Troubleshooting Norcold DE0051

[SeaDog3807]

Looking for some good advice to give me a little more insight on getting my Norcold DE0051 running.

I have download and began to test things according to Norcold troubleshooting guide.
The refrigerator is about 10 years old and hardly used by previous owner.

It is 12v /120 volt but I have really only been testing on 120.

The “good tests”
My green light is on when I turn dial on.
Looks like I have decent power coming out of the 120 power module, sending over around 43v (from my memory) to the 12v power module.
Thermistor is reading around 1.5 k ohms which seems ok for 94’f in my garage.

The bad or quirky tests / results
1- in Step 2 in the main flow chart is about checking TP1 and TP2 for voltage. It’s says to refer to pic 1 which shows read, black, and brown points on the 12v power module board. Is it that the red and black need test3d? I can’t get a reading on those. Or is it that on the other side of the board where there are two connectors labeled TP1 and TP2? When I test then, they seem that they are the wiring for 12 v power out (from my memory) And they start at 1v but the keep increasing slowly to 11 volt. Even the 12v power in lead wiring are getting that increasing voltage the same while no 12 v power source is connected.

2- When I try to get a reading on the compressor for voltage, it’s not the same as pictured in the guide. I think that they want you to simply test the positive and nuetral lines at the compressor, right? I am only getting around 11 v and I think you should have more, right? Like 15 v min? When the refer to points a and b on the compressor, they are simply meaning the positive and negative connections, right?

[km1125]

You should post some pics, scans or links to the documents you are referring to.

If the compressor is the same as the Norcold's I've worked on, there isn't a positive and negative. The compressor works on an A.C voltage of around 30-35 volts.

[SeaDog3807]

This is the 12 v module

[SeaDog3807]

The best copy of the service manual I found is at
http://bryantrv.com/docs2/docs/misc/SM_DC,DE_631842A_080807.pdf

So while plugged into 110v the ac module is sending over 41.8 dc v to the 12 v module.
Turning the dial on, green light comes on.
So I need the first flow chart, it says then to test TP1 and tp2 but the figure 1 shows points on the board not labeled. My points in that area are in a single row (cn5), not dual rows. On the opposite side of the board there are connectors that are labeled TP1 and tp2 which are for the 12/24 dc v power in wiring.

So I tested the red against both black points (like in figure 1) and I get 38 dc v on both tests, not 0, 2: or 5 v. I test the tp1/2 terminals and the circuit builds slowly up to 23.8v

My thermistor ohms are 1.3k ohms at 97 degrees Fahrenheit.
The voltage out to compressor is only 10.5 v
It’s hard to get an ohm reading on compressor, again the figure in guide is not like my compressor.
Once I got 1.5 ohm at around 95 degrees in the garage.

[SeaDog3807]

Here are pics of the compressor and model specs

[km1125]

Qr Bbpost The best copy of the service manual I found is at
http://bryantrv.com/docs2/docs/misc/SM_DC,DE_631842A_080807.pdf

So while plugged into 110v the ac module is sending over 41.8 dc v to the 12 v module.
Turning the dial on, green light comes on.
So I need the first flow chart, it says then to test TP1 and tp2 but the figure 1 shows points on the board not labeled. My points in that area are in a single row (cn5), not dual rows. On the opposite side of the board there are connectors that are labeled TP1 and tp2 which are for the 12/24 dc v power in wiring.

So I tested the red against both black points (like in figure 1) and I get 38 dc v on both tests, not 0, 2: or 5 v. I test the tp1/2 terminals and the circuit builds slowly up to 23.8v

My thermistor ohms are 1.3k ohms at 97 degrees Fahrenheit.
The voltage out to compressor is only 10.5 v
It’s hard to get an ohm reading on compressor, again the figure in guide is not like my compressor.
Once I got 1.5 ohm at around 95 degrees in the garage.

That's TB1 and TB2 for your 12/24vdc power in wiring ("terminal block 1", "terminal block 2"). Their test description of the 2vDC test is bad. I don't see what they are referring to as "TP1 and TP2". In the pic they referenced, they show red, black and brown points. I'd be inclined to think it was where the "brown" is. I'd measure that, relative to ground (or DC-) and see what you get.

To test the output of the inverter, you should be checking for voltage at the compressor, and checking on the A.C. setting on the meter. You need to clean that ground on the compressor...it looks very corroded.

I have some similar power supplies in the garage. Not sure if they are identical, but I'll pop the covers off and see what the circuit board looks like.

[g36]

What about thermostat? Have you verified it's switch is closing and that it's calling for the compressor to come on?

[SeaDog3807]

Thanks...

So in testing the brown point and grounding to a black point, I am seeing 2 v dc. This is what they must have meant to do in the guide.

I then see what the ac volts are out to compressor, on just the disconnected wires and I am only getting 1 v ac.

I am needing to step away from this for about 2 weeks as I have some other urgent projects to get done ASAP.