HOW TO TROUBLE SHOOT A ELECTRIC FANS

Step 1

Disconnect the electric fan from the wall outlet.

Step 2

Remove the safety cover from the front of the fan by unscrewing the cover
and removing the 4 to 6 Phillips head screws or by pulling open the metal
clips that hold the front cover to the back. Metal clips swing upward from the
edge of the safety cover.

Step 3

Clean the front and back of the fan blades with paper towels dampened with
window or countertop cleaner such as Windex or 409 to restore proper speed
to the electric fan. Be sure to remove dust and dirt from the back of the blades
and along the motor shaft, as this accounts for most problems with poor
performance, including slow fan blades.
Step 4

Troubleshoot a sluggish driveshaft by applying a few drops of WD-40

lubricant to the shaft and rotating the fan blades by hand.

Step 5

Remove the motor housing from the back of the fan by extracting the screws
that hold it in place.

Step 6

Inspect the back of the motor to be sure the two electrical wires are secured
firmly to the contacts on the motor.

Step 7

Use a dry paint brush to remove accumulated dust and dirt from the motor,
then add additional WD-40 to the drive shaft where it attaches to the front of
the motor. The drive shaft should spin freely when turned by your fingers.

Step 8

Check the oscillating pull knob (it makes the fan turn from side to side) on
some models to make sure the knob engages and disengages the motor when
it is pulled. Adjust the knob if necessary so the hook attaches to a clip on the
motor. If the knob is broken, it may be possible to repair it with glue,
although your best bet will probably be to live without the oscillating feature
or replace the fan.
 HOW TO TROUBLESHOOT POWER SUPPLY

Power Supply Troubleshooting

Troubleshooting the power supply basically means isolating the supply as the cause of problems
within a system and, if necessary, replacing it.

Many symptoms lead me to suspect that the power supply in a system is failing. This can sometimes
be difficult for an inexperienced technician to see because, at times little connection seems to exist
between the symptom and the cause—the power supply.

For example, in many cases a parity check error message can indicate a problem with the power
supply. This might seem strange because the parity check message specifically refers to memory that
has failed. The connection is that the power supply powers the memory, and memory with inadequate
power fails.

It takes some experience to know when this type of failure is power related and not caused by the
memory. One clue is the repeatability of the problem. If the parity check message (or other problem)
appears frequently and identifies the same memory location each time, I would suspect that defective
memory is the problem. However, if the problem seems random, or if the memory location the error
message cites as having failed
seems random, I would suspect improper power as the culprit. The following is a list of PC problems
that often are related to the power supply:

 Any power-on or system startup failures or lockups.

 Spontaneous rebooting or intermittent lockups during normal operation.

 Intermittent parity check or other memory-type errors.

 Hard disk and fan simultaneously failing to spin (no +12v).

 Overheating due to fan failure.

 Small brownouts cause the system to reset.

 Electric shocks felt on the system case or connectors.

 Slight static discharges disrupt system operation.

In fact, just about any intermittent system problem can be caused by the power supply. I always
suspect the supply when flaky system operation is a symptom. Of course, the following fairly obvious
symptoms point right to the power supply as a possible cause:

 System is completely dead (no fan, no cursor)

 Smoke

 Blown circuit breakers

If you suspect a power supply problem, some of the simple measurements and the more sophisticated
tests outlined in this section can help you determine whether the power supply is at fault. Because
these measurements might not detect some intermittent failures, you might have to use a spare power
supply for a long-term evaluation. If the symptoms and problems disappear when a known good spare
unit is installed, you have found the source of your problem.

Following is a simple flowchart to help you zero in on common power supply–related problems:

1. Check AC power input. Make sure the cord is firmly seated in the wall socket and in the power
supply socket. Try a different cord.
 2. Check DC power connections. Make sure the motherboard and disk drive power connectors are
firmly seated and making good contact. Check for loose screws.

3. Check DC power output. Use a digital multimeter to check for proper voltages. If it's below spec,
replace the power supply.

4. Check installed peripherals. Remove all boards and drives and retest the system. If it works, add
back in items one at a time until the system fails again. The last item added before the failure
returns is likely defective.

Many types of symptoms can indicate problems with the power supply. Because the power supply
literally powers everything else in the system, everything from disk drive problems to memory
problems to motherboard problems can often be traced back to the power supply as the root cause.

Overloaded Power Supplies

A weak or inadequate power supply can put a damper on your ideas for system expansion. Some
systems are designed with beefy power supplies, as if to anticipate a great deal of system add-ons and
expansion components. Most desktop or tower systems are built in this manner. Some systems have
inadequate power supplies from the start, however, and cannot adequately service the power-hungry
options you might want to add.

The wattage rating can sometimes be very misleading. Not all 300-watt supplies are created the same.
People familiar with high-end audio systems know that some watts are better than others. This goes for
power supplies, too. Cheap power supplies might in fact put out the rated power, but what about noise
and distortion? Some of the supplies are under-engineered to just barely meet their specifications,
whereas others might greatly exceed their specifications. Many of the cheaper supplies provide noisy
or unstable power, which can cause numerous problems with the system. Another problem with under-
engineered power supplies is that they can run hot and force the system to do so as well. The repeated
heating and cooling of solid-state components eventually causes a computer system to fail, and
engineering principles dictate that the hotter a PC's temperature, the shorter its life. Many people
recommend replacing the original supply in a system with a heavier-duty model, which solves the
problem. Because power supplies come in common form factors, finding a heavy-duty replacement for
most systems is easy, as is the installation process.

One simple test you can perform on a power supply is to check the output voltages. This shows
whether a power supply is operating correctly and whether the output voltages are within the correct
tolerance range. Note that you must measure all voltages with the power supply connected to a proper
load, which usually means testing while the power supply is still installed in the system and connected
to the motherboard and peripheral devices.

Inadequate Cooling

Some of the available replacement power supplies

have higher-capacity cooling fans than the originals,
which can greatly prolong system life and minimize
overheating problems—especially for the newer,
hotter-running processors. If system noise is a
problem, models with special fans can run more
quietly than the standard models. These power supplies often use larger-diameter fans that spin more
slowly, so they run more quietly but move the same amount of air as the smaller fans. PC Power and
Cooling specializes in heavy-duty and quiet supplies; Astec has several heavy-duty models as well.

Ventilation in a system is also important. You must ensure adequate airflow to cool the hotter items in
the system. Many processors today use passive heatsinks that require a steady stream of air to cool
the chip. If the processor heatsink has its own fan, this is not much of a concern. If you have free
expansion slots, you should space out the boards in your system to permit airflow between them.
Place the hottest running boards nearest the fan or the ventilation holes in the system. Make sure that
adequate airflow exists around the hard disk drive, especially for those that spin at high rates of speed.
Some hard disks can generate quite a bit of heat during operation. If the hard disks overheat, data can
be lost.

Always be sure to run your computer with the case cover on, especially if you have a loaded system.
Removing the cover can actually cause a system to overheat. With the cover off, the power supply fan
no longer draws air through the system. Instead, the fan ends up cooling the supply only, and the rest
of the system must be cooled by simple convection. Although most systems do not immediately
overheat for this reason, several of my own systems, especially those that are fully expanded, have
overheated within 15–30 minutes when run with the case cover off.
In addition, be sure that any empty slot positions have the filler brackets installed. If you leave these
brackets off after removing a card, the resultant hole in the case disrupts the internal airflow and can
cause higher internal temperatures.

If you experience intermittent problems that you suspect are related to overheating, a higher-capacity
replacement power supply is usually the best cure. Specially designed supplies with additional cooling
fan capacity also can help. At least one company sells a device called a fan card, but I am not
convinced these are a good idea. Unless the fan is positioned to draw air to or from the area outside
the case, all it does is blow hot air around inside the system and provide a spot cooling effect for
anything it is blowing on. In fact, adding fans in this manner contributes to the overall heat inside the
system because the fan consumes power and generates heat.

CPU-mounted fans are an exception because they are designed only for spot cooling of the CPU. Many
newer processors run so much hotter than the other components in the system that a conventional,
finned aluminum heatsink can't do the job. In this case, a small fan placed directly over the processor
provides a spot cooling effect that keeps the processor temperatures down. One drawback to these
active processor cooling fans is that the processor overheats instantly and can be damaged if the fans
fail. Whenever possible, try to use the biggest passive (finned aluminum) heatsink you can find and
purchase a CPU fan from a reputable vendor.

Using Digital Multimeter

rs
One simple test you can perform on a power supply is to check the output voltages. This shows
whether a power supply is operating correctly and whether the output voltages are within the correct
tolerance range. Note that you must measure all voltages with the power supply connected to a proper
load, which usually means testing while the power supply is still installed in the system and connected
to the motherboard and peripheral device.
 HOW TO TROUBLESHOOT BLENDER

Step 1

Make sure your Oster blender is plugged into a working outlet if power is an
issue. Plug it into another outlet to be sure.

Step 2

Select a power setting. Oster blenders require you to choose a power setting
before you can blend anything. If you haven't selected a power setting, the
blender will not start.

3.Seat the jar properly. If the jar to your Oster blender isn't properly seated,
the blender will turn on, but the blade won't rotate. Remove the jar from the
base and reseat it properly.

4.Check the blade. Make sure the blade is properly assembled and

attached to base of the jar. Make sure it isn't rusty or damaged.

5.Check your seals. Make sure none of the seals on the base or the

jar are cracked or worn. Also, make sure the jar itself isn't cracked.
A cracked seal or jar will cause your Oster blender to leak.

6.Don't overdo it. If your Oster blender has a hard time blending,

you may just have too much in the jar. Ice can be especially
problematic. Oster recommends only blending one to three ice
cubes at a time, and adding one cup of liquid for every three ice
cubes. Adding any more can cause your blender to jam.

HOW TO TROUBLESHOOT A WASHING

MACHINE
Overview: Time, tools and savings of washer repair
Instead of searching the internet for “washer repair near me”, we’ll show you how to fix it
yourself. Washing machine repair may sound complicated, but these machines are pretty simple
inside. With a few basic tools and the steps we show here, you can solve most problems
yourself—and save the cost of a service call ($80 to $150). We won’t cover every fix, but the
repairs we show will correct about 90 percent of washer troubles, like Maytag washer repair or
Kenmore washer repair.For more money-saving fixes, type “appliance repair” in the search box
above.

Figure A: Whirlpool-Type Washer

To remove the outer cabinet from this type of washer, first pull off the side trim pieces and remove
the retaining screws. Flip the console up and release the spring clips with a screwdriver. Tilt the
cabinet forward and lift the cabinet off.

Note: Figure A showing Whirlpool washer repair is available in pdf format in Additional
Information below.
Figure B: Maytag Washer Repair
To remove the front panel on this type of washer, yank the bottom of the panel outward (you may
have to first remove screws). Pull the panel down and out.

Note: Figure B of a Maytag washer repair is available in pdf format in Additional Information
below.
 HOW TO TROUBLESHOOT RICE COOKER

Step 1 - Unplug Power Cord from Wall

Before you start to work on the electric rice cooker, you will want to make sure it
is not plugged into any power source.

Step 2 - Remove All Extra Pieces

Take the covering dish out and place it aside. You will also need to remove the
burner plate and inner bowl. This will allow you to get to the inner parts of the
cooker.

Step 3 - Remove the Base

On the bottom of most electric rice cookers, there are some tabs or screws that
hold the base together. Remove the screws or fold back the tabs so that you can
remove the base.
 HOW TO TROUBLESHOOT FLAT IRON

Electric Flat iron is an important domestic appliance. We use

iron to press clothes. Ironing removes wrinkles in fabric and
it requires heat. When the fabric is heated, it becomes soft
and mobile and then by applying pressure it can be given
preferred orientation which is retained when the fabric is
cool. Electric flat irons operate with 220 volt AC and are
available with usual power rating between 450 watt and 2.0
kilowatt. The common working temperature is around 100*C
and safety devices are provided in some models to prevent
temperature rise beyond 200*C or 250*C. Small irons of
power rating as low as 300 watts are also available. Now a
days numerous models from various manufacturers are
available. Modern electric irons have attractive features like
beautiful look, light weight; multiple adjustable temperature
levels to suit different fabrics, non stick coated sole plate,
thermal fuse for safety etc.
HOW TO TROUBLESHOOT MICROWAVE OVEN

The main component of a microwave is the magnetron, a electromagnetic device that

generates the microwaves which cook your food. But it isn't the only electrical device inside
the cabinet. If you remove the cover, you'll find a light and a drive motor that operates the
turntable, as well as a pair of transformers, several switches and fuses and a capacitor to
amplify the voltage to the magnetron. Any of these components can be responsible for
malfunctions, although fuses and switches are the most likely culprits.

Start Every Procedure by Discharging the Capacitor

The function of the capacitor is to increase the voltage to the magnetron, and it holds a
charge even when the unit is unplugged. The simplest way to do this, and the one
recommended by many manufacturers, is to hold the blade of an insulated screwdriver to
one of the capacitor terminals and tilt the screwdriver until it contacts the other terminal
and hold it in this position for a few seconds.. You'll hear a startling pop as the capacitor
discharges. After you're done, ground each terminal by touching the screwdriver to it while
the screwdriver shaft contacts any exposed metal part on the microwave chassis. If the
capacitor has three terminals, short each terminal to the other two before grounding it. Use
a voltmeter to make sure the capacitor voltage is zero before proceeding with repairs.

Check the Control Panel Switches

Switch malfunctions are among the most common problems. These are small
rectangular plastic components soldered to the control board. Remove the
connector from each one and clean the prongs with alcohol, then replace the
connector and double check to make sure it makes contact. After checking all
the switches, plug in the unit and check for power. Still nothing? One or more
switches may be bead, but to perform a continuity test to verify this, you'll
have to desolder each switch from the board. If you decide to do this, don't
forget to discharge the capacitor again.

Look for Blown Fuses

A number of fuses inside the chassis protect the circuitry from short circuits
and other current surges. After discharging the capacitor, check each one and
replace it if it's discolored or obviously blown. Each fuse is a one-inch
ceramic or glass cylinder with metallic ends, and it's usually inside plastic
holder that you separate by twisting counterclockwise. When a fuse blows,
it's usually because another part, such as a switch, has malfunctioned.

Troubleshooting Mechanical Problems

Problems caused by mechanical issues are usually easier to diagnose and fix.
For example, if the door won't close, the problem may be that something has
gotten stuck inside the latch mechanism or the spring has broken. When you
have to service the door latch, it's best to have the users manual handy to help
you. The same is true if you have to service the drive motor for the turntable
or the belt that connects them.

If your microwave sparks when you turn it on, that probably isn't an electrical
problem. The sparks are usually caused by the microwaves reflecting off of a
metal utensil or container inside the oven compartment. Remove the metal
and the sparks will stop.