We were surprised one afternoon when we attempted to use our Sharp Microwave/Convection Oven and suddenly nothing worked. It was at that moment we began to realize just how important this appliance was. We use it to warm up and cook our food but we also rely on it for other uses in our daily life we had completely taken for granted..
Not only do we use it for cooking and reheating we use it as our evening light. It is also our clock to tell time and to set timers. We either had to replace it with a functional one or have it repaired, the sooner the better!
As with any problem I hit up google and you-tube immediately. After about an hour of reading and watching videos I had come to the conclusion that it was most likely the touchpad that had failed. If it wasn’t the touch pad then it had to be the control board. Felling pretty certain about this I decided we would attempt to fix it ourselves rather than replace it.
Of course the risk was if the parts didn’t fix it I would still have to buy a new one. I found the parts on the Part Simple website after searching our model and serial number. Both parts were about 75.00 each. A new oven was over $700.00 so I placed the order after reading I could return the control board if the touchpad solved our problem.
So how did I attempt to repair it?
First, I unplugged the microwave. Since I was pretty sure it was only the touchpad I removed the front panel of our microwave which housed the touchpad. I then took a video of all the wire and plug connections so I could reassemble it properly.
Next, I carefully disconnected all plugs and wires connecting the touchpad to the microwave so I could remove the whole front panel. There were 5 screws holding the control board to the metal frame of the front panel. I removed these which exposed the touchpad and the ribbon wire connecting it to the control board.
Once the ribbon was removed I then connected the ribbon to the new touchpad. I screwed back in the 5 screws to attach it back to the control board and then reconnected the front panel frame making sure all wires and plugs were correctly connected by looking at my video of the removal of it.
Once the front panel was back in place I plugged in the microwave and tested it. Thankfully everything was functioning as it should so I didn’t have to use the new control board. I was able to return it for a full refund. This fix was achieved for about $80.00 thanks to Google and You-Tube!
Sweet! Well done John!
ReplyDeleteThe spindle broke on our combo unit TWICE! That heavy unit had to be removed to replace it TWICE. Then the firebox failed on the convection oven. This time I installed a shelf and to hold a fancy new Toshiba multi-function micro, convection, air fry and combo unit. It's working great. But it was certainly more than $80 :)
Yes, I didn't want to have to replace the whole unit again as it is a very cumbersome task.
DeleteNicely done, John! Always impressed by your willingness to tackle just about anything.
ReplyDeleteMary, with the help of Google and You-Tube just about anything can be solved.
DeleteNice work. But you better not be jinxing us LOL. We took out the RV stove and just use the convection/microwave. And it is the only clock in the RV so we only have to reset one each time we move.
ReplyDeleteWe didn't realize how much we depended on it for minor things like time and a night light.
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