GE refrigerator failure - part 3

 

While waiting for the repair parts to arrive from eBay I looked around for a potential replacement refrigerator in case my attempt to repair fails. I like LG and since I dislike Samsung LG is pretty well the brand that I would consider. Only if it is possible, my dream refrigerator is a high end Japan domestic one, but getting one imported could only be done the the most determined person.

Japan line voltage is 110V but the frequency is 50Hz. The realistic way to get one is buy one in Taiwan as Taiwan is 120V/60Hz like US.

looking online this LG would had been one that I would consider buying should I failed in the repair

A week later the capacitors and the inverter module both arrived. As I already bought the module it proceed to try it first since replacing the capacitors on the original module involving a lot more work and time.

the old (left) and the new (right)

the tiny 33uF electrolytic capacitors

I also vacuumed the drum shape condenser coil (right side) of dust bunnies

I made the connections but without bolting it right up to the compressor to test it first

it took a long time to pull down the temperatures

In order to properly measure the AC voltage between two legs of the three phase coil I used two channels of the scope and inverts one channel then sum them, making the two channels a virtual differential probe.

temperatures reached the set targets

since it is an inverter compressor the power consumption varies but 206 watts is the most I monitored

once I was satisfied the repair is good I proceeded to restore all the fasteners and the fiberboard cover

The refrigerator is quieter with the new module. I infer the louder noise before was due to the failing module must be outputting gradually deteriorating sinusoidal outputs. It's been 3 months since the repair and all is well.