M55 Cast daughter card

[dana.r]

Hi all,

Had a great season with my M55. Unfortunately it seems that someone pushed a little too hard this morning on the daughter card and now the power button does not work. I put a meter on it and there is no continuity when depressing the button. The other buttons for the speed are OK.

I got the stove started tonight by shorting across the leads of the power button. Tomorrow I'm going to unsolder the #5 button and switch it out for the power button. This should get me through the season as I've never used #5 and don't expect that I would now that it's getting warmer.

I looked up the price of replacement boards and 50-2109 runs about $130!. Since the board is actually OK and all I really need to do is replace the button I was hoping someone would have already done this and would know a Mouser or other electronics warehouse part number. I believe it's just a momentary on button. Anyone know where I can get one? I'm going to start looking online tonight to see if I can find something. If I do I'll post it here in case someone else runs into the same problem. If someone has a part number please let me know.

Thanks!
Dana

 

[Lake Girl]

Hi dana, haven't seen any of your postings yet so welcome to the forum! Have you tried a search of the forum (box upper right)? I know various electronics issues have been covered so worth a search. Above my pay grade so I stay out of it Good luck...

 

[vinny11950]

Yes, the buttons on the M55 are flimsy. A definite weakness of the design.

Before you do any soldering, make sure the connections are connecting. I would unplug the stove, wait 30 minutes, then unplug and replug the daughter board connections. Use some compressed air to blow out dust and dirt, make sure all connections are clean.

Then plug the stove in and see what happens.

If this does not work, call your dealer and see if Enviro will cover it. If the dealer says no, call the corporate office. I have some numbers I can share if you PM me. Those buttons should last more than 3 years.

Last thing I would do is solder in a new button. It could lead to more expensive problems. You may be better off biting the bullet and buying a new board.

Good luck.

 

[nailed_nailer]

Like Vinny said....check the ribbon cable connection to the Daughter board. I know mine usually needs to be checked any time I take off the the cast Top.
The daughter board just sits in a pocket and it is easily moved when you are putting the top on.

Good Luck,
---Nailer---

 

[smwilliamson]

Something like this

Tactile momentary switch

http://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/EVQ-11U09K/P8085SCT-ND/259570

 

[dana.r]

I had already unplugged the stove, checked the cables, etc. I determined it was the button by removing the board putting a meter on the leads and pressing the button to check continuity. There was none. I checked the other buttons and had continuity. So I removed the the top button which selects the burn medium and installed it in place of the bad button. 5 minute job and I'm back in business!

I've been an electronics tech and ham radio operator for over 15 years so properly unsoldering a surface mounted button was a very trivial matter. So far the closest button I have found so far is: http://www.newark.com/e-switch/tl3301ff160qg/switch-tactile-spst-50ma-12vdc/dp/15N9471 At 31 cents each I'm going to order a couple to have on hand and save myself $125 or so.

 

[vinny11950]

I had already unplugged the stove, checked the cables, etc. I determined it was the button by removing the board putting a meter on the leads and pressing the button to check continuity. There was none. I checked the other buttons and had continuity. So I removed the the top button which selects the burn medium and installed it in place of the bad button. 5 minute job and I'm back in business!

I've been an electronics tech and ham radio operator for over 15 years so properly unsoldering a surface mounted button was a very trivial matter. So far the closest button I have found so far is: http://www.newark.com/e-switch/tl3301ff160qg/switch-tactile-spst-50ma-12vdc/dp/15N9471 At 31 cents each I'm going to order a couple to have on hand and save myself $125 or so.

Glad it worked out. If you can, takes some pictures, to share here, of the replacement process. I have a 50% success rate when soldering electronics so any tips would be greatly appreciated.

 

[dana.r]

I can take a pic the next time I take the stove apart to reinstall the removed switch. However it's just going to look like the original board.

In this case it was really easy as the switches are surface mounted and not through holes. The key is to have a hot iron and desoldering braid. You put the braid on the legs, heat the braid and once the solder melts it will wick right up. I used a tiny flat blade screw driver to apply a little pressure under the switch so as soon as the solder melts the legs lift right off the board. You don't want to over heat this board as it will lift the traces. That said, the way this board was designed it would be fairly easy to fix even if you messed it up. It goes without saying that you use a small pencil iron and not one of those big guns. I used my Weller adjustable 40W iron (WLC100) though I probably should have used my little Weller WM120 instead as it's more precise and less prone to overheating the traces. You just have to be patient with the smaller iron. To (re)install just flow a little solder onto the pads and place the switch on top. Heat the legs, push down lightly and you are done.

Tip: one thing that is invaluable is to have a set of those cheap reading glasses. I have a +2 set and it makes a world of difference when working with the tiny components that they used these days!

 

[Lake Girl]

dana, nice tip on the reading glasses too. I came across this magnifier that might be helpful with small work like this ... tweezers with magnifier!
http://www.leevalley.com/en/garden/page.aspx?p=10435&cat=2,42551,62567,10435

 

[vinny11950]

I can take a pic the next time I take the stove apart to reinstall the removed switch. However it's just going to look like the original board.

In this case it was really easy as the switches are surface mounted and not through holes. The key is to have a hot iron and desoldering braid. You put the braid on the legs, heat the braid and once the solder melts it will wick right up. I used a tiny flat blade screw driver to apply a little pressure under the switch so as soon as the solder melts the legs lift right off the board. You don't want to over heat this board as it will lift the traces. That said, the way this board was designed it would be fairly easy to fix even if you messed it up. It goes without saying that you use a small pencil iron and not one of those big guns. I used my Weller adjustable 40W iron (WLC100) though I probably should have used my little Weller WM120 instead as it's more precise and less prone to overheating the traces. You just have to be patient with the smaller iron. To (re)install just flow a little solder onto the pads and place the switch on top. Heat the legs, push down lightly and you are done.

Tip: one thing that is invaluable is to have a set of those cheap reading glasses. I have a +2 set and it makes a world of difference when working with the tiny components that they used these days!

Thanks, Dana.

 

[stovelark]

Hi Dana, glad you got working again. As a person who has worked on these stoves, they are not that flimsy built. With every mfr you can find faults with their design, my gripe is they never consider the service person having to work on them Those boards are a little slow to change state so people will instinctively push them harder than necessary, creating that issue. They normally give years of usage. Your stove part is still under warranty too. Good soldering tips, I am an electronics guy as well, did that in the military. Am also a ham. 73

 

[AZ Pellet Heat]

Like the original poster Dana, I too had the "ON/OFF" button fail on my Enviro M55. And like Dana I didn't want to spend $140 for a new board when all I needed was a new 10 cent push button. If you google "6x6 cm smt momentary push button" you'll find plenty of likely replacement buttons. But I followed Dana's lead and just moved the "FUEL TYPE" button (which I don't use) to the "ON/OFF" position (which I used enough to break the button after 6 years).

Here are a few descriptions and photos I took to document how I did it. Your mileage may vary. You assume all risk. Blah, blah, blah


1) Remove power first. Then using a 10mm socket, remove the two bolts that hold the upper stove lid and pull the lid off.

2) Remove the ribbon cable from the bottom of the daughter board.

3) Remove the four screws from the bottom of the daughter board assembly.

4) Locate the failed switch, which in my case is the bottom "ON/OFF" switch.

5) Use solder wick to suck up most of the solder on all four tabs of the push button. Solder wick is braided copper that acts like a sponge with liquid solder. Solder wick always works better for me if I wet the tip of my iron with fresh solder first. If needed, find a YouTube video showing how to use it. Once most of the solder has been wicked up, I used a small screwdriver to apply upward pressure on the push button while heating the tab, and the push button came free. Remove the working "FUEL TYPE" push button in the same way.

6) Put some fresh solder on each of the four pads of the push button mounting location. Position the functioning switch on these four solder pads and touch the soldering iron to each switch leg until the solder reflows.

7) If you're not using a reflow oven, the solder joints won't be as pretty as when it came from the factory. But it's functional.

8) Reassemble everything, power up, and enjoy your new push button (and associated heat from the stove). The whole job took me about half an hour.

Good luck,
Marc

 

[vinny11950]

Great post, Marc. Thanks for sharing. My on/off button is barely holding on.

 

[AZ Pellet Heat]

I wanted to replace both of my "Heat Level" buttons also so I found a suitable push button on Amazon. It's about 20 thousands of a inch shorter, but it works fine for me.
(broken link removed to http://a.co/5MYs1w0)

If you happen to be in Northern Arizona I'll give you a handful. But at only $5 for 100, with free shipping, you too can have a lifetime supply.

Marc

 

[Vic Flo]

Hi all,

Had a great season with my M55. Unfortunately it seems that someone pushed a little too hard this morning on the daughter card and now the power button does not work. I put a meter on it and there is no continuity when depressing the button. The other buttons for the speed are OK.

I got the stove started tonight by shorting across the leads of the power button. Tomorrow I'm going to unsolder the #5 button and switch it out for the power button. This should get me through the season as I've never used #5 and don't expect that I would now that it's getting warmer.

I looked up the price of replacement boards and 50-2109 runs about $130!. Since the board is actually OK and all I really need to do is replace the button I was hoping someone would have already done this and would know a Mouser or other electronics warehouse part number. I believe it's just a momentary on button. Anyone know where I can get one? I'm going to start looking online tonight to see if I can find something. If I do I'll post it here in case someone else runs into the same problem. If someone has a part number please let me know.

Thanks!
Dana

Dana,
I'm going to start by saying I'm new to this forum and not too familiar with all this. That being said, I have an Enviro M55 cast and I also have the issue with the power switch. The stove is 4 years old so its past the warranty I'm willing to order and just replace the daughter board .
I just dont know how to get to the daughter board. I'm sure it's fairly simple but I'm looking for someone to guide me through the process before I try and experiment and make any mistakes.
The dealer who installed the stove is out of business and as most people know Enviro has little to no customer support. Terrible.
Any help would greatly be appreciated.
Thanks
Victor

 

[vinny11950]

Dana,
I'm going to start by saying I'm new to this forum and not too familiar with all this. That being said, I have an Enviro M55 cast and I also have the issue with the power switch. The stove is 4 years old so its past the warranty I'm willing to order and just replace the daughter board .
I just dont know how to get to the daughter board. I'm sure it's fairly simple but I'm looking for someone to guide me through the process before I try and experiment and make any mistakes.
The dealer who installed the stove is out of business and as most people know Enviro has little to no customer support. Terrible.
Any help would greatly be appreciated.
Thanks
Victor

Hi, Victor, you will get more help if you start a new thread describing your stove and the issues you are having.

That being said, you want to trouble shoot the stove first, trying the simple, cheaper fixes first, then moving up to the more expensive, like buying a new daughter board. First, unplug the stove, put on latex gloves (to prevent static), open the side panel and check the connections to the boards - sometimes they come loose. Check your fuses. Open the owners manual and read the trouble shooting section - are you getting any codes? The owners manual will also have parts diagrams with part numbers for you daughter board. Once you have that you can go online and order it, or go to a dealer and buy it.

But really, start a new thread and troubleshoot first, before throwing the parts cannon at the problem.

https://www.stove-parts-unlimited.com/pellet-stove-parts/

 

[Vic Flo]

The power switch is broken off . The ideal solution would be to replace power bittpbbut I'm just will to repamce the entire daughter board. I also have a replacement panel decal.