How to test fridge circuit board ?

[Davis]

I have a Dometic RM 3804 in my 91 34ft trailer. On my last trip we had no gas operation at all. I have checked all connections and they seem ok. So I was wanting to know how to test the circuit board to see if it has failed. I do have 12volt going into the fridge cause the light comes on and the lights at the top control panel come on and it does operate on 120 volt .Any suggestion would be appreciated.

[lewster]

Originally Posted by Davis

I have a Dometic RM 3804 in my 91 34ft trailer. On my last trip we had no gas operation at all. I have checked all connections and they seem ok. So I was wanting to know how to test the circuit board to see if it has failed. I do have 12volt going into the fridge cause the light comes on and the lights at the top control panel come on and it does operate on 120 volt .Any suggestion would be appreciated.

First, remove the cover to the board and check all of the fuses with an ohm meter or continuity tester. If they all test good, then position yourself at the back of the fridge when someone else turns it to LP operation. You should hear the LP solenoid click open and hear the spark from the igniter. one or both may be bad, especially if you have a model that uses a re-igniter module.

You can probably replace the board with a Dinosaur Micro- P711 board if you need new one, but check their website for compatibility with your model....

[Davis]

Hi Lewster,
Thanks for the reply. I do know that the igniter is not working because I can hear it from inside the trailer . I will check the gas valve today. I have only seen one fuse mounted to one of the covers and it is good.

[Davis]

I checked the igniter and gas valve for operation nothing is working . So does that mean the circuit board has failed or should I check something else. It does have 12 volts going to the unit and all grounds are intact.

[BigAl]

my fridge is a model 3807 in a 94.
I was told if the circuit board is potted in yellow epoxy it is no good. Replace with Dino board. Evidently a transistor overheats and the fridge stops working. If you turn it off and on again it works(for a while).
THe new board did the trick and has been working flawlessly for six years.
Al

[Davis]

Would a failing circuit board also cause intermittent problems . I have been experiencing problems with the gas side for several years but it would usually start working but now is dead for the gas side operation.

[Mike Leary]

As others have posted, factory circuit boards on any of our appliances are junk. I pretty much wait until the warranty is over and replace them with: Dinosaur Electronics Home. High quality circuit boards for RV appliances.

[Davis]

I decided to order a dinosaur p 246 plus circuit board and I installed it today. Everything is working as designed . Wished I had done it a while back then I would not have had some intermittent problems on several trips. The original board had some bad spots in it that looked burnt. Thanks for the help.

[lewster]

Glad you went to the 'light'.

Along with their 3 year warranty and 'Made in USA' reliability, Dinosaur offers the BEST tech support of any OEM out there. Because they design and build all of their boards, they have intimate knowledge of what is happening, and will spend the time with you to track down your problems.

[Mike Leary]

Dinosaur rules! I hate to say it, but if I was buying a new appliance, I'd rip the board out, and replace it with "The Big D." I have never had one of their boards fail, and believe me, I've replaced all my appliances a couple of times and, in most cases, it was the board that went belly-up, just after warranty expired.