise break. I did get it to work by holding down the select button, at least for now.
No it doesn't gather frost at all. You have to be careful the ice basket is completely seated or it blocks the sensor
 
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