Miele W3204: Gaining Access

[ajs_derby]

I hope I’m not asking this in completely the wrong place …..

Basically, I have a Miele W3204 washing machine. As this machine has an electronic rather than mechanical timer, it won’t simply start when power is applied; it requires a start button to be pressed in order to start the washing program. I want to be able to start the machine in the afternoon, when my solar panels are generating electricity but close enough to hometime for me not to come home to a machine full of stinking washing.

As this is just a simple contact closure detection, I figured I could simply connect the transistor part of an opto-isolator in parallel with the start switch. The problem then collapses to “how to light an LED”. I can manage that 😀

However, so far I have not been able to gain access to the interior of the machine in order to determine what is going on in there.

I undid the two Torx-head screws which pass through plastic brackets at the back of the top panel, expecting the panel just to slide backwards and lift clear; however, it did not seem to want to move, and I was reluctant to force it.

So how do I get into the machine?

(The author does not endorse any link added to this posting.)

[electrofix]

Re: Miele W3204: Gaining Access

by the looks of this your way in is the 2 screws at the side of the lid. loosen them about 1/2 inch then push them in to release front of lid then lift

But

to get at the button you want means you have to go in through the control panel from the front as there is no access from the lid

also any warranty you have from miele will cease as soon as you do this

Dave

[Syncrolark]

Re: Miele W3204: Gaining Access

Why not simply plug the machine in to a 24 hour timer?

Load machine, start program with button, arm timer, go to work.

To my knowledge, when the timer triggers the program will continue.

[Muv]

Re: Miele W3204: Gaining Access

Have just tried this method on a miele i have in for repair..seems to work

Plug in to a 24 hour timer as mentioned earlier.
Set time you require machine to come on ( allow around 2 hours ) depending on which programme is selected)

Switch timer on so that you have power to machine to allow setting of programme

Press start button

Switch timer to the timed activation setting

When timer activates, machine will continue where it left off

All depends on if you are leaving the power to the sockets permanently on i guess

Let us know if it works

Martin

[ajs_derby]

Re: Miele W3204: Gaining Access

Syncrolark wrote:Why not simply plug the machine in to a 24 hour timer?

Load machine, start program with button, arm timer, go to work.

To my knowledge, when the timer triggers the program will continue.Because this washing machine has an electronic timer, aot a mechanical one like all my previous machines; and after 8 hours or so without power, it will forget what program it was originally set to.

Electrofix wrote:by the looks of this your way in is the 2 screws at the side of the lid. loosen them about 1/2 inch then push them in to release front of lid then lift

Screws? All I see at the side of the lid are two raised oval sections, about 15 mm. long by 7 mm. wide. I thought these were part of the plastic moulding. Are these actually caps concealing screws, that can be removed?

Also, I don’t know if this means anything, but I notice that the plastic “fixing lugs” through which the screws pass that secure the lid to the back, seem to be hinged.

[iadom]

Re: Miele W3204: Gaining Access

Beware of electrofix’s warning, any modification you make will instantly invalidate your 5 or 10 year warranty. 😉

[kwatt]

Re: Miele W3204: Gaining Access

Yup, instant guarantee invalidation as you have modified the machine and quite likely Miele would just walk away and leave you to sort it.

Asides which there’s the risks involved when running a machine unattended…

http://www.ukwhitegoods.co.uk/help/buyi … start.html

It isn’t a high risk, granted. But, you should be aware of it all the same.

K.

[ajs_derby]

Re: Miele W3204: Gaining Access

I’m aware of possibly invalidating the warranty, if they find out about it and if they can prove that my modification had something to do with whatever went wrong with the machine if anything goes wrong with it. On the other hand, the more of my own generated electricity I use, the better value it works out — I get paid for every kWh I generate, whether it goes into my home or the grid. But what I generate *and use myself* doesn’t count down the main meter.

I did think briefly of operating the start button from outside the machine, with some sort of solenoid and plunger arrangement; but that seems to be a massively ugly hack. An opto-isolator in parallel across the switch contacts is just much more elegant. (And if the program selector works the way I hope it does, it should even be possible to select a wash program externally, so I can give the washing an extra spin.)

[kwatt]

Re: Miele W3204: Gaining Access

I’d check your home insurance as well but I get the sense that you likely won’t care too much. They have a tendency not to approve of such things either.

However, if there is any modification to an appliance the standing protocol from all manufacturers I’ve dealt with is that the attending tech walks away, regardless of the circumstance and the warranty is invalidated.

There’s no proving of anything involved, it’s a term of every warranty I’ve ever seen that no modification is carried out in any way. If there is, you’re on your own.

K.

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