Looking for some help controlling a FL washing machine motor

[whash]

Hi everyone,

Really glad to have found this community here, I hope you'll be able to help with what I'm trying to do or at the very least point me in the right direction!

I have a SAMSUNG FL washer (Model# WF356BTBGWR/A1) - but this question isn't really restricted to this particular machine but it's just the one I happen to be toying with at the moment. I'd like to figure out how to control the motor that rotates the drum so that I can pretty much make it spin for as long and as fast as I want to.

Seems like the best way to do that is to figure out what wires supply power to the motor but I've been having horrid luck finding a wiring diagram for the model that I'm currently playing with.

I'd love to get all your thoughts on the best way to go about this, since I'm sure there's a lot of people here who know a whole lot more about this stuff than myself.

Thanks in advance!

 

[revvinkevin]

 

 

Hello Ali and welcome to AW!

 

I cannot answer your question because that info is WAY above my pay grade (LOL), but I have a few questions:  

 

Why are you looking to change the spin speed and time, what are you trying to achieve?

 

How long and how fast do you want it to spin?  

 

Are you planning to use it for something other than laundry?

 

Just curious, thanks!

 

Kevin

 

 

 

[whash]

Hey Kevin!

Wish I had a more concrete answer for you other than a slightly more sophisticated version of "just because." I just think it would be fun to be able to have that control over it so if I wanted to I could make the spin cycle last longer than the standard for the washer. It's probably not even a matter of making it spinning a lot faster actually, just being able to kind of have it spin for as long as I want. Would be cool to be able to just turn the motor on or off.

So the why is probably because I'm kinda curious about how all these variables such as spin duration and speed effect the wash and having control over those variables would make for some fun experiments!

 

[rp2813]

I can understand Ali's request.  

 

When my Affinity spends more than the length of the actual spin cycle trying to get the load balanced (grrr), once the balanced load goes into spin, it's for an abbreviated period.  Usually after such a short spin the contents are still way too wet, so I select the "Spin Only" cycle and cross my fingers that the load will be quickly balanced and receive a full-length spin.  I have about a 50/50 success rate at best.

 

One thing I'd be concerned about is spinning an out of balance load for an extended period.  I think that's asking for premature and expensive trouble, and of course any override of the washer's design is going to void the warranty.

 

[whash]

Thanks for the input Ralph,

Pretty sure I'm way past the point of no return as far as the warranty is concerned , so that's no longer a concern. Fair point about spinning an out of balance load, sounds like the best path to take then may be to do some reprogramming (if that's even possible) and somehow find a way to make the spin duration a variable that can be adjusted.

There are some interesting debug modes on the washer but the closest one I could find to my requirement spin the load for five minutes at a time, I guess I'll try and see if that's another possible path to consider.

 

[henene4]

If you're into such stuff...

... and are a bit handy with machines and programming: Make your own machine! Takes only minor Java skills/ knowledge with an Arduino (at least thats the name here in Germany) and electrics. It has already been done!
But for what you try to do: Stay with the Extra Spin cycle or the service cycles you already found. Everything else can actually end up as a life threat.

 

[arbilab]

Things to consider:

You probably don't want it to spin faster. Some of these machines destroy themselves and anything nearby even at their programmed speed.

It's readily possible for the motor control to tell the timer when it's balanced/not. So that the timer can extend the spin period to actually SPIN instead of burning most of the allotted time TRYING to spin. From what I've seen, it's seldom implemented. It would be a pretty elegant redesign to retrofit such a feature. But it's doable. Up to a point.

If the timer is mechanical and the motor controller digital, you'd need to pick off a signal from the MC that confirmed balance was achieved. Then use that to gate the timer motor so that it only advances AFTER balance. This could also be used to extend spin with a programmed delay which could even be variable.

If both timer and MC are digital, the provision must exist on the timer for a 'hold' command. If such doesn't exist it would be very difficult to retrofit. It would be easier to build a digital timer from scratch.

Robert has done such things. I could too but at this point my most practical approach was to buy an inexpensive Chinese twintub which is intended to be operated manually then stand there and do so. Towels come out of the spinner dry enough to use (maybe a bit clammy) after 3 minutes and manual/supervised balancing.

Given the right mechanical platform it is readily possible to build an automatic that is as smart as you are. Sounds like fun, as Capt Kirk said to Capt Picard in Star Trek Generations. (But then he died.)