Spent $80 on a thermal camera for my phone to find a short, total waste.

I was chasing a weird drain cycle on a Whirlpool washer, thought it would show me a hot spot on the board. The resolution was so bad it just showed a big warm blob, couldn't pinpoint anything. What's a better tool for tracing board heat on the fly without a full shop setup?

3 comments

3 Comments

noah_sullivan23d ago

Got a picture of that warm blob from the camera? Sometimes the exact shape can still point you in the right direction. For a quick and dirty check, I've had decent luck with a cheap non-contact thermometer gun, you just scan for the hottest component. What's the actual symptom on the washer, just the drain cycle running non-stop?

jennifer_west23d ago

Quick and dirty check" is my middle name, but my thermal camera skills are still stuck on 'blob'. The washer just keeps trying to drain forever.

shane_ross22d ago

@jennifer_west did the drain pump actually get hot to the touch?